Let oneself be taken back four decades and ensure with the help of this film a gripping insight into the history of the Berlin Wall. This modern-day architectural master piece, was not long ago a symbol of the much dreaded division and also oppression, of the German nation; But today remains a symbol of the spirit that has refused to be bowed down by its much dismal past. Here on this tour we will explore some of the hidden histories, tales and places that define the city and its inhabitants. Welcome readers and friends, let us embark on an enlightening journey into history, explore the history of the aggravating Berlin Wall.
No other symbol of the Wall was so apt as this, for the very construction and demolition of the bridge epitomize the history of the Wall: its rise and its fall.
The ‘Wall’ was built by the government of the German Democratic Republic in 1961 to physically split the city and East and West, it became the manifest symbol of communism and democracy. For nearly 27 years, the Wall was the greatest symbol of the division of East and West Berlin; it came crashing down in 1989 for the winds of change that have engulfed Eastern Europe.
Your visiting starts from Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most important crossings of the division during the cold war period. This area and the buildings here have been a stage for multiple stand offs and most espionage attempts that were aimed at bringing down the wall, therefore giving visitors of this city the feel of the fear and the tension that was characteristic of the city when the wall was still standing.
An Iconic Monument: Brandenburg Gate
Next head to the Brandenburg Gate, which was previously just an image for the wall. Today it is sign umptive of unity and victory. You can literally reach out, touch the stone columns of the gates and imagine the burden of history, and separation that people wanted to break for a reunion.
The Journey to East Side Gallery
Situated at the Spree River bank within Berlin the East Side Gallery is a strip of the available Berlin wall that has been turned into an art wall featuring strong artworks. Stroll along what is left of the Wall, accompanied by the colourful messages of hope, freedom and defiance.
View the sculpture by Mikhail Shemyakin’ “The Admonition” representing the interaction between religion and government in the Soviet Union and some sobering sculptures by Vadim Sidur and Leonid Mozgovoi playing on the concept of freedom. Thus each mural has a theme that brings concepts of the human spirit and their desire to be free from walls into consideration and into our consciousness.
An experience at the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie
For a deeper appreciation of the history behind the construction of Berlin Wall visit the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. It is a great museum which provides the most valuable information on the Wall itself, its construction, attempts to cross it as well as lives of people in the divided city.
See their belongings, photographs and touch screens depicting true stories of people impacted by the Wall. Explore the tales of heroism, survival, and optimism together with enhance your knowledge of how the wall influenced physical and mental landscape of Berlin and its individuals.
Remembering the Victims: Memorial Sites
The last stop in your Berlin City tour is the free walking tour at the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe. This monument of 2,711 concrete blocks is dedicated to the genocide witnessed during the Holocaust and equally witnesses to the historic wall of Berlin.
Fortunately for you, one of Berlin’s most easily accessible areas is home to the Berlin Wall Memorial and Documentation Centre at Bernauer Strasse. Currently, this site contains a part of the primary wall that gives more information on its architecture, attempts to breach and the severe destructive outcome generally on individuals who attempted it. Admire a few watchtowers on the memorial territory – evidences of constant overcoming and threats that a divided Berlin symbolized for people.
Closing Thoughts
It strikes me as rather poetic that one of the world’s most famous walls — one that stood as a stark reminder of divisions until its very physical dismantlement — has been co-opted into representing people’s basic instincts to come together, to push onward and to seek liberty, all at once. While on this walking tour, you’ll be privy to how the structure rose to the test, and how people who lived under it’s shadow endured.
Let the stories sink in within you, and then we remember what the show is trying to tell us, regarding the necessity of unity and encouragement of common human values. The Berlin Wall remains high as a symbol of victory of power of hope, Over fear and as a symbol of power of those who believe in a change that can occur.
Start this walking tour with the load of history in your heart and the urge in your heart to never let walls-whether physical or metaphorical-be constructed again.
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