Vintage Berlin Videos | You might not believe it, but our header image is from 1920s Berlin, showing two young sisters in a cafe. Thinking about Berlin in the 1920s, there are lots of clichés that come to mind: dance on the volcano, women with short hair, feather boas, cigarette holders, men wearing suspenders and flat caps. But it always remained just a small circle that was partying in the hedonistic way we like to remember. The ordinary life was much different. That photo of the two sisters was part of an exhibition in 2011, starring the works of photographer Friedrich Seidenstücker showing everyday life in Berlin in the 1920s und 1930s. (Exhibited at “Berlinische Galerie”).
Our following 5 video clips give you impressions of Berlin between 1890 and 1961. By far the best one is the 1920s documentary by the Canadian CBC! It is all about the Sin City Berlin in the 1920s and early 1930s. Clip no. 3 shows Nazi Berlin in 1936. Video no. 4 gives you an impression of Germany’s capital after World War II in 1945. Then we step into the days right before the Berlin Wall was built: Video no. 5 shows “Big B” in the 1950s.
Vintage Berlin Videos: between 1890 and 1914
The first video is capturing Berlin between 1890 and 1914. Note, that two scenes in this Berlin video are actually from Munich. Still most footage is indeed Berlin (98%).
Berlin – Legendary Sin City (1920s and 1930s)
The second video is about the Sin City Berlin. From the 1920s to the late 1930s, Berlin was a melting pot of debauchery and creativity, giving rise to the first institute devoted to the study of sex. Germany’s capital entered an era of beautiful chaos and hedonism. The country’s bohemian writers, actors, architects and political agitators gravitated towards Berlin’s freewheeling culture. Lesbians cultivated their own society as the city encouraged its denizens to play out their every whim. Unfortunately the rest of the nation was not ready for it yet. A Nazi upsurge in the countryside foreshadowed an end to the perpetual party in 1933 … First broadcasted: Feb 8, 2005
Nazi Berlin in 1936
This video clip shows you Germany’s capital a few years before the beginning of World War II.
Berlin after WWII in 1945
Video no. 4 has been taken in July 1945 – just two months after the end of World War II.
Berlin in the 1950s
Just 10 years after the end of WWII one can still see the damage everywhere. But Berlin was rebuilding. Although it had been severely damaged the city re-emerged from the rubble as part of the German ‘Wirtschaftswunder’ or ‘economic miracle’.
Vintage Berlin Videos. By Chili & Churp | © International Destinations | Visit our Travel Alphabet.
