Article by Li Xinyi, compiled and reported by MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network. Source: Moleskin Editorial Department
The European theater of World War II came to an end on May 8, 1945. Even today, the historical stories of WWII continue to serve as material for Hollywood films, but what is the true historical reality? Germany preserves many traces of the war—Nazi concentration camps where Jews were persecuted, the underground world of Berlin during wartime, the Nuremberg Trials courthouse after the war, and the Checkpoint Charlie established during the East-West Germany division. How did Anne Frank, author of *The Diary of a Young Girl*, survive in her dark hiding place while evading the Nazis? More than sixty years later, join us as we return to Germany to uncover the true history.
After the war, Germany was divided into East and West, and this checkpoint was set up at the time to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West. (Photo provided by Moleskin Editorial Department)
Stop 1: Buchenwald Nazi Concentration Camp Gedenkstätte Buchenwald
Beyond its cultural heritage, Weimar also holds significant political weight in people’s minds—the most well-known being the Weimar Republic, Germany’s first democratic government. On the other hand, in the early stages of the Nazi rise, Weimar was one of the few places where the Nazi Party first won elections. After the Nazis gained full control, about 8 kilometers from Weimar, emerged the darkest Nazi concentration camp in German history.
Buchenwald Nazi Concentration Camp preserves intact facilities such as the detention cells, gas chambers, and execution rooms. (Photo provided by Moleskin Editorial Department)
Visiting a concentration camp is certainly not a pleasant experience, and even many Germans have doubts about it. But guides at Buchenwald explain that, whether before or after German reunification, there have always been right-wing individuals who question why Germany must constantly bring up the crimes of the Jewish massacre. However, for a nation to progress, it must understand and confront the darkest parts of its own history.
Currently, German secondary school education includes field trips to Nazi concentration camps, with specialized guides provided. Buchenwald is no exception. Since the East German era, it has been a memorial site, with many facilities from the camp period still remarkably well-preserved: detention cells, gas chambers, execution rooms—visits here leave one feeling deeply solemn. To honor those who perished here, a tower stands atop a serene hill outside the camp. After leaving the camp, take a walk here to gather your thoughts.
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Stop 2: Journey Through Berlin’s Underground World · Berliner Unterwelten E.V.
This vibrant, bustling metropolis of Berlin actually has a lesser-known side. Would you be interested in exploring it? Step through the entrance into darkness, and you’ll discover a complex underground world beneath this glittering city—dark, silent, and grim, where, if you listen closely, you might hear the distant sounds of artillery fire from above.
Berlin’s underground world tours come in three routes, each chronicling a different chapter of the city’s past. (Photo provided by Moleskin Editorial Department)
Berlin’s underground world offers three regular guided tours: Tour 1 takes you into the WWII air-raid shelters to learn how people survived beneath the surface during the air raids that destroyed 80% of Berlin. Tour 2, themed “From Flak Towers to Rubble,” lets you unearth the buried history of the Third Reich in the ruins of a flak bunker. Tour 3 is an incredible maze journey through a labyrinth of tunnels reflecting East Germans’ hopes of escaping to the West and people’s fears of World War III. These tours offer you a unique Berlin experience—dreamlike yet utterly real.
For more details, visit: www.tripass.net/scenery.php?tripass_scenery=柏林地下世界之旅&op=sceneryinfo&sceneryid=51006
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