Crossing from East to West Berlin. The line and memory of the wall is highlighted throughout the city.
From the moment I arrived in Berlin the Wall was a hot topic. There was a public protest at the East Side Gallery – a section of the wall that is preserved along the Spree River for street artists around the world leave their mark for peace. The East Side Gallery is considered an international memorial for freedom but is in threat of being torn down for development. I’m not going to get into the details of the feuding groups in this post – it’s quite political and convoluted like most disagreements – but you should know that it’s a very hot topic in Berlin . So much so that David Hasselhoff (aka the Hoff), even showed up to a protest the new development. Epic German (pop) culture.
I still remember the first thing that struck me when I visited Berlin a year ago – I was impressed by how well they preserved the wall and memorialized it as well as other important areas/sites of the city. The Wall is a structure that has a reason to be hated deeply, yet the city has done a great job of putting together a public space to learn about it’s history and remember the past lives and stories. I was absolutely entranced by the Berlin Wall Memorial along Bernauer Strasse. It was so cleverly done incorporating the land in which the wall stood and even the buildings around it – an open air exhibition. It told a story – and that’s what a good memorial does.
Overall memorials are important tools for educating the general public. These areas in Berlin combine art, architecture, physical urban space and the power of memory – an effective combination. Do you agree?
What are some of the best memorials you have seen around the world?
Tourists have their photo taken near the death strip at the Berlin Wall memorial
A memorial plaque of those who lost their lives trying to escape to West Berlin
A famous picture of East Berliners fleeing as the wall was being erected. The image is depicted along one of the buildings on Bernauer Strasse.
A guard tower remains at the memorial
Plaques outline an old escape tunnel along Bernauer Strasse.
A view of the memorial along Bernauer Strasse from the Visitor Center. It’s only a few blocks long but filled with great artistic displays and information.
A section of the wall along Bernauer Strasse depicted by rebar. I love the creativeness of this memorial!
A small section of the East Side Gallery’s remaning Death Strip on a cold winter day.
The most famous painting on the East Side Gallery – kissing communist leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker.
The images are marked by plaques along the East Side Gallery.
A door in the wall along the East Side Gallery
More Information:
Berlin Wall Memorial Bernauer Strasse Website
Hours
Open-Air Exhibition and Memorial Grounds
All year round Monday – Sunday 8:00am – 10:00pm
Visitor Center and Documentation Center
April – October
Tuesday – Sunday 9:30am – 7:00pm
November – March
Tuesday – Sunday 9:30am – 6:00pm
Location:
Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer
Bernauer Straße 111/119
13355 Berlin
By Gillian @GlobalBookshelf April 12, 2013 - 7:09 am
I think Berlin does a fabulous job of trying to memorialize the past, while looking to the future. It’s a fine line; to not get caught up in forever apologizing and trying to make it up and yet being able to move forward with a bright future. It’s constantly changing and worth repeated visits. Someone said to me “Paris will always be Paris, but Berlin is constantly changing and needs to be revisited”. I hope to one day soon.
By Mike (Nomadic Texan) April 12, 2013 - 10:16 am
Sherry this is a great post, especially for those of us old enough to remember when it was torn down and what it represented at one time. Thanks for sharing!
By Nat April 13, 2013 - 4:14 am
Something so simple yet it caused so much misery. The photos capture the symbolic reference excellently.
By Turtle April 14, 2013 - 8:17 pm
Great photos, as usual.
I don’t think there would be a way for Berlin to ‘get rid of’ the wall or ever forget it. It was such an important part of the city for so long and has defined the way Berlin is now, in many ways.
Despite how awful the history of a place, you do the people a disservice if you whitewash or ignore it.
By Majida April 15, 2013 - 3:16 pm
Beautiful pictures and perspectives! One day, I would like to walk down the remaining Berlin wall to read and see the art work on it, however not to forget the horrifying past of this wall. Hard to believe today…! Did you also visit the Holocaust Memorial? My friend and me went there at dusk….it was breath taking, horrifying and in German we say: Herzergreifend…it did to us, what it was supposed to do!
By Emily in Chile April 16, 2013 - 12:25 pm
I so agree with this: “It told a story – and that’s what a good memorial does.” It seems like a lot of memorials are just statues designed to mark the spot and help people who already know the story remember, but a really good memorial allows even people who don’t know the backstory to learn and appreciate what happened.
By Prasad Np April 18, 2013 - 2:31 pm
The Wall is a piece of history to remember in times of peace. I personally think that some of it should remain. The real estate in big cities is so valuable that on one pretext or another we want to convert it into commercial property.
The pics are absolutely fabulous.
Thanks
By Patty May 2, 2013 - 9:22 pm
The wall coming down was one of the most notable events of my youth. Thanks for such incredible photos and content on this subject.
By Gan BK November 17, 2013 - 11:09 am
Most intriguing write-up of a remnant of the Cold War. I enjoy very much how you relate your personal experience and thanks for the fabulous photos especially the bird-eye view of the memorial from across the street.