Berlin History GCSE Trip 2016
Year 11 GCSE History students were able to visit Berlin and explore the city that compromises a large part of their module. Students visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Wannsee, The Olympic Stadium, the Gestapo Headquarters and the Reichstag to further their understanding of the years 1933-1945 in Germany. The city offers unique insights into the Second World War with sites such as the underground bunkers and Holocaust Memorial presenting a reminder of the atrocities and effects on civilian life.
Olivia Jeffs – Berlin was such an interesting city to visit and definitely taught me a lot about the Nazis’ time in power and what life would have been like for people. Visiting the concentration camp and seeing it with your own eyes was so different compared to only ever reading and hearing about it. Although it was very sad, for me it was one of the most interesting parts of the trip. I also loved going to the Reichstag building and hearing about the history of different places whilst looking out over the city at night. Though the three days there were very busy it was worthwhile seeing everything and I learned a lot from all the different tours we did.
Hannah Dunford – I really enjoyed the trip as it was very interesting and a completely different experience. My favourite parts of the trip were the bunker tour and the Reichstag. The bunker tour was very interesting as I never knew they existed and the glow in the dark paint was amazing even if it was really hot underground. I loved the Reichstag as the time of day made it really beautiful all the lights were pretty and the buildings were intriguing also the orange moon was cool. The museums helped my understanding of the module as they gave different information about things such as the Gestapo and how opposition were treated. The concentration camp and Holocaust Memorial made me feel upset and disorientated because of what happened to people however the trip was very enjoyable and memorable.
Tristan Randolph – My busy trip to Berlin was filled interesting and fun visits, however the visit I found most interesting was our visit to Sachsenhausen concentration camp which taught me about all the details that went into the buildings to ensure no-one would escape and the scale of the hard labour they experienced on a day to day basis. I enjoyed our tour of the underground bunker the most as it opened my eyes to the struggles of the day to day life the German civilians would have to face during the war. I also enjoyed our trip to the Reichstag as it made me realise the powerful image that Nazi Germany wanted portray to the working class to make them feel great again. My trip to Berlin was a great opportunity for me to learn about Germany and experience some the situations first hand with my teachers and friends.
