Netherlands/Berlin Trip - Spandau      2nd August:

Quaint Cobbled Street

    The day promised to be warm, and by gum when we stepped out into the morning sun it was quite warm.
    The plan for today was to visit Spandau. To get there, we took the S-Bahn (overground train), passing near the 1936 Summer Olympics Stadium on the way. Our train sped over waterways and through affluent, leafy suburbs and lush countryside. Soon we were passing through industrialised areas, and before we knew it we were entering Spandau.
    Spandau, the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin, is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers. Originally the site of a Sorbian (Wendish) fortress, Spandau became German about 1230 and was granted civic rights in 1232. It was incorporated into Berlin in 1920. After 1946 the Spandau Prison, on the Wilhelmstrasse, housed Nazi war criminals sentenced by the Allies. The prison was demolished following the death of the last inmate, Rudolf Hess, in 1987. Spandau is the chief industrial area of Berlin, with the electro technical firm of Siemens in the Siemensstadt section. Manufacturing includes machinery, metal products, construction and transport equipment. The citadel (1560-94, including the 12th-century Julius Tower) is one of the oldest well-preserved Italian-style Renaissance fortifications in northern Germany, and the 14th-century St. Nicholas Church is the oldest Gothic church in Berlin. Spandau also has a number of parks and forests, notably the large Spandauerforst, which makes it a popular weekend destination for Berliners.

St. Nikolai Church and Elector Joachim II

    Conveniently, a yellow trail was painted on the roads and pavements which acted as our guide through the town. We meandered past a rather boring looking Rathaus (town hall) through a collection of quaint cobbled streets. The town plan of Spandau evolved in the 13th century and is still traceable in the streets of the old town. The building structure has constantly evolved over the centuries due to the effects of fires, war and demolition work. Much of the original structure of cultural and historical value fell victim during World War II. During the 70s Spandau went through a phase of changing Spandau Old Town into a redevelopment area with an aim to improve housing and living conditions. It took over ten years of elaborate renovation to implement these objectives, and the Altstadt Spandau received an attractive cityscape, blending historical and modern buildings harmoniously. As far as possible, building types of different eras have been preserved. Much of this hotchpotch was apparent as we strolled through the converted pedestrianised old town with its many shops, restaurants and cafes.

St. Nikolai Church Interior

Citadel from the Air

Juliusturm

    We entered the large Marktplatz, a large cobbled square containing the odd oasis of trees, and sculpted water features. It was mainly deserted, it was Sunday after all, just an old man pushing his bike and a few tourists wandering about taking photos and burying their heads inside maps.
    We left this large expanse of sun trap, and followed our yellow trail through more quaint streets which were not as crowded as they would be in the city. Indeed it was a joy to amble at leisure in the warm, sun-dappled streets with hardly any traffic or tourists to contend with.
    Rounding a corner into Reformationsplatz, we came face to face with the towering red-brick late-Gothic St. Nikolai Church. Completed in the 15th century, it belongs among the few architectural testimonies from the Middle Ages. It is the urban centre of the old town and its tower dominates Spandau's skyline. The church is famous for hosting Mark Brandenburg's first public Lutheran-style worship service in 1539 under Elector Joachim II, thereby making it the birthplace of the Reformation in Berlin and Brandenburg. A bronze statue of Elector Joachim II, made by Erdmann Encke in 1889, stood outside the church. We checked out the church. The most valuable pieces of the rich interior included a 14th century baptismal font (1398), a baroque pulpit (1714) and a late-renaissance altar (1582) whose centre panel depicts the Last Supper.

Italian Courtyards

    Moving on along the yellow trail, we crossed a bridge spanning the River Havel. A lock was located a short distance along the river, with numerous watercraft piling into the lock as we watched. Much to Rex's disappointment we couldn't stand there all day waiting for the lock gates to close.
    Instead, we crossed the bridge and turned off to the Spandau Citadel. On a little island in the Havel River, Spandau Citadel is considered the best preserved Renaissance fortification in northern Europe. Its moat, drawbridge and four arrowhead-shaped bastions make it a veritable textbook in military architecture. There has been a fort on this site since the 11th century. An exhibition in the gatehouse gave us a good account of the history of the Citadel.
    The emblem of the citadel is the 30m high Juliusturm. Completed in 1230, the Julius Tower is one of the oldest surviving structures in Berlin. The walls of this giant were up to 3.6m thick in places, and in 1838 the current battlements were created by Karl Friedrich Schinkel - why not, he played a great architectural role in Berlin. Dan and I climbed the tower, which had served as a residential, defensive and state prison tower in its past, and from the battlements we were afforded splendid views of the surrounding watery area, indeed in the distance we could pick out the Fernsehturm in Berlin.
    After a brief scan of the Bastion König, we all took a walk along curtain walls to the Bastion Kronprinz, enabling us to take in the architectural strength of this great fortress. After the experiences of the 30 years war, there was an expansion of the fortress to create a bastionären defence system. The citadel's current exterior was created at the end of the 16th century by Italian architects. A quadrangle of curtain walls was erected, at the corners of which arrowhead bastions were placed. This clever arrangement of the bulwarks with receding flanks prevented the formation of blind spots to the fortress wall. Thus, according to "re-Italian style" fortress construction, all areas of the forts could be defended equally.

The Palas by the Juliusturm

    Below the Bastion Kronprinz were located showrooms and the Youth Art School. We took time out to visit an art exhibition in one of the galleries. Entering through a huge wooden door, we had covered just a few metres before the old crone keeping guard shot out of her chair cursing and hurtled down to the door; we had not closed it properly. She gave us menacing glances as we browsed the collection of modern art. Dare we ask her questions about the artist and his works, I think not.
    I was surprised to find a little harbour inside the fortress, but there, just by the base of the Bastion Kronprinz was a small basin which had access to the moat and river outside via a gate under the ramparts.
    Much renovation work was going on, clearly apparent as we skirted the wire fencing surrounding the barracks. Sadly the Italian Courtyards in the Bastion Brandenburg and Medieval Jewish Gravestones in the Bastion Königin were also out of bounds. However, we did enter the military exhibitions in the Arsenal and Parade Hall.
    The military use ended in 1945. Today, it is open to the public and bats; it is the wintering ground for thousands of bats. Many historical buildings have been restored and are now used for cultural events or as a museum where visitors can see finds from excavations dating back to the Middle Ages. The premises of the Citadel, with its atmospheric, historic flair and also the sprawling courtyard can be rented for events of all kinds. The Palas Gothic Hall, the "parlour" of Spandau, with its unique acoustics, made it ideal for concerts, but is also used for celebrations, receptions and official events.
    Today was no exception, the quadrangle was being set up with a large stage for an evening pop performance. Crews were busily setting up lighting and sound systems, and lines of food and drink stalls were being erected around the periphery. We left the complex just as the sound crew were giving their systems a good work out. By the sound of it, ear plugs should have been made compulsory. Outside, hundreds of fans were already lying in the shade under the trees by the moat, patiently waiting for the mass stampede into the grounds.
    After a quick drink and cake in the Marktplatz, we were set up for our journey back into Berlin. After a freshen up, we took a meander through the Tiergarten, then, despite my almost becoming a statistic by being flattened by a car jumping a red light, we enjoyed an Italian meal near Checkpoint Charlie in the evening.

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven Monument in the Tiergarten