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The wall.
For you and me, it could be the barrier between our bedroom and the hallway.
For Germans, during the years between 1961 and 1989, it meant something vastly different.
The Berlin wall was a heavily guarded, concrete barrier, that divided Germany both physically and politically during the Cold War. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, it remained until its demolition in November 1990 after the reopening of the border in 1989.
There are many of my colleagues who remember the division of their country and more importantly, when the wall came down. One friend tells me that each time she comes back to Berlin, she still get emotional when she sees the portions of the wall that remain, reminders of the years of separation from her family.
Today, the wall is a large draw for visitors to Berlin, eager to see the physical barrier that split families and friends. There are quite few locations where the wall can be seen in the city, including Mauerpark, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall Memorial, Schlesischer Busch Watch Tower, Potsdamer Platz and the longest remaining stretch at the East Side Gallery located on Mühlenstraße. Having visited the wall on a few occasions, it is always surprising to see how narrow it really was. I guess I always thought that its height and depth was what deterred people from scaling it and defecting to the other side, however, the guards and their machine guns were the real obstacle.
A few years ago, while on a tour bus, we had driven down Mühlenstraße and I was mesmerized by the brightly painted longest span of the wall. Why it had taken me so long to return, I am not sure, but on this trip to Berlin, I was going to take advantage of the sunny afternoon.
Arriving at the East Side Gallery, I decided to start at the part of the wall nearest to the Oberbaum Bridge, the iconic double decker bridge that crosses the River Spree (note to self, come check out this beautiful bridge on another trip to the city!).
At the start of the wall, there is the Berlin Wall Museum, located on the second floor of the Pirates of Berlin building, a great place to start your exploration of the history of the wall.
This museum, founded on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie (November 2014), highlights why and how the wall was built and how Germans, both East and West, suffered; how this aberration changed people’s lives. There are many historical facts, exhibitions, film clips and photos and a portion of the museum that commemorates the dead who died on the wall during its twenty-eight years of existence.
Mikhail Gorbachev had announced the founding of the museum on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall at Checkpoint Charlie in November 2014 in Berlin. A part of the museum is dedicated to him, as he is a trigger and guarantor of change and a peaceful revolution.
After my departure from the museum, I headed to the start of the wall and made my way down its length, taking the time to examine each of the one hundred and five murals painted by artists from all over the globe. Possibly the largest and longest lasting open-air gallery in the world, originated in 1990, the murals document the time of change when the wall fell and the jubilation that those affected by its presence experienced.
Though some of the paintings have suffered from exposure to the elements, the heritage protected landmark still draws over three million visitors every year. Work has been conducted to restore over a third of the murals and the effort continues.
Any visit to Berlin should include a stop at one of the remaining portions of the wall. The East Side Gallery is highly recommended for its artistic renditions of the joy felt around the world when the wall came down. Head first to the museum, walk the wall’s length and even check out the backside, filled with graffiti…the perfect place to enjoy both the river and an important historic landmark marking the reunification of Germany.
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East Side Gallery
- http://www.eastsidegallery-berlin.com/
- Address: Mühlenstraße 3-100, 10243 Berlin, Germany
- Hours: 24 hours
- Admission: free
- Getting There: Nearest U-bahn stations, Warschauer Straße, Schlesisches Tor, Jannowitzbrücke
The Wall Museum
- https://thewallmuseum.com/
- Address: Mühlenstraße 78-80, 10243 Berlin, Germany
- Hours: 1000-1900, daily
- Admission: Adults, 12,50€, Students, 6,50€, Groups of 10 persons or more, 9,50€, Children up to 7 years, free
- Getting There: Nearest U-bahn stations, Warschauer Straße, Schlesisches Tor, Jannowitzbrücke