Other sites of Berlin

After leaving Wannsee we headed back to the centre of Berlin, and on the way Folke pointed out some other areas of interest. We passed through Mexikoplatz, which is a beautiful square in the district of Zehlendorf. The square is flanked by elegant semicircular Jungendstil apartment blocks and in front of them is Berlin’s last remaining Art-Deco style S-Bahn Station. In summer all the terraces and balconies are full of flowers and greenery, and some of Berlin’s most impressive mansions are located on Argentinische and Lindenthaler Allee, the streets leading into the square.

We also drove past the Tempelhof, a Nazi airfield built in the same style of the 1936 Olympic Stadium, which is located in the heart of the city. It ceased operation in 2008, as the runways were too short for modern jets, and it wasn’t economically feasible to extend the runways as it would involve demolishing too many apartments. This runway was also used to deliver goods during the Cold War when the East Germans put a blockade in West Berlin. Tempelhof is a huge building and outdoor space which is now a freedom park - there is a community garden in one corner and it is used for some events such as dance parties and some sections of the building currently house refugees.

Next, we drove through Berlin to Checkpoint Charlie, which was a security control post border crossing in the American Sector when the Berlin Wall was up. It is now very touristy, and so our last stop of the day was “Topographie des Terrors”, which I will write about separately.Read more