Spaziergang

So after two weeks of living in Berlin, I feel like I've begun to settle into a routine of class and homework. Last week I spent most of my time either relaxing at home (cooking, completing homework, etc.) or taking walks (Spaziergang) through the city, as the weather was finally sunny.

As part of taking advantage of the weather, I've seen more of my immediate neighborhood. I live in Kreuzberg in the southern part of Berlin. It's a very diverse area with significant immigrant populations and is an increasingly hip area for young adults. In particular, I enjoyed jogging along the canal (it might be a river, but I'm pretty sure it's a canal) north of my apartment this afternoon. Here's some photos of the canal (the last one was taken from an abandoned ferry boat):

During the week, I also explored Unter den Linden, one of the major streets of Berlin, named for the linden trees lining the boulevard.

Some sights along the street include the Berliner Dom, one of Berlin's most iconic churches:

Humboldt University:

and this statue of King Frederick II:

This week, I also participated in some of the Gothe Institute's Kultur-Programm events, including a walk through Mitte, the oldest district of Berlin. The guided walk was a great way to see the sights of the city while also learning about Berlin's history. And, from what I've seen thus far, Berlin's history is certainly unique. 

What has struck me the most about Berlin's past during the past week is the sheer amount of change this city has undergone in the past hundred years. In the past century, Berlin has been the capital of a monarchy, a fledgling democracy grappling with hyperinflation, an authoritarian dictatorship, a socialist nation under the influence of the Soviet Union, and a capitalist democracy, survived the devastation and destruction of two world wars, been divided between East and West, capitalism and democracy, and reunified to become one city again. And the multifaceted nature of Berlin's past is remarkably evident throughout the city, whether it be the juxtaposition of the uniform, concrete, socialist apartment buildings with the Western shops inhabiting their ground floors in former East Berlin, or the close physical proximity of Marienkirche, Berlin's oldest church, dating from the Middle Ages, and the Fernsehturm, a symbol of East German socialism:

Here's the inside of the church:

The walk also helped me realize the extent to which governments have changed the city itself to achieve certain ends.  As a citizen of a country with a remarkably stable governmental system, this was a fairly new phenomenon for me. However, in Berlin, a city of such political change, the placement, movement, construction, and removal of statues and buildings all have political meaning. For example, this statue of Martin Luther:

currently sits next to Marienkirche. It originally stood in front of the church, but was moved by the DDR government and replaced by a large statue of Lenin. Following reunification, while the Luther statue remained beside the church, the Lenin statue was moved by the government to a rural location about an hour outside the city. 

Similarly, the Stadtschloss, the royal palace in Berlin, was torn down by the DDR government following WWII as it was seen as a symbol of imperialism. In its place was built the Palast der Republik, the DDR parliament building, a striking example of Soviet architectural aesthetics. Following reunification, the Palast der Republik was torn down over the protest of many East Germans to rebuild the original Stadtschloss. 

Overall, I'm really enjoying learning about Berlin's unique history and feel very fortunate to be able to live here another six weeks.