The History department at King Edward VI College have taken a group of students to Berlin this month.
Students are currently studying the Cold War as part of their A level History course and the trip was tailored to help the students with their studies.
As part of the visit to Berlin students saw the Berlin Wall and the memorials made to those who died. They also went to the Stasi Prison which was used by the secret police of East Germany to interrogate those who they believed were less than loyal to the regime. Students were also moved by the visit to Sachsenhausen concentration camp which was used by both the Nazi’s and the Soviet Union to hold suspected Nazi’s.
Jake Croft a second year History student from Nuneaton said “It was a really good trip to Berlin. It is one thing to read about the Cold War and the Berlin blockade but to actually go into a plane used in the blockade and see the tins of food that Britain and America distributed made it very real”.
Laura Smith another student said “ I found the concentration camp really moving. It see how the Nazi’s treated people was astonishingly cruel. Especially as earlier in the day we had been to the Jewish quarter in Berlin and seen the plaques of all those who had been killed”.
History teachers Paul Hickling and Elizabeth Smith took the students. Paul Hickling said “The trip to Berlin is always really moving for students. Personally I find the Stasi Prison and the psychological interrogation moving especially as it happened in my life time. Students at King Edward VI College get the opportunity to visit many historical sites to help not only consolidate their knowledge for the exam but also to widen their personal experiences by visiting a different culture. I believe both of these factors are really important for students”.