Explore the climatic Battle of Berlin in the heart of the city
For 16 days in Spring 1945, Berlin played host to the final dramatic battle of World War II. Its outcome would spark a new conflict and divide the city for a generation.
Join me as we walk through central Berlin, seeing how the city has healed and the scars that remain.
“Mark is a great guide who clearly knows his stuff. I know bit about the subject but Mark's tour showed me things I *didn't* know and had an insight that is impossible to glean merely from a history book. His was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and above all friendly, three elements which make a great host in a relatively strange city. I can highly recommend his WW2 Battle of Berlin tour.”
— Hamish
“This tour was amazing. Complete understanding now of the Battle of Berlin as it happened and as told by Mark. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject and it shows throughout his presentation which was not only informative but included hints of humour where appropriate which was a nice touch.”
— Emilio
“Mark is not only a fount of knowledge, he has excellent delivery and really brings history to life. I loved the photos he shares of Berlin during the Battle. Plus he takes the time to find out what interests each person and makes recommendations accordingly. I can’t recommend this tour enough!” - Yvonne
— Yvonne
Discover Z-Sector
Our tour takes us through the city center of Berlin - an area known as ‘Z-Sector’ or ‘the Citadel’ during the battle. This small area included many of the vital organs of the Nazi state, including the Reich Chancellery and Führerbunker, as well symbolic buildings of Berlin, such as the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate. Naturally, this made it a prime target for the attacking Red Army, and it was in the streets of Z-Sector that the final battles took place. After the battle, Z sector would become a new frontline in the Cold War between East and West.
In a roughly 2.5 hour tour, we will walk across the breadth of the area and visit some of its most important sites, including:
The Reichstag: The ironic German parliament and location of some the last desperate fighting of the battle.
The Reich Chancellery: The Brutalist architecture of Hitler’s ‘White House’ has since been removed, but its legacy still haunts a seemingly normal Berlin street corner.
The Führerbunker: Where it all ended - the site of Hitler’s last refuge and desperate demise.
The Reich Aviation Ministry: Once the biggest office building in Europe, Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe headquarters is the perhaps the best preserved example of Nazi architecture left in Germany.
Brandenburg Gate: The area around the world famous gate was unrecognisable in 1945. Since then, it has become a symbol of both division and reunification.
The Reichssicherheitshauptamt: Better known as Himmler’s Gestapo and SS headquarters, today its ruins act as a memorial to Nazi crimes.
The Tiergarten Soviet War Memorial: One of first of its kind, the memorial features Soviet tanks and artillery used in the Battle of Berlin.
The Berlin Wall: The Battle of Berlin marked the beginning of the division of Berlin, which reached its peak with the building of the Berlin Wall.
Currently on Hiatus
I am currently on a hiatus from conducting public tours in Berlin to concentrate on other work. However, if you are particularly interested, please still send me an email at mark@battleofberlintours.com and we may be able to arrange a time for a private tour if you wish.
These are priced at €35 per person. A tour is usually around 2.5 hours, but I am happy to extend or adjust that length if necessary.
The Brandenburg Gate and Pariserplatz image used provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive. The original image has been altered. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.
