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History trip to Berlin

During the spring half term the history department were able to take 35 year 11 students away to Berlin over four days. The trip was to support their learning at GCSE and the students were able to visit many of the sites that have been discussed over their two year course.

Whilst in Germany, the students experienced many different museums and historical sites. During the trip they visited the East Side Gallery which is the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery (which runs along the road Muhlenstrasse) is so called because of the huge variety of graffiti on display on the wall. The work has been compiled by 118 different artists from 21 countries.

The group also had a very thought provoking and sombre day when they visited a former concentration camp and Wannsee Villa where the Final Solution was decided. The camp is located approximately 90 minutes from Berlin and is in the town of Oranienburg, famous initially for years for its refreshing apple wine. The name of the town has now become linked with the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Sachsenhausen is the camp located closest to the country's capital. Sachsenhausen received its first prisoners in July 1936, when it was designated as a Schutzshaftlager (Protective Custody Camp). The camp housed anybody guilty of 'antisocial behaviour' as well as many thousands of Jews. The students visited the parade-ground, where roll-call and summary executions took place on the gallows, the barrack blocks, the extermination block, and the gas chambers and ovens.

On 20th January 1942, Reinhard Heydrich introduced the Final Solution. Today the villa where he worked has been converted into the Wannsee Conference Memorial House, a place of remembrance with a photograph exhibition outlining the consequences of the meeting to plan the genocide that occurred in this idyllic location.

The students also visited the more famous sites of Berlin which included the Reichstag Building, Brandenburg Gate, a tour through the central Potsdam Square and a view of a remaining guard tower from the Berlin Wall. They also saw the Soviet War Memorial, with the first two tanks to enter Berlin during the Russian invasion. They were also able to view the site of the former entrance to Hitler's bunker as well as the former Gestapo Headquarters.

Our thanks go to Mrs Dedman, who organised the trip, and Ms Myers, Mrs Chester and Mr Davis who accompanied the students.