Report card day in Berlin: summer holidays start

„Zeugnis“ (report card) is written on a blackboard.

For the students in Berlin, the summer vacations will begin on Wednesday (July 6, 2022) after the report card ceremony.

It was the third school year under pandemic conditions - albeit without a lockdown. Around 375,000 students at general schools are now receiving their report cards.

1000 places in summer schools for refugee children

The school year also ends for almost 5,000 children and young people who have fled to Berlin from Ukraine. According to the education administration, 1,000 places are available for refugee and immigrant children and young people in the vacation schools. They can improve their German language skills there and take advantage of leisure activities, sports programs and art workshops. There is a separate offer for those who have just arrived from Ukraine and who do not yet go to school. For them, there are the "Fit for School Learning Groups" to prepare for the new school year.

High number of passengers expected in rail traffic

Schools will be closed until August 22 - and for many children and young people, as well as their parents, it is vacation time. Deutsche Bahn and BER Airport are therefore expecting bottlenecks. "The desire to travel is greater this summer than ever before," a DB spokesman announced. However, he added, there are also fewer students and commuters traveling during the vacation season. The trains to the vacation areas on the North Sea and Baltic Sea, as well as in southern Germany and Austria are currently in particularly high demand.

DB hires additional service staff

For the months of the 9 Euro Ticket, the railroad had already increased staff on trains and at stations. "More than 700 additional service and security staff are coordinating boarding and disembarking, assisting travelers with luggage or bicycles and are available to provide information," the DB spokesman announced. "That is four times as many as in a normal summer". If possible, travelers should do without their bicycles on the train.

Peak period at BER Airport

Staff at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport BER are expecting around three million passengers for the summer vacations. According to the report, the busiest day will be next Friday. "That's when we expect around 80,000 passengers," airport chief Aletta von Massenbach said last week. Operators recommend that travelers arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours before departure and stow as much as possible in their checked baggage, so that things go faster at the security checkpoints.

Shortened check-in process for air travelers

According to von Massenbach, more than 130 airport employees have come forward to help out in the terminal during peak hours and assist passengers with procedures. Passengers could use nearly 120 machines to shorten the check-in process. Airlines Easyjet, Lufthansa and Eurowings also offer baggage drop-off the evening before departure.