Saturday, October 23, 2004
another great day in berlin
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 12:00:24 -0700 (PDT)
On our last day in Berlin, we saw the new synagogue and the Jewish musuem,
then ran a few errands. The new synagogue was pretty cool. they restored the
front part of it, but the back part was too badly damaged to repair,
therefore there is just this huge open lot behind the musuem that hints at
teh former granduer of the building. it is no longer used as a synagogue,
partly becuase it was so destoryed in the war, but also because the Jewish
population of Berlin isnt large enough any more to need a synagogue of that
size (although it is growing). The museum inside showcased the architectual
elements and religious artifacts that were found during restoration. Mostly
these items were found INSIDE the concrete floor that was installed by the
nazis to provide some protection to items they were storing in the basement.
The theory is that these items were thrown into the concrete to strenghten
it. Also the history of the Jews in the area was documented, including the
opening of first a
Jewish school for boys, then one for girls, the opening of an orphanage,
and the opening and later expansion of a hospital, all paid for by the
Jewish community. Unfortunately all of these were closed and for the most
part destroyed. the building of the girls school and hospital still stand
but are not in use and are in major need of repair.
We rushed over to the Jewish musuem becuase it was Friday and we expected
that it may close early. (luckily it didnt becuase we spent a lot of time
there.) We got there around noon thinking it would close at 2, and stayed
until about 2:30. The musuem is housed in a huge building designed by some
famous architect, who used the design of the building to convey a
message.There was not a single 90 degree angle in the place. The sloping
floors ceilings and walls were meant to elicit confusion and so make the
observer more identify with the exhbit.
On the ground floor the layout was divided by three axis. The axis of
continuity - which led to the main exhibit focused on the history of the
Jews of Germany from the middle ages to the present - the axis of exile,
which related stories of those who fled the Nazi powers and resettled
overseas, and the axis of the holocaust, which told the story of people
murdered in the holocaust. The axis of the holocaust led to the what they
called the tower of the holocaust which was basically a big asymetrical
tower made of plain, cold concrete, and completely cut off from the world
outside. When the door was closed behind you, the isolation was complete.
The axis of exile ended at the garden of exile which was made of 49 concrete
towers with trees planted in the top, built on a sloping floor and with the
towers rising at an odd angle from the ground, the garden was meant to
elicit a feeling of confusion and disorientation, like those Jews in exile
in a foreign land would feel.
The main exhibit had surprisingly little to say about the holocaust, rather
it focused on the lives of past and present Jews. Starting around the middle
ages the exhibit detailed persecutions throughout time as well as daily
lives of Jews through the ages, and also told about famous Jews, both rabbis
as well as artists and scientists throughout time.
This morning we left for Prague, and after 4 changes to different metro
lines, a 5 hour train ride and a 30 min tram ride, we arrived at our hostel
exhausted. So we really havent seen much of Prague yet except what we could
see out the window of the train and tram, which included the trees in
gorgeous fall colors along the river bank, and some really cute old
buildings.
Meg and Seth
On our last day in Berlin, we saw the new synagogue and the Jewish musuem,
then ran a few errands. The new synagogue was pretty cool. they restored the
front part of it, but the back part was too badly damaged to repair,
therefore there is just this huge open lot behind the musuem that hints at
teh former granduer of the building. it is no longer used as a synagogue,
partly becuase it was so destoryed in the war, but also because the Jewish
population of Berlin isnt large enough any more to need a synagogue of that
size (although it is growing). The museum inside showcased the architectual
elements and religious artifacts that were found during restoration. Mostly
these items were found INSIDE the concrete floor that was installed by the
nazis to provide some protection to items they were storing in the basement.
The theory is that these items were thrown into the concrete to strenghten
it. Also the history of the Jews in the area was documented, including the
opening of first a
Jewish school for boys, then one for girls, the opening of an orphanage,
and the opening and later expansion of a hospital, all paid for by the
Jewish community. Unfortunately all of these were closed and for the most
part destroyed. the building of the girls school and hospital still stand
but are not in use and are in major need of repair.
We rushed over to the Jewish musuem becuase it was Friday and we expected
that it may close early. (luckily it didnt becuase we spent a lot of time
there.) We got there around noon thinking it would close at 2, and stayed
until about 2:30. The musuem is housed in a huge building designed by some
famous architect, who used the design of the building to convey a
message.There was not a single 90 degree angle in the place. The sloping
floors ceilings and walls were meant to elicit confusion and so make the
observer more identify with the exhbit.
On the ground floor the layout was divided by three axis. The axis of
continuity - which led to the main exhibit focused on the history of the
Jews of Germany from the middle ages to the present - the axis of exile,
which related stories of those who fled the Nazi powers and resettled
overseas, and the axis of the holocaust, which told the story of people
murdered in the holocaust. The axis of the holocaust led to the what they
called the tower of the holocaust which was basically a big asymetrical
tower made of plain, cold concrete, and completely cut off from the world
outside. When the door was closed behind you, the isolation was complete.
The axis of exile ended at the garden of exile which was made of 49 concrete
towers with trees planted in the top, built on a sloping floor and with the
towers rising at an odd angle from the ground, the garden was meant to
elicit a feeling of confusion and disorientation, like those Jews in exile
in a foreign land would feel.
The main exhibit had surprisingly little to say about the holocaust, rather
it focused on the lives of past and present Jews. Starting around the middle
ages the exhibit detailed persecutions throughout time as well as daily
lives of Jews through the ages, and also told about famous Jews, both rabbis
as well as artists and scientists throughout time.
This morning we left for Prague, and after 4 changes to different metro
lines, a 5 hour train ride and a 30 min tram ride, we arrived at our hostel
exhausted. So we really havent seen much of Prague yet except what we could
see out the window of the train and tram, which included the trees in
gorgeous fall colors along the river bank, and some really cute old
buildings.
Meg and Seth
