Color Footage from Pre War Berlin (1936)

This eight minute film , shot in Pre War Berlin 1936 is what we would today probably call an Image Film. The film is showing some every day scenes from Berlin in all its beauty – and in all its color – before the Second World War broke out and large parts of Berlin were destroyed.

The film, titled “Reichshauptstadt Berlin” first takes us to Tiergarten, where we can see some cars and people in the streets near the Victory Column (Siegessäule). You will notice that the streets are ‘already’ decorated with Nazi flags.

Next stop is the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) and the off voice points out that both Brandenburg Gate and Victory Column are the monuments Berlin is known for– and groups of young people would be the town’s most iconic landmarks “greeting the youth of the world, strolling down the wide streets of Berlin“.

I don’t want to go too much into details – watching the video you’ll also see the boulevard Unter den Linden and the old City Palace (Stadtschloss) wich is currently rebuild – as well as lots of historic cars, trams and buses. But also you will probably recognize quite a number of men in uniform here and there. Well – see for yourself – and please feel free to leave a comment below…

see also:

• Historical Photos of Landwehrkanal, Berlin Kreuzberg / Tiergarten
• Berlin City Palace – historical and current photos

---