As my time in Berlin winds down, there’s still a lot on my list, much of which I knew intuitively I couldn’t complete in 7 weeks. But it’s not for the lack of trying.
I spent an afternoon in Potsdam: the capital city for the German federal state of Brandenburg. Potsdam is reachable by train, about an hour southwest from Berlin.
Glienicke Bridge, from the Potsdam (former DDR-) side facing east towards Berlin on the other side. The post-war reconstruction was called “The Bridge of Spies”, for the exchange of captured and incarcerated agents from both sides of the Cold War.
Before the bridge on the Potsdam side: “here Germany and Europe were divided until 6pm on 10 November 1989.”
Nauener Tor (Nauen Gate): 1 of 3 remaining city gates, dated 1755 (by J.G. Büring); considered Central Europe’s 1st neo-Gothic structure and 1st example of Gothic Revival outside of England.
Red brick buildings (all renovated) within Potsdam’s Holländisches Viertel (Dutch Quarter), initially constructed 1733 to 1740.
Café Cecilie, in the Dutch Quarter. They have coffee, cake, Flammkuchen, ice cream.
What I needed: a steaming latté and a slice of Oma’s (Grandma‘s) cheesecake.
Französische Kirche (French Church), 1752-1753 by Huguenot refugees from France.
Alter Markt (Old Market Square). Foreground: Obelisk, by G.W. von Knobelsdorff, 1753-55. Background: St. Nikolaikirche, first by K.F. Schinkel then L. Persius, 1830-37; dome added F.A. Stüler, 1843-1849.
Fortunaportal: original north entrance for the town palace, constructed in 1662 for Great Elector Frederick William.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 24 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
Based in Berlin since the late-1990s, Spanish-born artist El Bocho is well-known for his many colourful displays of street art throughout the city. I met with a friend M. in Prenzlauer Berg: first, at Maria Bonita for their grilled burrito; followed by a walk through the Kiez in easy pursuit of ice cream and coffee at Süßfein on a warm summer afternoon. What’s shown are examples of Bocho’s work we found within an area smaller than 10 city-blocks.
“Welcome Kitti’s”
“Love is hard to find.”
“Maikäfer flieg …” (May beetle in flight)
“waiting”
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 23 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
In Berlin, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe is located between Brandenburger Tor and Potsdamer Platz. Completed in 2005 with a design by architect Peter Eisenman, the memorial site is in the former “death strip” and “no-man’s land” of the Berlin Wall, spread across 20-thousand square metres (about 5 acres) with over 2700 concrete stelae of varying heights, on ground that isn’t flat and rolls under your feet across the site.
An early summer morning, particularly on a Sunday, is good to have the entire site on my own. I don’t have to deal with questionables who treat the site as a personal playground. The millions who were targeted and killed deserve better memories, and frankly, a better choice of people.
Not only are the blocks set into the ground with different heights, the ground underneath rolls up and down, for a slow growing sense of unease. Even on a bright summer morning.
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the memorial site.
I can’t help myself, but I’ll slip and spare a thought or two about “monoliths”.
The “hard” morning shadows seem to better illuminate any cracks in the concrete.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 22 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
Totals so far after 45 travel days: 356 km walked, and just a touch under one-half million steps; daily average 7.9 km and 11000 steps. The
Summer solstice occurred earlier today on 21 June 2025 at 0242h UTC for the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. In Berlin, the day length is 16 hours 50 minutes, with sunrise at 0443h and sunset at 2133h. In other words, at this latitude of 52.5°N, the night sky doesn’t become truly dark for a period of time around summer solstice.
But what a great warm sunny day, the 1st day of summer was in Berlin.
Berlin Südkreuz (south junction).
“The new Tempelhof in pictures” 🐞
The top of the heavy load-bearing body, called Schwerbelastungskörper, near Südkreuz.
The north-south rail line (Nord-Süd Bahn), facing north towards the area between Potsdamer Platz and Anholter Bahnhof.
Litfaßsäule (Litfass advertising column), ubiquitous and still very much in use around Berlin.
Friedenau cemetery: Marlene Dietrich.
Friedenau cemetery: Helmut & June Newton.
Berlin Schöneberg S-Bahn station. “Doppelt spart besser” (a double saves more). 🍕
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 21 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
As Nazi Germany turned Europe to ruin and ash, fighting on two fronts became infeasible: it was only a matter of time. When Allied troops began converging onto Berlin by late-April to early-May of 1945, the German military would be given zero options: the Allies demanded unconditional surrender.
One signing took place in France’s Reims on 7 May 1945 in the presence . On the night of 8-9 May, a second signing took place in the presence of Soviet military leaders in Karlshorst, about 11 km southeast from Berlin’s Reichstag parliament building. Both signings meant total surrender by Germany, and hostilities on all fronts in Europe had come to an end, which is why 8 May is remembered annually as V-E day or Victory in Europe day.
Today, the modest officers’ club building for the occasion of the second signing is now the Museum Berlin Karlshorst, which has seen plenty of changes from war’s end to the partition of Germany, to East Germany’s political ties to the Soviet Union, and to subsequent reunification of the 2 Germanys in 1990.
In line with evolving educational needs for the 21st-century, the museum commemorates not only the building and its grand hall, but also aspects of the 2nd World War specific to the Soviet Union: the prelude to war, massive losses of both soldiers and civilians, actions and abuses by the Soviet Red Army, trauma on survivors lingering from years to decades.
The museum is free of charge, and open to the public Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm.
The 2nd signing for Germany’s unconditional surrender took place here on the night of 8 May 1945.
Similar view 80 years later, in 2025.
If symbols are key, flying the Ukraine flag today is definitely one of them.
This memorial plaque appears on the exterior front wall: “On 8-9 May 1945, Germany signed their unconditional surrender within this building.”
8 to 9 May 1945.
The building’s grand hall, where the Karlshorst signing for Germany’s unconditional surrender took place.
At the head table (background-centre) with the Allied nations, from left to right, respectively: United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States of America, and France.
With the shell of the Reichstag in flame and ruin, Red Army soldiers (lower centre) carry the Soviet flag towards the Reichstag in a picture dated 2 May 1945. As a big prize in conquering and securing Berlin, the Red Army had already raised the Soviet flag on the Reichstag on 30 April 1945. Photo correspondent Ivan Shagin.
Raising the Soviet flag over the Reichstag is a famous photograph, but this photograph had been restaged for political and military purposes on 2 May 1945. Photo correspondent Yevgeniy Khaldey, bpk/Voller Ernst, Berlin
Children’s shoes from Majdanek concentration camp near Poland’s Lublin, 1944. An estimated 170-thousand people were murdered at Majdanek between 1942 and 1944, before Soviet forces liberated the camp on 23 July 1944. Soviets also secured various pieces of physical evidence, including these shoes. (Military Medicine Museum, St. Petersburg)
Near the building’s front entrance are a memorial and ex-Soviet army tank T-34 with two words painted in white: “за родину!” (for the homeland!)
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 20 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
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