English
It is a symbol of the days of Cold War and the German division and was given the title “the death strip”. It also symbolizes the division of Germany from 1961 to 1989. During the days of crisis, the Communist government built this wall to cover the escaping routes of the country to curb the continuous flight of East Germans towards the Western side. The fenced barbed-wire got gradually replaced with thick concrete slabs which were given a special shape to prevent people from clinging to it.
The Berlin Wall was a kind of barrier built between East (GDR) and West Berlin for over 28 years. With the end of World War II, the Germany was separated into four zones which were fully under the control of the army. This ushered a period of great depression between East and West. This tension peaked when the Soviet Union closed any type of connection between Western occupation zones of Germany and the West Berlin. It was raised between the two cities to refrain people from having any kind of contacts. Though the people belonging to both the states possessed the same nationality but they have different passports.
The border between East and West became a death trap not only in Berlin but in the entire Germany. The soldiers were ordered to fire on anyone trying to cross the border area which was equipped with more and more terrifying equipments such as high voltage fence, land mines, and the barbed wire. The people protested and complained about this system and find numerous ways to meet their family and friends on the other side of the wall.
The passage between the two cities was finally restored along with the annihilation of the Great Wall as the Cold War came to an end and the Communism collapsed. The factors which ultimately led to the unification and the fall of the death wall in 1989 were: the arrival of Gorbachev as leader of the Soviet Union and the growing political and economic difficulties in the European countries. The border was fenced off and the wall was flattened by the people. Between 1989-1991 the major part of the wall was demolished. These were the days of extreme joy and happiness amongst the people of Berlin (Germany) as they could prosper with their lost families.
These days only parts of this wall can be seen in Berlin and therefore the visitors are very disappointed with the eruption of the world’s most splendid work. At some places like Berlin-Mitte and Friedrichshain, some fairly large parts of the wall can be discovered. The good news is some shops and museums sell small fragments of the wall and you can easily buy them if you are a historic enthusiast.
John
It is common that this wall shares some miserable fate for the people and is an important mark of the history of Berlin. Therefore why not rent apartments in Berlin and buy its remains which have a vital historic value.
