Pupils explore the history of Berlin and Krakow

Over February half-term, pupils in Forms 4 and 5 travelled to Berlin and Krakow to immerse themselves in the sites and stories that shape their studies of Nazi Germany and the Cold War.

The trip began with a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Potsdam, where the group explored its park and palaces. This was followed by a visit to the Olympic Stadium, built for the Berlin Olympics of 1936 and the site of vast propaganda efforts and an attempt by Hitler to display his Germany’s prowess, hopes that would be dashed by the athletic heroics of Jesse Owens.

The group then explored the Berlin Wall and its documentation centre, displaying what defences were deployed to prevent illegal crossings, whilst also glimpsing at individual stories or moments from its history. This included the story behind David Hasselhoff’s famous New Year’s Eve concert just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The next day the pupils visited Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, a memorial to the camp established in 1936 by the SS. During its operation, it held around 200,000 prisoners, many of whom were subject to inhumane experiments.

This was followed by a tour of the Jewish Museum Berlin, where the group explored how persecution developed in Germany through the personal accounts of its victims.

Following an 8-hour bus journey to Krakow, the group visited the Galicia Jewish Museum and heard from a family member of a Holocaust survivor. Here the pupils heard the details around what like was like in a ghetto in Krakow and how some people were able to survive such terrible conditions. Pupils were then given time to explore the cloth market.

The trip concluded with a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. This year marked the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation. It is hard to describe the sites or emotions that such a place evokes in its visitors. All Oakhamians handled themselves gracefully throughout the visit and engaged deeply with the many sites and tragedies displayed at this memorial site.

Overall, it was a trip that held many poignant moments, offering pupils the opportunity to immerse themselves in key historical sites. They gained a deeper understanding of these events and the vital role historians play in preserving the memories of both the victims and the survivors.