Excursion to Berlin 2018

The first impression the students got from Berlin was the visit of the “City Model”, which offers a view on the development of Berlin over the past centuries and years.
In the next days the planning expert Christian Hajer took the group around the government area of the City as well as the former airport Tempelhof, which used to be one of the largest buildings in the world for a long time. The students found out about open projects for buildings in the area around the German Parliament and the Chancellery and went on a tour through the old tunnels in the underground of Berlin, where they learned more about the separation of the City and the ways in which refugees from East Berlin escaped to Western Germany.
Afterwards, the students were asked what they found most interesting about the excursion and enjoyed most. Here are some of their answers:
“It was very interesting to understand how Berlin has been planned through different political periods. The information we got from our guide Mr. Hajer was not typical of a walking tour; it was very relevant to us as planners.”
“The personal stories of Berlin Underground were very touching. I really felt like I was in a movie!”
“It was a wonderful experience to explore Berlin and its history. During the excursion we could imagine what’s the story behind a certain place, compared to our knowledge that we already had from other sources, especially when we were at Berlin Underground and Berlin Gate. Overall, it was great!”