The Barrier Around Freedom:
By Melissa Kulaprathazhe
November 22, 1995
An unforgettable history is hidden behind the Berlin Wall. The most frequently asked question tourists ask today after viewing the site where the Berlin Wall once stood is, "Where is the wall?" Even though little traces of Berlin Wall is left, it remains in history as a popular symbol of the Cold War.
After World War II, Berlin was divided into four sectors. The American, British and French sectors were part of the western system while the Soviet sector was part of the Communist system in the East. Until August 1961, the border between East and West Berlin was opened. Daily, half a million people would cross the border from one part of the city into the other. The leaders of the Communist parties of the Commecon met in Moscow from August 3 until August 5, 1961 and they decided to close the border between East and West Berlin.
In the afternoon of August 12, 1961, at 4 p.m. Walter Ulbricht, the East German leader, signed the commands to close the border. Then the police and the "Kampfgruppen" began to bolt the city. The wall was built and separated the city into two parts for more than 28 years. East Germans weren't allowed to freely travel to the West. It was a weekend and most Berliners slept while the East German government begun to close the border. In the early morning of that Sunday the border to West Berlin was closed. The East German troops destroyed streets and installed barbed wire entanglement through Berlin.
The first concrete elements and large square blocks were used first on August 15, 1961. Within the next months the first generation of the Berlin Wall was built up. A second wall was build in June 1962 in order to prevent from escaping to the West. These two first generations were removed by the third generation at about 1965. The third generation of the wall consisted of concrete slabs between steel girder and concrete posts. From the year 1975 the third generation of the wall was replaced by the fourth generation. New concrete segments were used which were easy to build up and were more resistant to environmental pollutions. On November 9, 1989, a press conference was held where the SED government announced that travel restrictions for East Germans had been lifted. In that night people from East Berlin flooded into the western part of the city and hundreds of thousands celebrated throughout the city.
For countless years tourists came to Berlin to view the Berlin Wall. Today tourists will be disappointed about the Berlin Wall as a tourist attraction. The Berlin Wall was completely removed. In Berlin only a few sections of the former Berlin Wall and some watch towers still exist. On most streets the former course of the Berlin Wall is marked only by a doubled row of paving stones.
During the Cold War, the Berlin Wall stood for communism and divided Berlin into two hemispheres. When the Berlin Wall fell, so did the Soviet Union. Still, the Berlin Wall will continue to represent the struggle for freedom.
By Melissa Kulaprathazhe
November 22, 1995
An unforgettable history is hidden behind the Berlin Wall. The most frequently asked question tourists ask today after viewing the site where the Berlin Wall once stood is, "Where is the wall?" Even though little traces of Berlin Wall is left, it remains in history as a popular symbol of the Cold War.
After World War II, Berlin was divided into four sectors. The American, British and French sectors were part of the western system while the Soviet sector was part of the Communist system in the East. Until August 1961, the border between East and West Berlin was opened. Daily, half a million people would cross the border from one part of the city into the other. The leaders of the Communist parties of the Commecon met in Moscow from August 3 until August 5, 1961 and they decided to close the border between East and West Berlin.
In the afternoon of August 12, 1961, at 4 p.m. Walter Ulbricht, the East German leader, signed the commands to close the border. Then the police and the "Kampfgruppen" began to bolt the city. The wall was built and separated the city into two parts for more than 28 years. East Germans weren't allowed to freely travel to the West. It was a weekend and most Berliners slept while the East German government begun to close the border. In the early morning of that Sunday the border to West Berlin was closed. The East German troops destroyed streets and installed barbed wire entanglement through Berlin.
The first concrete elements and large square blocks were used first on August 15, 1961. Within the next months the first generation of the Berlin Wall was built up. A second wall was build in June 1962 in order to prevent from escaping to the West. These two first generations were removed by the third generation at about 1965. The third generation of the wall consisted of concrete slabs between steel girder and concrete posts. From the year 1975 the third generation of the wall was replaced by the fourth generation. New concrete segments were used which were easy to build up and were more resistant to environmental pollutions. On November 9, 1989, a press conference was held where the SED government announced that travel restrictions for East Germans had been lifted. In that night people from East Berlin flooded into the western part of the city and hundreds of thousands celebrated throughout the city.
For countless years tourists came to Berlin to view the Berlin Wall. Today tourists will be disappointed about the Berlin Wall as a tourist attraction. The Berlin Wall was completely removed. In Berlin only a few sections of the former Berlin Wall and some watch towers still exist. On most streets the former course of the Berlin Wall is marked only by a doubled row of paving stones.
During the Cold War, the Berlin Wall stood for communism and divided Berlin into two hemispheres. When the Berlin Wall fell, so did the Soviet Union. Still, the Berlin Wall will continue to represent the struggle for freedom.