A group of 8 History and Citizenship PGCE students from Anglia Ruskin University travelled to Germany and the Czech Republic to explore events of the Second World War, focusing on the issues surrounding war crimes, human rights and international justice.
During the trip, the students had the opportunity to develop their own historical knowledge, produce teaching resources, and gain a greater understanding of good practice relating to the planning of effective educational site visits, to aid them in teaching History and Citizenship.
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Germany & Czech Republic Itinerary
Germany & Czech Republic Itinerary
Below is the itinerary that was followed by students on their 8-day visit.
If you would like to find out more about the places to visit on an educational tour of Germany and the Czech Republic, please see the ‘Places to Visit’ section below.
Day 1
- Outward Travel to Germany
- Walking tour of Berlin, including the Government quarter, Unter den Linden, Friedrichstrasse and Alexanderplatz
Day 2
- Guided tour of Cecilienhof Palace, Potsdam
- Guided tour of the Wannsee Villa
Day 3
- Visit to Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum
- Free afternoon in Berlin
Day 4
- Travel to Dresden
- Walking tour of Dresden covering the Allied bombing campaign & post-war reconstruction of the city
Day 5
- Travel from Dresden to Lidice
- Visit to the Lidice Memorial and Museum, Czech Republic
- Onward travel to Nuremberg
Day 6
- Visit to the Nuremberg Documentation Centre
- Study session on war crimes and international justice at the Nuremberg Documentation Centre
- Guided tour of the former Nazi Party rally grounds
Day 7
- Visit to Courtroom 600, Nuremberg Palace of Justice
- Onward travel to Munich
Day 8
- Walking tour of Munich
- Homeward Travel
Places to Visit in Germany and the Czech Republic
If you are planning a visit to Germany and the Czech Republic to learn about the Second World War visit some of the places below. You could also visit the following websites for further information.
http://www.germany-tourism.co.uk/
http://www.cometogermany.com/
http://www.czechtourism.com/
Berlin
Website: http://www.berlin.de/english/index.html
The following sites can be visited on a walking tour of Berlin:
Alexanderplatz:
Many historic buildings are located in the area around Alexanderplatz. This includes the traditional seat of the city government, the Rotes Rathaus, or Red City Hall and the Palast der Republik.
Friedrichstraße:
Friedrichstraße combines the tradition of the "Golden Twenties" with the architecture of new Berlin. In the twenties, the 3.5 km long street was the location for pleasure palaces, cafés and a variety of theatres such as the famous "Wintergarten".
After the division of the city, the wall cut through Friedrichstraße, where the famous Checkpoint Charlie was located at the border of Kreuzberg and Mitte.
“Stumbling Blocks” / Stolpersteine:
These are memorials to the victims of National Socialism created by the artist Gunter Demnig. They consist of metal blocks engraved with the names and details of individuals who were deported to concentration and death camps during the Nazi period. The blocks are set into the pavements at the entrances of buildings where the deported individuals used to live. Some of these blocks can be found at:
- Oranienstrasse between Goerlitzer station and Oranienplatz
- Dresden road between Kottbusser gate and Oranienplatz
The Soviet War Memorial:
This war memorial was built to honour the Soviet soldiers that fell in the battles against the German army in the Second World War. It was located very close to the German parliament the Reichstag, in what would soon become West Germany, which meant that it was beyond everyday reach for the Soviet Army. To be able to visit the memorial it was agreed that Red Army troops had free passage to the memorial on certain days of remembrance.
The memorial is constructed as an arch with a bronze soldier on top of it. The design resembles the Brandenburg Gate, which is located only 100 metres away.
The Reichstag:
The Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin's most historical landmarks. It is close to the Brandenburg Gate and before the unification, it was right next to the wall.
It was constructed between 1884 and 1894, mainly funded with wartime reparation money from France. The famous inscription 'Dem Deutschen Volke' (To the German People) was added in 1916.
In 1933 fire broke out in the building, destroying much of the Reichstag. It is to date still unclear who started the fire, but the Communists were blamed. It gave a boost to Hitler's Party, the NSDAP, who would soon come to power. The building was even further damaged at the end of the war, when the Soviets entered Berlin. The picture of a Red Army Soldier raising the Soviet flag on the Reichstag is one of the most famous 20th century images and symbolised Germany's defeat.
The New Holocaust Memorial:
The memorial is situated in the centre of Berlin. It is a central place for remembrance and commemoration.
Additional to the field of stelae designed by architect Peter Eisenman, the Memorial is complemented by an underground Information Centre.
Unter den Linden:
In 1647, Friedrich Wilhelm, “The Great Elector” had a boulevard of linden trees planted that extended from the electoral palace to the gates of the city. This stretch became the best known and grandest street in Berlin. The section west of the Brandenburg Gate, going through the Tiergarten Park, is called now Straße des 17. Juni, having previously been called Charlottenburger Straße. The rich history of the Prussian era is reflected in the buildings in the surrounding area.
Cecilienhof Palace
Address: Im Neuen Garten, 14469 Potsdam
Tel: (0) 331 - 969 42 44
Website: www.spsg.de/
http://www.potsdam.de/cms/beitrag/10001021/34080/
The Cecilienhof was the last palace built by the Hohenzollern dynasty. It was erected 1914-1917 for Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie von Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Paul Schultze-Naumburg was the architect who emulated the English Tudor style. From 17th of July to 2nd of August 1945 the Potsdam Conference negotiations between the victorious Allies of the Second World War were held here.
Courtroom 600, Nuremberg
Address: Landgericht Nürnberg-Fürth, Fürther Str. 110, entrance Bärenschanzstraße
(U1, stop Bärenschanze)
Tel: +911-231-8411
Web: http://www.museen.nuernberg.de/english/reichsparteitag_e/pages/prozesse_e.html
Since 2000 Nuremberg Municipal Museums has provided the opportunity to visit the historical venue of the Nuremberg Trials in the Palace of Justice, complementing the topics presented in the Documentation Centre.
Even before the end of the Second World War, the Allied powers had decided to punish the responsible persons on the basis of the London Agreement. On 20 November 1945, the trials against the main war criminals started in courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice. These trials became known worldwide as the Nuremberg Trials.
Until 1949, they were followed by several other trials, the so-called Nuremberg follow-up trials, against important groups, such as medical doctors, legal practitioners, the SS and the police, industrialists and high-ranking government officials.
The courtroom was extended for the duration of the trials and later converted back to its original size and is still being used for court sessions. Therefore, guided tours organised by Museen der Stadt Nürnberg can only take place during the weekends. The tours provide information about the history and the role of the trials. A film with original footage from the trials provides an introduction.
Dresden
Web: http://www.dresden.de/index.html?node=12242
Before the bombing, Dresden was regarded as a beautiful city and a cultural centre, and was sometimes known as Elbflorenz, or Florence on the Elbe. Its notable architecture included the Zwinger Palace, the Dresden State Opera House and the Dresden Frauenkirche, its historic cathedral. Before the war, the city's main industries had been the production of porcelain, cups and saucers and tobacco products. British historian Anthony Beevor wrote that Dresden was considered relatively safe, having been spared previous RAF night attacks and that at the time of the raids there were up to 300,000 refugees in the city seeking sanctuary from the fighting on the Eastern Front.
After the war, and especially after German reunification, great efforts were made to rebuild some of Dresden's former landmarks, such as the Frauenkirche, the Semperoper and the Zwinger. A new synagogue was also built. Despite its location in the Soviet occupation zone, in 1956 Dresden entered a twin-town relationship with Coventry, which had suffered the worst destruction of any English city.
On Sunday 30 October 2005 the Frauenkirche was rededicated, some 1,800 guests including the Duke of Kent, Germany's president, Horst Köhler and the previous and current chancellors, Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel, attended the service.
Great Road, Nuremberg (As part of tour run by a company called Geschichte für Alle – History for Everyone)
Web: http://www.museen.nuernberg.de/english/reichsparteitag_e/pages/bauten_e.html
Tel (Tour Company): +49 911 33 27 35
Albert Speer planned the 2 km long and 60 metres wide Great Road as the central axis of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds. It was to lead south from the Congress Hall to the March Field and would have been paved with 60,000 granite slabs. To the north the road was aligned with the castle and the Old Town, thus providing a symbolic link between historical Nuremberg and the new Nazi Party Rally Grounds. By 1939 the Great Road was essentially finished. After the end of the war it first served as a runway for the US Air Force. Since then the Great Road, which was renovated from 1991-1994, has been used to provide car parking space for large events.
House of the Wannsee Conference
Address: Am Grossen Wannsee 56-58, D-14109 Berlin (-Zehlendorf)
Tel: (0)30 / 805001-0
Web: www.ghwk.de/
On 20 January 1942 fifteen high-ranking civil servants and SS-officers met in this house to discuss plans of "The Final Solution" of the Jewish question in Europe. On the 50th anniversary of the conference a memorial and educational centre was opened in the villa in 1992.
Lidice Memorial and Museum
Address: Památník Lidice, 273 54 Lidice
Tel: +420 312 253 063
Web: http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/
On 10 June 1942 the Nazis, following the death of Reinhard Heydrich, massacred the inhabitants of Lidice in the Czech Republic in a reprisal attack. After the war, a new village was rebuilt nearby and the original site preserved as a museum. The Lidice Memorial intends to ‘take care of [the] permanent preservation of the remembrance of the town of Lidice and the suffering of its residents who in 10.6.1942 became the victims of Fascist violence and to keep the name of the Lidice village as the world’s symbol of all victims of war’.
Munich
Sites to visit in Munich related to the Second World War:
University of Munich:
Between June 1942 and February 1943, a group of five students at Munich University prepared and distributed six leaflets, which called for an end to Nazi crimes and tyranny through active opposition of the German people. Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie led the rest of the group, including Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell and Willi Graf. They were joined by a professor, Kurt Huber, who drafted the final two leaflets. All six members of this group were arrested, tried, convicted and executed by beheading. A seventh leaflet was found in possession of the students at the time of their arrest by the Gestapo.
A square at the University of Munich is named after Hans and Sophie Scholl.
The Bürgerbräukeller:
The Bürgerbräukeller was an inn cellar in Munich and by 1923 one of the preferred gathering saloons of the NSDAP.
It was from there that Hitler marched to the Feldherrnhalle during his 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. After 1933, Hitler used to deliver a speech before participants of that putsch every November 8. On 8 November 1939, he barely escaped an attempt on his life. Seven people were killed and 63 injured, but Hitler escaped unharmed, because he had left the gathering a few minutes earlier than planned. The would-be assassin Georg Elser was executed in Dachau on 9 April 1945. The cellar was severely damaged during the attempt and never reconstructed since. It was located in Rosenheim Street in the city section of Haidhausen, roughly between today's Gasteig Culture Centre and the Hotel City Hilton. Today a memorial plaque dedicated to Georg Elser can be found there.
Odeonsplatz:
Until 1791, the Schwabinger Tor, which was built in 1391 stood at the Odeonsplatz. It was the main gate connecting Munich with the old village Schwabing. In 1816, Ludwig I commissioned Leo von Klenze with the planning and completion of all the main buildings around the Odeonsplatz. Klenze was fascinated by the architecture of ancient Rome and the renaissance. He made the square the focal point of two main streets, the Ludwigstrasse and the Briennerstrasse. The most eye-catching building is the Feldherrnhal, which sometimes makes the Odeonplatz look like an Italian square.
The Feldherrnhall consists of three arches, with two Bayern lions at the entrance. The building was designed in 1841 by Friedrich von Gärtner inspired by the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, on request of Ludwig I in honour of Bayern generals.
Odeonsplatz is the location of the famous photograph of Hitler receiving news of the start of the First World War in 1914.
Nuremberg Documentation Centre & Nazi Party Rally Grounds
Address: Bayernstraße 110, 90471 Nürnberg
Tel: 0911 / 231-5666
Web: www.museen.nuernberg.de/english/reichsparteitag_e/index_reichsparteitag_e.html
The Documentation Centre is located in the north wing of the Congress Hall, a building planned by the National Socialists to hold 50,000 people but never completed. The upper level with approximately 1,300 square metres of floor space houses a new permanent exhibition entitled Faszination und Gewalt (Fascination and Terror) dealing with the causes, relationships and consequences of National Socialist tyranny. Topics directly associated with Nuremberg form the major focus of the exhibition, which is organised into 19 chronologically structured exhibition areas. These topics include: the history of the Nazi Party Rallies, the buildings at the Party Rally Grounds, the "Nuremberg Laws" of 1935, the 1945/46 Nuremberg Trials, the twelve Subsequent Proceedings, and the difficulty of dealing sensitively with the National Socialist architectural legacy after 1945.
Alongside the permanent exhibition, the Education Forum is of key significance to the work of the Documentation Centre. In special seminar rooms on top of the north wing of the Congress Hall the Museen der Stadt Nürnberg offers, in cooperation with other partners, an in-depth educational programme for school classes as well as youth and adult groups.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
Address: Straße der Nationen 22, D-16515 Oranienburg
Tel: +49-(0) 3301-200-0
Website: http://www.gedenkstaettesachsenhausen.de/gums/en/index.htm
Following the appointment of Heinrich Himmler as the Chief of the German Police, orders were given to build the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Construction took place during the summer months of 1936, at the same time as the Olympic Games were being staged in Berlin. Prisoners were brought here to do the construction work. The new camp was built further away from the town and the main roads: too many people could see what was happening at the former site. Sachsenhausen was used as a model for other concentration camps, and was also a training centre for the guards. The camp was for male prisoners (a separate camp was used for women).
Between 1936 and 1945 over 200,000 prisoners were kept at Sachsenhausen. At first these were mainly political prisoners or trade unionists. Later they were joined by groups, which the Nazis decided were "inferior", including Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and religious leaders from Germany and the countries, which had been occupied. Prisoners were marked with a triangle which identified why they were there, for example: black triangles for political dissidents, red triangles for communists, double yellow triangles (making a star) for Jews, pink triangles for homosexuals. Tens of thousands of prisoners died. Many died from hunger or disease. Many others were worked to death, or were murdered by the SS. Among the people who were brought to Sachsenhausen were those who were suspected of taking part in the attempt to assassinate Hitler on 20th July 1944.
In 1945 the war was going badly for the Nazis - Soviet soldiers were approaching Berlin. At the end of April that year the SS ordered the camp to be evacuated. Thousands of prisoners were sent on "death marches" to the Baltic Sea to the north. Many were put onto ships, which were then sunk, drowning all of those on board. The intention was to kill all of the witnesses who knew what had happened in the camps. However, some sick prisoners (and some doctors) were still at the camp when it was liberated.
Instead of destroying the camp or preserving it as a memorial, the Soviets decided to use Sachsenhausen as their own concentration camp. It was put under the control of the NKVD (the Soviet secret service). Former Nazi officials were imprisoned here, together with political prisoners. About 60,000 Germans were imprisoned here between 1945 and 1950, of whom over 12,000 died from hunger and disease. The camp was finally closed in March 1950, after which it was used by the East German army and police. In 1961 the site was turned into a National Memorial: at that time it was used by the communist regime as a symbol of the "victory of anti-fascism over fascism".
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of Germany, Sachsenhausen has been administered by a public trust called the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation.
Zeppelin Field, Nuremberg (As part of tour run by a company called Geschichte für Alle – History for Everyone)
Web: http://germany.archiseek.com/bavaria/nuremberg/zepplin_field.html
The Zeppelin Field was constructed under Albert Speer's management between 1934 and 1937 for the mass rallies of the Nazi Party. Large-scale events, such as ceremonies for Nazi political leaders or the National Labour Front drew up to 100,000 people. Hitler intended for the buildings at the Party Rally Grounds to stand for thousands of years, similar to the great cathedrals of the past. Four days after the fall of Nuremberg in April 1945, the US Army blew up the swastika, which had been installed at the centre of the Grandstand. After the war, the US Army used parts of the Rally Grounds for their own purposes. In 1967 the colonnade of the Grandstand was removed because it had become unstable. The height of the side towers was also reduced by half in the 1970s.
