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What would you do if u were here?
“Mauer” is the German word for wall. |
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Berlin is the capital of Germany!
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Berlin has a population of approximately 3,400,000 people.
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The people who live in Berlin are German.
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Berliners speak German!
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Berlin is a really “special” place!
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From 1961 until 1989, a 12-foot high, concrete wall ran through, as well as around, the city of Berlin. The wall was called the “Berlin Wall”, and there were only a few places called “checkpoints” where people could get through. One of the main checkpoint places was “Checkpoint Charlie”. The Berlin Wall was meant to keep the citizens of Berlin from moving about freely, but today the citizens of Berlin can move freely again! They are free to do the things that they like to do once more, and this is really special for them! Just think about how you feel when you are not allowed to do something that you really like to do? It isn’t a lot of fun, is it?
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Checkpoint Charlie
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Everyone is happy that Berliners are free to move and to do what they want once again! In fact, there was a big celebration in front of the Brandenburg Gate to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Lots of world leaders, citizens of Berlin and visitors from all over the world attended this celebration, and those who could not attend were able to watch it on television. Maybe you even saw it yourself! You would have liked the giant dominoes that reenacted the fall of the Berlin Wall! Each one of the dominoes was individually painted, mostly by children of Berlin but also by artists from many countries around the world, to represent what the wall meant and its place in history. If you missed it, you can watch it here on YouTube. You can also learn more about the Berlin Wall at the Pitara Kids Network.
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There is so much history in Berlin, and if you were here, we could learn about it together. We could visit the Brandenburg Gate which is right in the center of Berlin. From there, we could take a stroll down the tree-lined Linden Street which is called “Unter den Linden” (Under the Linden) because the trees that line this very long street are called Linden trees. |
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We could also see the Berlin Holocaust Memorial as well as the remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall. Artists have painted scenes and slogans on the remnants of the Wall in order to tell the world how it made them feel. Both memorials remind everyone of how important it is to be free!
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This is a remnant of the Berlin Wall!
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Today, although the wall is gone, there is still something which runs through the city of Berlin! Do you know what it is? It’s is the Spree River, and if you were here, we could go on a sight-seeing cruise on the Spree River! It is a relaxing way to see many of the famous places in Berlin.
We could also go to a concert if you were here, but you must be very quiet if you go to a concert at the Staatsoper, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, or the Berlin Philharmonic! We can make some noise when we visit the Berlin Zoo !
Many people visit Charlottenburg Castle. It has collections of antiques, paintings and musical instruments. The Reichstag is the parliament building where German laws are made. It is a very interesting looking building, and it gets lots of visitors, too! We could see these places and more if you were here . . . .
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There’s the Museumsinsel (the Museum Island), Marienkirche (Marien Church), Alexanderplatz (Alexander Place), Checkpoint Charlie, and the Siegessäule (The column of victory). The list is endless!
I wish you were here!
Love, Oma
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Help SOMEONE you know learn about this famous place!
Click on the gamecard postcard below to place your order,
and Heckery Dekkery Dot will send it on its way to help YOU get the travel game underway!
It's FUN! And, it's EDUCATIONAL, too!
Who will win?
Everyone wins when children learn more about the world around them!
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Thank You:
http://www.britannica.com
http://kids.britannica.com/
Britannica and Britannica Online for Kids are excellent resources for information.
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,615014,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,660288,00.html
A special thank you goes to my daughters Alicia and Janella for their valuable input and to my husband Barthold, to Eveline, and to the Damen der Englisch-Gruppe in Marburg for their help with the German translations.
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All photos on this site were taken by me on my travels unless otherwise indicated.
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Please ask a parent or another grownup to travel with you whenever you visit on-line sites.
It’s much more fun than traveling alone!
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