St. Benildus College enjoy history fieldtrip to Berlin
Despite the joint challenges of Covid and wintry weather conditions, Leaving Cert students from St Benildus College, Dublin, enjoyed a busy but rewarding History fieldtrip to Berlin from December 8th to 10th, with Sandra Downey outlining the activities over the three days.
The flights were booked, the guidebooks were researched and the itinerary was planned – we were all ready for Berlin. Then, with just one week to go, fate decided to test our resolve – covid foisted new travel and testing requirements upon us and Storm Barra closed the school and threatened to ground our plane! However, historians are known for their dedication and persistence and, against the odds, we took to the skies above Dublin at 7.05am on Wednesday, December 8th. Berlin – here we come!
A city of dramatic history that has impacted upon Germany, Europe and the world, Berlin is the ideal destination for History students hungry for knowledge, wonder and currywurst. On Day One, we met our coach and guide for a whistlestop tour of some of the major sights. We visited the Soviet World War II Memorial at Treptower Park, where over 7,000 fallen Soviet soldiers were buried in the late 1940s. We then took in the East Side Gallery – street art adorning the formerly Communist side of Berlin Wall remnants.
Now on foot, we stopped at the site of Hitler’s bunker, now filled with rubble and hidden beneath an anonymous carpark and apartment complex. Yet beneath the unremarkable information panel, we were shocked to see that a single red rose had been left for the Führer!
In a chilling contrast, our next stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – a bewildering maze of concrete towers that create a sense of isolation, confusion and darkness – and then the site of the Nazi book burnings. Back on the coach, we were cheered by the sight of the Christmas lights of Unter den Linden and the illuminated Brandenburg Gate, making our way to the hotel as the evening closed in. Following a delicious Indian feast, we then visited the Reichstag building and its spectacular glass dome, taking in views of Berlin at night. The original 1894 building and dome were severely damaged by a suspicious fire in 1933, just weeks into Hitler’s Chancellorship began. The Reichstag was restored and the modern dome installed to mark the reunification of Germany in 1990.
On Day Two, we took to the snowy streets and subways of Berlin, starting with a tour of the city’s underground bunkers of World War II and the Cold War. It was eye-opening to find out just how useless these bunkers would have been in the face of real threats, and it gave an insight into the government’s powerful propaganda. Back above ground, we visited the Topography of Terror, a museum dedicated to the story of the Third Reich, horrifyingly portrayed in primary source photographic evidence.
After a fortifying lunch, and some shopping for Soviet border guard hats, we made our way to Checkpoint Charlie and its museum to learn all about the Berlin Wall, its impact and the daring escape attempts made by East Berliners throughout its 28 year history. It was then time for “Berliner Weihnachtzeit” – the Christmas market. Here we wandered through the snow, stopping at the wooden huts filled with food, drinks and decorations for sale, an ice rink and ferris wheel adding to the atmosphere. Later, following a full house of negative covid tests, we celebrated with a snowball fight on Alexanderplatz!
Day Three brought us to the DDR Museum, and interactive experience of Cold War East Berlin which explored the politics, living conditions and leisure activities of Berliners under Communist government. We promptly followed this with some good old capitalist shopping and lunching before heading back to our hotel. Here, at the pool table, Mr Carroll took on 6th Year challengers in front of a baying crowd!
We then piled onto our coach to Brandenburg Airport to begin the journey home. The trip was so enjoyable that Mr Fahy even contemplated not boarding the plane to stay in Berlin’s winter wonderland a little longer! However, we all arrived home to Dublin that night, tired but enlightened and inspired. This Berlin Fieldtrip has brought History to life for all of us, and reminded us that History is not just a school subject, but a source of inspiration and a lifelong interest in the making.
Danke schön to all the 6th Years who took part in this fieldtrip for their enormous enthusiasm and high spirits throughout, to their parents for their support and encouragement, and to Mr Fahy and Mr Carroll for their companionship and supervision skills. Ancora impariamo!
Sandra Downey, St. Benildus College