Today the Berlin Wall is an iconic relic of the Cold war period and one of the biggest attractions in Germany’s capital city after it fell in 1989. People still today would like to know in which form and at what length this historical monument exists today. Saying this, let me introduce the reader to the material by explaining the current state of the Berlin Wall and its overall length.
1. Some Like it Short of Long: The Actual Longitude of the Berlin Wall
It was built in the middle of the cold war on August 13th, 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in order to stop citizens from crossing over to the west. The first barrier was concrete blocks positioned approximately 155 kilometers (96 miles) of its total; this barrier encroached around West Berlin.
2. The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The most famous barrier of the cold war The Berlin Wall, split for roughly 29 years, was dismantled on November 9, 1989. This historic event sparked lots of happiness and people celebrating since the Wall that separated east and West Germans was coming down. The reunification of Germany came a little later on in the same year of the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
3. Review: The Berling Wall Demolition
After the fall of the wall, the wall was knocked down, so people could celebrate the fact that there is no longer going to be a divided Germany. At the present time, only parts of this wall have survived to tell the story of its construction.
3.1 East Side Gallery
The other major chunk of the Berlin Wall is perhaps the most popular one today, named the East Side Gallery. This area developed along the Spree River is an open air art gallery with murals done by artists from different parts of the world. It is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) long and boasts the artwork that perfectly conveys friendly and liberation messages.
3.2 Other Remaining Segments
With the exception of few individual pieces, most of the wall was brought down and original sections can be found at several parts in the city of Berlin. The remaining segments can be observed at sites located at Bernauer Strasse, the memorial ground called the ‘Topography of Terror,’ Charlie, and Platz.
4. Berlin Wall Today
That is why the great idea of dividing Berlin is no long present, but the memory of the Berlin wall still lives on. The fall of the wall led to the reunification of Germany and thereby the beginning of a new age in European political history.
Tourists can touch the parts of the remaining Berlin Wall and see the emblematic East Side Gallery as a unity, perseverance, and freedom experience. The gave me an understanding or the hardships that Germans went through during the Cold War and the ultimate victory of liberty over tyranny.
5. Conclusion
The Berlin wall with estimated length of about 155km was brought down when it was torn down in 1989 and only small parts exist today. Symbolizing unity and freedom of artistic expression the entire circuitous length of the former wall is abut 1.3 kilometers. Other segment of the wall can be seen elsewhere in Berlin for instance at the Berlin Wall Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie.
Although a wall running through the heart of Germany’s capital, dividing east and west is no longer a reality, the memory and circumstances of its construction do not leave people indifferent at present. As you can see some parts of this wall remain and symbolize the importance of unity rather than the impact of division.
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