berliner mauer.

On August 13, 1961, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) started construction on a barrier to completely cut off West Berlin from East Berlin (and East Germany). The Soviet dominated Easter Bloc claimed that the wall protected its population from fascist elements conspiring against a Socialist State in East Germany, though in practice, the wall served to prevent the emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc post-World War II. Before the wall, millions of East Germans crossed the border from East to West, where they could then travel to other Western European countries. After the wall, almost all such emigration was prevented. From 1961 to 1989, about 5,000 people attempted escape over the wall, with estimates of resulting deaths between 100 and 200.

On November 9th, 1989, the wall came down (well, kind of)… I was 7 then and I remember watching the monumental event at school, understanding that what was happening was big, but not quite grasping the full historical significance. As I grew older and study became more intensified, I learned more about the surrounding history and developed a kind of historical fascination. I don’t think excited is the best word to describe how I felt about coming face to face with this history here in Berlin, but I will use it anyway... I got chills seeing the remnants of the wall and seeing evidence of what was once Soviet controlled Berlin…







where it used to be.


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GERARD MALIE/AFP