Devin’s Photo Blog

Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church): This is the main church of Reutlingen which is centered in the middle of the marketplace downtown. Here, Matthäus Alber spread the word of the reformer, Martin Luther, to the small town of Reutlingen during the early 1500s. Lutheranism now has a large religious presence in Reutlingen as well as the state of Baden-Württemberg, and a majority of Germany.

Tübingen Universität: The University of Tübingen is a mere 10 minute train ride from Reutlingen and is full of historical context. One thing to note in particular is that Tübingen was one of the few towns not completely destroyed during World War II, so most of the buildings are as old as they look! Only a small portion of the town was destroyed due to a bomb that was actually meant for Reutlingen. Other than that, there was no need to bomb the town due to the high number of students living there and no factories or production being exported from it.
Tübingen University is one of the oldest universities in Germany, established in 1477, and has remained one of Germany’s top universities throughout the years. Many of the studies include theology, philosophy, medicine, and law.

Berliner Dom: Our first trip consisted of traveling 8 hours via train to reach Berlin and further explore an area that was of great interest during war times. This “cathedral” was built in order for the Protestants to have something of equal stature to that of the Catholic Cathedrals often found throughout continental Europe. I use the term “cathedral” loosely because the Berliner Dom is not deemed a cathedral due to it being a place for the Protestant faith, not Catholic. However, the Germans often overstep this trivial difference and refer to it as a German cathedral.

Johann Georg Elser: However odd this may sound, Hitler often gave speeches in public pubs and/or bars in the evenings due to the presence of alcohol and being able to keep people in one place in order to listen to his speeches. One evening in particular, a man named Johann Georg Elser decided to kill Hitler and all of the top Nazi officials that had followed him to a particular bar in Berlin. He created a bomb and set it below the stage, but Hitler had taken the train into Berlin this night in particular due to the weather and had to leave early in order to make his train back. As is such, the bomb exploded minutes after Hitler and his officials had left killing 12 people instead of the men he was initially after.

East Side Gallery: A quick train ride to the east side of Berlin allowed us to explore the remnants of the Berlin Wall that were still standing. Here, 118 artists had decorated each paneling of the Wall with various images, each representing their own unique artistry. The Wall spans 1.3 km and officially became the world’s longest open-air gallery in 1990.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp: This was single-handedly one of the most sobering and eye-opening experiences on this trip. Every step puts you into the shoes of those who found themselves prisoners of the Germans under Hitler’s rule. The heavy feeling that surrounded the camp made you stop and really take into account the fact that these atrocities actually happened and were no longer words on paper that you read for history class but rather a reality that caused the suffering of millions of people.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe/Holocaust Museum: Rows upon rows of either thin cement blocks or short concrete slabs lined up in front of you create an almost eerie scene of getting lost in a maze. There are 2,711 of these concrete slabs, each one attempting to capture the atrocity that swept through Europe. Architect Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold, an engineer, designed this field of cement in order to give those who were massacred a place to rest and be remembered.

Filmmuseum Potsdam: Fun fact number 1—most film industries in the US have used the set in Babelsberg to shoot very popular and successful movies such as: Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, V for Vendetta, and Captain America Civil War. So if you’d like to catch a sneak peek at someone famous perhaps walking down the street, make your way over to Babelsberg instead of Hollywood!