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Where can you find the remains of the Berlin Wall? Trace the places where you can still find the authentic fragments of the wall.
Finding the remains of the Berlin Wall is for sure an exciting quest.
“Nobody has the intention of building a wall!”. This is what Walter Ulbricht said just 2 months before they built that bloody wall that divided the city for almost 30 years. 30 years of oppression, injustice and fear.
I was too young to remember but the 9 Novembre 1989 was an incredible day. The Berlin Wall comes down and a new chapter in German history begins. A new chapter full of hope and trust towards the future.
But the Wall wasn’t completely destroyed. Some fragments are still standing and people can get close and touch them.
But where can you find the remains of the Berlin Wall?
Let’s start first tracing the route of the wall.
In this map, created by Berlino Guida, you can see the original location of the Berlin Wall.
If you start walking on this line you’ll realize that a double row of cobblestones marks the route of the Wall.
Some fragments of the Wall are exactly where they used to be, while others were moved and replaced.
I would point out some places where you can still see the remains of the Berlin Wall.
1. EAST SIDE GALLERY.
The East Side Gallery is the longest section of the Berlin Wall: 1300 meters.
It’s not only the longest section, but also the most colorful one.
Artists from all over the world went to Berlin to paint the Wall to express their creativity on the subject of peace and freedom.
Some of the most famous paintings on the wall are:
- the “mortal kiss” between Brèžnev and Honecker by Dimitrji Vrubel;
- the car breaking through the wall by Birgit Kinder;
- the cartoon-style heads by Thierry Noir.
The East Side Gallery is located along the Spree River and goes from the Oberbaumbrücke bridge to the Ostbanhof Station.
2. POTSDAMER PLATZ.
In Potsdamer Platz you will see some fragments of the Berlin Wall with some illustrative boards that display documents and pictures.
I couldn’t help but notice a myriad of chewing gums on the wall.
But why are there chewing gums on the Berlin Wall?
Vintage chewing gums? Not at all! Nobody could get close to the wall, imagine if they could stick gums on it!
Sadly they are just the results of individual actions of tourists who think they are original and creative artists. And in fact they do nothing but fill priceless pieces of history with foolish vandalism.
Who started it it’s a mystery. Kind of like the lockers on the bridges and on the poles.
And talking about lockers… it looks like they made it also to here!
3. TOPOGRAPHY OF TERROR.
At the entrance of the Topography of Terror you’ll see a long fragment of the Berlin Wall.
This fragment is different from all the other ones. No paintings, no graffitis, no chewing gums. It’s just a cold, grey, bare piece of wall.
I must say that among the other remains of the Berlin Wall this is the one that made a stronger impression to me. At first you barely notice it, but then when you take a deeper look at it you realize that this is how the Berlin Wall really looked like.
It wasn’t a colorful fragment. There were no paintings on it.
It was a long concrete block. Cold, grey, bare. Just like this one.
4. BERNAUER STRASSE AND MAUERPARK.
Finally I point out another place where you can see the remains of the Berlin Wall: Bernauer Strasse.
Bernauer Strasse was the place where they started tearing down the wall. Here you can also visit the Documentation Centre that contains photographs and documents at the time.
Not far, there is Mauerpark, that means the park of the wall. Each Sunday in summer there is karaoke where everyone can sing their favorite songs.
Finally today there is a happy vibe of freedom, way far from the dark time of fear and oppression of those terrible years of the Berlin Wall.
“All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.” (Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall)
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The Berlin Wall was a symbol of division and oppression. Having a tourist trail of the Wall servres as a reminder of what the world should never allow again.
The walls are so artistically and colorfully built. I would love to see all those paintings and the Belin Wall in person. Thanks for sharing!
I took the train from Denmark down through East Germany to East Berlin in 1972. I got out at an unknown rail [U-Bahn?] station and not knowing how to get to West Berlin, I made my way to Checkpoint Charlie. I wasn’t allowed through to West Berlin for some reason and so went back to the station. I passed many large buildings still in ruins from 1945. I saw very few people. One young man wanted to buy my jeans. How COULD I sell him my jeans, what would I wear? Eventually I found out how to get into West Berlin. Please remember, this was before the internet, before computers, before Lonely Planet Guides. It was long ago and the world is a different place.