A Level trip to Berlin

1st March 2023 – Tags: A Levels

Seventy-five A Level students from City College Norwich and Paston College enjoyed a 5-day trip to Berlin, packing in sightseeing and visits linked to their subject learning.

This fantastic opportunity for A Level students takes place every 2-years, alternating with a biennial trip to New York.

The students were able to choose between one of three subject-related itineraries: Film and Media, Culture, and History and Politics.

There were also activities which the entire group did together, including a visit to the Berlin TV Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, and the memorial at the site of the former Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, damaged in bombing of 1943. Now a memorial site.

Star spotting on the red carpet

Students on the Film and Media itinerary took in a visit to the Berlin Film Museum and a studio tour of ARD’s TV and radio studios (the German equivalent of the BBC).

The visit coincided with the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, providing plenty of opportunities to attend film screenings and catch a glimpse of famous faces from the silver screen.

The biggest name we saw this year was Stephen Spielberg, who was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the festival. 

I really liked the day when we went to the film museum that had Metropolis and all the German expressionist films. You got to see all the really old cameras, from the 1920s, and you also got to see the behind-the-scenes set and other bits from Metropolis. It was really cool because we have watched the film and learnt about it.” - Halle 

John Malkovich on the Red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival.

Learning from one of Europe’s cultural capitals

Berlin is a major city of culture and is home to a rich array of art galleries and museums.

Among the venues visited by students on the Culture itinerary were the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Neue Gallery, the Museum für Fotografie, and the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg.

The capital city’s impressive architecture and vibrant street life also provided plenty of opportunities for the group to capture their own images and video.

All of the museums we went to were really interesting. It was nice that we also got some free time and could go and do what we wanted to do.” - Hollie

Art and English students outside the Pergamon museum on Museum Island, Berlin.

Exploring Berlin’s pivotal role in modern European history

Berlin is also a city of huge historical and political significance.

Among the places of interest visited by students on the History and Politics itinerary were the Berlin Wall memorial, the Olympic Stadium, the Bundestag Dome, and the Schloss Charlottenburg Baroque palace.

I enjoyed a lot of the historical bits of the visit. Although it was quite dark, I found the visit to the Sachsenhausen memorial most interesting.” - Jacob 

Stained glass window at Sachsenhausen Memorial (site of the former concentration camp).