As an aside, one of Berlin's main income streams is, in fact, from tourism; this is largely due to the fact that outside the government being based here, for many years Berlin was not the capital of Germany (as there was no such thing for 30 years until 1989/90), and nor was it the capital of West Germany, being isolated in the middle of East Germany as it was. Therefore, all of the main centres, such as the financial centre of Germany, are not located in Berlin. As a result, Berlin is still suffering from high unemployment (it has come down to around 17% - which is significantly higher than the rest of Germany), and while there are many start-ups, once up and running, they tend to move out to more established centres.
This is also why Berlin, which once had a population of around 4.5 - 5 million, now has a population closer to 3.5 million; the other effect of this is that it has an overabundance of infrastructure, such as public transport systems - good for tourists.
After a slow-ish start today, partly due to the late finish yesterday with the night photos, and partly due to the weather (grey, raining and cold), I first headed off to see the Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Palace), which is around 10-15 minutes walk from where I am staying. This is the largest palace in Berlin, Germany, and the only surviving royal residence in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family.
However, when I got there the entry line was very, very long (and not moving very fast), and as it was cold, I really didn't feel like standing around, so decided to head into town instead and pick up some of the museums that I was leaving for tomorrow - so a slight reordering of days was in order. While I was there, I did get this shot of part of the palace exterior:
First-off, I went back to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - but this time to go downstairs into the associated museum. Once again, the line was long, and moving slowly due to the security check that all visitors are required to go through. The two sections (the stelae memorial above, and the museum below) come together to make a whole; in fact, the design of the field above is mirrored below, with the gentle curves of the ground reflected in the roof, and the stelae themselves featured as voids in the roof-line.
Entry is free, but there is a small charge (4 euros) for an audio guide - I highly recommend getting the audio guide, as in this instance, it truly does help to provide additional information about the exhibits, and draws your attention to particular points.
One of the interesting, recurring, themes is that of not referring to the extermination of the Jews, but of the murder of the Jews - this is quite deliberate, and also quite powerful - it brings home that these were acts of atrocity carried out by individuals on individuals; it also acknowledges that many of the deaths were not through gassing, but through mass-shootings by death squads, as well as forced labour and many other manners.
In particular, the displays continually remind us that these were people - each with a unique story, and history of their own, explored through a variety of means.
Thoroughly engrossing.
In line with the mood I'd set for myself, I then headed off to the Topography of Terror; this museum is housed on the site of the Nazi Gestapo, SS and Reich Security headquarters - the main institutions of the Nazi apparatus of terror and persecution.
Once again, no punches are pulled, as the history of these organisations is laid bare. There is a very good explanation of the origins of the Nazi party and how it came to power (this is an intriguing story in itself - the parliament basically voted to give Hitler "emergency" powers that were virtually all-encompassing, so he was installed as dictator quite legally); of how the machinations of the various parts of the Nazi party came to be; how the "final solution" was developed and executed; how the targets were not just the Jews, but anybody who didn't fit with the Nazi party ideals (Roma and Sinti gypsies, communists, anybody opposing Nazism in any way, homosexuals, those with a mental or physical disability, etc); and finally the justice (for what it was) after the end of the war.
It is a vast experience, with lots of information, but well laid-out in a logical and structured order; and all of this for free.
To round out the museum section of the day, I decided to head to the Jewish Museum of Berlin, one of the largest Jewish museums in Europe, which bills itself as "displaying two millennia of German-Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present day." Now, far be it for me to point out that it is not 2,000 years since the Middle Ages, so we'll let that one slide.
Yes, there is quite a lot about the persecution of the Jews in Europe - after all, it has been a recurring theme for around a thousand years; and it was interesting to learn that the reason why they often became money-lenders is that it was one of the very few "professions" that was actually open to them - and ultimately gave another reason for them to be hounded out of town when the local squire didn't want to have to repay his debt.
However, I must admit that I really didn't enjoy this museum.
It is quite possible that it is because right from the start, you are purposefully put off-balance by the design of the building and the first sets of displays - they were hard to follow, difficult to see, and hard to navigate; perhaps this set up a feeling of negativity that I just couldn't overcome in the remainder of the museum - which while seemingly better laid-out, I still found quite haphazard.
One interesting aspect that I hadn't considered was that the marginalisation of the Jews probably contributed to their experimentation at the fringes of professions, leading to many examples of ground-breaking thinking.
Once again, the focus is rightly on individuals, and their stories are told quite well, but I found it difficult to engage. If you engage with the museum, it would be easy to spend the best part of a full day here - there really is that much.
A change of pace!
And finally, even though I know that it's just a replica, and it is now manned by Germans dressed up as US Army soldiers with whom you can have your photo taken (for a small fee, of course), I was in the neighbourhood, so had to drop by Checkpoint Charlie. Now, for those of you who don't know, this was simply the moniker given to this, the third checkpoint (ie Checkpoint C - or Charlie) between East and West Germany, and the one within Berlin. Historically, this was a very important point, because in many respects, it was the thinnest part of the Iron Curtain (a term first used by Winston Churchill).
There was a checkpoint on either side of the wall - one on the eastern side, which the Soviets simply called the Friedrichstraße Crossing Point (because that's where it was), and Checkpoint Charlie on the western side, in the US-zone (Berlin, like the rest of Germany, was divided up into four zones - Russian, American, English, and French). Checkpoint Charlie was designated as the single crossing point (by foot or by car) for foreigners and members of the Allied forces; members of the Allied forces were not allowed to use the train crossing, which continued to exist during the Cold War era - obviously with considerable constraints!
It is tacky, and tawdry, and really with the locals badly dressed as US service personnel, holding American flags (and smoking) somehow probably worse than if there was nothing here; it also seems that the tourists flocking across the road and standing gawping have lost all sense that they are actually standing in the middle of a functioning roadway (much to the chagrin of the occasional car - the locals seem to avoid this intersection).
So, to round out the day, here are a few shots of the famous Checkpoint Charlie, as reconstructed at a later date (at least, if nothing else, it's in the right location):