When teaching US History or European History, educators usually include a study of the Cold War period, which spanned the years from 1947 to 1991. Such a study inevitably includes a discussion of the Berlin Wall, a twelve-foot concrete barrier erected by Russian authorities to prevent those living in the Soviet-dominated Eastern sector of the city from defecting to the more democratic sectors governed by the United States, Great Britain, and France. To aid the teaching of this important period in international relations, I recommend the teacher make a personal visit to Berlin to view the Wall and related sites.

On a recent visit to Berlin, author Terry Lee Marzell stands beside a section of the Berlin Wall, erected during the Cold War to prevent citizens from defecting from the Soviet-dominated Eastern sector of the city.

Before the Wall was erected, approximately 3.5 million East German citizens fled the highly-restrictive Soviet rule by simply crossing into more democratic West Berlin. Then they were free to emigrate to other cities within the German Democratic Republic or move on to other countries. The mass defection was embarrassing to Soviet leaders, who wanted the world to believe their Communist regime was preferred by their people. To stem further flight, the Soviets constructed the twelve-foot concrete barrier that became known as the Berlin Wall. Behind the Wall on the East German side was the area that came to be called the “Death Strip.” The Soviets equipped this area with a number of features intended to betray the presence of defectors. Among these were soft sand that allowed for easy detection of footprints, barbed wire, floodlights, vicious dogs, trip-wire machine guns, and patrolling soldiers with orders to shoot escapees on sight.

By the time the Wall came down on November 9, 1989, more than 100,000 people had attempted to circumvent the obstruction and escape to freedom in the West. They used incredibly creative methods to achieve their goal, including jumping out of windows adjacent to the wall, climbing over the barbed wire, flying over it in hot air balloons, crawling under it through the sewers, driving through unfortified parts of the wall at high speeds, disguising their bodies in inhumanly-shaped suitcases, or hiding in tiny secret compartments in cars. Although more than 5,000 people were able to achieve their goal, at least 171 individuals were killed during their attempts to reach freedom.

On a recent trip to Berlin, I was able to see and touch first-hand a remaining standing portion of the Wall. A memorial with a photograph of each individual who died trying to reach freedom humanizes the number of dead. The spot evokes conflicting emotions: Grief for the loss of life, sadness for the families who were torn apart when the Wall separated them from loved ones living on the other side, and joy for when the Wall finally came down.

While visiting Berlin, the author visits a reconstruction of Checkpoint Charlie, the well-known Cold War border crossing between the East and West sectors of the city.

I was also able to visit the well-known crossing that marks the border of East and West Berlin known as Checkpoint Charlie. It is important to note that what the tourist sees at Checkpoint Charlie today is a reconstruction of the original checkpoint. The famous photos of the American and Russian soldiers are fictional; the guard shack is from the period, but is not the original guard house; and the uniformed men posing for pictures are just actors trying to collect tips from tourists. The reconstruction offers a degree of physicality to a study of the Cold War, but the teacher will doubtless want to share authentic photos from the period with students.

Although it has been nearly three decades since the Berlin Wall was felled, the lobotomized city of Berlin is still trying to knit its two halves back together. You can’t really get a sense of this unless you visit the place in person. And that’s why I recommend a visit to the capital of Germany to anyone who teaches the Cold War.

Author Terry Lee Marzell contemplates teaching the Holocaust during a recent visit to Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany.

History teachers, particularly teachers of US History or European History, are usually tasked with leading their students in a study of World War II. Such a study must, inevitably, include a discussion of the Holocaust. For any teacher, a study of the Holocaust would be greatly enhanced by a visit to historical sites commonly mentioned in literature about the period. Recently I was able to visit one of these sites: Dachau Concentration Camp, located just outside the city of Munich in southern Germany.

Dachau was the first concentration camp opened by the Nazis. Established in 1933 for the purpose of housing political prisoners, it also served as the prototype for many of the Nazi death camps that were built after it. Eventually, Dachau was used as a forced labor camp for Jewish and Romani (Gypsy) prisoners and foreign prisoners of war. Over the 12 years the camp was operated by the Nazis, more than 206,000 individuals were incarcerated there, and of these, nearly 32,000 were exterminated. After the war, the facility was used by the Allies to hold Nazi soldiers awaiting trial.

The visitor to Dachau enters by a gate that, like the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Theresienstadt, bears the words “Arbeit Macht Frie,” which translated means “Work will set you free.” The greeting creates a strong sense of irony, since the prisoners became slaves who could not earn their freedom, no matter how hard or how long they worked. Continuing further, the visitor can view the roll-call square, a guard tower, the reconstructed barracks, the crematorium, the Nazis’ offices, and memorials. The Nazis’ offices have been turned into a museum to house exhibits and a movie theater which plays a video providing background information about the camp.

A visit to this place is sobering. The souls of those murdered or incarcerated here call out to the visitor. It is a testament to the German people that sites connected to the Holocaust have been preserved as historical sites and repurposed into learning centers, instead of being bulldozed in an effort to forget what happened here. It is interesting to note that Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany, and it is against the law for German citizens to give the Nazi salute. Furthermore, young German students are required to take a tour of a concentration camp as part of their general education, and during the school year such groups can be seen at Dachau, escorted by their teachers.

The American teacher is, in most instances, unable to take students on a visit to this historic site, but you can share a virtual tour of facility by clicking on this link: Dachau Virtual Tour.

Author Terry Lee Marzell on her recent “field trip” to the Rijksmuseum, the Dutch National Museum, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Almost every educator would agree that physical experiences create opportunities for the most indelible learning. I would assert that a field trip is an excellent way to create a learning experience for students. This was the thought that popped into my head when I encountered several groups of Dutch school children while I was on my own personal “field trip” recently to the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The Rijksmuseum, also known as the Dutch National Museum, was first established in the Hague in 1800, and was later relocated to Amsterdam. The institution is dedicated to the art and history of the Netherlands, and houses a collection that spans the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Author Terry Lee Marzell examines the ship model William Rex while on her “field trip” to the Rijksmusem in Amsterdam.

I loved seeing the eager faces of the school children (I think they were about ten years old) as they sat on the polished floor in the massive museum surrounding their teacher, who was detailing the history and significance of the objects they were looking at. The Rijksmuseum owns over one million objects, 8,000 of which are on display to the public. Included are works of art by such Dutch masters as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Van Ruisdael. The museum’s collection also features sculptures, weapons, armor, ship models, antique furniture pieces, tapestries, fashion items, and a notable collection of Asian art.

I found the ship models absolutely amazing. I was particularly impressed by this large-scale model of the 17th-century Dutch warship Willliam Rex. This specimen was built in 1698 at the Vlissingen shipyard, which also produced real warships. The model is one-twelfth the size of an actual warship and features 74 guns. It was originally set up in the meeting room of the Zeeland Admiralty in Middelburg. I’ll bet many of the Dutch kids in the school groups were just as mesmerized by this model as I was.

The 17th-century doll house belonging to Petronella Oortman found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

I also particularly enjoyed the 17th-century doll houses, especially the one that belonged to Petronella Oortman, a wealthy citizen of Amsterdam. For her doll house, Petronella ordered miniature porcelain dishes from China, and she commissioned cabinet makers, glassblowers, silversmiths, basket weavers, and other artisans to contribute to the furnishings of her doll house. She was so proud of her creation that she had it portrayed in a painting! I’m sure many of the Dutch kids in the school groups loved the doll houses, too.

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed my “field trip” to the Rijksmuseum, and I feel confident many of the school children did, too. The teachers in Amsterdam are fortunate, as the museum is easily accessible by foot, by bicycle (which nearly every student owns), or by public transportation. Furthermore, the Netherlands supports visitations by students by making admission to the Rijksmuseum free for children under 18. For teachers in the United States who would like to explore this marvelous museum with students here at home, you can tap into the museum’s web page to view their collection at this link: Rijksmuseum Collection. Enjoy!

A visit to the Anne Frank Museum located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, expands the educator’s ability to teach students about the Holocaust.

Like many of my fellow educators, during my 36-year career I was frequently faced with the task of teaching my students about the Holocaust. To approach this sensitive topic, teachers often introduce young people to The Diary of Anne Frank, a true story about a Jewish teenager in Amsterdam who went into hiding to escape capture and deportation by the Nazis. On a recent vacation to the Netherlands, I was able to visit the place where Anne and seven others were concealed for more than two years, until their heartbreaking discovery, arrest, and deportation. A visit to this historic site is a valuable experience for the teacher who shares Anne’s story with students.

Visiting the secret annex allowed me a deeper understanding of the experiences Anne and her family shared as they attempted to escape the Nazis’ persecution: the darkness of the rooms and the closeness of the walls, the provisions for daily human needs (how do eight people use a toilet all day without the ability to flush it until after nightfall?), and the ever-present fear of discovery.

As I passed through the hinged bookcase that camouflages the entrance to the hiding place and stepped from one covert room to another, it was sobering to realize that my footsteps fell directly on top of those of the ill-fated asylum-seekers. Of the eight people who went into hiding, Anne’s father was the only one to survive their deportation. I found it especially sorrowful that after the war, he had to live with the knowledge that even after his Herculean efforts to rescue his family, he wasn’t able to save them. And throughout the entire museum, Anne’s own words, taken directly from her diary, projected as a reminder of the resiliency of the human spirit.

It is these expanded understandings, experiences, and emotions that make a visit to a historic place like this so worthwhile. The action makes the teacher a better teacher.

Author Terry Lee Marzell at the Anne Frank House Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

If you are committed to making a pilgrimage to the Anne Frank house, you can only visit the museum by buying tickets for a specific day and time ahead of time. Tickets are released two months in advance, and you must buy your tickets online. The cost is 10 Euros for adults. To learn more, visit the website at the Anne Frank House Museum for additional information.

Virtuoso musicians, excellent opera singers, and elegant ballet dancers from the Sound of Vienna company perform a program of classical music, opera, and ballet.

Classical music, opera, and ballet! How do our students react when teachers say these words? In all honesty, I’d guess that most students would not respond very enthusiastically. Although music permeates just about every aspect of our daily lives, from special ceremonies, to movie scores, to radio or television commercials, to sports events, or just leisure listening, students usually make selections from categories that are popular and contemporary, not classical or operatic. Unless the students are from Austria, that is.

While travelling in Austria earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending a concert in Vienna featuring classical music, opera, and ballet. The event was staged by a company called Sound of Vienna, an organization that has been been delighting international and domestic audiences with “dinner and a concert” programs for more than 15 years. Virtuoso musicians, excellent opera singers, and elegant ballet dancers presented an evening full of Viennese charm. The night I attended, the program offered many selections by Austrian composers Strauss and Mozart, with additional pieces by Lumbye, Suppe, and Ansage. All of the pieces, including the opera selections, were fresh and easy on the ear. Some of the pieces were familiar, the dancers were enthralling, and the performers even threw in a dash of comedy. I loved it all!  I’m afraid my education in classical music is very limited, and, like most American students, before attending this concert I was not particularly enthusiastic about increasing my knowledge. But this concert was so much fun and it was so entertaining that I plan to learn more about the topic right away!

The students of Vienna have a head start on me about this. Did you know that the children of Vienna, which is known as the City of Music, are regularly taken on field trips to concerts of classical music as part of their education program? Obviously, Austria is a country that takes its musical heritage very seriously, and they devote significant resources to promoting a love of this heritage among its young people. Having come from a country that offers meager support for school music education programs, this seems amazing and wonderful to me.

I think Vienna will forever be a City of Music. Everywhere we went there we saw young people carrying cases of various sizes containing musical instruments, so it was evident that Viennese children are responding very enthusiastically to the love for classical music that has been carefully nurtured by their schools. They are preparing themselves to carry on their country’s cherished musical traditions. Here in America, we could learn a lot from educators in Vienna!

If you ever plan to travel to Vienna, I would highly recommend you attend one of the many “dinner and a concert” programs available to the public there. To learn more about the events specifically staged by the company I mentioned in this blog post, check out their website at Sound of Vienna.