Berlin 1945 - Photos of the Fallen City

To understand Berlin's beauty today, one must confront its total destruction.

The Brandenburg Gate in Ruins

We see it as a pristine symbol today. In 1945, it was scarred, surrounded by rubble, standing solitary in a wasteland.

The Reichstag

The parliament building was a shell. Russian graffiti covered its walls.

Life in the Ruins

The photo Berlin 1945 shows the scale of devastation. Whole districts were flattened. Yet, life continued. The "Trümmerfrauen" (rubble women) cleared the streets by hand, brick by brick.

The Reconstruction

As you drive down Kurfürstendamm or Unter den Linden, look at the mix of buildings. The gaps filled by modern architecture are the missing teeth knocked out in 1945.