second world war

Like I said before, We Will Forget Soon is a fantastic book that documents a part of German history that most people don’t like to talk about but that needs to be told. Dario-Jacopo Laganá and Stefano Corso did a fantastic job with their book, and I believe that everybody that has some interest in this part of history needs to have this on their bookshelf.

We Will Forget Soon: An Interview with Dario-Jacopo Laganá

Berlin (category), Interviews (category)
11 min read
08/05/201722/02/2024

If you ever wondered why Strasse des 17. Juni has its name, you have to watch this short movie from British Pathé from the Berlin Riots of 1953. This short movie is not a documentary but a newsreel report about the uprising of workers against the Communist Regime in East Germany. This is the real deal, not an interpretation of what happened.

Berlin Riots: The 1953 Uprising of Workers in East Germany

Berlin (category)
2 min read
03/03/201703/02/2024

If you go back to Fotostrasse archives you’ll see that we love to see old videos of Berlin. This short one from Berlin in 1936 is no exception since it shows how beautiful the city used to be and focus on the changes that were happening to the German capital during the time it was governed by the Nazi party.

This is how Berlin used to look like back in 1936

Berlin (category)
3 min read
16/01/201702/03/2025

We didn’t know much about Poznan before we visited the city in summer 2014 and we fell in love with this polish gem. Our stay in Poznan was so great that we keep sending our friends there and, after a while, we realized that we never wrote a proper guide to Poznan. So, if you are looking for a guide to this city, you can stop you search because now you will see a lot of things to do in Poznan.

A Lot of Things to Do in Poznan

Poland (category), Poznan (category)
23 min read
23/04/201621/12/2023

Even though the Cold War ended more than 25 years ago, you can see remains of it everywhere. The Berlin Wall, the most famous symbol of it, is easily found around Berlin but this is not the only relic that still stands and Martin Roemers is here to show us those decaying testaments of a world that doesn’t exist anymore.

Relics of the Cold War: A Photography Exhibition in Berlin back in 2016

Berlin (category), Photography (category)
4 min read
23/03/201630/12/2023

These extraordinary and never-before-seen home movies were filmed by a German-American family who visited Berlin and Germany during the Olympic Games in 1936. They give a good idea of what a tourist might have experienced. The film begins with shots aboard the liner Deutschland during the trans-Atlantic crossing, including a visit to the ship's bridge, dancing on deck to music provided by the ship's band, and more.

The 1936 Berlin Olympics: A Family Vacation Movie

Berlin (category)
3 min read
21/03/201605/07/2024

It was early June 1945 when LIFE Magazine published an article titled the The Battered Face of Germany showing all the destruction caused by the Second World War in Germany. This article was published not long after the surrender of Germany where, today, we have the Russian German Museum in Karlshorst. In this article you could see amazing pictures made from the air by Margaret Bourke-White who would later be accredited as the first american woman to photograph in the Second World War. Also, the first authorized to fly on combat missions. Her pictures showed the devastation of Germany and show the pattern of destruction caused by Allied air bombing.

Second World War in Germany: The Battered Face of a Country

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
3 min read
09/03/201601/12/2023

Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia and the largest city and the capital of Lower Silesian Voivodship in Poland. Fotostrasse was there for a few days in early 2015 and we fell in love with this city that hosts almost a million people. Because we love the days we spent there, we decided to write this short guide with a few things you need to do in Wrocław.

Things to do in Wroclaw Poland

Poland (category), Wroclaw (category)
13 min read
14/02/201621/12/2023

Berlin 1945, the Second World War was over in Europe but things didn’t look that good for the German capital. The Soviet Army had conquered a city reduced to rubble and under martial law. And the Red Army had Berlin just for them, the American, French and British army would only get there in a few months.

Surviving the Rubble: Berlin’s Struggle After 1945

Berlin (category)
3 min read
18/11/201510/12/2024

From the Stadtschloss to the Third Reich: Berlin in the 1930s

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
3 min read
16/11/201515/04/2026

Immortal Regiment: The day we marched with the veterans in St. Petersburg

Immortal Regiment: The day we marched with the veterans in St. Petersburg

Russia (category), St Petersburg (category)
6 min read
29/08/201508/05/2025

Berlin Airlift: Surviving the Berlin Blockade

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
3 min read
30/06/201501/04/2024

The St Petersburg Metro is one of the most beautiful underground railway system we ever had the pleasure of visiting. First opened in 1955, the metro of Saint Petersburg in Russia is one of the busiest in the world with five subway lines, 67 stations, over 3.000 trains and 2.5 million passengers a day. We did visited the St Petersburg Metro when we visited Russia in May and we took pictures of everything.

St Petersburg Metro – Exploring the Russian Underground

Russia (category), St Petersburg (category)
10 min read
24/06/201523/12/2023

Berlin 1945 in Video: the Destroyed German Capital

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
3 min read
17/05/201524/09/2024

It was in this inconspicuous building that the unconditional surrender of the German Army was signed, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe. Today, this place is the German Russian Museum.

A Visit to the German-Russian Museum in Berlin-Karlshorst

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
7 min read
08/05/201520/01/2025

Things to Do in Bratislava: Unveiling the Charms of Slovakia’s Capital in a Day

Bratislava (category), Slovakia (category)
9 min read
27/04/201507/02/2024

Many people believed that it was impossible for Germans to resist the Nazi dictatorship, war propaganda and the deportation of Jewish people. However, a street protest in 1943 showed that resistance was possible and that it could be successful. Then the Rosenstrasse Protest happened.

The Rosenstrasse Protest Memorial: Unyielding Women, Unbroken Spirits

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
9 min read
06/04/201512/03/2024

Wroclaw Market Square: The Largest Market Square in Poland

Poland (category), Wroclaw (category)
6 min read
25/03/201510/09/2019

Winter at the largest Soviet Memorial in Berlin

Berlin (category), Germany (category)
6 min read
06/02/201509/01/2026

Officially known as Konzentrationslager Posen, Fort VII was a Nazi concentration camp in Poznan during the Second World War. Nobody knows for sure, but there are different estimates that tell that, between 4.500 and 20.000 people died at Konzentrationslager Posen and we spent an afternoon there exploring the place.

Fort VII: visiting the Konzentrationslager Posen in Poznan

Poland (category), Poznan (category)
7 min read
24/10/201403/12/2023

Exploring Poznan: Park Cytadela

Poland (category), Poznan (category)
6 min read
02/09/201427/02/2024