Here is a perfect start of a man-made walking guide to East Berlin with the focus made on the remnants of the Communistic era and history of this intriguing city. Whether you like history and want to know more or you travel to this area for the first time – this guide will be helpful for you and will show you where one must look.
The former eastern part of the city is more of the socialist and therefore has a different history.
In our walking tour, we want to give you some context about East Berlin’s Communist history before you embark on the tour. The area was effectively a socialist state, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) since 1949 to 1990, after the division of Germany into two zones occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945. The GDR major partner was the Soviet Union and this state used a one-party system of government with SED as the ruling party.
Many lasting changes where made in the architectural landscape and physical infrastructure of the city. Today one can stroll down the streets of East Berlin and feel that they are observing the consequences of this period.
Checkpoint Charlie: Symbol of the Cold War
What can I say, let’s start our trip at the modern symbol of Berlin – Checkpoint Charlie. This historical checkpoint was a physical division dividing the city into eastern and western when the cold war was at its peak.
While today this place is calm, trying to recall the atmosphere of the guards, who used to stand in front of the legendary guardhouse now is rather tense. It may now be worthwhile to visit the museum which offers detailed information on the cold war coupled with the attempts to cross the border by some persons.
Karl-Marx-Allee: Architecture of the Socialist Realism
You only need to cross a short walking distance from Checkpoint Charlie and you will be in Karl-Marx-Allee; the grand representant of façade of the communism ruling style. The broad avenue has tall-brown blocks of apartments; everything demonstrates grandeur and aspirations of socialism.
Appreciate the grand stuccoed walls decorated with socialist iconography motifs, reliefs and mosaics. This is the chance to see one of the most daring planning concepts and the desire to create the image that the GDR wanted.
East Side Gallery: Art on the Berlin Wall
The next stop on the tourist trail is the East Side Gallery, which is a section of the Berlin Wall , painted in murals. Besides strolling along this exciting part of the coastline you will meet fascinating murals made by the artists from different countries.
All the artworks raise an object and they all portray messages like liberty, hope and togetherness. This is a very strong symbol of division and restore of Berlin as well as a part of German history and unofficial art gallery.
The Stasi Museum: Life behind the Iron Curtain: An Insight into Social and Political Life inside the GDR’s Secret Police
When touring East Berlin, a visit to the Stasi Museum is more than valuable since it will help the reader to comprehend the extent of surveillance in GDR. Located in the building of the former Ministry for State Security – Stasi, this museum gives a clear picture of the largest spying network in the world.
Proceed to the Stasi Tattoo, a travelling exhibit that comes with several artefacts, individual narratives of people involved as well as a look into many processes which the Stasi used. They are useful in giving people direction in their daily lives with such a form of governance serving as a reminder of how much the communter government despised its people Sovereign Debt duly notes that All civil liberties ceased to exist under this government.
Traces of the Berlin Wall
Even though the Berlin Wall is not present any longer, it is present in fragmentary form all over Berlin. While still going through the East Berlin, try and look around for the cobblestone path that marked the place occupied by the wall.
Go to the Berlin Wall Memorial with the Wall itself, an indoor exhibition and an outdoor platform with an observation tower. This site is important for thinking about what the existence of the wall signifies as well as the aftermath of the collapse of the wall.
Conclusion
Exploring the East Berlin is an excellent way of learning and experiencing a glimpse of the city’s past communism. This map is one of a kind, But every checkpoint step in Berlin opens up stories that define Berlin and the world at large today.
While enjoying the phenomenon associated with such remnants, take your time and consider the hardships individuals, who got a raw end of this period, experienced as well as those who emerged victorious. Visiting Commie part is quite informative and at the same time keeps the hope for freedom and democracy alive.
Get your penny loafers on, pick up a map and get ready for this rather more intriguing journey in time. East Berlin remains ready and willing to tell its tales as soon as the next enthusiastic tourist such as yourself happens along.
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