But as a student of modern history, I couldn't pass up touring some of Germany's darker landmarks from the past century. The following pictures were taken at the Odeonsplatz, a very significant place in Hitler's Nazi Germany. In 1923, Hitler tried (and failed) to launch a putsch (takeover) of the government. He was captured and imprisoned, using his down time to pen "Mein Kampf." After his eventual rise to power, Hitler used the Odeonsplatz and it's main building, the Feldherrnhalle (Field Marshall's Hall), as symbolic backdrops for speeches, memorials, and armed forces inductions. It is a dramatic public space, framed by giant flagpoles and anchored by statues of German leaders and two iconic lions.
Hitler attended a rally in the Odeonsplatz in 1914; probably one of many.
The Feldherrnhalle in 1923, in the days of Hitler's failed putsch.
Hitler speaking at the Feldherrnhalle during World War 2 and attending army inductions. Very creepy to stand in the same spot as Hitler once did.
Hitler held a memorial each year in the square on November 9 to commemorate his failed putsch.
This is a marking on the side of a wall where a Nazi plaque was once fastened.
On to cheerier notes, then...
