Berlin is a city I used to know well, having spent over a year there in the 70s when the Wall dominated everything. Today's vibrancy has its roots in that post-war period when West Berlin, whose inhabitants were exempted from national service, became home to many of West Germany's radical thinkers and creatives. It made for a heady mix.
For the functioning of the city, the Wall had its benefits too. With no rush hour (the nearest place to 'rush' in from being some 3 hours away), traffic was minimal and public transport operated perfectly. Movement around the city was so easy, reliable and stress-free. It's a lesson no city planner appears to have learned.
But even transport was complicated by Berlin's politics. The rather dilapidated S-Bahn ran almost empty, largely boycotted by West Berliners as it was run by the GDR (ostensibly as a means of earning Western money, but undoubtedly at a cost to the authorities there).
Friedrichstrasse station , a main interchange for many U-bahn and S-bahn lines, was located in the East, but accessible only to Westerners - an island within an island. The eagle-eyed could spot signs of an eternal game of cat and mouse being played out between smugglers from West Berlin , their GDR enablers and West German Customs. Smugglers used the station to swap their empty bags for ones filled with cheap East German cigarettes and other contraband for wads of West German marks or US dollars. Every encounter with the GDR always involved an exchange of much needed currency.
Several of the stations, when approaching Friedrichstrasse from the north on line 6, were in East Berlin. Trains would slow to half speed as they passed through, perhaps so passengers could gawp at the forlorn-looking GDR guards posted at intervals along the platforms 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, motionless beside their Alsatian companions, adorned with trench coats and sub-machine guns. With each passing, occasional passengers amused themselves by waving wads of cash in the window or raising their hands in mock surrender, but most just let the moment pass unmarked as they contemplated their daily business.
Besides the transport, one thing few people realised about West Berlin was just how green it was. I was frequently asked if it didn't feel claustrophobic living there, yet over half the area within the Wall was given over to the Wahnsee and the woodland surrounding it. So treasured were these lungs of the city, that fires were banned and police were regularly seen patrolling the pathways to ensure compliance.
The Berlin of today is a very different beast - a modern, thriving and energetic city. For the fact that families, once cruelly separated by the failure of their leaders, can see each other as often as they wish, we must be thankful. But West Berlin, too, had much to commend it. Indeed, I have never since spent time in a city where the living was so easy.
Mine that I wasn't there on the night the wall was breached! But I did return in spring 1990 and chiseled off my own piece of history, which I have mounted in the sitting room at home. I am not sure the family fully understand the significance of it, though! Perhaps one had to be there.
What an enjoyable read, as ever! You make me want to visit every place you describe so eloquently. None so more than this city. I do love a city break- Berlin sounds fascinating and is now top of my list. I made notes of the places you mention! Plus, Sabrina’s recipe is on tonight’s menu- I needed something to do with the chicken I’ve set aside!! Thank you both ☺️
So pleased you enjoyed it, Lena! Berlin is an incredible city and if you'll pardon me raiding the Star Wars locker "A New Hope' not just for Germany but for Europe, too in the quality of life that it offers.
Berlin is a city I used to know well, having spent over a year there in the 70s when the Wall dominated everything. Today's vibrancy has its roots in that post-war period when West Berlin, whose inhabitants were exempted from national service, became home to many of West Germany's radical thinkers and creatives. It made for a heady mix.
For the functioning of the city, the Wall had its benefits too. With no rush hour (the nearest place to 'rush' in from being some 3 hours away), traffic was minimal and public transport operated perfectly. Movement around the city was so easy, reliable and stress-free. It's a lesson no city planner appears to have learned.
But even transport was complicated by Berlin's politics. The rather dilapidated S-Bahn ran almost empty, largely boycotted by West Berliners as it was run by the GDR (ostensibly as a means of earning Western money, but undoubtedly at a cost to the authorities there).
Friedrichstrasse station , a main interchange for many U-bahn and S-bahn lines, was located in the East, but accessible only to Westerners - an island within an island. The eagle-eyed could spot signs of an eternal game of cat and mouse being played out between smugglers from West Berlin , their GDR enablers and West German Customs. Smugglers used the station to swap their empty bags for ones filled with cheap East German cigarettes and other contraband for wads of West German marks or US dollars. Every encounter with the GDR always involved an exchange of much needed currency.
Several of the stations, when approaching Friedrichstrasse from the north on line 6, were in East Berlin. Trains would slow to half speed as they passed through, perhaps so passengers could gawp at the forlorn-looking GDR guards posted at intervals along the platforms 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, motionless beside their Alsatian companions, adorned with trench coats and sub-machine guns. With each passing, occasional passengers amused themselves by waving wads of cash in the window or raising their hands in mock surrender, but most just let the moment pass unmarked as they contemplated their daily business.
Besides the transport, one thing few people realised about West Berlin was just how green it was. I was frequently asked if it didn't feel claustrophobic living there, yet over half the area within the Wall was given over to the Wahnsee and the woodland surrounding it. So treasured were these lungs of the city, that fires were banned and police were regularly seen patrolling the pathways to ensure compliance.
The Berlin of today is a very different beast - a modern, thriving and energetic city. For the fact that families, once cruelly separated by the failure of their leaders, can see each other as often as they wish, we must be thankful. But West Berlin, too, had much to commend it. Indeed, I have never since spent time in a city where the living was so easy.
This is absolutely fascinating.
Thank you, David!
One of my greatest regrets is that I never made it to Berlin before it all changed.
Mine that I wasn't there on the night the wall was breached! But I did return in spring 1990 and chiseled off my own piece of history, which I have mounted in the sitting room at home. I am not sure the family fully understand the significance of it, though! Perhaps one had to be there.
Berlin is full of memories with the young citizens of 24 hour culture dancing on the graves of a fading past
I was in Berlin after the wall came down and at that time I did not feel very comfortable but I believe it is a fascinating and diverse city now.
We have no comparison to make, Amelia but it’s the most exciting European city we’ve visited in a while
What an enjoyable read, as ever! You make me want to visit every place you describe so eloquently. None so more than this city. I do love a city break- Berlin sounds fascinating and is now top of my list. I made notes of the places you mention! Plus, Sabrina’s recipe is on tonight’s menu- I needed something to do with the chicken I’ve set aside!! Thank you both ☺️
So pleased you enjoyed it, Lena! Berlin is an incredible city and if you'll pardon me raiding the Star Wars locker "A New Hope' not just for Germany but for Europe, too in the quality of life that it offers.
Beautifully put, Robert!