Hötensleben

Today the sun shone on us as we visited evidence of some of the darkest parts of Germany's history.

First of all, we visited Marienborn, where part of the checkpoint has been preserved as memorial of the division of Germany; it was a haunting reminder of a time when Germans were divided from each other, and of the human tragedies which ensued.

Our guide was excellent, and made this part of history come alive with personal stories. Our Comenius German teacher, Henning, told how he was always detained for up to 2 hours at this checkpoint, as he had long hair. We will never know the total number of deaths casued by this division, as many were arrested and disappeared into East German prisons, never to be seen again.

We also visited Hötensleben, where part of the Wall has been preserved, along with its chilling defences - watch tower, dog runs, and "Dragon's Teeth" - steel vehicle obstacles. This little village saw compulsory expulsion of many inhabitants, so that there would be no-one (except Stasi officers) living near the Wall.

Everyone should visit this place.