Christmas time in Berlin is really special because everybody is gone. It feels a little bit like in one of these apocalyptic movies where the people slowly disappear. Most of the restaurants close. Even some Spätshops that you thought would be open around the clock shut down for Christmas. But we would like to remind you that it wasn’t always like that. There was a time where people actually stayed here to celebrate.
As usual for special occasions everybody is taking pictures on Christmas. Even my 83 old grandmother takes a selfie in front of the Christmas decorations. Since the uprise of photography in the every day life, people took pictures on Christmas. We went for a little time travel and collected the most interesting historical pictures of the last century for you. From shopping window displays in the 20s to Nazi-Santas and snowmans of the border between East and West, we tried to represent the adventurous and sometimes troubled history our city went trough. As you see Christmas ist not only a good time for helping others but also to spread your specific propaganda. A very interesting history lesson we should get out of these images. We hope you enjoy it.
Beginning in their very first year of marriage, 1900, Berlin couple Richard and Anna Wagner made it a tradition to take an annual photo in front of their Christmas tree.
Salvation Army in Germany: Christmas Dinner for 500 children, Berlin 1906
Bringing the Christmas tree home, Berlin 1907
Vintage Holiday Postcard with Prince Wilhelm Louis Ferdinand, Berlin 1913.
Christmas in a German hospital for wounded soldiers, Berlin. 1914
Family celebrating Christmas from janwillemsen from Flickr, Berlin 1920
Store window display of the Wertheim department store for Christmas from Flickr, Berlin ca. 1925
Bringing the goose home for the Christmas feast, Berlin 1928
First wartime Christmas. Hilde, Helga, and Helmut help their father Joseph Goebbels give out holiday gifts to needy children, Berlin 1939.
A Soviet soldier dances the polka with a blonde, befurred German girl in central Berlin during the Christmas holiday celebration, Berlin December 25, 1945.
Kids looking for their presents. Berlin, ca 1950
Christmas with the Berlin Bear from chiesavecchia collection from Flickr, Berlin 1951.
“Gedenket der Armen zu Weihnachten” – Berlin Kreuzberg 1957
Two West Berlin policemen with their new American rapid fire rifles on duty with a snowman on Christmas Day in front of the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin 25th December 1961.
Kids with Christmas tree branches, Berlin 1961
Christmas Eve 1961 Berlin
Christmas at the home offamily L., Berlin, 1974, photo: Christian Borchert
Collecting donations for the salvation army at Christmas in front of the Ka De We, Berlin 1983
Happy Hollydays from the iHeartBerlin Team.
