The Kimberley School Newsletter February 2015 | Page 5

Saturday saw us visiting the 'Parteitagsgelände', ultimately unfinished rally
grounds designed by Nazi architect and
twisted visionary, Albert Speer. We started
from the 'Zeppelinfeld' where we stood
on the spot from which Hitler delivered
many speeches, preaching hatred to
assembled masses in times gone by. It
was a grand, concrete structure intended
to display the strength of the state. Now,
it lies somewhat derelict, covered in
graffiti and frequented by young skateboarders It is almost as if the hand of
fascism had never gripped the country at all.
Elsewhere on the site we saw the 'Große
Straße' (the 'great road' which certainly lives
up to its name) and the 'Kongresshalle', a
giant Greek-inspired amphitheatre intended to seat 50,000 people. Next to this was
the museum, 'Dokumentationszentrum
Reichsparteitagsgelände'. This museum
offered a harrowing insight into the inner
workings of the Nazi regime and how
Nuremberg became a tool of party propaganda. Among the most shocking exhibits
were drawings done by innocent school
children of grotesque caricatures bearing
slogans such as “Die Juden sind unser
Unglück” (the Jews are our misfortune).
On Sunday, we went to the site of the
Nuremberg Trials, the 'Justizpalast' and
the accompanying museum. The museum
was particularly informative in the area
of human rights laws and international
laws, and how these trials were key in
their development. The American Chief
Prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson, stressed
the importance of judging all of the
defendants fairly and not subjecting them
to what some had called “victor's justice”.
The museum also had displays on
modern day genocide and other war
crimes, for example those in Rwanda
and Israel. As was stressed, not only in
these museums but on placards around
the city, it is of vital importance that we
take heed of the lessons of the past so
that they are never again repeated. The
themes of division and hatred have a
chilling resonance with the growing hatred
towards Muslims and towards immigrants
in this country and abroad. I feel that many
could benefit from experiencing these
museums and seeing the evidence and
the aftermath of what such ideas lead to.

It wasn't all doom and gloom though!
Despite the seriousness of the subject
matter and the solemnity with which we
discovered more about one of the darkest
periods in modern history, we did have
fun as well! The city of Nuremberg today
boasts stunning medieval buildings and
bridges, although many are in fact 1950s
restorations of the originals following their
destruction by allied bombers. We had the
chance to try the local speciality, 'Drei im
Weckla', three little 'Nürnberger' Bratwurst
sausages in a bun, along with Kartoffelsalat
and Bretzeln. The Krystall Palm Beach
swimming complex provided a welcome
distraction on Saturday evening, an impressive building with some brilliant rides.
We also ventured to the largest cinema
complex in Germany on Sunday evening
to take in Johnny Depp’s new movie!
On the Sunday afternoon, we visited the
'Germanisches Nationalmuseum', an
expansive and fascinating museum
featuring exhibitions as diverse as a
history of fashion, a room full of old
musical instruments and some rather
creepy dolls houses. Next to this stands
the world famous monument 'Straße
der Menschenrechte', the street of
human rights. There stands a line
of 30 columns and on each one is
written a different human rights law, once in
German and then once in the language of
a people who have suffered discrimination.
Finally, the dreaded day of departure
arrived, but before that we had time to
visit the Nuremberg Castle, in which was
an interesting exhibition on the evolution
of warfare: from crude axes and knives, to
greatswords and intricate pikes, to canons
and muskets. In the grounds of the castle
was an old well, aptly named the Deep
Well after its almost 50 metre depth. It took
a droplet of water 5 seconds to reach the
bottom and it had taken the medieval inhabitants of the castle 10 years to complete.
All in all, this was a very successful trip.
A fantastic opportunity to learn more
about the atrocities of WWII and their
significance to global society today, and a
superb Sixth-Form trip where many laughs
were shared and new friends made.
Callum Weston
(Year 13)

ITINERARY
Fri 23 January

09.30 Depart School
12.50 Check in Stansted
14.50 Depart Stansted
17.30 Arrive Nuremberg
18.30 Check in to
accommodation
Evening Meal: Old
Town, Nuremberg

Sat 24 January, Nürnberg:
Nationalsozialismus’

09.00 Visit and tour:
Zeppelinfeld and Party
Rally Grounds
10.30 Museum:
Documentation Centre
(in the Kongresshalle)
13.00 Packed Lunch
(provided) and visit:
Luitpoldhain
15.00 Nuremberg Old Town:
museums* and/or free
time shopping
18.00 Evening meal
Kristall Palm Beach,
Stein bei Nürnberg

Sun 25 January,
Nürnberg: Stadt der
Menschenrechte’

10.00 Museum: !