For my second blog post, I will be writing about my experience in the Koepenick neighborhood of Berlin. After our tour group had finished visiting the Stasi museum, my friend Dustin and I decided to check out some of the nearby landmarks and neighborhoods. Nearby the Stasi museum was the neighborhood of Koepenick, which is the neighborhood in the South East corner of Berlin. Up to this point in my study abroad trip, I had really only seen the inner city portions of Berlin that featured many buildings, large amounts of concrete, and not very many trees; however, on this trip to Koepenick, I was able to see German woods for the first time. On the bus ride there, we drove through several lush forests. I looked distinctly at the trees to see if they differed much from the trees in America, however most of the foliage in this area seemed to be similar to the kinds found at home.
The main landmark that we had planned on seeing in Koepenick was called Schloss Koepenick, or Castle Koepenick in English. In reality, Schloss Koepenick was more of an ornate palace as opposed to a castle. We crossed a bridged moat before we were able to get on to the palace grounds. The grounds of the palace had a garden, a café, and several lemon trees out front. Once entering the palace, Dustin and I purchased a guided headphone tour to look around at the art exhibits. The palace was filled with dozens of old art exhibits, many of which were from the middle ages. There were multiple floors in the palace, each with different types of art. Some of the things that stuck out to me were the ornate tapestries featuring art work depicting life in the middle ages. Some of the tapestries were incased in glass due to the potential for deterioration from being so old. There were many different chests and cabinets that were extremely detailed in their carvings. One of the most memorable parts of the palace to me were the wooden paneled rooms. These rooms were covered in exuberantly carved wooden panels and pillars that were quite a sight to marvel at. Other things we saw in the palace were frescos on the ceilings, extremely detailed sculptures, jewelry, and old glass works. In the basement of the palace, there were several displays detailing the history of the area were Schloss Koepenick now stands. The palace was originally built in the middle ages and was destroyed after a few hundred years. The one that is currently built was constructed in the Renaissance Era in Europe in the 16 and 17 hundreds. We were able to see the original stone bases of the castle from the middle ages in the basement, but that is the only remaining part from the old structure. Another memorable thing we saw in the basement were bones from humans that existed there thousands of years ago. It was an incredibly interesting experience for me to be able to see just how much the palace and the grounds it stood on changed over time.
After visiting the palace, Dustin and I got some doener kebaps from a nearby shop. These doeners have been the best ones I have had in Berlin by far! They were incredibly delicious, and I was able to speak with some of the employees at the shop in German. On the way home, we walked over a large bridge that ran across a large river. On the river, there were several large barges hauling dirt and stones, something I do not commonly see in America. After making it to the train station, we returned home. At this point in my trip, Koepenick has been my favorite neighborhood that I have visited.
Here is a picture of Schloss Koepenick. 