Day 1 Berlin:
We arrived in Berlin around midday on Monday 10th April. We did our best to stay awake for the rest of the day so our bodies could acclimatise to the change in time zone and hemisphere. To achieve this, we walked! We walked around key historical sites in central Berlin such as the Hitler bunker, the Holocaust Memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Reichstag building.
Our group climbed the Reichstag Dome, a location that is central to key events in our HSC topic. The top of this building had stunning views over Berlin that allowed us to orientate ourselves and appreciate the ever-changing city as a direct result of World War 2.
Day 2 Berlin:
The group visited a World War 2 air-raid shelter that had been converted into a museum which documented the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and the ensuing war that they initiated. It was an open and honest account of events, that did not shy away from the brutal reality of the content. There were some very powerful images and information about the persecution and execution of minority groups, particularly the Jews. Staff and students were exposed to evidence that is only accessible at this museum and covered all areas of the HSC syllabus.
The director of this bunker museum was surprised to know that Australian students had travelled all that way to visit his museum. It is normally closed to large group bookings, but they made an exception for our group.
Following the air-raid shelter, our group walked to the former Gestapo headquarters in Berlin. The original site had been demolished to erect the Berlin Wall, but since the wall came down a documentation centre has been constructed there that contains information about the terror apparatus the Nazi’s used to gain and maintain power in Germany. Again, staff and students were surprised to find evidence that we had not seen before, such as the “Our Father” prayer changed to accommodate the personality cult of Hitler.
The group then walked around the city of Berlin to see other important historical sites such as where the burning of the books took place in 1933 and a train station that was reconstructed after the second world war using marble from Hitler’s office building.
Our group ended the day with a German meal consisting of traditional foods including, sauerkraut, potato salad, dumplings, different kinds of sausages, meatloaf, and pork knuckle.
Day 3 Berlin:
The group took a guided behind the scenes tour of the Berlin Olympic Stadium that hosted the 1936 Olympic Games. This activity was a highlight for many of our travellers as the stadium is an impressive building that is still in use today as the home of the German Bundesliga Club, Hertha Berlin. The group were educated in how architecture and propaganda were used to impose Nazi ideology on the local and international audiences during these games.
Once again, the tour guide was surprised to see a school group from Australia visiting the stadium – he had never seen Australian students before!
After the stadium our group travelled across town to visit the DDR Museum. This was an interactive museum that aimed to recreate what life was like in East Berlin under the control of the socialist government after WW2. The museum was very busy when we arrived, and this impacted our group’s ability to access the different displays so was not an enjoyable experience. We decided to leave a bit early and walk along the Spree River that runs through Berlin, to take in the sights and sounds of a sunny day along the river. The group was impressed with the buildings found on Museum Island in Berlin, such as the Berlin Cathedral and antiquities museums.
For dinner many members of our group sampled the famous Berlin delicacy of currywurst – a German bratwurst covered in a tomato sauce with curry powder, sehr schmekt!
Day 4 Dresden:
After an early wake-up and check-out in Berlin, our group travelled south-east to the beautiful city of Dresden. There was an interesting military museum that contained a series of rooms with rare artifacts that related to many points within the HSC syllabus. There were many tanks and armoured vehicles parked outside the museum that the students liked investigating.
After our visit to the military museum, we checked into our hotel in the centre of Dresden and then went on a walking tour of the city which is famous for being firebombed by the allied forces towards the end of the war – despite having no military objective. Our group climbed the Frauenkirche Dome which had a breathtaking view over the city and Elbe River. The entire group was impressed by the 16th-17th century buildings Dresden had to offer – it was disappointing that we could only stay one night here, the group enjoyed exploring the public squares, terraces, and alley ways. One of our best meals of the trip was had in Dresden at a picturesque location in an old building.
Day 5 Nuremberg:
The next day saw our group take a 3-hour bus trip from Dresden to Nuremberg – the heart of the Nazi movement. On our arrival we visited a documentation centre that has been built on the site of the Nazi Party rally grounds.
Each year starting from 1925 the Nazi Party held annual rallies and events at these grounds to showcase their ‘popularity’ and ideology to the nation. These rallies were home to the iconic imagery and films we see that concern the Nazi Party, including the rows upon rows of armed SA and SS soldiers marching and standing at attention in front of impressive stage backdrops, flanked by flags and spotlights.
Once again the documentation centre and the tour-guide we had did not shy away from the horrific truth and shortcomings of the German nation during this period of time.
Later in the afternoon we walked around medieval Nuremberg taking in the atmosphere of the public squares, churches and climbing the hill up to the castle that was home to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The day culminated in a group dinner at one of the oldest buildings in Nuremberg that served award winning Nuernberger sausages.
Day 6 Rothenburg ob der Tauber:
Our group took a day-trip from Nuremberg to the picturesque town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This is a town that had buildings dating back to the 1100’s and was spared destruction during World War 2. It was deemed to be the most German town by the Nazi’s and they endeavoured to send as many German workers and their families there on state subsidised holidays to instil their concept of what it was to be German. The place oozed ‘old’. The group was stunned by the beauty and nostalgia of the town. We walked along the medieval battlements where we peered through arrow slits in the walls, pretending to fire on attackers. Each street and alleyway was a photo opportunity.
On our return to Nuremberg, the group were keen for a change in cuisine, so we were able to find a choice of Indian, Italian, and Irish themed restaurants for dinner.
Day 7 Munich:
On our way to Munich the group visited the Dachau concentration camp. What is undersold to the public is that not all concentration camps were purpose-built extermination death camps. The dehumanisation of inmates and the exploitation of these prisoners as a cheap source of labour for German industry was a key function of this camp.
Over 40,000 people were killed in Dachau between 1933-1945, the majority were Germans who were political opponents of the Nazi Party. German communists, democrats, asocials, Jehovah witnesses, and ethnic minority groups such as gypsies, Jews, and Russians were sent to Dachau from 1933 to 1945 to work for different industry in the area.
Some of the barrack blocks had been reconstructed for visitors to walk through. This highlighted the appalling levels of sanitation and crowded living conditions inmates were forced to live in that denied them any sense of dignity or worth.
To process our experience in the morning we decided to have a light-hearted afternoon with a visit to the Allianz Arena, home of the Bayern Munich Football Club. We took a guided tour around the stadium which included a visit to the dressing rooms and along the sideline of the football pitch. This state-of-the-art modern stadium was compared to the 1936 Berlin stadium and opinion was divided over which one was more impressive.
Day 8 Salzburg:
As a day-trip out of Munich our group visited the home of the film “The Sound of Music”. This was a last-minute activity due to the closure for the year of a museum we were meant to visit in the Obersalzburg region. The trip did not disappoint. Salzburg was the highlight for many on the trip. It is a spectacular city with an impressive backdrop of the Alps. The city has beautiful gardens, bridges, a fast-flowing river, many public squares with fountains and statues, large cathedrals and public buildings, and a mighty castle built on top of an elevated outcrop. The group had a great time walking around this city.
It seemed Salzburg was full of bakeries. The smell of freshly baked bread with their windows adorned with a variety of baked goods tempted everyone. If anyone plans to travel over the Europe and will be anywhere near Salzburg in Austria it is highly recommended that you visit this magical city.
On our bus ride back to Munich we crossed over the German border and our bus was stopped by customs officials – which is standard practice. The bus driver said that ninety times out of one hundred the bus is allowed to drive through without any further requirement, but when the German customs official asked the bus driver what kind of passengers were on board he replied with “Australian students”. The customs official was so puzzled that Australians students were on the bus that they asked the driver to pull over and an inspection was carried out.
The police that boarded the bus – with their high-powered assault rifles – were intrigued to know why Australian students were visiting Germany, especially if they didn’t speak German. They wanted to know who had paid for them to travel overseas and if their ‘teachers’ were making them work on construction sites. When the police were informed of our history trip that focused on the Nazi Party, the police became disheartened claiming that Germany had a ‘good’ history worth studying too.
We survived this encounter without any student or staff detainments.
Day 9 Neuschwanstein Castle:
The castle that inspired the Disney themed castle was the groups next activity. A picturesque 2-hour drive to the south-west of Munich saw us at the bottom of a steep hill where the castle stood. After a 20–30-minute climb up the hill, with customary Bratwurst and photo stop, our group entered one of the most opulent and extravagant castles you could imagine. Little wonder the king that commissioned it was deemed ‘mad’ and was summarily overthrown before it was fully completed due to the enormous drain it was taking on the Bavarian kingdom’s treasury.
The views from the castle were amazing, an ideal spot to take in the surrounding landscape.
Day 10 Munich:
For our last day full day in Germany the group was dropped by our bus into central Munich – the birthplace of the Nazi Party.
Our group visited the former headquarters of the Nazi Party in Munich where the site had been converted into a documentation centre that detailed their rise, oppressive regime, and crimes against humanity. The information found in this documentation centre was fantastic – it covered the syllabus perfectly. Again, the Germans are not afraid in revealing the truth about their historical past.
The group spent a solid 2-hours in this centre before walking around Munich and visiting the site of the failed Nazi Party Beerhall Putsch from 1923. After this, we walked to Marienplatz and saw the famous town hall with clock tower, the impressive Munich Cathedral – we were fortunate enough to be there in time for German Vespers, where prayers and thanksgivings are sung.
After some last-minute souvenir shopping the group wrapped up the day with a dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus.
Overall, it was a highly worthwhile trip that has left lasting memories and a desire to travel more. The staff and students created many fond memories and learnt much information relating to the syllabus content as well as valuable life lessons.
A key take-away from the trip was the respect we developed for the transparency that Germany has with its not so glorious past. This is something that Australia can take a lesson from – those that own their past learn from it and become stronger as a result.
We learnt that the power of propaganda is immense and being aware of it is a valuable skill to ensure freedom of thought is maintained.
Many thanks to the families that supported this trip and who entrusted the care of their sons to the College staff. The staff received numerous commendations about our group from workers at various locations and plane travellers for their behaviour and respect exhibited.
Planning is underway for future international trips for history classes in conjunction with other subject areas.
James Gersbach PhD.
