Berlin Wall still a major tourist draw

For many visitors to the German capital Berlin, one of the most commonly asked questions is where the Berlin Wall, which divided the city from 1961 to 1989, once stood.

For many visitors to the German capital Berlin, one of the most commonly asked questions is where the Berlin Wall, which divided the city from 1961 to 1989, once stood.

A double line of cobblestones now extend its way from the landmark Brandenburg Gate to the former no man’s land at Potsdamer Platz.

Even today, sections of the wall still stand throughout Berlin as a reminder of the division that once stood between east and west. Alongside the River Spree, the most colourful section of the Wall that still stands.

This 1.3 kilometre stretch of Wall is an open-air gallery, where visitors pose to have their photographs taken in front of their favourite pieces.

118 artists came to Berlin in 1990 to paint murals on the remaining sections, and almost two decades later, the paintwork has faded, and the concrete has been eroded by the elements.

In Britain, a piece of the wall stands outside London’s Imperial War Museum.

‘I was only a young lad when the Berlin Wall went down, but I’ve seen the video footage of Ronald Reagan saying ‘Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall,’ said visitor John Larsen, referring to a famous speech by the former US president in 1987.

‘I’ve seen a documentary or ten, about the wall being torn down, and the freedom and all the East Germans pouring into West Berlin and into the freedom. And actually today, probably more than anything else, stands for freedom,’ he added.

Terry Lamonte, visiting the War Museum from Switzerland, said it was good for people to remember the Berlin Wall.

‘To make people remember how governments can separate people, although they speak the same language and have basically the same culture and still is a physical separation. But it’s come a long way since then, so I think that’s good. It’s a good remembrance to have it here,’ she said.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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