The Berlin Wall, known in the Soviet Union and in East Germany as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart," was a separation barrier between West Germany and East Germany.
An iconic symbol of the Cold War, the wall divided East and West Berlin for 28 years, from the day construction began on August 13, 1961 until it was dismantled in 1989. During this period 125 people were killed trying to escape to the West, according to official figures (Wikipedia).
Not long ago, on a Sunday, when everything here is closed, I went for a walk around my neighborhood, to see what there was to discover. I found that my neighborhood is rich in history, albeit perhaps not from Germany's best moments. A ten minute walk from my flat brings you to the grave of 24 year-old Günter Liftin, the first person who died trying to cross the wall. The Communist regime gave explicit orders to shoot to kill attempted defectors, so when Günter Liftin tried to flee the East, his chances of success were very slim.
Another thing I discovered while walking was an old frontier area tower, one of many that stood next to the wall, so as to allow a better view on what was happening on the ground next to the wall. This particular tower was dedicated to Günter Liftin and to all the other people who diedtrying to cross the wall between 1961 and 1989.
An iconic symbol of the Cold War, the wall divided East and West Berlin for 28 years, from the day construction began on August 13, 1961 until it was dismantled in 1989. During this period 125 people were killed trying to escape to the West, according to official figures (Wikipedia).
Not long ago, on a Sunday, when everything here is closed, I went for a walk around my neighborhood, to see what there was to discover. I found that my neighborhood is rich in history, albeit perhaps not from Germany's best moments. A ten minute walk from my flat brings you to the grave of 24 year-old Günter Liftin, the first person who died trying to cross the wall. The Communist regime gave explicit orders to shoot to kill attempted defectors, so when Günter Liftin tried to flee the East, his chances of success were very slim.
Another thing I discovered while walking was an old frontier area tower, one of many that stood next to the wall, so as to allow a better view on what was happening on the ground next to the wall. This particular tower was dedicated to Günter Liftin and to all the other people who diedtrying to cross the wall between 1961 and 1989.
The indentation in this cement circle shows you where the wall used to be. As you can see, it was not very thick, but as the top of the wall was lined with a smooth pipe, it made it difficult for escapers to scale it. Of course, getting to the wall itself was a feat-it was reinforced by mesh fencing, signal fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wire, over 116 watchtowers and 20 bunkers.
The sign in the window of the tower says "Passage not allowed".
1 comment:
Wow. Very interesting. I have a little piece of the Berlin wall; a little piece of history.
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