Traditional tours take a back seat to toilet history
Posted on Wednesday 08 September 2010
in Berlin
Many vacations abroad often include visits to museums and monuments, but an everyday necessity is often excluded from the historical exhibits. For Indians seeking an alternative history of Germany, a Berlin guide recently introduced a tour highlighting lavatorial evolution.
Anne Haase offers a look into the history of the toilet's development, bringing tourists around the German capital for viewings of "water closets" from ancient times to present-day, according to Reuters.
Stops on the tour include a block of 19th century facilities and Potsdamer Platz, where the Kaiser's newly-renovated bathrooms are located. The final stop of the tour is at a Japanese restaurant housing the most advanced models in toilet technology, which are automatic and have costs similar to a small car, reports the news source.
Haase told Reuters that people are initially turned off by the subject, "but then they are generally surprised at the interesting facts that they learn about on the tour." Her guests include curious tourists, as well as those who work in toilet-related industries.
After the tour, Haase hopes they will see the lavatories in their Berlin hotels differently.
"I wanted to break a taboo and explain the history of Berlin's hygiene and toilet culture," she told the news provider.
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