Getting ready for Berlin...

This New York Times article might be interesting for those who are looking forward to check out Berlin's clubs and bars.
For others, this collection of historic maps of Berlin might be more interesting...
Whichever you choose, lots to discover in and about Berlin.

This Sunday, the CBC News Network will air the documentary 'Busting The Berlin Wall' about the fall of the wall on November 9, 1989. I highly recommend watching it. (Video on demand is usually available for a few days on their website.)
The announcement on www.cbc.ca also includes a cool interactive summary of the events and background information about East Germany and the Wall.

Keeping you updated...

From time to time, we will post relevant information about the upcoming Berlin course on this blog.
You will also find interesting links about what's going on in Berlin these days.


In November, it's been 25 years since the fall of the Mauer (wall) in Berlin in 1989. Below are some links to articles by major international magazines and newspapers about the fall of the wall and the changes that have taken place in Berlin (and Germany) since November 9, 1989.

"Behind the Wall" (The New Yorker)
"Berlin Satellite Image Reveals Stark East-West Divisions", includes further interesting links in the article (The Telegraph)
"The Merkel Effect: What Today's Germany Owes to Its Once-Communist East" (Spiegel Online)
"Berlin then and now", series of photos from 1989/90 and 2010s (The Telegraph)

Welcome - Herzlich Willkommen!

Dear Students,

Welcome to (De)Constructing Berlin: An Exploration of Urban Place and Time (HIST 390AT and GEOG 396AT). The course is fully subscribed and the group will comprise sixteen students. We are busy preparing the course and we would like to keep you au courant from time to time.

There are a few dates that you need to keep in mind.  The deadline for the second and final payment of the course fee is 28 February.  At that time you will be required to pay the remaining $2100.00 of the travel costs. 

We are currently applying for the DAAD grant and will provide further information on this once it is available.  You can already apply for the UR International travel fund using the attached form; you will need a signature from one of us before you can submit the form.  In March and April we shall have our first class meetings. They will take place on 19 March, and  9 and 23 April from 7 to 9 p.m. The location will be announced closer to those dates.

It is also time to apply for a passport if you do not already have one.  If you do have a passport, make sure that it is valid until at least a six months after our return to Canada.  If any of you are not Canadian citizens you might require a visa to travel in Europe; it is your responsibility to make sure that you have all the necessary travel documents.

Traditionally, we go to the opera while we are in Berlin and we invite students to join us. This year George Bizet's Carmen at Komische Oper (www.komische-oper-berlin.com) on Thursday, 14 May.  If you would like to join us, you can buy tickets online.  We will gladly assist you with this if you encounter any problems.  Just come and see either of us during office hours or make an appointment.

You can also have a look at our hotel. Our home base in Berlin will be the Marriot Courtyard. You can find details at: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bermt-courtyard-berlin-city-center/.

As we are making detailed plans for our course we are looking forward to exploring this fascinating city with you and we hope that you share our excitement.  We are also looking forward to getting to know your areas of research interest and helping you design research projects for the course. Again, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us so that we can begin to think about these matters.

Sincerely,

Dr Thomas Bredohl

Dr Julia Siemer