We can’t overlook the tragedy that happened in Berlin especially when the wall was there. At first I thought the wall is just a straight border but I was totally mistaken, the separation from the wall was just unbelievably uneven. This part of the story I named it “Marlyns realized what strive is”
For me, visiting the debris of the Berliner Mauer is a must. However, since the wall was everywhere, means it’s not located in one single long space but it’s splitted into many parts of Berlin. I only went to Berlin Wall Memorial in Bernauer Str and visit Topography of Terror.
To begin with Berlin Wall Memorial, it seems to be “only a wall” until I joined Berlin-Unterwellten Tour where they explained more about what happened to Berliner during the Wall time and get ready, it is a tragic, sad, touching, full of emotional journey.
In Bernauer Str they built some memorial monument for the victims of either World War or Cold War and part of the walls still stands there. The victims are mostly younger than me and ended up losing their life 🙁
Then, I visited Topography of Terror, they have inside and outside museum mainly tell the story of how slowly Hitler’s gain the power, in economy, politics and army-wise. How he and his troops put a disgrace on hippies, homosexual and Jews. It is really sad for me to read how they turned homosexual in and force one to put a conflict to his or her partner. Nothing much to say about this place, it is a must visit but at the same time I become very upset because of what had happened to them in the past, how come such a sick mindset man gain so much power. What makes me even more upset is not all ex-officer got punished, especially the one who considered as “accessory of the crime” meaning someone who ‘just’ built the gas chamber but not the one who turn on the button, this people don’t get any punishment, what a fair world. They know for sure what the purpose of it but yet not found guilty of a crime.
I just want to say that Thanks God right now Berlin is one of the city where homosexual can express themselves as they truly are and not stuck in past’ mindset.
Another very touching story is the one I got from Berliner Unterwelten Tour. About how 4 peoples built a tunnel illegally to save people from East to West, the remarkable Tunnel 29 and 57, where they saved 29 and 57 people through unstoppable 5 months of digging for 145 meters long. These 4 heroes inspires other engineer, real diggers to also dig some tunnels and rescue their loved ones, very rarely succeed.
This is really sad and extreme scary of how people tried to escape, they would write a message on a paper, put together a rock and throw it over the wall hoping someone would read and prepare something to land on the other side. They would just jump from a rooftop, if the other side prepare a matrass or anything to land it’s good, if not… either they got injured or die. The border patrol will just shoot you and leave you bleeding to death for 3 hours at least and then moved your body and on and on and on.
The very touching and emotional part from the tunnel diggers are mainly they want to be together with their family again, the wall had separated them from their loved one for decades and the tunnel had showed me how they never gave up on each other, how they strive against all odds.
I can’t go on, Berlin’s wall history is really beautiful, it is so beautiful to the point that I can’t take it anymore. Berlin is really really must visit and can offer you 1001 things to do.
Thank you for the experience Berlin, we definitely see each other again. I can’t let you go yet, not ever <3