b'THE BATTLE FOR BERLINScan here FROM THE ODER TO THE REICHSTAG for the full itinerary1723 August 2026 Historical Background6 days After crossing the Oder it took the Red Army just over three months to Expert Historian: advance 100km and take the city. Fortress Berlin as Goebbels named it was Professor Matthias Strohn to be defended at all costs. The first line of defence at the Seelow Heights, some 90km east of Berlin, took Zhukovs armies four days with heavy losses Activity Level: 2 to break through, however once cleared it left the Red Army free to encircle the city and prepare the coup de grce.The Battle for Berlin was the decisive actionBerlin was defended by roughly 45,000 regular troops supplemented by the that brought an end to the war in Europe.Police, the Hitler Youth and Volkssturm (essentially the German version of the The tour will focus on the fierce and bitterHome Guard). The fighting began with a ferocious artillery barrage, adding to action from the point when the Red Armythe already devastating destruction of the city. Although defended stoically, approached the Oder River to the eventualthe continuous waves of Soviet attacks, the Germans limited resources and fall of Berlin. Our first two nights will be inthe brutal house to house fighting meant there was only going to be one Frankfurt an der Oder from which we will visitoutcome and the city finally surrendered on 2nd May 1945, nine days after the formidable Ostwall and destroyed citythe Russians had entered. The War in Europe was as good as over.of Kustrin. The remaining nights are spent in Berlin, a city that has arguably been through more change than any other in Europe over the last 50 years. Despite being virtually flattened during the Second World War and divided during the Cold War, Berlin has now become a vibrant, bustling and culturally rich metropolis. Eight times bigger than Paris, the city is home to endless galleries and museums, and displays a wide range of architecture, which can be explored to enrich your experience of this magnificent city. Importantly for this trip, in particular, the city doesnt hold back in memorialising and documenting its turbulent past, leaving plenty to be discovered.Day 1Arrival: Fly from London and/or start tour at Berlin Drive to Frankfurtan der Oder and hotel for 2 nights (B)Day 2 Russians approach the Oder: Ostwall bunkers, Kostryn (B,D)Day 3 Battle of Seelow Heights: Klessin, Schukow Bunker, Seelow HeightsHotel in Berlin - 4 nights (B,D)Day 4 Battle for Berlin: Molkte Bridge, Reichstag, Tiergarten, BrandenburgGate, Holocaust Memorial, Fhrer Bunker site, German ResistanceMuseum (B,D)Day 5 Surrender: Ploetzensee Prison, Humboldthain Flak tower and bunker,Koenigsplatz, Treptow Park, German Russian Museum (B,D)ESSENTIALS Day 6Potsdam: Grunewald station, Wannsee Conference Villa, Glienicke3-4-star hotels, meals as indicated,Bridge, Olympic Park, Templehof Airport (B)drinks with dinner, all entrance fees,Day 7Command: Wunsdorf Drive to airport for return flight (or extend staytour manager and expert historianin Germany) (B) throughout, all internal travel,optional travel from UK.www.theculturalexperience.com I info@theculturalexperience.com I UK0345 475 1815 I USA(toll-free) 877 209 5620 635926 TCE BROCHURE 2025-26_Aug25.indd 63 22/08/2025 13:35'