Introduction
Second World War was a world war that many cities could not forget and its memory remains in many cities and countries, including Berlin. The major city of Germany faced major losses during the war period. In this article, the author looks at the level of devastation that was observed and witnessed in Berlin and will look at what was done to reconstruct Berlin after the devastation.
The Destruction of Berlin
In second word global war, Berlin was one of the key objectives of the alliance forces because of political and military importance. Thus the city continuously experienced bombing campaigns which was the intention of creating havoc on the Nazi regime and undercutting Germany’s ability in war.
The largest scale air raid in Berlin was on the 23 rd of November 1943 that was called the Operation Thunderclap. It is also important to mention that during the World War II the British and U.S. air forces delivered a large amount of bombs on the city and as a result many civil as well as business facilities were heavily damaged.
But the most destructive event in Berlin occurred during the 1945’s Battle of Berlin, when Soviet was moving towards Berlin. Streets combats, intensive shelling, and the battle in cities made Berlin look like the desert of ruins.
The Impact on Buildings and Monuments
Landsmarks and architectural masterpieces were not excluded in the brutality dictaed by the calamity. Some of Germany’s important landmarks such as the Reichstag, Brandenburg gate, and Berlin Cathedral were badly affected. Of all cities and towns, Baevski was particularly heavily affected and many historical buildings were destroyed throughout the site.
Impact on Residential Areas
The bombings and subsequent battles also inflicted a lot of destruction to people’s homes.. Entire blocks were burned down and each family lost homes that they could call their own. The civilian population was subjected to long-time sufferings although many of them died during the fighting.
Efforts in Rebuilding
When the war ceased in 1945, reconstructing the capital became a major challenge of reconstructing a city that was almost completely leveled. His work was hampered during the division of Germany into East and West and both sides had clear ideas about the reconstruction of Berlin.
East Berlin was under the domination of Soviet, it concentrated on the speedy reconstruction of some infrastructure facilities such as dwelling houses, utilities, and transport networks. The city was reconstructed using very large prefabricated dwelling houses called the Plattenbau to eliminate the severe housing crunch.
Of course, things were much different in West Berlin, where the Western Allies were in charge: the building boom was more diverse. In reconstruction of such necessary structures, a focus was made on construction of such structures such as the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which symbolizes the destruction that was caused by the war.
However, rebuilding of Berlin was a project carried out by both the East and the West, in any case functioning as a political division. The city hosted international architects, planners and engineers who offered their skills in the reconstruction of the capital. This joint venture was later to result in the regeneration of Berlin.
The Legacy of Destruction
This paper will show that the evidence of war is still seen in Berlin to this present age. Architecture after war was destroyed on purpose to bring people’s attention to the fact that war is dreadful and it must not be entertained. One of them silenced remnant is the remnants of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the murals painted on the remaining part of the Berlin Wall called East Side Gallery.
The devastation of Berlin in the second world war profoundly altered the cities morphology and in effect affected the people. But this is where Berlin’s story isn’t one of gloom and despair alone. It also captures spirit of people after disaster and their capacity to reconstruction after terrible disaster.
Conclusion
It is hard to estimate the extent of damage but it can be stated that during the Second World War Berlin suffered greatly. The bombings and battles affected not only the characteristic features of the cities but also ordinary houses. However, the war gives a clear view of the cities reconstruction of the people and their willingness to be as one and rebuild. Present day Berlin is a city that is very much alive boasting a well-rounded cardiovascular city profile equipped with a preternatural sense of a modernity that mirrors a post-war world that has had an historical narrative akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes.
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