Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall, 155 km long and 3.6 m high, lasted from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989. It was not just the border between the GDR ( the German Democratic Republic ) and West Berlin. Here passed the line of division between East and West, between socialism and capitalism.

History of the Berlin Wall

In 1961, the GDR authorities banned the free movement between the sectors of Berlin in order to prevent the increasing emigration from East Berlin. Soon, West Berlin was surrounded by a concrete wall with checkpoints, barbed wire, barriers and minefields. As a result, the Berlin crisis erupted, almost ending with the nuclear conflict of the warring parties.

It is noteworthy that in the GDR Wall it was called an anti-fascist defensive shaft, while in West Germany it was called nothing more than a wall of shame. As a result of the construction of border structures around West Berlin, even close people were disconnected. All attempts to overcome the barriers and get to West Berlin were brutally suppressed, the death of at least 136 people is known.

Bernauer Strasse Street has become a dramatic illustration of the Berlin section. The facades of the houses from East Berlin were a border line. From these houses, shoots were made to West Berlin, people jumped straight from the windows. Therefore, residents of the houses were resettled, and the windows were walled up.

On the night of November 9-10, 1989, the Berlin Wall ceased to exist. This happened after thousands of people rushed to checkpoints, and the GDR border guards eventually opened the border. 11 months after this event, the official reunification of Germany took place. The Berlin Wall was dismantled.

Memorial complex

Now in the capital in Germany, on the site of the former Wall, there is the Berlin Wall memorial". The memory place for the partition of Germany is located on Bernauer Strasse, in the center of Berlin, its length is 1.4 km. The last fragment of the wall at full height with all border barriers was preserved in memory of those who were killed, trying to cross the border in order to hide from the communist dictatorship. They are dedicated to the "Warm Cloud" with photographs of the victims. On the territory of the memorial complex there is a Monument to the division of the city, as well as a Chapel of peace, where services are held daily in memory of the dead. The memorial includes the foundation of the house, the facade of which was the border of the division of the eastern and western parts of the city. On the opposite side of the street, which was the border of West Berlin, there is a visitor center and an information center with a panoramic platform and an exhibition, which presents numerous documents and historical evidence of the German section.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War, and its fall was a landmark event in world history.