The Wall divided the city of Berlin into two. It ran through 192 streets and several houses. In total, it was 166km long, 4 metres in height and secured with a “death strip” of 500 metres: at least 133 people were killed by the border police of the GDR while trying to cross the Wall.
The construction started on August 13, 1961 and was meant to stop the citizens of the GDR leaving towards the West.
At the end of the 80s the situation relaxed and on November 9, 1989 the East German government announced that visits to West Berlin would be permitted. The joy erupted from both sides: in that historic night of celebration, many citizens from both sides of Berlin jumped over the Wall
Since the eighties, artists began to paint the West side of the Wall, and their example was followed, after the collapse of it. Today this particular form of street art is exposed at East Side Gallery. Other parts of the Wall can be visited in different areas of the city, including Potsdamer Platz, Bernauer Strasse, and the cemetery of Invalidenfriedhof.
The Berlin Wall Memorial
First a paragraph from Nicole Paulus
«Finish off the day by soaking in the beauty of one of the most poignant sites in all of Berlin – the Berlin Wall Memorial. This area traces the path of the Berlin Wall, from Bernauer Strasse to Nordbahnhof. Here, you can gain a profound understanding of how the wall once cleaved the city in two and left an indelible mark on its history.
Walking through the Berlin Wall Memorial, you’ll encounter preserved sections of the wall, watchtowers, and poignant exhibitions that vividly illustrate the challenges and the human stories associated with the city’s division»
The Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauerstrasse is the official Memorial of the MAUER which devided Berlin and families as well, and was the most famous part of the Iron Curtain which separated the East Soviet bloc and the West. A visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial where not only the MAUER is exposed, but the Death Strip and Towers as well. Use a couple of hours there, commemorate, feel the value of living in a free society.
Also recommended:
Information For Your Visit, go to Stiftung Berliner Mauer / Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer:
https://www.stiftung-berliner-mauer.de/en/berlin-wall-memorial/visit/information
