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We spent the afternoon trekking around the city as part of the 3rd Reich Walking Tour which delves into the cautionary tale of Nazi history. The tour was led by Edo, a history student from the Netherlands who came to Berlin six years ago and never left.
The first interesting fact he told us was that most hills surrounding Berlin were actually built upon debris piles from the war. 70% of Berlin was destroyed during World War II.
We took the train from Zoologischer Garten station to Mohrenstrasse station. The station features extravagant red marble that was purportedly salvaged from Hitler's Reich Chancellery.
The tour pointed out some typical Nazi-era architecture...
...as well as some of the buildings that evolved from there. For example, Hitler's Reich Chancellery in Berlin is now a Chinese restaurant. 
The tour discussed the Nazi propaganda machine led by Joseph Goebbels who interestingly was rarely photographed because one of his legs was shorter than the other, an imperfection that would not normally be overlooked by the Nazi war machine. The walk included a stop at the border between the former East and West Berlin where a section of the Berlin Wall still stands. Nearby, the "Topography of Terror" exhibit provides a sobering view into that dark time.
We passed the haunting Anhalter Bahnhof. Once a major train station in the city, it remains a bombed out shell and another reminder of the ravages of war.
This stood in stark contrast to Potsdamer Platz. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the strip of land where Potsdamer Platz stands today was completely undeveloped. It is a shining example of urban renewal and growth. 
The tour ended on the site of the bunker where Hitler ultimately committed suicide (Führerbunker). There is a parking lot there now. It was only recently that a sign was put in place to mark the spot. Edo pointed out how the Germans are still grappling with this difficult part of their past and were reluctant to memorialize the Nazi era in any way. We continued down the street after the tour ended to pay our respects at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
