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Use A Safety Wolf If You Have To
Nov. 15th, 2020 06:34 pmWe have now been in Germany over a week and moved into our new apartment on Tuesday. With lockdown continuing here, there hasn't been an awful lot to do, while there has also been plenty of free time due to my inability to work. Consequently, I have spent a while just walking around the neighbourhood and seeing what is around.
Charlottenburg is very much a middle-class family area and I already know it's not where we will remain long-term. However, it is incredibly safe, with a school literally opposite and a pyramidal shaped church on a roundabout that forms a charming little square. Further back there are a few supermarkets, Edeka and REWE, with the former having friendlier staff and the latter having a greater range of produce. We tend to prefer Edeka. Meanwhile, overlooking all this, is the imposing clock tower of Charlottenburg Town Hall, an imposing sandstone construction built between 1899 and 1905. There is a community library as part of this complex too and completely dominates one side of Otto-Suhr-Allee, the nearest main street to our residence.
The late seventeenth century Schloss Charlottenburg is within a ten minute walk from where we live, just over the road from a Lemke Craft Beer bar, our nearest. We do have a shonky looking bar on the corner of our street, but as pubs and restaurants are part of the month-long November lockdown, we have not had chance to try it. There is also a bakery literally in the same building as we are in, which seems to open at really odd and inconsistent times, so as yet we have not had chance to sample their wares. Schloss Charlottenburg is one of Berlin's primary sights and somewhere I had not been before. I took a trip down there on Wednesday, using the time to ring my parents and chat with them as I walked around the neatly couiffured gardens. These were fortunately open and it was very pleasant walking in the late autumn sunshine amidst the rapidly browning trees. I discovered the imposing mausoleum buried deep beneath the trees as well as marvelling the Baroque architecture of this stunning castle. I got to see some sheep in pens in the extensive gardens, not to mention some of the shimmering lakes which must look stunning in the summertime. Sadly, the building itself is currently closed due to COVID restrictions, but I will be back.
On other days, I just picked a direction from the house and walked aimlessly, seeing what I could see. This saw me walk around wooded trails next to the Spree, marveling at some of the heavy industrial factories which sit right within the city. Heading north, I checked out the area around Jungferdheide, which became more focused on light industry the further I walked from my house. Heading east, I saw the Mahnmal on Levetzowstrasse, wa poignant memorial to the victims of the Holocaust consisting of a life-sized stone train carriage, some tracks and a large rusted steel sign detailing the number of Jews deported from this spot during the Second World War. The memorial was constructed in 1988 and sits on the former site of one of the largest synagogues in the city, and from where the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps began in 1941. It was a simple memorial, but no less a moving one, and it's not the only one I have seen - there have been a few simple stone plinths dedicated to remembering what happened during the Holocaust as well as the events leading up to it. Indeed, 1933-1945 is the time period noted, rather than 1939.
Further down from here is the Siegessäule or Victory Column, inaugurated in 1873 to celebrate the numerous Prussian military victories between 1864 and 1871. This was the start of modern Germany, with the bronze structure of Victoria being added as a result of the wins in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) as the column was initially conceived to commemorate Prussia's victory against the Danes in 1864. The Roman goddess of victory, 8.3 metres high and weighing 35 tonnes, was gold gilded in 2011 as a result of general restoration and while I was unable to visit the roundabout upon which it sits as the tunnels to it were closed, it was still a stunning sight from some distance back, gleaming as it did in the autumn sunlight. Known as Goldelse to the locals - Golden Lizzy - the statue is close to the hearts of many Berliners and indeed forms a key part of the Berlin gay pride march (as the Berlin queer monthly magazine Siegessäule is named after it). Barack Obama even made a speech here in July 2008. It was also near here, down Strasse der 17. Juni, that I walked through a chinzy bric-a-brack market yesterday.
As part of this trip, I also got to walk around some of the forested paths making up the Tiergarten, although many of the locals also had a similar idea and it was quite rammed. However, it wasn't too hard to find quieter routes through the golden trees and looking at the waterways, canals and lakes which also make up this former hunting park was definitely a good use of a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. There is also a zoo as part of the Tiergarten, which may have been open. We'll look to check it out another time.
Wolfie's foot has been playing up again and he asked me to get him some ibuprofen, something that isn't too easy as nearly all shops are closed in Germany on a Sunday. However, I did notice a pharmacy down at Zoologischer Garten railway station was open, so I decided to stroll down that way while catching up with my political podcasts for the week. I soon found the pharmacy and the mediciment I needed, and this enabled me to explore another part of the city. Indeed, I was glad I came down here as I got to see the eerily beautiful Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. It was decided not to rebuild the church, which had been built out of sandstone in the 1890s, as a reminder of war, with an ugly brutalist church built next door between 1959 and 1963. Indeed, there are four parts of this new church situated around the ruins of the old one. It looks like a honeycomb of concrete with dirty stained glass windows but once inside, it transforms into something so magical. The stained glass is all the deepest shade of blue, a blue that completely immerses you once you are in the church. Over the alter there is a large gold cruficied Christ, Modernist in style, which constrasts serenly with the azure. Down one side, there is also a wreath made up of hundreds of metal poppies, again in rememberance of the Second World War, while the Karl-Schuke-Orgel, the church organ, is rather imperious in its design with pipes climbing out of the wall to greet you. Of the old church, only the spire really remains, with the ground floor now dedicated to a memorial exhibit. Alas, it was closed, again due to COVID. Meanwhile, back in the new church, I found The Stalingrad Madonna particularly touching, it having been drawn in charcoal by German soldier Kurt Reuber in Stalingrad during the fierce fighting of late 1942. The dark drawing of the Madonna, a symbol of hope, with words like 'light', 'life' and 'love' were particuarly tragic in light of the war and were to prove increasingly so as Reuber died in the Soviet camps in 1944.
These are the main sights I have seen in the city so far, all within an easy walk of where we live. It's a shame that COVID has closed many of them, but once Wolfie's foot has healed, no doubt we will visit them again. We're also looking forward to exploring much more of this city given time. In the meantime, I'll just keep walking and exploring, seeing what I can see. There have been a number of uniquely decorated Berlin bears dotted around the place too, I've so far seen four, and would love to boost my collection. I've always enjoyed discovering new places and little sights of interest dotted around, plus I've noticed a large number of local geocaches too, which should help with all this. Next week, I am looking forward to discovering more.
Charlottenburg is very much a middle-class family area and I already know it's not where we will remain long-term. However, it is incredibly safe, with a school literally opposite and a pyramidal shaped church on a roundabout that forms a charming little square. Further back there are a few supermarkets, Edeka and REWE, with the former having friendlier staff and the latter having a greater range of produce. We tend to prefer Edeka. Meanwhile, overlooking all this, is the imposing clock tower of Charlottenburg Town Hall, an imposing sandstone construction built between 1899 and 1905. There is a community library as part of this complex too and completely dominates one side of Otto-Suhr-Allee, the nearest main street to our residence.
The late seventeenth century Schloss Charlottenburg is within a ten minute walk from where we live, just over the road from a Lemke Craft Beer bar, our nearest. We do have a shonky looking bar on the corner of our street, but as pubs and restaurants are part of the month-long November lockdown, we have not had chance to try it. There is also a bakery literally in the same building as we are in, which seems to open at really odd and inconsistent times, so as yet we have not had chance to sample their wares. Schloss Charlottenburg is one of Berlin's primary sights and somewhere I had not been before. I took a trip down there on Wednesday, using the time to ring my parents and chat with them as I walked around the neatly couiffured gardens. These were fortunately open and it was very pleasant walking in the late autumn sunshine amidst the rapidly browning trees. I discovered the imposing mausoleum buried deep beneath the trees as well as marvelling the Baroque architecture of this stunning castle. I got to see some sheep in pens in the extensive gardens, not to mention some of the shimmering lakes which must look stunning in the summertime. Sadly, the building itself is currently closed due to COVID restrictions, but I will be back.
On other days, I just picked a direction from the house and walked aimlessly, seeing what I could see. This saw me walk around wooded trails next to the Spree, marveling at some of the heavy industrial factories which sit right within the city. Heading north, I checked out the area around Jungferdheide, which became more focused on light industry the further I walked from my house. Heading east, I saw the Mahnmal on Levetzowstrasse, wa poignant memorial to the victims of the Holocaust consisting of a life-sized stone train carriage, some tracks and a large rusted steel sign detailing the number of Jews deported from this spot during the Second World War. The memorial was constructed in 1988 and sits on the former site of one of the largest synagogues in the city, and from where the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps began in 1941. It was a simple memorial, but no less a moving one, and it's not the only one I have seen - there have been a few simple stone plinths dedicated to remembering what happened during the Holocaust as well as the events leading up to it. Indeed, 1933-1945 is the time period noted, rather than 1939.
Further down from here is the Siegessäule or Victory Column, inaugurated in 1873 to celebrate the numerous Prussian military victories between 1864 and 1871. This was the start of modern Germany, with the bronze structure of Victoria being added as a result of the wins in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) as the column was initially conceived to commemorate Prussia's victory against the Danes in 1864. The Roman goddess of victory, 8.3 metres high and weighing 35 tonnes, was gold gilded in 2011 as a result of general restoration and while I was unable to visit the roundabout upon which it sits as the tunnels to it were closed, it was still a stunning sight from some distance back, gleaming as it did in the autumn sunlight. Known as Goldelse to the locals - Golden Lizzy - the statue is close to the hearts of many Berliners and indeed forms a key part of the Berlin gay pride march (as the Berlin queer monthly magazine Siegessäule is named after it). Barack Obama even made a speech here in July 2008. It was also near here, down Strasse der 17. Juni, that I walked through a chinzy bric-a-brack market yesterday.
As part of this trip, I also got to walk around some of the forested paths making up the Tiergarten, although many of the locals also had a similar idea and it was quite rammed. However, it wasn't too hard to find quieter routes through the golden trees and looking at the waterways, canals and lakes which also make up this former hunting park was definitely a good use of a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. There is also a zoo as part of the Tiergarten, which may have been open. We'll look to check it out another time.
Wolfie's foot has been playing up again and he asked me to get him some ibuprofen, something that isn't too easy as nearly all shops are closed in Germany on a Sunday. However, I did notice a pharmacy down at Zoologischer Garten railway station was open, so I decided to stroll down that way while catching up with my political podcasts for the week. I soon found the pharmacy and the mediciment I needed, and this enabled me to explore another part of the city. Indeed, I was glad I came down here as I got to see the eerily beautiful Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. It was decided not to rebuild the church, which had been built out of sandstone in the 1890s, as a reminder of war, with an ugly brutalist church built next door between 1959 and 1963. Indeed, there are four parts of this new church situated around the ruins of the old one. It looks like a honeycomb of concrete with dirty stained glass windows but once inside, it transforms into something so magical. The stained glass is all the deepest shade of blue, a blue that completely immerses you once you are in the church. Over the alter there is a large gold cruficied Christ, Modernist in style, which constrasts serenly with the azure. Down one side, there is also a wreath made up of hundreds of metal poppies, again in rememberance of the Second World War, while the Karl-Schuke-Orgel, the church organ, is rather imperious in its design with pipes climbing out of the wall to greet you. Of the old church, only the spire really remains, with the ground floor now dedicated to a memorial exhibit. Alas, it was closed, again due to COVID. Meanwhile, back in the new church, I found The Stalingrad Madonna particularly touching, it having been drawn in charcoal by German soldier Kurt Reuber in Stalingrad during the fierce fighting of late 1942. The dark drawing of the Madonna, a symbol of hope, with words like 'light', 'life' and 'love' were particuarly tragic in light of the war and were to prove increasingly so as Reuber died in the Soviet camps in 1944.
These are the main sights I have seen in the city so far, all within an easy walk of where we live. It's a shame that COVID has closed many of them, but once Wolfie's foot has healed, no doubt we will visit them again. We're also looking forward to exploring much more of this city given time. In the meantime, I'll just keep walking and exploring, seeing what I can see. There have been a number of uniquely decorated Berlin bears dotted around the place too, I've so far seen four, and would love to boost my collection. I've always enjoyed discovering new places and little sights of interest dotted around, plus I've noticed a large number of local geocaches too, which should help with all this. Next week, I am looking forward to discovering more.
