On the steps of the Reichstag

Berlin was the destination for the History Department’s Sixth-form trip during the October half-term.

A total of 21 girls, accompanied by Mr Clarke, Mrs Heydecker, Mrs Hobson and Mrs Roberts, stayed in a hotel in East Berlin, overlooking a surviving section of the Berlin Wall.

They visited the Reichstag, which was the Parliament building famously set on fire during the Nazi takeover in 1933, travelled to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where there were mass murders under both the Nazis and Communists and had photos taken with the guards at the famous border crossing, Checkpoint Charlie.

They also saw the Brandenburg Gate, the world-renowned Pergamom Museum and the rococo palace of Frederick the Great at Potsdam.

They all successfullynavigated the Berlin train andtram system and finished their trip with a night-time cruise along the River Spree to see Berlin’s landmarks litup for the city’s Festival of Light.

Everyone agreed it was a wonderful, if exhausting, visit, and one that shed light on all aspects of the rich history and culture of one of Europe’s most fascinating cities.