The Texas A&M Viz students had their second overnight excursion to Germany’s capital city of Berlin last week. Our first activity was a bicycle tour through the city. We got a nice overview of the many historical events that have shaped Berlin and a look at some of the most prominent buildings and sites. We saw sections of the Berlin Wall, the site of Adolf Hitler’s Führerbunker, and the beautiful architecture on Museumsinsel. After our ride, we enjoyed a not-so-German dinner of delicious handmade pizza at ‘I Due Forni’. Somehow it felt appropriate though, as Berlin is such a cosmopolitan city of many different cultures.
The following day, we had a tour of the German Chancellery, which is the office of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German equivalent of the White House. It’s also known as the ‘Washing Machine’ by the residents of Berlin, due to the distinct shape of the building. Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a great explanation of the German system of politics. We also got to take a look at some of the many strange and beautiful gifts that Chancellors have been given by foreign dignitaries.
Next, we broke for lunch and several of us enjoyed a Berlin-original currywurst sausage. Afterwards, students toured the Daniel Liebskind-designed Jewish Museum Berlin. The striking modern building is rich with symbolism, and functions more as a habitable sculpture than a traditional museum building. After the tour, we had some free time and many of us chose to explore the ‘Character Walk’ of the international Pictoplasma Art Conference. Artists were spread out in galleries all over the Mitte district, displaying their unique work.
The next day we traveled to Oranienburg to visit the memorial site at the former concentration camp of Sachsenhausen. It’s hard to put such a moving experience into words- most people have probably read a few accounts of the Holocaust, but walking through the gates of a camp and seeing the barbed wire fences makes one begin to understand how real it was. It was a place that will be hard for any of us to ever forget.
Upon our return to the city, we had the afternoon free to explore some of Berlin’s myriad museums or do a little shopping in one of the many diverse neighborhoods. We all reconvened later and closed out the evening with a Pictoplasma festival animation screening at the Theater Babylon. Some of the featured artists were present to give an introduction and background information about their work.
We began our last day in Berlin with a stroll through the East Side Gallery- a preserved section of the Berlin Wall that has been turned over to artists and painted with reflective images and messages of peace. Then, we visited Pixomondo, an international visual effects company that has worked on many popular movies including Iron Man 2, Fast Five, and Super 8. The company most recently won the 2012 Academy Award in Best Visual Effects for their work on Hugo. We got a behind-the-scenes look at the work on several of their recent films and learned about international collaboration from an industry perspective. We then toured the small studio and watched artists at work on their latest projects, including effects work for Season 2 of Game of Thrones and Snow White and the Huntsman.
After our engrossing visit, we were turned loose for lunch in the city. Soon enough, it was time to pack our bags and head back to the Hauptbahnhof to catch our train back to Bonn. Thanks for a great time, Berlin!
Written by Stephanie Keske
