However, when we visited here, we found it impossible to avoid thinking about this tragic event in history. There are so many memorials and signs that reference this pivotal period of Germany's recent past. Every city was affected in some way and even today, the signs are still obvious and poignant.
The rise and fall of the National Socialists has affected so much of Germany since. With so much of cities destroyed, buildings are categorised as pre-war or post-war and in many cities, very little survived. Reconstruction of the west under the Marshall plan produced an economic miracle and helped this country recover from the devastation. The pictures above show magnificent Cologne cathedral in 1945 and today.
We went to Dachau, and felt a sense of the horror of the concentration camps with their intention to kill millions through work. The wrought iron gates still display the chilling message: Arbeit Macht Frei. Visiting Berlin’s Judisches museum is also architecturally unsettling and portrays the tragic story of pogroms and displacement of the Jewish people over the centuries. One exhibit shows some of the few traces left of those sent off to the camps, such as a labelled suitcase as a personal reminder of its former owner.
Towns like Dorsten have placed small brass plaques on the footpaths commemorating the lives of Jewish families who once lived on these streets.
In Berlin, a visit to Norman Foster’s inspiring Reichstag's glass dome was worth the three hour wait. From its viewpoint, one can see memorials of events, including the Battle of Berlin that ended the war. The circular display beneath the spiral walkway tells the story and shows photographs of the Reichstag over the century.
Art galleries and museums also address the subject. Berlin’s Neue Art Gallery displays 20th Century art in categories of so-called Degenerate art or the Nazi regime’s preferred works. The local museum in Münster has exhibits describing the destruction of over 95% of this beautiful town and its subsequent recreation. Some remnants of buildings have been kept to remind us of war's devastation.
Measures like these have reflected a country that has come to terms with its difficult past and not shied from the horrors, but determined never to repeat them. Today it is illegal to display images of the Nazi era, such as flying the Nazi flag. A recent court case convicted a man for using a Hitler speech as his phone ring-tone.
Also evident are reminders of the Cold War years that divided a nation and took nearly 50 years to reunite. We traced the remnants of Berlin’s Wall to view sections painted with messages of hope. Standing there, one can see the difference in buildings on both sides of the former wall, with the East’s functional concrete structures decorated with social realism artwork celebrating the noble worker. You can even hire a clapped-out Trabant - convertible - to travel the streets of Berlin in style!
Germany is a wonderful place to visit, but reminders of the war are frequent and sad. If one can't mention the war, at least we remember it's impact on a continent, and indeed the entire world. Let's escape the reminders and visit another country - and go to Amsterdam - to see Anne Frank's house!
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