Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall (German: Die Berliner Mauer) was a long barrier separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding territory of East Germany. The East German authorities called it the ?antifaschistischer Schutzwall? (Anti-Fascist Protection Wall). Its purpose was to restrict access between West Berlin and East Germany. It was built in 1961 and fortified over the years, but was opened to unrestricted transit on November 9, 1989 and subsequently almost entirely demolished.

Aftermath

The fall of the wall considerably changed traffic patterns in the city, and the M-Bahn, a maglev system connecting three metro stations over 1.6 km, was demolished just months after its official opening in July 1991 as its track area was desperately needed for new west-east connections.

Related Topics:
M-Bahn - Maglev - 1991

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Little is left of the Wall in Berlin today. The Wall was physically destroyed almost everywhere, except for three locations: one section of 80 meters near Potsdamer Platz (see picture), a second longer one along the Spree River near the Oberbaumbrücke, the so-called East Side Gallery, and a third one in the north at Bernauer Straße, which was turned into a memorial in 1999. Even the parts that are left standing no longer accurately represent the Wall's original appearance: they are badly damaged (since so many people attempted to pick up "original Berlin Wall" pieces), and today graffiti is prevalent on the eastern side of the Wall, which obviously would not have been possible while the Wall was actually guarded by heavily armed soldiers of East Germany. Previously, graffiti was exclusively on the western side.

Related Topics:
Potsdamer Platz - Spree - Oberbaumbrücke - East Side Gallery - Bernauer Straße - Graffiti

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For some years after reunification there was much talk in Germany of continuing cultural differences between East and West Germans (colloquially Ossis and Wessis), sometimes described as "the Wall in people's heads". A September 2004 poll found that 25% of West Germans and 12% of East Germans wished that East Germans were again cut off from West Germany by the Berlin Wall. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5942091/ Many German public figures have called these numbers "alarming".

Related Topics:
Ossi - Wessi

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Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a private museum rebuilt a 200-meter section close to Checkpoint Charlie, although not in the location of the original wall. They also erected over 1,000 crosses in memoriam to those who had died attempting to flee to the West. The memorial was installed in October 2004 and demolished in July 2005. http://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/prj/scs/txt/en205918.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4651823.stm

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