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by Henk Bekker

in Calvados, France, Normandy

Visit the German Battery at Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy

German Gun at Longues-sur-Mer

The Batterie allemande near Bayeux in Normandy is a well-preserved German coastal defense battery with four guns used on D-Day still in place. Longues-sur-Mer on the coast of Normandy near Arromanches and Bayeux has the only German coastal defense battery classified as an historic monument on the D-Day landing beaches. The British and French navies … Read more

Visit La Pointe du Hoc in Normandy

La Pointe du Hoc in Normandy

The capture of Pointe du Hoc by US Rangers was one of the most heroic acts on D-Day. The bomb-scarred terrain and battery are open to visitors. The cliff top German gun battery at Pointe du Hoc was one of the prime Allied targets at the start of D-Day on June 6, 1944. US Rangers … Read more

Visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

Headstones in the Normandy American Cemetery

The US Military Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer above Omaha Beach is the largest Allied war cemetery in Normandy, France. The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer in France is with 9,387 graves the largest of the Allied military cemeteries in Normandy. The memorial site overlooks Omaha Landing Beach where so many soldiers died on D-Day. … Read more

Visit the Germany Military Cemetery at La Cambe in Normandy

Tumulus at the German Military Cemetery at La Cambe

The Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof at La Cambe is the largest Second World War military cemetery in Normandy. The Cimetière Militaire Allemand / Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof at La Cambe is the final resting place of over 21,000 German soldiers who died during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. The German military cemetery has by far the largest number … Read more

See the Arromanches 360° Movie and Mulberry Harbor

Arromanches 360° Cinema in Normandy

The Arromanches 360° cinema is a popular introduction to touring the D-Day landing beaches. The belvedere gives excellent free views of the Mulberries. The Arromanches 360° Cinéma Circulaire is a circular cinema showing archive footage from the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy that followed. It is not a museum and visitors will learn … Read more

Daily Life in the DDR – Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin

DDR Emblems

The free Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin explains everyday life in East Germany (Alltag in der DDR) and the influences of Communist party planning. The museum shows how the Socialist United Party was involved in every aspect of life in East Germany. It also illustrates how this collective approach came into conflict with individual … Read more

Visit the Topography of Terror Documentation Center in Berlin

Topographie des Terrors Documentation Center

The Topographie des Terrors is a free documentation center, memorial and museum in Berlin on the regime of official state terror during the Nazi period. The permanent exhibitions focus on the period 1933 to 1945 when the headquarters of the Gestapo and SS were located here. The longest surviving piece of the Berlin Wall is … Read more

Visit the Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears) in Berlin

Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears) in Berlin & S-Bahn Station

The Tränenpalast at the Friedrichstraße S-Bahn train station was the main departure point for travelers from the former East Germany to West Berlin. During the Cold War, travelers crossed the border here rather than at the far more famous Checkpoint Charlie. A free museum in the Tränenpalast – literally Palace of Tears – explains the … Read more

Visit the Free Bear Park in Bern

Bear Park in Bern

The brown bears in the Bärenpark (Bear Park), which replaced the old Bärengraben (pits), are a top sight to see when visiting the historic town of Bern, Switzerland. The Bärengraben (Bear Pit) has long been a top sight in the Swiss capital Bern. However, from October 2009, a new Bärenpark (Bear Park) replaced the old-fashioned … Read more