Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
city is incorporating the river thoughtfully into a people-friendly cityscape. From the Reich-
stag, a delightful riverside path leads around the curve, past “beach cafés,” to the Chan-
cellery. For a slow, low-impact glide past this zone, consider a river cruise (see here ; we'll
pass the starting point—on Museum Island—later on this walk). The fine bridges symbolize
the connection of East and West.
• Leaving the Reichstag, return to the busy road, and cross the street at your first opportun-
ity, to the big park. Walk (with the park on your right) to the corner. Along the railing at the
cornerofScheidemannstrasse andEbertstrasse isasmallmemorialofwhitecrosses.Thisis
the...
Berlin Wall Victims Memorial
This monument—now largely usurped by business promos and impromptu wacko book
stalls—commemorates some of the East Berliners who died trying to cross the Wall. This
96-mile-long “Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart,” as it was called by the East German gov-
ernment, was erected almost overnight in 1961 to stop the outward flow of people from East
to West (3 million had leaked out between 1949 and 1961). Of these people, many perished
within months of the wall's construction on August 13, 1961. Most died trying to swim the
rivertofreedom.ThemonumentusedtostandrightontheBerlinWallbehindtheReichstag.
Noticethatthelastpersonkilledwhiletryingtoescapewas20-year-oldChrisGueffroy,who
died nine months before the Wall fell in 1989. (He was shot through the heart in no-man's-
land.)
In the park just behind the monument, another memorial is planned. It will remember
the Roma (Gypsy) victims of the Holocaust. The Roma, as persecuted by the Nazis as the
Jews were, lost the same percentage of their population to Hitler. Unfortunately, the project
is stalled for lack of a well-funded individual or group to finance it.
• From here, head to the Brandenburg Gate. Stay on the park side of the street for a better
view of the gate ahead. As you cross at the light, notice the double row of cobblestones —it
goes around the city, marking where the Wall used to stand.
Brandenburg Gate and Nearby
▲▲▲ Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor)
The historic Brandenburg Gate (1791) was the grandest—and is the last survivor—of 14
gatesinBerlin'soldcitywall(thisoneledtotheneighboringcityofBrandenburg).Thegate
was the symbol of Prussian Berlin—and later the symbol of a divided Berlin. It's crowned
by a majestic four-horse chariot with the Goddess of Peace at the reins. Napoleon took this
Search WWH ::




Custom Search