Berlin Part 2 - World Wars & Cold War

Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe

 

A memorial outside of Friedrichstrauss, one of the main train stations.



Obviously, Berlin has gone through a lot of troubling times during the 20th century.  World War I, World War II, and the Cold War have all left their mark.  However, unlike many other nations that hide the dark parts of their past and sweep them under the rug, Germany highlights them to make sure their citizens never forget and don't repeat the mistakes of the past.  I think this is the right approach and, as many of these museums and memorials are in Berlin, I figured I'd dedicate a post to this topic.



It's important to note that ordinary German people also suffered greatly from the World Wars.  The sculpture above was done by a woman who lost her husband in WWI and her son in WWII. 



The Berlin Wall - the greatest symbol of the Cold War.  There are museums dedicated to various facets of the Cold War and divided Germany in Berlin.  It's interesting to note that the Reichstag, where the German parliament sits, is within spitting distance of where the Berlin Wall used to stand.  As you can see from the picture below, the old path of the Berlin Wall is still marked out so that Berliners don't forget that their city used to be divided.



There are still a few stretches of the Berlin Wall remaining, though most have been torn down.

I can't post about Germany without food, can I???  :) 

 

Currywurst is a Berliner specialty, and according to Jakub this place is the best in town.  I believe him!  :D



The official German name for this is...  uhhh...  long...  wurst.  Yes...  longwurst.

German pasta!  Deep fried and served with pork (the pasta is fried, not the pork).  Delicious!!!