Report: Study Tour Leipzig – Berlin – Dresden, 18

First of all: this is an extraordinary trip. It is not just about sights; it is about history and the fact that it still shapes life in Germany today.

I first notice that this trip has a great deal to offer on the journey from Switzerland to Leipzig. Chatting with my fellow travellers, I am thoroughly infected by their enthusiasm and anticipation of what lies ahead. At the centre of these conversations is above all our tour guide, Lothar Schulz, who will accompany us throughout. After everything I have heard about him, I am even more eager to meet Schulz and experience this trip with him. On arrival in Leipzig we are already expected for dinner at the hotel. After we have all feasted royally, we go to bed tired and full of expectation.

At the breakfast buffet in Leipzig some of us have already met the tour guide and talked with him about the experiences to come. Once we have eaten, the tour around and through Leipzig begins. It quickly becomes clear why Lothar Schulz cannot be described as an ordinary tour guide. His stories are mostly not just acquired knowledge but also personal experience, and so all eyes and ears are always on him. Besides the well-known sights such as the Nikolaikirche, where the peaceful revolution of 1989 began, we are also shown lesser-known sights. One example is the International Law Memorial or, as Lothar calls it, the “Monument of Peace”, a little outside the centre.

We can spend the afternoon as we please. With so many tips, though, it is hard to decide, as we continue on to Berlin later in the afternoon. A good choice would certainly be the Stasi Museum in the “Runde Ecke”. Or a visit to one of the many charming cafés in the city centre.

The day in Berlin begins at Potsdamer Platz with proof of how quickly new districts can spring up. From the former wasteland, crossed only by the Wall, the new Berlin Mitte with extensive housing and a wide range of leisure facilities emerged within 10 years of reunification. Famous sights such as the Brandenburg Gate, the museum quarter or the East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain naturally have their place in the programme too. With Lothar Schulz, however, you get to know more than just the typical Berlin: on the way back to the hotel we cross the Kreuzberg district, which is also marked by the rather less attractive side of a big city.

This morning thus gives us a comprehensive view, through the eyes of a true Berliner, of life in this world-famous city. In the afternoon we have time to devote ourselves to one of the countless activities and sightseeing options. From shopping at KaDeWe or on the Kurfürstendamm, to museum visits and tours in the cult car of the East, the Trabi, Berlin has it all.

On the second day in Germany's capital we set off on a voyage of discovery into the countryside. We head out of the city, to Potsdam and Lake Wannsee, where Berliners go to escape the dreary routine of city life. But that is not all: it is a region steeped in history, and crossing the Glienicke Bridge we even feel a touch of Hollywood. During the Cold War, people were often exchanged here between the USA and the Soviet Union, with opposing agents swapped as hostages. The bridge became famous not least through the Hollywood film “Bridge of Spies” with Tom Hanks. Another highlight is the visit to the gardens and the palace of “Sanssouci”, which Frederick the Great, or as Berliners call him, “Olle Friedrich”, used as a summer residence. We then move on to more recent world history. With our driver we pass through the villa district and get to see the House of the Wannsee Conference, which played a significant role in the Second World War: in 1942 the Nazis decided on the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” in this very house. To finish, we have the pleasure of admiring the surroundings from the lake as well. By boat we travel from Cecilienhof Palace on the Havel to Wannsee, from where we drive back to Berlin. There we have the rest of the afternoon to enjoy ourselves in Germany's capital.

In Lübbenau another highlight awaits: aboard one of the many Spreewald punts we set off on a voyage of discovery through the canals of the Spreewald. The local boatman has plenty to tell us about the landscape and life in this area. In the middle of this labyrinth of smaller and larger canals we rest in a little village made up of a museum and inns, surrounded by dense woodland. It is a uniquely beautiful area in which one would happily stay longer and relax.

As a crowning finale to the trip, we explore not only the centre of Dresden but also the surrounding districts. There we admire the three castles on the northern slope of the Elbe from below. From Blasewitz we cross the Blue Wonder bridge to Loschwitz and take the suspension railway up to the Weisser Hirsch district, before we get to see the city centre as the highlight. Hearing Lothar talk from his wealth of experience, it is above all the more recent past that is so impressive here. Only through his stories do you realise that the events after the Second World War are not really that long ago. But I do not want to give away too much in advance.

In short: it was a fantastic trip, on which you hear a different perspective on German history and gather many new experiences.