This page provides an overview of the tours and lectures arranged by the Berlin Historical Association in 2022.
3 December 2022 - BHA Christmas Dinner.
19 November 2022 - Guided tour of the Parliamentary History Exhibition at the Deutscher Dom.
Berlin, as the capital of Germany, is home to the Bundestag, the legislative centre of government. Starting with the beginnings of democracy in Germany, the exhibition focuses on its development and the various phases of the institution in German history. The exhibition begins with the rebellion of 1848, and progresses through the Bismarck era and the formation of the German Empire (Kaiserreich) to the development of the political party system in Germany during the Kaiserreich. There is an emphasis on the Weimar government and the weakness of its constitution, leading to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. This is followed then by the development of the Basic Law and the modern German political system. The exhibition follows up and finishes with a discussion of the various constitutions that Germany has had since 1849.
15 October 2022 - Guided tour of the Altstadt Magdeburg.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, was buried in the city's cathedral after his death. Until 1631, Magdeburg was one of the largest and most prosperous German cities and a notable member of the Hanseatic League. Magdeburg has been destroyed twice in its history: Firstly, the Catholic League sacked Magdeburg in 1631, resulting in the death of 25,000 non-combatants, the largest loss of the Thirty Years' War. Secondly, the Allies bombed the city in 1945, destroying much of it. In 2005 Magdeburg celebrated its 1200th anniversary.
This guided walking tour will take us to the city’s old market square (Alter Markt) and its “Magdeburg Horseman” statue and to St John’s Church, in which Martin Luther once preached. We will also visit Romanesque buildings such as the Art Museum in the Monastery of Our Lady and have the chance to find out more about the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and his vision of architecture in harmony with nature, which he brought to life in the Green Citadel of Magdeburg. The tour ends at the Romanesque Art Centre, which is located in close proximity to Magdeburg Cathedral, the city’s over 800-year-old landmark.
17 September 2022 - Guided walking tour of "Rebellious Berlin".
Berlin has had a history of Rebellion and in a two-hour walking tour through the city centre we will follow the tracks of the history of protest in Berlin. Berlin’s history was not only formed by the sovereigns and their performance as rulers, but also by its inhabitants of all walks of life; and the protests by all levels of society form part of this history as well. Interesting and gripping incidents will be explained on the spot where they took place. The extensive history of rebellion and resistance in Berlin ranges from the “Berliner Unwillen” (Berlin discontent) in the 15th century, the revolution of 1848 and the German Revolution of 1918–19, to the uprising in East Berlin on the 17th of June 1953, the protests of 1968, and the so-called peaceful revolution of 1989 until the present.
27 August 2022 - Guided tour of the Huguenot Museum.
The Huguenots were a religious group of French Protestants who in the 16th and 17th centuries faced increasing hostility from the Catholics in France and the eventual abolition of their political and military privileges. This resulted in great numbers fleeing France and settling in many different countries. The word “Huguenots” was meant as a slur, but the Protestants in France used it themselves and turned it into a neutral, if not positive, term. Three centuries ago they were called “Réfugiés” when Prussia accepted about 20,000 of them who were fleeing from persecution in France. They were noble, but not selfless, because the French were highly educated and gave Berlin and Prussia a boost in a cultural and economical sense. The Edict of Potsdam in 1685 gave them special privileges as well as churches in which to worship, one of which was the Französischer Dom. And other traces can still be seen in today’s Berlin, such as the area the Réfugiés called after the bible, Terre de Moab. Today it is known as Moabit. Descendants of the Huguenots include people like the de Maizières and Theodor Fontane. And the words that some Berliners use when speaking, such as Klamauk, plärren, etepetete or Kinkerlitzchen, have their roots with the Huguenots. BHA is pleased to offer one of the rare tours of the Hugenotten-Museum in the Französischer Dom in Berlin.
30 July 2022 - Guided tour of the Karl Marx Exhibition.
Karl Marx never used the word “Kapitalismus”. Even in “Das Kapital” you can find the words “Kapitalist” and “kapitalistische Produktionsweise“, but never „Kapitalismus“ from Marx’s hand. But for many, Marx is the philosopher who explained capitalism – and how to overturn it. He was successful at least at home: And although he had a lot of supporters, he was always broke. "All I know is that I am not a 'Marxist'!", he said about himself. The exhibition "Karl Marx and Capitalism" presents and scrutinises the work of Marx as an examination of the dynamically changing capitalism and the controversies of the 19th century. The focus is on topics such as criticism of religion and society, emancipation of Jews and anti-Semitism, revolutions, new technologies, nature and ecology, economics as well as struggles and movements in Europe - topics that have lost none of their explosive power even today. This exhibition thus links Marx's historicising with questions about his topicality. At the same time, it takes a critical look at the reception of his theories in the 20th and 21st centuries. Millions of people were killed in the name of Marxism. Marx himself was not keen to be criticised: "I have, of course, kept my arguments in such a way that I am also right in the reverse case."
9 July 2022 - Guided tour of the Invalidenfriedhof.
Is the Invalidenfriedhof the German Arlington? A clear Jein, because although this is a cemetery for soldiers, but it is different. And older, more than a century, than Arlington. This is a place for Prussian history and it, more or less, started and ended with this kingdom in Germany. It was used and misused by the Nazis and played a role in the era of the “Mauer”. And today? History, military, and Prussia, are three things combined without a lobby in modern-day Germany.
Let’s walk among the tombstones. Let’s have a look at the final resting places of Gerhard von Scharnhorst and Helmut von Moltke (unfortunately only the Younger), Alfred von Schlieffen and Max Hoffmann, Hans von Seeckt and Werner von Fritsch. Pilots too are here, like Manfred von Richthofen und Olivier von Beaulieu-Marconnay or Ernst Udet and Werner Mölders. Also buried here is the aviatrix Marga von Etzdorf. So too are Nazis like Fritz Todt and Reinhard Heydrich, although their graves are not marked anymore. Here as well is Hitler’s adjutant, Rudolf Schmundt, who died when he was killed instead of Hitler in the July plot of 1944. Or Wilhelm Staehle, who died because he fought Hitler. Who was the most successful submarine captain ever? You have probably never heard his name but you can visit his grave here in Berlin. And we will also hear the story of Wolfgang Röhling and Walter Peter Göring.
14 May 2022 - Tour of the House of the Wannsee Conference.
The House of the Wannsee Conference is where the details of the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”, the logistics of the Holocaust, were finalized and as such has an important symbolic role for the history of the 20th Century and for Berlin in particular. The house was owned by a German industrialist who fell out of favour with the Nazi Government which then confiscated his home and turned it into a SS Conference Centre and Guest House for the war. At noon on 20 January 1942, a meeting of approximately 90 minutes took place in the dining room of the SS guesthouse. Representatives of the SS, the NSDAP and various Reich ministries attended this meeting, which was convened by Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the Security Police and SD. Heydrich's aim was to emphasise his leading role in the deportations and to involve important ministries and party departments in the preparations for the murder of the European Jews. The participants presented proposals and raised objections depending on the interests of the authorities they were representing, but overall they showed that they were willing to cooperate. In the process, the leading officials in the German state administration became accessories to, and perpetrators of, the crime. Today the House is an historical building, memorial and an education facility that views itself as an inclusive institution to inform the public regarding the events that occurred there. The permanent exhibition is entitled "The Meeting at Wannsee and the Murder of the European Jews". The museum has various online exhibits that may be viewed from home as well.
09 April 2022 - Tour of the Jewish Museum.
The Jewish Museum Berlin was opened in 2001 and is the largest Jewish Museum in Europe. On 3,500 square metres of floor space, the museum presents the history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day. Essentially, it consists of two buildings – a baroque old building, the “Kollegienhaus” (that formerly housed the Berlin Museum) and a new building by Daniel Libeskind. The two buildings have no visible connection above ground. The Libeskind building is a twisted zig-zag and is accessible only via an underground passage from the old building. On this tour of the exhibition we will be shown museum highlights including the museum collection, the family estates, an acoustic search for traces, decipher medieval documents, and delve deeper into 21st century media. We will follow turbulent Jewish history between exclusion and belonging and learn how Jews see their Jewish identity today. The tour will also include an architectural overview of the new museum.
05 March 2022 - Visit to Archenhold Observatory.
The Archenhold-Sternwarte in Treptow Park is the oldest and largest public observatory in Germany. Since the Berlin Exhibition of 1896, visitors have been able to observe the sky here with the “Großer Refraktor”, the longest movable refracting telescope in the world, called “the Sky Cannon”. This refracting telescope has an aperture of 70 centimetres and a focal length of 21 metres. The total weight is 130 tonnes and its design allows it to move freely in any direction and at any height. The building's attractions include the historic Einstein Hall, the Zeiss-Kleinplanetarium (small planetarium) and a Museum of Astronomy with meteorites and historic telescopes. The telescope has something in common with the Eiffel Tower, because it was also supposed to be dismantled after the exhibition. But Archenhold collected donations and operated the facility as a “Volkssternwarte”, a public observatory, aimed not only at scientists but also at interested lay-people. On June 2 1915, a young physicist gave a presentation about his brand new, not yet published theory of General Relativity. His name was Albert Einstein. Archenhold died 1939 in Berlin, less than two weeks after his 80th birthday. The observatory had previously been run by his son, but he was hounded out of office by the National Socialists. The Archenholds were Jews. His widow, Alice, died in Theresienstadt in 1943, as did his daughter Hilde. Since 1946 the observatory bears his name.
12 February 2022 - Tour of the PalaisPopulaire.
The Princesses’ Palace is a former Royal Prussian residence on Unter den Linden. It was built in 1733 according to plans by Friedrich Wilhelm Diterichs in Rococo style, and from 1810-1811 extended in Neoclassical style. Damaged during Allied bombing in World War II the Prinzessinnenpalais was rebuilt from 1963 to 1964. Since 2018, it has been home to an art collection of Deutsche Bank. The Palace is now an innovative platform for art and culture. Today, behind the baroque façade there is state-of-the-art technology and clear, contemporary architecture. Situated in the heart of Berlin, the PalaisPopulaire amalgamates tradition and the future. “Populaire,” or “popular,” means that the Palais is open to all. The PalaisPopulaire is a forum for people who want to experience art and culture in an interdisciplinary way under one roof. To this end, the museum offers a wide-ranging programme that brings together diverse aspects of contemporary culture. This includes exhibitions from the Deutsche Bank Collection and presentations of the “Artist of the Year” programme.
15 January 2022 - Tour of the Museum for Communication.
The Museum for Communication Berlin is regarded as the world’s oldest postal museum. It was founded in 1872 on the initiative of Postmaster General Heinrich von Stephan. Over the years, it has had a turbulent history. Whilst closed during World War II, the majority of the collection was evacuated for safe-keeping. The building was badly damaged in the war and, in a divided post-war Germany, was located in East Berlin. In 1958, after it was provisionally refurbished, it opened again as the East German Postal Museum. Some eight years later, West Berlin established the Berlin Museum for Post and Telecommunication in the Urania building. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification ushered in a major change for the two Berlin museums, and they were integrated under one roof in March 2000.