Berlin Wall Memorial

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. The primary intention for its construction was to prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the West. Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans (20% of the population) circumvented Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions and defected from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East Berlin into West Berlin. After 1961, the deadly force associated with the Wall prevented almost all such emigration. During this period, over 100,000 people attempted to escape, and over 5,000 people succeeded in escaping over the Wall, with an estimated death toll of those killed by East German authorities ranging from 136 to more than 200 in and around Berlin. The Soviet Bloc propaganda portrayed the Wall as protecting its population from "fascist elements conspiring to prevent the will of the people" from building a communist state in the GDR. The authorities officially referred to the Berlin Wall as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart. Conversely, West Berlin's city government sometimes referred to it as the "Wall of Shame", a term coined by Mayor Willy Brandt in reference to the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the separate and much longer inner German border, it came to symbolize physically the Iron Curtain that separated the Western Bloc and Soviet satellite states of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. In 1989, after several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit the FRG and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side, and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the Wall over the next few weeks. The Brandenburg Gate section, a few meters from the Berlin Wall, reopened on 22 December 1989, with full demolition of the Wall beginning on 13 June 1990 and concluding in 1994. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which formally took place on 3 October 1990.

In Their Own Story

On 9 November 1989, the East German government announced that all GDR citizens could visit the FRG and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side. Souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the Wall over the next few weeks. The Brandenburg Gate section, a few meters from the Berlin Wall, reopened on 22 December 1989. Full demolition of the Wall began on 13 June 1990 and concluded in 1994. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which formally took place on 3 October 1990.

Reader's Guide

The Berlin Wall Memorial preserves a section of the original barrier. The Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails and other defenses. Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans (20% of the population) defected from the GDR. After 1961, over 100,000 people attempted to escape, and over 5,000 people succeeded, with an estimated death toll ranging from 136 to more than 200. The Wall fell in 1989, with full demolition concluding in 1994. The site stands as a reminder of the division that once split Europe during the Cold War.

Did You Know?

• The Berlin Wall was officially referred to by East German authorities as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart.
• West Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt coined the term 'Wall of Shame' for the Berlin Wall.
• Before the Wall was built, 3.5 million East Germans (20% of the population) defected from the GDR.
• Over 5,000 people succeeded in escaping over the Wall, with an estimated death toll ranging from 136 to more than 200.
• The Brandenburg Gate section, a few meters from the Berlin Wall, reopened on 22 December 1989.