Abingdonian 2017

46 The Abingdonian History Trip to Berlin Last Easter the fourth years were treated to a very special trip to Berlin, Germany in an effort to reinforce our knowledge of the rise of National Socialism in Germany and to prepare us for our upcoming topic of the Cold War. We started our three-day trip with a short flight from London Heathrow to Berlin Tegel Airport in the north of Berlin. We delved into the trip straight away with a visit to the residence of the German Chancellor and then with a stroll through the famous Berlin Tiergarten, whilst gazing upon notable monuments such as the Victory Column and the statue of Otto Von Bismarck. After lunch, in Berlin’s newly built railway station, we walked through the heart of Berlin past the Reichstag and Bundestag onto the Brandenburg Gate. We finished the day with a sombre walk through the Holocaust Memorial and then a short stop at the Fuhrer Bunker. We stayed the night in a great little youth hostel in the Berlin suburb of Birkenwerder. The second day began with a short trip to the town of Oranienburg and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp near the town. We made our way around the complex which was harrowing but very interesting. After this, our group progressed onto the palace at Potsdam which was the home of the Prussian Monarchy. We walked through the grounds in the glorious sunshine and ended our walk with a visit to the great San Souci Palace. The day was ended with a walk through the Wannsee House on the shores of Lake Wannsee in the south of Berlin. The final day began with our departure from the youth hostel and a drive over to the Berlin Wall and the Stasi Prison in the Soviet sector of Berlin which was featured in the film Bridge Of Spies . We were toured around the prison by a very nice guide and went down into the underground cells of the prison. We took a lunch break by the river in Berlin which gave us an opportunity to get some food and some souvenirs for the journey home. Our trip ended with the visit to the Reichstag Dome which had some fantastic views of the Berlin skyline. After a short delay at the airport we were then on our way home to Great Britain. It was a magnificent experience for all of us on the trip and gave us an inside look into what we will be studying and what we have already studied. Thanks go to the teachers who accompanied us and Mr Hallinan for organising it. Tristan Tonks, 4GJC Patrick McCubbin and Matthew Gill