"Construction began in 1961 under the orders of the GDR's communist leadership, following the flight of approximately three million people to the West. They were escaping a struggling economy, limited freedoms and government surveillance. To prevent further defection to the West, the East German government built a complex system of barriers, obstacles and guard towers along the 155-kilometer-long border. It was meant to be impenetrable although some 5,000 East Germans did manage to make it across over the years."
"The wall cut nearly all traffic routes and communication channels between East and West Berlin. Border-crossing points such as Checkpoint Charlie remained exceptions. At the wall, the GDR's cruelty was put on full display. Between 1961 and 1989, at least 140 people were killed there. In addition to around 100 individuals attempting to flee, border guards and uninvolved passersby also lost their lives."
"When the communist block collapsed in Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall fell with it on November 9, 1989. German reunification then followed about a year later. People celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989Image: Peter Kneffel/dpa/picture alliance Today, only some segments of the wall are left standing in Berlin. The longest is the famous East Side Gallery, with its painted-concrete structure spanning 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles). Another section can be found at the Berlin Wall Memorial."
The Berlin Wall separated West Berlin, an FRG enclave, from East Berlin in the GDR for 28 years. Construction began in 1961 after about three million people fled to the West, escaping economic hardship, limited freedoms and surveillance. East Germany erected a 155-kilometer system of barriers, obstacles and guard towers intended to be impenetrable; roughly 5,000 people nevertheless escaped. The wall severed most transport and communication links, with exceptions like Checkpoint Charlie. At least 140 people were killed trying to cross between 1961 and 1989. The wall fell on November 9, 1989; reunification followed and sections remain as memorials such as the East Side Gallery.
Read at www.dw.com
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