The construction and maintenance of the Berlin Wall as a symbol of East / West German division was expensive. The German Democratic Republic (GDR) erected this iconic barrier to stop its citizens fleeing across to West Germany on a mass scale. The emotional toll, of course, and the political repercussions of the wall were extreme, and in this article, we’ll ignore the financial implications of maintaining the Berlin Wall.
The Berlin Wall’s Construction Cost
In August 1961, the Berlin Wall was built, costing with its early construction around 16 million East German marks (approximately $7.7 million USD at that time). This means that figure represents only the up front cost of getting the barbed wire fences and the concrete barriers up, but it’s important to point out that this figure doesn’t take into account the annual cost. The wall was made and refitted over time and finally reinforced by the additions of anti vehicle trenches, guard towers and motion sensors.
Thus, the actual construction cost to build the Berlin Wall is almost impossible to define. Throughout its existence the total cost of the wall was estimated to have been upwards of 1 billion East German marks (approximately $481 million USD).
How Much Does It Cost to Keep The Berlin Wall?
There were costs of repairing the Berlin Wall, costs for maintaining the Berlin Wall, costs for personnel trying to maintain the wall and a horde of other costs.
Personnel Costs
There was a great need for guarding and also managing the wall. Various sections of the wall were patrolled by ‘Grenztruppen’ (Border Guard) of the East German government. Not only was these guards meant to keep out of escape attempts, but they were also responsible for the infrastructure.
During the Berlin Wall’s existence, estimates put the number of border guards at some 10,000. The GDR paid these guards salaries, benefits, and other expenses and, therefore, they had to turn into a recurring cost for the GDR.
Infrastructure, Maintenance costs
It was an expensive infrastructure as well as maintenance. The wall was 155 kilometers (96 miles) around West Berlin, so it had to be maintained and repaired all the time.
Maintaining the infrastructure was costing money as well; ranging from replacing damaged sections due to escape attempts or weather damage to the more normal costs of repainting and cleaning. The GDR also spent money increasing security measures, by further advancing technologies, and by strengthening checkpoints.
Other Associated Costs
Other hidden costs that were attached to the Berlin Wall were secondary to direct maintenance costs. For example, the wall was the cause for the GDR losing trade with West Germany. The loss of economic opportunities only worsened an already bad situation for the East German government.
Economic Impact of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall had great economic implications. Because of that strain on the already crippled East German economy, building, maintenance and hire costs tacked on. Furthermore, the wall served to split the population into two with different socio-economic backgrounds and also split the economic development in these countries causing a significant divergence in the living conditions and standards between the East and West Germany.
The costs related with the wall however ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and indeed the reunification of Germany in 1990. But Germany had to rebuild the infrastructural, integrate the economies and resolve the socio economic gap that had developed over the years.
Finally, the costs to maintain the Berlin Wall were greater than the monetary cost. The construction and ongoing expenses of the wall had to be substantial, although exact figures are hard to come by. But the post also debunked the idea that the wall had had no further consequences: more importantly, the wall had created a division with enormous political and economic repercussions that still cast a shadow over the country’s history and the identity of the nation to this day.