Fits on the Road: Exploring Berlin, Germany: Part 2

By Jess in Minneapolis

We started our second day of exploring in Berlin with full-body massages at the ONO Spa within our hotel, the Mandala Hotel.  They felt so great on our sore muscles, and when they were done, we were all set for more exploring.

We started the day in such a decadent and peaceful way with massages. It was a sharp contrast to what we did next. 

I understand that the following tour has nothing to do with Fitness, Fashion, or Fitness Fashion, but it made up a full day of our exploration of Berlin, so I am including it nonetheless.

We decided to take the train out to the suburb of Orangienburg, which is the site of a concentration camp called Sachsenhausen. Dustin had visited Dachau years ago, but I had never toured a concentration camp, and I think it's important to reflect on that part of our history. It was extremely moving, and I'm glad we decided to go, but it was not a destination for every kind of tourist.

Our first sign of the camp was this commemorative sign regarding the Death March of the prisoners away from this site, at the end of the war.

"This plaque was erected by the Communist GDR government, to commemorate the Death March undertaken by the prisoners of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp under the Nazi government. The GDR placed an emphasis on political prisoners over the other groups held at Sachsenhausen (Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, Homosexuals), hence the pictured prisoners are wearing red triangles (the symbol for political prison" source

The Death March: With the advance of the Red Army in the spring of 1945, Sachsenhausen was prepared for evacuation. On April 20–21, the camp's SS staff ordered 33,000 inmates on a forced march northeast. Most of the prisoners were physically exhausted and thousands did not survive this death march; those who collapsed en route were shot by the SS. On April 22, 1945, the camp's remaining 3,000 inmates, including 1,400 women were liberated by the Red Army and the Polish Army's 2nd Infantry Division. source

All of the signs were first in German, and repeated again in English. We also rented audio guides, which were helpful. I noticed that there were some English speaking tours happening while we were there as well, and I believe they cost 12 euro. 

Entrance to Sachsenhausen

The sign on the gate at the entrance to the camp bears an inscription which can be seen on other gates at such camps as Dachau. Losely translated, it means "Work Sets You Free." 

I won't explain each part of the camp, as most of the pictures are pretty self-explanatory, though a lot of the information and learnings were all in the readings that they had along the tour. 

Most of the camp was destroyed by the Soviets, and then re-created with some original pieces.

It was interesting to read about the camp's prison. I mean, these are already prisoners within a concentration camp, but even within those dire straits, there are even worse conditions and punishments.

The Soviets built this memorial and it's notable due its inherent irony. It lists all of the countries from which victims of this concentration camp came. A Soviet soldier stands behind the prisoners, liberating them from their persecutors. But then Soviets used Sachsenhausen as a Special Camp for political prisoners until 1951 and during this time 12,000 more people died of starvation, hunger, and maltreatment here.

Of course, two of the most disturbing parts were the gas chambers and the crematorium.

Sachsenhausen was also the site for many medical experiments, some of which were explained in the prison's "infirmary." That portion of the tour was very disturbing.

Below is a picture of the execution trench.

Again, I'm glad we took this tour. It was disturbing and so sad, but it's unfortunately a part of our history that can't be ignored.

We were at Sachsenhausen until nearly 5 pm. As the sun started to set, we realized it might be a little eerie to be there after dark, so we were on our way back to the train station to head back to the city centre.

Once we were back in Berlin, we headed to Prater Garten Berlin, one of the oldest beer houses in the city. It's a "bier garten" institution, so to speak. Read a great review of this place HERE. 

Prater served up traditional German food, which is what Dustin ordered.

I went with something a "little" lighter with egg dumplings, spinach, and a tasty salad.

...and of course, there were some beers. This time instead of the Pilsner Radler (with sprite) we both ordered our beers "dunkel" or dark. Perfect!

And that, my friends, was our second day of touring Berlin. Stay tuned for our third and final day of exploring this city!