I think I can speak for the entire New Europe Program when I say that
Berlin is one of the most fascinating cities I have ever been to. During
our four days in the capital city of Germany, we were able to
experience its diverse culture, incredibly rich history, and inspiring
inclusion of artwork throughout its museums, as well as its streets.
The New Europe Program was taken on several tours where they
could reflect on historical sights of Berlin’s turbulent past of Nazi
rule, as well as Communist occupation in the East. However, the impact
that this city had on the students did not, by any means, end there. The
thing that became so impressive and interesting was the current state
of Berlin, despite these aspects of fairly contemporary history. On our
tour of the Reichstag (German Parliament building), it was incredible to
see the way that the government has rebuilt itself into one that
remembers the all too recent past, maintains transparency in the
present, and continues to reinvent itself into one of the most
successfully stable democracies in the European Union. When the students
walked along the East Side Gallery (a long stretch of remaining Berlin
Wall covered in street art) there was an overwhelming sense of
liberation and determination toward a bright future, which was
manifested at the fall of this oppressive boundary line less than 25
years ago. We saw that this is a place whose inhabitants do not allow
previous events to hold any power in dictating the current state of
things, and today it has quickly become a capital of multicultural
acceptance, artistic expression, and booming urban life. Perhaps we
enjoyed its intrigue so much because we could not only look back on how
Berlin has been transformed, but also how the city continues to
transform itself. After only a short train ride, the New Europe
Program arrived in Dresden, where we immediately met our tour guide to
take us on a walking tour of the city. This place is known by many
people as the city that was most devastated by the Allied Bombings
during World War II. Today, however, it is clearly far along in the
process of rebuilding its former state of rich cultural value. The tour
took us through the way in which the buildings have been, and continue
to be, reconstructed to their former state externally—while the inside
is often completely modern. In addition, we got to see and experience
the places of some much earlier history in East Germany—such as the huge
palace of Augustus the Strong, as well as his prized “Green Vault”,
containing the world-renowned collection of treasures which he founded
in 1723. Perhaps the culmination of Dresden’s cultural display was seen
during our attendance of the opera “Alcina” in the city’s stunning,
historical opera house where we all enjoyed front row seats! Written by Kyle Vaugh, NEP Spring 2013
