World Walker

If you’re facinated by the ancient sites of Greece and Rome, then you’ll love the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, one of the highlights of the Museuminsel or Museum Island where you’ll also find several other major museums and galleries. Although I didn’t get time to visit the others when we were there last spring, the Pergamon has the reputation for ‘If you only see one, see this one’

The Pergamon Altar at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin

Even if you’re not normally one to hang out at ancient monuments, this museum is a great place to get a manageable taste of the antiquities in under an hour when you just see the highlights with the audio-tour. The museum gets it’s name from the huge Pergamon Altar which is more of a complete building frontage, that has been transported into the first room of the museum. Here you can sit on the very steps of the building which once stood in Turkey as you listen to the audio-guide and view the figures on the frieze at close quarters – once they were painted in bright colours and gilding rather than the current stark white marble.

Market Gate of Miletus at the Pergamon Museum

Next you walk through the huge Roman market Gate of Miletus, and imagine the high walls that once surrounded it and the bustle of people passing through. Then just when you may be getting tired on the monochrome marble and stonework comes a burst of colour in the colbalt blue Ishtar gate, from the Babylon of King Nebuchadnezzar, with amazingly preserved tilework of horses and lions along the processional way.

Once you’ve completed the audio-guide with these highlights, there are many other interesting things to explore in the museum, but we had teenagers in tow and they had reached their culture limit by that time and we had to move on.

Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon museum in Berlin

If you’re on a budget, it’s worth noting that there is free entry to the museums on all on Thursday evenings and that children under 16 are free.

All photos by Heather on her travels on flickr

Those who are looking for a powerful experience, those looking to find closure or those seeking an understanding about the Holocaust should take the opportunity to visit one of the concentration camps still standing in Europe today.

While an experience visiting a concentration might be heavily emotional, it allows many people the opportunity to ponder historical mistakes and to commit themselves to make larger strides in the future.

For a small glimpse into Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, some travelers visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp located just outside of Berlin. The camp is smaller, in comparison to Dachau or Auschwitz, but it provides a very strong visual representation of a gruesome chapter of human history. Most everything in the camp still stands today as it did over 60 years ago. Travelers can visit the entire camp, including the gas chambers, the barracks and the infirmary.

Both Dachau and Auschwitz are busier with more travelers on a daily basis – probably because they are larger and more well-known. I preferred my visit to Sachsenhausen because the camp is hardly ever bombarded by a crowd – in fact, the two times I visited was rather empty and almost eerie. Having less tourists around gave me a better opportunity to think and learn.

Many travelers don’t know that Sachsenhausen exists such a short drive outside of Berlin. There are a handful of informational exhibits throughout the camp. These exhibits provide an excellent insight into the workings of the camp. Visitors will read personal experiences and see documents and photos left behind of the camp. However, these exhibits are only offered in German.

Entrance is free to Sachsenhausen. This attraction exists for the sole purpose of providing future generations with a glimpse into the past. Depending on a traveler’s interest level, visiting the camp takes anywhere from a few hours to a half day. Some find the experience to be overwhelming and are unable to visit the entire grounds of the camp.

It may feel uncomfortable to visit Sachsenhausen, however most travelers find the experience to be very powerful and even life-changing. For any history buff or traveler interested in societal/cultural issues, this attraction should be included during a visit to Berlin.