Recently sixteen A-level History learners travelled to Berlin and visited eleven historical locations to deepen their understanding of the Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1945 historical period.
The learners were accompanied by three A-level lecturers: Sarah-Kay Tushingham-Ford, Susann Barraclough and Chris Urack. Susann and Chris are both fluent German speakers and have personal connections to Berlin which broke down language barriers and elevated the learners experience and cultural knowledge.
Approximately 100,000 steps and 53 miles later, the learners visited eleven historical landmarks in four days: Bebelplatz, Lustgarten, Neue Wache Memorial, Jewish Museum, Topography of Terror Museum, Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, Olympic Stadium, House of Wannsee Conference and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
To break up the intense historical tour, the learners also visited the popular department store Ka De We, admired socio-political street art and indulged in local cuisine.
A-level History Learner, Dylan James Charlton shared: “In Berlin I saw an explosion of life, in many ways I hadn’t been able to before. From grand monuments to differences in supermarket prices, the Berlin trip showed the many faces of the city like its culture and architecture to the simple things like local artwork displays and street performers. There was something for all of us to enjoy.
“And arguably most importantly, the serious history of the city was balanced by the fun and laughs we could enjoy in seeing Berlin for what it is: a city not of black and white, but a breadth of colours determined to be better than it was before.”
Lecturer of History and Philosophy, Ethics, Beliefs and Values , Sarah-Kay Tushingham-Ford added:
“I was honoured to take the learners on such an intensive tour of Berlin, it was one that not only impacted on them physically but mentally as well, the topics that were covered on the tour were very emotive and poignant both from an historical and a contemporary/modern point of view, especially with the current climate.
“Many of the topics covered are still in the public domain across the world and this opportunity gave the learners a first-hand experience of the repercussions of such issues.
“The learners were excellent throughout the trip and represented our college well, and I was very proud of them all.”
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