King’s Art and German Students Visit Berlin

At the beginning of the Christmas holiday, 23 Sixth Formers and staff set off to Berlin with the German and Art departments.

They visited a huge range of museums, studios, theatres, monuments, memorials and markets in a very busy and varied itinerary.

Day One of the trip saw our students visit Hamburger Bahnhof Gallery, the New National Gallery designed by Mies van der Rohe, and the Brücke Museum. Both museums exhibit a fantastic display of art and architecture.

Their second day included trips to the Old National Gallery, the famous Pergamon Museum and the Boros Collection: a contemporary art gallery housed in a former World War II bunker.

Throughout the duration of their stay, our German and Art students managed to sample the local cuisine in Berlin’s authentic restaurants.

On their third day, our Art students had the opportunity to visit artist and OV Lucy Teasdale in her studio. Lucy is a sculptor who uses diverse materials and methods to create abstract, monochromatic sculptures that have been exhibited in Berlin and Copenhagen.

The day continued with a guided tour of the Reichstag building, which included a climb to the top of the Norman Foster designed dome, and a visit to the new Humboldt Forum.

On their final day in Berlin, they visited the Daniel Libeskind designed Jewish Museum and the Berlinische Galerie of Modern Art. They also went on a guided tour of a former Stasi prison.

Other highlights of the trip included a show in the world famous Friedrichstadtpalast, a Christmas service in Berlin Cathedral, a visit to Checkpoint Charlies and an improvised comedy show.

The trip was a great success, with our students and staff managing 18 galleries, museums and events over four days. Our Head of Modern Languages, Mr Ball, described it as, “a tiring but culturally and linguistically fulfilling experience.”