Coming to Terms with Berlin's Past

The Berliner Schloss is a landmark that really interested me while watching the documentary. Castles are a major part of Germany because the country was split into many smaller provinces before unification. The county’s history is rich with castle and is typically celebrated by the country and tourists. But, the Berliner Schloss fell in the Russian zone of Berlin after WWII. Since the castle symbolized everything the communist regime was against, it was decided that the castle was to be demolished.

Berliner Schloss
http://www.robothek.de/Schloss/Original.JPG

The SED then built a cultural center for East Berlin where the castle once stood. That building was later demolished after the reunification of Germany and the castle is now being rebuilt.

The Palace of the Republic
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/01/09/arts/Ouro3650.jpg

The story of these buildings to me symbolizes the struggle that Germans have with their past. To East Germans, the castle symbolized an oppressive, imperial, and militarized rule. While the cultural center served as a symbol to the future and community. To West Germans, the castle was a symbol of pride for their past and for Fredrick the Great. The cultural center was a symbol of the oppressive, communist regime in the east. At one point in the documentary two Germans share opposing views about the buildings and I believe these two embody the struggle of the German people. Should Germany move forward and forget their past because the past is filled horrors, mistake, and war? Or should Germany honor their past in order to never forget what happened and find moments in their past to be proud of? It is almost as if some Germans will feel guilty if they honor past. But, I think it is important to face the past and comes to terms with it in order to move forward with life. To ignore the past is to act as if it never happened.

            Thinking of Berlin as a mecca for freedom is not something the general public typically thinks about. But, it was just that in the 1600’s. In order for Berlin to gain a population, the ruler offered freedom to those prosecuted for religious reasons among others. This led to a large Jewish community in Berlin. The liberal ideals of Berlin were continued by Frederick the Great. But, he also brought militarized ideals as well. These two conflicting ideals get to the heart of Berlin throughout its history. One side of Berlin is wildly liberal; focused on freedoms of choice, sexuality, thought, and life. The other side of Berlin is covered in anger and bloodshed that stem from the militarized ideals. How can one city have two completely separate tracks that never intersect in a positive way? We can examine Berlin in the 1920’s, which was a sexual revolution in the world. But, once the Nazi party came into Berlin to fight against this liberalism, the face of Berlin changed dramatically. The ideals of Berlin seem to flip flop from one extreme to another. To this day Berlin deals with clashes in the streets, while still being a mecca for liberal freedoms. I think it is important to understand both ideals that Berlin has had woven into its history because it can help us understand the history of Berlin and what it means to be a Berliner.