February 6, 2018 Comments Off on The Berlin Wall – Good Thing Today It’s Street Art Views: 1860 Berlin, Imago, Street Art, Virtual Memoirs

The month of February 2018 marks the moment in which the Berlin Wall has been gone for more time than it has stood, or if countings correct, 10,317+ days over 10,316. The notorious structure which divided Berlin into East and West, as well as the country of Germany, was also referred to as the Iron Curtain. It extended over 154 kilometers (or 96 miles), and according to official accounts, 136 people lost their lives as they attempted to cross, most usually to escape from the east to the west.

The official date of the fall of the Berlin Wall is November 9th, 1989, though actual demolition did not commence until the summer of 1990. Germany was reunited later that year as well. While most of the Berlin Wall has been removed today, some parts of it have been left on the mercy of artists, such as the case with East Side Gallery. As you can see below, they have done a good job.

The East claimed it was building the Wall to stop Western spies entering Eastern Germany

However, the wall was rather built to stop people from the East fleeing to the West

Still, it is estimated that some 5,000 people managed to cross the wall and move from East to West

The West side of the wall was covered with graffiti, while the East side was not

West Germans would sometimes throw garbage over the wall. The Soviets couldn’t do anything about it.

When the border of East Germany with Hungary was opened in 1989, it got easier for East Germans to move to Austria through Hungary

There were checkpoints along the wall where people could pass. Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous.

Each Berlin Wall border control was cancelled by the summer of 1990. Checkpoint Charlie today is a place of interest and besides East Side Gallery, it is also recommended to check it out while touring Berlin.

We also thought to remind you of these postcards from the ‘old world’, ready to induce some nostalgia too

Tags: Berlin, Berlin Wall, Germany, street art, TCK, this city knows, virtual memoirs, Virtual Memoirs Berlin