Discovering Berlin

Having spent our first night in Berlin, we left the hotel after a rich breakfast for the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin. There, we visited the Reformed Church “Französischer Dom” and were given an introduction to the congregation. Following this introduction, we enjoyed a very special French-German organ concert. Prof. Dr. Bernd Schlüter gave us an introduction to the programme and the organ, preceding the concert.
At the end of the first part of the day, we were wishing Annika a happy birthday. We celebrated it by singing birthday songs, supported by the organ and by giving her our Berlin present. Following this session, we walked across the street to the offices of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), where we were hosted by Dr. Volker Faigle. He welcomed us with warm words and hot coffee. There, we listened to a lecture by Prof. Dr. Bernd Schlüter, who provided us with interesting information on the German state and its welfare system. The lecture was followed by a lively discussion, which especially concentrated on its connections to voluntary work in our societies.
After the lunch break at the EKD office we were refreshed and ready to leave for the former remand prison of the state security “Stasi” in the GDR, which is a memorial where groups can visit. The visit was very moving for the whole group, as our guides were able to give us very detailed information about being a prisoner and the terrible living conditions. After the guided tours, we reflected and discussed our visit to the memorial site at the DFJW. In these discussions we connected our visit to the site with voluntary work and its role in civil societies.
At the end of the discussions and a very long day, we split up in small groups and left for dinner and a free evening in town.