The National WWII Museum has announced its “Elbe River Cruise Collection” that will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in Europe (V-E Day). Offered onboard the Viking Beyla, there will be two eight-day journeys to choose from: Prague to Berlin (May 1-8, 2025) or Berlin to Prague (May 6-13, 2025). The “Victory in Europe: The End of the War of the Elbe” itinerary invites guests to explore one of the most storied waterways in military history and its role in ending the war in Europe.
Several scholars will sail onboard to provide additional context to these itineraries. Experts on the Prague-to-Berlin journey include Dr. Alexandra Richie, a historian of Germany and Central and Eastern Europe, with a specialization in defense and security issue, and Dr. Michael Neiberg, the chair of war studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy and a professor of history at the U.S. Army War College. The Berlin-to-Prague journey will host Keith Lowe, author of “Inferno” and “Savage Continent,” and the Museum’s own Dr. Mark Calhoun, the senior historian of the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.
With ports of call including Theresienstadt and Lidice, Bad Schandau, Dresden, Meissen and Torgau, Magdeburg and Wittenburg, the itineraries include expert-led tours that offer a look at the Elbe River’s setting for the linkup between Soviet and American troops—an important step not only toward V-E Day but also the beginnings of the Cold War. Near the end of the war, American forces were ordered to halt at the Elbe, allowing the Soviet Union to attack and seize Berlin, and the Elbe became part of the border between East and West Germany.
The port of call in Theresienstadt offers a sobering exploration of wartime experiences. Stops include the Theresienstadt concentration camp, Gestapo prison, Leitmeritz forced labor camp and Lidice Memorial. In Bad Schandau, near the Czech Republic border, guests will discover Königstein Castle, as well as one of the Nazi’s largest operational killing centers, Sonnenstein. Dresden offers a walking tour of the city and the exploration of its role in inspiring the book, “Slaughterhouse-Five.” In Magdeburg, guests will get to stand on the Domplatz, where the echoes of the Nazi book burnings took place, visit the Ernst Barlach Monument and walk through the city’s cemetery where the remains of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun and the Goebbels family are interned. A visit and city tour of Wittenberg will showcase its history of being taken over by the Red Army as agreed to by the stipulations of the 1944 London Protocol.
A selection of pre- and post-tour extensions ranging from two to three nights are also available. Highlights include “From the Rubble in the World War II and the Cold War,” a post-tour experience in Berlin May 8-11 with Dr. Richie and Michael Neiberg, PhD and “Operation Anthropoid,” a pre-tour extension in Prague April 29-May 1 with Dr. Richie.
For more information, visit www.nationalww2museum.org.
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