So as part of our unit on Nachkriegszeit in Germany (period of time right after WWII) we were given the choice to visit either the Karl Horst Museum, focusing on Soviet rule in the DDR, or the Allies Museum, which as you can guess, was about the Allied powers, United States, Great Britain, and France (always surprises me but anywho).
Now the journey from my home in Charlottenburg should not have taken more than say…30 -40 min but now we all know that no trip on Berlin public transport is complete without at least three detours and the requisite 2 hr travel time. Needless to say, I got totally confused (yes, I have been here for two months) and took an impromptu tour of west Berlin from the inside of one of the buses. Now in my defense my usual route to school and back does not include buses and I have yet to actually figure out how they work. (Not something I’m proud of but hey! So much to do here and so little time!)
At least once I got out of the U-bahn station I was finally directed by signs that pointed in the direction of the museum and the estimated distance from that point. All I had to do was go straight… Luckily for me the museum was incredibly hard to miss with a huge sign and colorful flags and a giant, life-size model of a plane the Allies had used.
The museum was pretty interesting but surprisingly small. The focus was clearly on the American allies. I had known that the Americans had taken a very strict approach to Denazificatiion but I had never really learned how – apparently they had all Germans over the age of 18 fill out an extensive questionnaire! I am guessing that it didn’t include asking what their favorite ice cream was… However, what I found most interesting was the development of the radio station, ARD, that ultimately strengthened American/German relations. The Soviets were very protective of their power and control in Berlin, blocking the Americans from using the radio station, who needless to say just made their own. The radio station, though owned by Americans, was chiefly run by a German staff. It was so popular that many of their devoted listeners were actually from East Berlin (under Soviet occupation). I guess we all want to catch the score of the game once in awhile!
