Posts Tagged ‘World War II’
A Woman in Berlin
Tam Eastley reviews one of the most controversial and poignant books to emerge from Russian-occupied Berlin in 1945... A Woman in Berlin (Eine Frau in Berlin) by Anonymous is a true diary account of the postwar city from April 20 – June 22 1945. Written by a well educated 34-year-old German woman and professional journalist alleged to be one Marta Hillers, the startlingly frank narrative is an eye opening chronicle of the fall of Berlin to the Russian Red Army. The first 65 pages of [...]
Berlin’s Bunkers
Swedish architect and author Fredrik Torisson profiles Berlin's bunkers... Berlin is full of bunkers. Some are more visible than others and some have even become topography rather than buildings. Obsolete bunkers are relics that tend to remain standing regardless of circumstance; being difficult to demolish is as much a part of their nature as their ability to be camouflaged is, which makes them a series of half-invisible and more or less eternal relics. As a building typology, [...]
Volkspark Friedrichshain
Everyone loves a good park. Volkspark Friedrichshain is one of Berlin’s finest… Even by Berlin’s high standards, the Volkspark Friedrichshain stands out as one of the city’s special green spaces. Established a century and a half ago to commemorate the centennial of Frederick the Great's accession to the throne, it gives good history, swathes of Liegewiese (sunbathing areas), an abundance of leisure opportunities and more than its fair share of interesting landmarks. Casually [...]
City Lit: Kurfürstendamm
Suzi from Packabook.com throws away her guidebook to explore one of Berlin's most famous streets via two novels... One of the great joys of reading books set in the city you're visiting is the way they can help you understand your surroundings. I like to read novels as if they're maps - keys to places I've not yet unlocked. Some people like guide books...I'd rather read a novel. I think I'm right in saying that for most non-German speakers, the street names in Berlin can be a bit [...]
The Berlin Stories
Little less than a century old, Christopher Isherwood’s classic book still sheds light on the city that’s its star… Aficionados of Slow Travel know that to get to the soul of a place you don’t necessarily have to explore its heart. Tourists gathering around London’s Trafalgar Square or Rome’s Trevi Fountain may feel that they have come face to face with a city’s history, but these are landmarks, nothing more, ignored by locals to whom they represent little. The soul of a [...]
