Exploring Berlin (4 of 4)

Excursions from Berlin

I've left this to the end, a very special post to look back on and remember two trips which had a huge effect on us, for completely different reasons. These trips were to the shocking concentration camp Sachsenhausen and the incredibly beautiful city of Potsdam.

The visit to the concentration camp, Sachsenhausen is perhaps one of the places I remember the most of all the place I've been to. The concentration camp is in the north of the city, in a village called Oranienburg, although from the train station you have to walk for fifteen or twenty minutes to get there. The entrance is free, and we decided to go from Potsdamer Platz, with a guide who took us round the whole place. The tour was also free, and they explain the history of the concentration camp, the structure and organisation of it, and the horrendous conditions the prisoners had to live in. Like with many other places, for this visit, it's necessary to use your public transport pass.

Right at the entrance, where thousands of people weren't able to cross again to get out, there's a clock painted on the tower which tells us the time the camp was freed by the Soviets, at 11:08. Sometime later, this same place became the concentration camp for different prisoners, with the NKVD in charge.

It's such an essential trip, because it allows you to walk around and see the different places: the prisoners' barracks, the kitchen, the Nazis' dining room, the punishment cells, the nurse's office, the execution pit, etc, as well as the rooms used to display objects, videos and documents which have great historic value, to remember something that should never be forgotten.

It wasn't my first time as a visitor at a death camp, I had been to one before in Struthof-Natzweiler (Alsace), but I think it's always something which will affect you. It doesn't really matter how much you know about what went on there, being inside the camp was much more horrific and tremendously sad. In any case, I won't go into detail because that would be morbid.

I kept on thinking about documentary series and films I had seen on the subject of the Holocaust. But you're not in front of a screen, you're inside the camp. You even start thinking that your shoes are touching the floor where years ago the same floor was being stepped on by members of the Nazi and, when you stop in certain places, you imagine that in that exact spot they could have committed terrible atrocities. You're there to visit the place, to then later get on with your life and continue enjoying your holidays. Of course, life goes on, but it's in places like these when you really appreciate every moment.

When you leave the camp behind, you continue to think about everything you heard and saw there for some time after, without being able to take in how brutal and irrational it can be to be a human being. I remember that, on the way back to the train station, we were all quiet.

I would like to take advantage of this moment to ask you to respect any place you may visit in the future like this, and to know where you are. We were witnesses to certain behaviour which was unacceptable and still to this day I'm incapable of comprehending it.

The concentration camp, Sachsenhausen

The final excursion, and to take away the bitter taste from the one before, there's no better way to finish than to talk about Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg. Situated in the southwest of Berlin, this idyllic city is very well-connected (Potsdam Hbf station) and there are so many places to see there. It was in this city, in the Cecilienhof Palace, where the conference between Churchill, Truman and Stalin took place when they decided the pay-out to Germany after their surrender in the Second World War.

With regard to public transport tickets, I would say that the easiest way to get around in Potsdam is to take the bus, and unfortunately, you have to buy your tickets there because the ones in Berlin can't be used. We found out about this later, since we were happily getting around the city by using our Berlin tickets, and luckily, we weren't stopped by any inspectors. I swear we didn't know!

In Potsdam we found lots of charming streets and markets, as well as monuments and remarkable buildings. The first area we went to see was the Dutch Quarter or Holländisches Viertel, a Dutch area with typical redbrick houses, to walk around and have a drink. Not too far from there, you'll find the Nauener Tor and if you continue, you'll find yourself in front of the Brandenburg Gate of Potsdam. Another beautiful area and one which is a must-see if you go to Potsdam is the Russian colony Alexandrowka, where you can walk around the gardens and look at beautiful little wooden houses, some of which are lived in.

A house in the Alexandrowka colony

The two places you definitely have to see in Potsdam are Ruinenberg and the Sanssouci Palace.

Ruinenberg ("the mountain of ruins") is at the top of a hill and it's formed of structures which represent the ruins from ancient times. They're artificial ruins, which the King Frederick II the Great (in the 18th century), thought of to go with the construction of a reservoir. In amongst the "fake" ruins, there's a theatre, a Greek temple, a circular temple and a Norman tower.

Going down the hill, you get to the Sanssouci Palace, which is home to an enormous garden full of fountains and different sculptures. The visit to the garden is free, whereas to walk around the inside of the palace you have to pay 8 or 12 euros. The palace is small but it's worth looking around its ten rooms, with an exquisite design and different themes.

At the back of the palace, the old Fritz (a nickname given to the Great Frederick II of Prussia is buried. By the way, did you know that this king was the one who introduced potatoes in Prussia? Well, the citizens leave potatoes on his tomb in honour of his memory.

I think I remember that there's a card you can buy for 20 euros to visit all the palaces on the same day. In the same park, there are other palaces, like the New Palace of Potsdam, the oldest in the whole complex, or the Orangery Palace for example. There are also some Roman baths (Römische Bäder) around the Charlottenhof Palace and a reconstructed windmill which already existed before they built the Sanssouci Palace. You must really go around the whole park in order not to miss anything out.

After enjoying the Sanssouci Park for some hours and setting off once again, we found an ice cream parlour (Eismanufaktur), very nearby, where we recharged our batteries whilst eating a cheesecake ice cream. I still haven't forgotten the taste... the best I have ever tried!

Ruinenberg, Potsdam

Sanssouci gardens, Potsdam

Another thing we enjoyed before leaving the city, was having a few beers and burgers (at a very good price, it wasn't more than 10 euros each) in Hafthorn, a very popular pub which was very lively. Outside, it had big tables and wooden benches and the temperature was fantastic. Just when we were leaving, the performance started which we presume was a singer-songwriter, but we had to take the train back to Berlin, so we didn't have time to stay and watch.

As you have probably noticed, the city of Berlin and all around offers so many things to see and do, and with a train ticket in your hand, there's no corner you can't get to. The key is to get up early in the mornings, calculate all the distances and manage your time so you can organise yourselves in the best way possible.

I hope that this blog will be helpful for your possible future trip. Viel Glück, which is the same as... good luck!

Photo gallery