Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Berlin Wall
It's more than a tad ironic that Berlin's most popular tourist attraction is one that
no longer exists. For 28 years the Berlin Wall, the most potent symbol of the Cold
War, divided not only a city but the world.
Sections of the Berlin Wall in Potsdamer Platz
JOHN FREEMAN /GETTY IMAGES ©
The Beginning
Shortly after midnight on 13 August 1961, East German soldiers and police began rolling out
miles of barbed wire that would soon be replaced with prefab concrete slabs. All of a sudden,
streets were cut in two, transportation between the city halves was halted and East Germans,
including commuters, were no longer allowed to travel to West Berlin.
The Berlin Wall was a desperate measure launched by the German Democratic Republic
(GDR; East Germany) government to stop the sustained brain-and-brawn drain the country
