History, and Also Doorknobs

This past weekend, I decided that some more history was in order.
I spend the first part of the day at and around Brandenburger Tor, reading the plaques and signs and such. The area has quite a bit of history. Fairly close by is a monument of a very somber note, but historically important.
The murdered Jews of Europe.
There are a great many slabs of some type of stone, of varying heights, giving one an area for reflection, contemplation, and a physical reminder of events past, but not forgotten.
I would not stop there. Next on my list of places to visit was the Jewish Museum, a place where I spent quite a few hours. It did not focus entirely on the events surrounding the Second World War, but rather focused on Jewish history as a whole, and more specifically the importance and history of the Jewish people in Germany.
There were exhibits showing how early Jews in the region lived, near rivers and how they interacted with other groups. From an early time, Jews were prosecuted, much as they have been for almost all history. Certain events were blamed on the Jews, including the Black Death, and great numbers were killed at other points in history, not just during the Holocaust. There was of course a great deal, an entire two floors arranged in very different ways, about that. Unusual architecture on the bottom floor meant one was always walking upon a strange angle, and no room was quite rectangular or square. Hallways were sparsely decorated, giving more room for contemplation. The other floor was more of a traditional museum piece, with winding passages through abundant galleries and exhibits.
Germany does not try and hide what happened. Nearly every time any piece or memorial and so on is mentioned, it is always to "the murdered Jews of Europe," going on in most cases to specify, just in case, fascist Germany as the perpetrator. The floor whose events primarily have to do with the time before, during, and after World War II are very detailed and are meant to provoke thought at every turn. The amount that can be seen showing what were used as reasons then to persecute Jews and the very differing views of today are often shown, to highlight the importance of understanding the past so a better future can be forged.
I spent a good deal of time there, with an English audio guide (my German isn't good enough yet to have really been able to take much away from it if it were German.) It was strange, to see the history so many think of when they think of Germany, through the eyes of the place responsible. But Germany today is not the same place as it once was. To hold a grudge against the present-day neighbor to France would be for all Australians to be upset with the UK for shipping them there. For Americans hating the same group for requiring to fight for freedom. All that remains of Nazi Germany may be a few skinheads in the counter-culture groups you might find anywhere, or perhaps some very old racist people. This Germany, the Germany I am visiting, is a very accepting and multi-cultural place that is not afraid of its history, and has made no attempt to sweep it under the rug. Instead it accepts its past and is determined not to be as it once was.

On a much lighter note, on Sunday I went to two flea markets, one of which had a vendor selling only doorknobs of various types. Never seen that one before. I also ate Burger King, as I could find nothing else nearby, and am rather displeased with myself for eating there.