The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War, separating East Germany from West Germany. It was the most representative exponent of the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Block.

The construction of 45 km of barriers around the western sectors began on Sunday, August 13th 1961 in East Berlin. In the morning, the border was secured by East-German guard troops. The barrier was built by Eastern German soldiers and workers, without any direct involvement from the Soviets. The wall was built only on east-german territory, the designers and workers ensuring that they don't touch any point of the West Berlin territory. The streets that were extending along the barrier route were barricaded to prevent the passage of any vehicle and a high barbed wire fence was raised, a fence that later turned into a wall. The barrier physically divided the city and virtually surrounded West Berlin. During its construction, the National People's Army soldiers (NVA) and struggle groups of working class (KdA) have guarded the area, having clear orders to shoot any individual trying to flee to the west. Later, the Berlin Wall was reinforced with walls, mined fields and other safety facilities.

Many families were separated. Many East Germans were not allowed to work and do business in West Berlin, therefore losing a valuable source of income. West Berlin became an enclave almost totally isolated in a hostile territory.

Creating the wall had profound implications for all Germans. By stopping the exodus to the West, East German government was able to regain control over the country. However, the Wall was a propaganda disaster for Eastern Germany and other communist states. The Wall became a reference symbol of Western anti-communism propaganda, particularly after the shooting of individuals who tried to cross it.

There were eight official crossing points of the Wall, which allowed visits from the West Germans, Westerners and Allied personnel in eastern Berlin, and visiting German democrats in western Berlin (after obtaining an appropriate license). These crossing points were intended to separate different categories of people who could traverse: Eastern Germans, West Germans and other countries. The most famous was Friedrichstrasse (Checkpoint Charlie), which was intended only for Allied staff and non-German citizens.

During the existence of the Wall there were approximately 5.000 succesful escape attempts from Eastern Berlin. Various reports estimate that the number of dead during the attempted crossing of the Berlin Wall could be somewhere between 192 and 239 people. Many others were injured when attempting escape.

On November 9th 1989 tens of thousands of East Berliners stormed all the control points, claiming access to West Berlin. Because nobody wanted to assume responsibility of shooting innocent civilians, border guards opened the barrier crossing points, leaving the crowd to go after a brief inspection or even without any formality. The crowds of East-Berliners were encountered in an euphoric atmosphere by their neighbors in the West. November 9th is thus celebrated as the day when the Berlin Wall fell. In the following days Berliners came to the Wall to snatch souvenirs, managing to pull down entire sections of the barrier this time.