In Berlin, “the capital of spies’

In Berlin, “the capital of spies’

Read this blog: The one where we experience Cold War East Germany

Wednesday 4th December 2024

We had booked to visit the Deutsche Spionagemuseum [German Spy Museum] in the morning which is promoted as being in “Berlin, the capital of spies”. It is open daily between 10:00 and 20:00 and on presenting our tourist train passes we were given a 25% discount on the entry price.

TravellingHerd: Deutsche Spionagemuseum [German Spy Museum]

This is home to over 1,000 exhibits which tell the story of information gathering over the millennia from Biblical stories and the ancient potter who concealed the secret recipe for a glaze in the decoration of a pot right through to modern surveillance techniques.

Exhibits include hidden cameras, lipstick pistols, bugs and encrypted mobile phones as well as an original German Enigma Machine [below].

TravellingHerd: an original German Enigma Machine in the Deutsche Spionagemuseum [German Spy Museum] 

Also on display was a replica of the poison-tipped umbrella used to murder the Bulgarian dissident and anti-communist writer and broadcaster Georgi Markov in 1978 on a London street.

TravellingHerd: replica of poison-tipped umbrella in the Deutsche Spionagemuseum [German Spy Museum] 

The museum is highly interactive and if our visit had not coincided with those of several groups of students we would have spent more time trying to solve cyphers; seeing if we could identify when each other was lying and trying to negotiate a laser maze amongst other things.

Matilda, who likes to read novels set in the places she visits, is now committed to reading Robert’s copies of the Le Carré novels featuring the character George Smiley. 

TravellingHerd: encrypted mobile phone used by Chancellor Schröder

There is a section dedicated to James Bond: the most famous spy of them all. This includes costumes and props from the films as well as the chance to pose in front of the iconic image below. Sadly when Matilda got to this point, Robert was nowhere to be found to channel his inner 007.

TravellingHerd: the German Spy Museum includes a section dedicated to James Bond

One of the exhibits is a Trabant car which had been modified to allow photographs to be taken at night without needing to use tell-tale flash. The doors were fitted with a bank of infrared lights and covered in a material which concealed the lights but which, since it was translucent, allowed infrared-red light to pass through it.

TravellingHerd: Trabant car adapted for night time photography

This was an absorbing exhibition and well worth a visit.

The nearby Berlin TV tower [below centre] was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the government of the German Democratic Republic [East Germany] as both a functional broadcasting facility and a symbol of Communist power.

At 368 metres (1,207 ft) (including antenna), it is the tallest building in Berlin and we considered going up to the observation deck. However, the cloud cover was so low that it would have obscured the view at 203 metres so we decided to leave this to another, clear and sunny day.

Close to the TV Tower stands St Marienkirche. This is the oldest parish church in the city of Berlin that is still used as a place of worship. It is famous for the Dance of Death fresco which is more than 22 metres long and 2 metres high and can be seen in the tower by the entrance. We did go in to have a look but for conservation reasons the lighting was not good enough for us to take photographs.

TravellingHerd: the Berlin TV Tower with St Marienkirche behind

Continuing in an ecclesiastical theme, our walk led us on to Berlin Cathedral, which is also a parish church, where we were given 30% off the entrance fee on presentation of our Tourist 48 hour pass.

Originally a Catholic place of worship, the cathedral is now the largest Protestant church in Germany. Once the castle chapel for Berlin Palace, it is also the burial place for the Hohenzollern dynasty.

TravellingHerd: Berlin Cathedral

The present church was built between 1894 to 1905 by order of the Emperor William II. The interior is a combination of Renaissance and Baroque Revival style. The vast dome above the main nave features a lantern decorated with ornamental mosaics, gold details and statues.

TravellingHerd: the dome of Berlin Cathedral

Nearby, on the banks of the river and close to the area known as “Museum Island” stands the DDR Museum. Once again, we were able to claim a 25% discount off the entry price.

TravellingHerd: DDR Museum

The museum is designed to show what life was like behind the wall in East Berlin. Visitors are encouraged to interact with and handle the exhibits in a reconstruction of a flat in a high-rise tower block. Apparently there is also a simulated drive in an original Trabant P601 car but we did not experience this.

TravellingHerd: DDR Museum

Having taken in quite a bit of culture, Robert decreed it was time to go in search of a Christmas market. With over 300 to choose from in the city, we had decided to visit the one on Gendarmenmarkt as this was described as being in one of the most beautiful settings. Gendarmenmarkt is a square which includes many fine buildings. It is home not only to the Berlin Concert Hall but also the French Church and the German Church.

We duly set off in search of the Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt. However, this was not where it was supposed to be. We arrived in Gendarmenmarkt which was conspicuously empty and we discovered that, due to ongoing building work, since 2022 the Christmas market had been relocated to nearby Bebelplatz, another square flanked by grand buildings [see Selfie of the day].

TravellingHerd: the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market, has temporarily moved to Bebelplatz

In 2025 it should return to its rightful home.

Having browsed the stalls and indulged in a glass of beer, we returned to Potsdamer Platz and the Paulaner restaurant where initially we were rebuffed on the basis that the restaurant was fully booked. However, while Matilda went to use the facilities, Robert managed to speak to a more accommodating member of staff who found us a table [see Dish of the day] and Robert was able to tick curry wurst off his wish list.

Selfie of the day:

TravellingHerd: the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market, relocated to Bebelplatz

Dish of the day:

TravellingHerd: curry wurst and chicken salad at Paulaner

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