- Category
- History, Four Days in Berlin
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Location
- Berlin
We’ll begin our tour at the iconic columns of the Brandenburg Gate, from where we are able to look down the Strasse des 17. Juni, one of the main boulevards in the proposed designs for Berlin’s urbanization as the capital of the Third Reich. Traveling a few short blocks, we’ll end up at the memorial of the central tragedy of the Nazi regime: Peter Eisenman’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This controversial and enigmatic monument—a grid of hundreds of towering concrete blocks—will provide us with a context to discuss the historical events of the Holocaust, as well as an opportunity to touch on the complexities of the Jewish experience both during and after World War II. As we walk through the former government quarter of Berlin we will pass many other sites, memorials, and works of architecture that will help us confront the realities of Nazi rule, including the former site of Hitler’s Chancellery, the (now built-over) location of the Führerbunker, the former Reich Ministry of Aviation (Luftwaffe), and other major offices that orchestrated the war.
For visitors who would like to delve further into the history of the Holocaust: consider our Sachsenhausen tour, a trip to a nearby former concentration camp, or learn more about Jewish life, culture, and history on our Jewish Berlin Tour.
We'll conclude outside the Topography of Terror exhibition at the site of the former Gestapo and SS headquarters. This exhibition represents a self-conscious effort in the city to confront its Nazi legacy. Instead of trying to make a final statement about the horrors of Germany’s past, this site is committed to active engagement and to making history vivid and comprehensible. The exhibition is available to visit after the walk’s conclusion. By the end of our three hours together, we will have encountered the ghostly spaces of Berlin’s tragic past, not in an attempt to sensationalize or historicize the Third Reich, but in order to forge a connection to the present and understand how this history still shapes Berlin and Germany today.
FAQ
Where do we meet? Where does it end?

Costanza is an Italian archaeologist, born in Prato and who completed her Master of Art in Archaeology at the University of Florence. She came to Berlin in 2006 for PhD studies in Near Eastern Archaeology at the Freie Universität Berlin, completing a thesis dealing with pottery and its use as both a chronological indicator as well as an item for daily use. She also started working as researcher at the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology of the FU Berlin. Besides her scientific skills, including the publication of scientific articles, the participation to international conferences and workshops, and teaching experience, she improved her skills as field archaeologist working in excavations in Italy (Poggibonsi, Peccioli, Sesto Fiorentino), Syria (Tell Barri, Tell Bazi, and Tell Fekheriye), and Iraq (survey project in Iraqi Kurdistan). This background forms the basis of her familiary with and knowledge of the rich collections of both the Pergamon Museum and the Neues Museum, which are an important part of the history of the city of Berlin.

John studied History and German at the University of Oxford, eventually specializing in German-Jewish history and the history of the Third Reich. He has been coming to Berlin since he was a teenager and moved to the city permanently a couple of years ago. The tangibility of history, especially that of the twentieth century, never ceases to thrill him in Berlin.

Dionysia was born and raised in Greece with a cultural heritage deriving from both Istanbul and Corfu. She has alsways had an affinity for languages and communication, she currently speaks seven. She has travelled the world and holds a PhD from the University of Maryland, USA in Vocal Performance Practices. Upon returning to Europe, she settled in Berlin and started performing concerts and leading city tours for many different people including academics, students, musicians, business people and royal families. She loves the tango and cooks like a Pro.
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.