Between Friday 4th and Monday 7th April 2025, fifty Humanities students in Years Ten and Eleven travelled to Berlin, Germany’s capital city. Students were up bright and early, ready to depart at 02:30, to travel to London Stansted Airport and catch our flight.
Once in Berlin, students were led in a walking tour of some of Berlin’s most historic and significant landmarks, including the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the Brandenburg Gate. We made the most of the unexpectedly warm weather, taking some much-needed time to rest and reflect, on the grass in front of the Reichstag Building, the seat of Germany’s Parliament.
Day Two in Berlin saw a visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial, the Palace of Tears and the Topography of Terror museum, plus several journeys on the U-Bahn, Berlin’s famous metro system. On Sunday, we visited Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, which was built in July 1936 by the NSDAP (Nazi Party) and held more than 200,000 prisoners, including Jews, Roma and Sinti people, and political opponents. Following a short break for lunch, we travelled on to Platform 17. This now-abandoned train platform was the location where victims of Nazi persecution were rounded up and sent on to concentration and death camps in the East, including Auschwitz. The behaviour of the students during these visits to sights of historical and emotional significance was nothing short of exemplary and was even remarked upon by members of the public – they did themselves and Wilsthorpe proud. On our final day in Berlin, students visited the world-famous East Side Gallery and were able to have some free time in the Mall of Berlin, making sure to stock up on souvenirs, before catching our flight back to the UK.
As staff, we were so impressed with the maturity and empathy shown by students throughout the trip. Thank you to Mrs Barnes, Dr Levett, Mr Smith, Mr Roper and Mr Ellis for supporting and making sure it was a purposeful and meaningful experience for our students.
Miss Plimmer
