Berlin, 1945, In Color

Pretty amazing footage.  Having been to the Brandenburg Gate during the height of the Cold War, it is jarring to see someone driving easily from the British to the Soviet sector (the wall ran right by the Gate, with it just in the Soviet sector).

8 Comments

  1. Matthew Slyfield:

    Don't forget, the Berlin Wall wasn't built until 1961

  2. kurt9:

    Notice that despite being war-torn refugees, that the people are noticeably well-dressed.

  3. Matthew Slyfield:

    Those people are likely mostly if not entirely long time Berlin residents, not refugees.

  4. kurt9:

    No doubt. But it is still remarkable given their circumstance.

    What I meant by "refugees" was that they were the shell-shocked survivors of a war that they lost.

  5. mesocyclone:

    I remember going through Checkpoint Charlie in the mid 60's. It was Orwellian. East Berlin was also a very sad place, with a number of people on the streets just staring at the wall that imprisoned them.

  6. Matthew Slyfield:

    But that's not what anyone else means by "refugees".

  7. Scott:

    Wow. Incredible footage, thank you for sharing.

  8. KN D:

    Plan a trip to Berlin. Do some research on the significance of that city prior to WW2. Read The Candy Bombers by Andrei Cherny. Visit Berlin and stand in awe, of the full spectrum of humanity that Berlin represents; as well as being the crossroads of the world in which we now live.