Malls of Berlin

During my time in Berlin I was able to stop at 4 different enclosed shopping malls. Each one was several floors and even the basement was used. For the most part the food courts were located on the top floor which is a little aggravating when you are hungry. But it is understandable as it is a way to get people to look around your mall and possibly buy something they had no intention of buying.
The four malls that I visited were: The Bikini, The Mall of Berlin, The Alexa, and the Arkaden.

Field Question: Berlin Africa Conference 1884-85

Berlin Africa Conference 1884-85

Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin was the home of the Chancellor of Germany, which during 1884-85, at the time of the Berlin Africa conference, was Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck along with multiple other political leaders from France, Italy, the United Kingdom as well as many others gathered on November 15th to discuss the colonization of Africa. This conference was held without a single political member from Africa. This resulted in dividing up Africa arbitrarily between the attending countries, with the mission of greater resource accessibility along with a free trade agreement among colonies, thereby furthering their economic wealth. These boundaries were somewhat confusing since they took very little consideration of ethnic or religious groups in these African states.

Stelios Michalopoulos and Elias Papaioannou with “The Long-Run Effects of Scramble for Africa” discuss the long term effects of the colonization of Africa. Such effects are still felt by the African people to this day, with a majority of these issues relating to civil conflict. Analyzing data from these conflicts data back to the Berlin conference clearly lead Michalopoulos and Papaioannou to believe there is a correlation. The data explains that of the 843 tribes, 608 suffered one or more civil wars, making it very difficult for the countries to develop at a sustainable rate. Ultimately the Berlin Conference held over 100 years prior has affected the economic well being of the African people, with the careless division of states resulting in a large number of civil incidence. These effects are still currently felt in Africa and will continue to be for years to come.

Die Wiesenburg

Document our visit at Die Wiesenburg; take pictures and prepare a brief description of the place.

 

 

Die Wiesesnburg was a very interesting place to visit, but also disheartening now knowing the past of the building as well as its insecure future. Walking through the ruins of Die Wiesenburg was a treat to see the deteriorating structure of a building that has been damaged by war, time, and soon capitalism. It was also very interesting to see what charity and good problem solving can accomplish. The fact that the shelter was a proactive solution that gave the homeless a place to stay, but also a chance to fight disease and to work was a very positive aspect about the place. It is a shame of what it has become as now it seems that when people encounter a problem they just throw money or resources at it in the hopes that it will go away. The financing of Die Wiesenburg also impressed me as it was done by the wealthy industrialists of the time, but without any expected recognition in return. Today we are making attempts to accommodate and build the individual rather than assert a mass ‘quick-fix’, however it seems that Die Wiesenburg attemped this idea first. It was very humbling to stand in a place that once use to be such a haven to others, even more humbling knowing that it may not be there in the near future.

Ethnic and Social Composition Assignment

Mini Task- May 18, 2015

Berlin shows a surprising amount of ethnic diversity, specifically in the Moabit district. The Moabit district is centrally located in Berlin. The word “Moabit” itself gives a clue as to the ethnicity of the area since it is not a German word. There are multiple stores, shops and signs in Berlin Moabit that indicate the ethnicity of the population. There are various restaurants that offer different types of foods from asia and the middle east. A prominent symbol is the Halal. There are also Doner stands and various text in languages other than German. Berlin Moabit has a significant foreign or non-German population. Due to the people dressed in headscarves and the stores, shops and signs, it is obvious that there is a strong Turkish and middle-eastern presence in the area. The photos below are examples of the ethnic diversity in the Moabit district of Berlin. 

Stasi Museum

I visited the Stasi Museum on Sunday, and I thought it was a very informative and rewarding experience. It's a 5 minute walk from Magdalenenstrasse u-bahn station, and costs 6 euros for admission.  The museum is in the building that formerly had the offices of Erich Mielke, head of the Stasi, which are still preserved.

Here are some photos I took of the museum:

Entrance to the Stasi Museum. 

Bust of Karl Marx. 

Piece of artwork lionising the Stasi as the protectors of the GDR

Mielke's Secretary's office

Paternoster: a type of elevator that has no doors and doesn't stop. Upside is that it's more convenient, since you don't have to wait long for a platform. Downside is that it is more dangerous than the typical elevator.

Stasi Building 1

Just one of many buildings in the Stasi complex. 

Abandoned building that had services exclusive to Stasi employees. Services include a supermarket, cafeteria and a travel office. This is the front entrance.

Another picture I took of the same building. 

I find the architecture of this building oppressive, or brutal. 

Sunday Afternoon in the Park

On Sunday Alyssa, Robert B and myself went on a trek to look at different gardens throughout the city. We went to the flea market at Tiergarten which was near the Charlottenburg Gate. From here we headed towards the Victory Column, along the way we also stopped to see the Emperor-Friedrich Memorial Church and the Bismark Monument. My goal for this trip was to see an allotment garden and some community gardens so we made our way to the Bellevue U-bahn station. We got to see the Bellevue Palace on the way. When we got to an allotment garden near Tempelhof (there was no name for it that I saw) we walked around this area for a bit and talked with a gardener with some difficulty about how long he had his garden and where he lived. Once at Tempelhof we walked the longest runway from one end to the other. At the one end was a dog park and a community garden. This community garden was very interesting as they tried to re purpose anything they could, this includes old shoes, purses and pants. From Tempelhof we went to Prinzessinnengarten which is also a community garden. This is the one that I briefly mentioned in class that has the cafe within. It was very different from the community garden at Tempelhof.

 

Hertha Berlin vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Today

As a huge soccer fan, the moment I knew I was going to Berlin I wanted to go see a game.  I hoped that the home team, Hertha BSC, was playing my team Bayern Munich, but I wasn't lucky enough.  I still wanted to experience a game, and so Kyle and I got tickets for this game for our weekend off.

Come 13:00, Kyle and I met at Alexanderplatz under the World Clock.  We had lunch and then started our trek to the stadium.  From Alexanderplatz, all we need to take is the S7 or the U2.  We elected to take the S-Bahn, and so off we went.  Turns out we took the S5 by mistake, and had to backtrack one station after we realized the error.  Once we got on the right train, it was a simple matter of following the fans to the stadium.

It could have been a better day, for sure.  It was windy and rainy through much of the game.  That didn't make it any less enjoyable though as the atmosphere was amazing.  Two hours later, the whistle blew and the game was over.  Of course it happened to be the only game this week that ended in a scoreless draw.

(Note that fireworks and flares are not allowed in Olympiastadion)