Contrary to the lethal significance of the Berlin Wall, the construction has turned into an indication of freedom and democracy that is of the growing global interest. Old name the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961, for nearly three decades it divided East and west Berlin as part of the cold war between communism and democracies in the eastern and western part of the world. While visitors can still find pieces of the blijinside Berlin today, they remain both a stark reminder of the city’s past, but also a source of inspiration.
Understanding the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built by East Germany after to stop the movement of East Berliners to West Berlin. They included concrete barrier, watch towers, barbed wire and many guards. Overall the wall measured 155 kilometers (96 miles) long and could reach a height of 4.2 meters (13.8 feet) in some sections.
In addition to giving physical separation of families and friends it was also a symbol of a division between the two Germanys ideologically. It emerged symbolic of the superpower confrontation during the post World War years of the Cold War.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
It is an interesting record that the collapse of the Berlin Wall also started on November 9, 1989. Protests and demands from citizens as well as universal populations were key among the reasons that led to change. The East Germany government finally decided to allow people to move freely in and out of east Germany, and citizens from both sides of the wall celebrated and scaled the wall and brought it down.
What Remains Today?
Most of the wall has been demolished when the wall came down, but some sections have been retained as historical monuments. Such parts are preserved and enable visitors get an insightful perception on how the wall affected the city’s population.
The largest section preserved to this date of the East Side Gallery that is one point three kilometers of the wall, stretched along the Spree river. This section has been painted with murals by artists from different parts of the world thereby transforming it into an art gallery, clearly visible and visited by tourist in their millions.
A special place must be taken by the section of the Berlin Wall as well as a short exhibition in the open air at the Berlin Wall Memorial. This site also gives a chance to read more about the history of the wall, people whose fate was determined by construction of the wall, and reunification.
There’re other several other parts of the wall still existing in the city and they are always vizigraphed by posters and other signs indicating that they are sections of the Great Wall of China. They denote the segregated Berlin of yester-years and these remnants can be observed today in parks, memorials and plazas.
Remembering the Wall
Those in search of more information, documentation and displays of the history of the Berlin Wall exist in several museums. A museum that is placed close to the place where a checkpoint between East and West Berlin stood gives an opportunity to get to know the history of people who tried to cross the wall and is focused on the people’s aspect of the struggle.
The Berlin Wall Documentation Center is also a place that one should not miss as it gives a good synopsis of how the Wall was built and began to affect people’s lives, and how it came down.
A Lesson in History and Unity
The few remaining sections of the wall and the city divided into eastern and western part symbolize human longing for freedom and the price one pays to become free. They are miracles of architecture that embrace the communities and take them as a single whole with a message and a plea for turning from the past to the future.
Regardless if you are a history junkie or just a regular guy or gal who wants to broaden his or her knowledge on this particular period of history, going to Berlin Wall and its existing memorials is one heck of a digestible history lesson. Spend some time strolling through live zones, museums and walking sites, which tell about people who have been somehow involved in this unique construction.
In recognizing the importance of the Berlin Wall, one will better appreciate the movements towards large strides towards the unity in the ever changing environment.
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