The fall of the Berlin Wall united not only one nation, but also families separated by borders. This event marked the unification of the nation. The slogans at the demonstrations read: “We are one people.” The year of the fall of the Berlin Wall is considered to be the year of the beginning of a new life in Germany.
Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall, whose construction began in 1961, symbolized the end of the Cold War. During construction, wire fencing was first laid out, which later grew into a 5-meter concrete fortification, complemented by watchtowers and barbed wire. The main purpose of the wall is to reduce refugees from the GDR to (before this, 2 million people had already managed to cross). The wall stretched for several hundred kilometers. The indignation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic was transmitted to Western countries, but no protests or rallies could influence the decision to install a fence.
28 years behind the fence
It stood for a little more than a quarter of a century - 28 years. During this time, three generations were born. Of course, many were unhappy with this state of affairs. People strived for a new life, from which they were separated by a wall. One can only imagine what they felt for her - hatred, contempt. The inhabitants were imprisoned, as if in a cage, and they tried to escape to the west of the country. However, according to official data, about 700 people were shot dead. And these are only documented cases. Today, you can also visit the Berlin Wall Museum, which preserves stories about the tricks people had to resort to to overcome it. For example, one child was literally catapulted over the fence by his parents. One family was transported by hot air balloon.
Fall of the Berlin Wall - 1989
The communist regime of the GDR fell. It was followed by the fall of the Berlin Wall, the date of this high-profile incident was 1989, November 9. These events immediately caused people to react. And joyful Berliners began to destroy the wall. Very soon, most of the pieces became souvenirs. November 9 is also called the "Feast of All Germans". The fall of the Berlin Wall became one of the most notorious events of the twentieth century and was perceived as a sign. In the same 1989, no one yet knew what course of events fate had in store for them. (leader of the GDR) at the beginning of the year argued that the wall would remain in place for at least half a century, or even the entire century. The opinion that it was indestructible dominated both among ruling circles, and between ordinary residents. However, May of the same year showed the opposite.
The fall of the Berlin Wall - how it happened
Hungary removed its “wall” with Austria, and therefore there was no point in the Berlin Wall. According to eyewitnesses, even a few hours before the fall, many still had no idea what would happen. A huge mass of people, when news of the simplification of the access regime reached them, moved towards the wall. The border guards on duty, who did not have orders for precise actions in this situation, attempted to push the people back. But the pressure of the residents was so great that they had no choice but to open the border. On this day, thousands of West Berliners came out to meet East Berliners to greet them and congratulate them on their “liberation.” November 9 really happened folk holiday.
15th anniversary of the destruction
In 2004, marking the 15th anniversary of the destruction of the symbol of the Cold War, a large ceremony was held in the German capital to commemorate the opening of a monument to the Berlin Wall. It is a restored part of the former fence, but now its length is only a few hundred meters. The monument is located where the former location of a checkpoint called "Charlie" was located, which served as the main connection between the two parts of the city. Here you can also see 1,065 crosses erected in memory of those who were killed from 1961 to 1989 for attempting to escape from Eastern Germany. However, there is no exact information about the number of those killed, since different resources report completely different data.
25th anniversary
On November 9, 2014, German residents celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The festive event was attended by the President of Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel. Foreign guests also visited it, including Mikhail Gorbachev (former President of the USSR). On the same day, a concert and a ceremonial meeting took place in the Konzerthaus, which was also attended by the President and Federal Chancellor. Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his opinion about the events that took place, saying that Berlin is saying goodbye to the wall, because there is new life and history. On the occasion of the holiday, an installation of 6880 glowing balls was installed. In the evening, filled with gel, they flew away into the darkness of the night, being a symbol of the destruction of the barrier and separation.
Europe's reaction
The fall of the Berlin Wall became an event that the whole world talked about. A large number of historians argue that the country would have come to unity if in the late 80s, as it happened, which means a little later. But this process was inevitable. Before this, lengthy negotiations took place. By the way, Mikhail Gorbachev also played a role, speaking for the unity of Germany (for which he was awarded Nobel Prize peace). Although some assessed these events from a different point of view - as a loss of geopolitical influence. Despite this, Moscow has demonstrated that it can be trusted to negotiate complex and fairly fundamental issues. It is worth noting that some European leaders were against the reunification of Germany, for example, Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister of Britain) and (President of France). Germany in their eyes was a political and economic competitor, as well as an aggressor and military adversary. They were concerned about the reunification of the German people, and Margaret Thatcher even tried to convince Mikhail Gorbachev to back down from his position, but he was adamant. Some European leaders saw Germany as a future enemy and openly feared it.
End of the Cold War?
After November the wall was still standing (it was not completely destroyed). And in the mid-nineties, a decision was made to demolish it. Only a small “segment” was left intact in memory of the past. The world community perceived the day of the fall of the Berlin Wall as a unification not only of Germany. And throughout Europe.
Putin, while still an employee of the KGB representative office in the GDR, supported the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as the unification of Germany. He also starred in a documentary film dedicated to this event, which premiered on the 20th anniversary of the reunification of the German people. By the way, it was he who persuaded the demonstrators not to destroy the building of the KGB representative office. V.V. Putin was not invited to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the collapse of the wall (D.A. Medvedev was present at the 20th anniversary) - after the “Ukrainian events,” many world leaders, like Angela Merkel, who acted as the hostess of the meeting, considered his presence inappropriate.
The fall of the Berlin Wall became good sign for the whole world. However, unfortunately, history shows that fraternal peoples can be fenced off from each other without tangible walls. Cold wars exist between states even in the 21st century.
One of the journalists in the 80s described his impressions of the Berlin Wall as follows: “I walked and walked along the street and just ran into a blank wall. There was nothing nearby, nothing. Just long and gray wall».
Long and gray wall. And really, nothing special. However, this is the most famous monument of recent world and German history, or rather, what is left of the wall and turned into a memorial.
History of construction
It is impossible to talk about the emergence of the Berlin Wall without knowing how Europe changed after World War II.
Then Germany split into two parts: East and West, the GDR (Eastern) followed the path of building socialism and was completely controlled by the USSR, joined the military bloc of the Warsaw Pact, Germany (the Allied occupation zone) continued capitalist development.
Berlin was divided in the same unnatural way. The area of responsibility of the three allies: France, England, the USA - became West Berlin, ¼ of which went to the GDR.
By 1961 it became clear that everything more people they don’t want to build a socialist bright future, border crossings have become more frequent. The young people, the future of the country, were leaving. In July alone, about 200 thousand people left the GDR across the border with West Berlin.
The leadership of the GDR, supported by the Warsaw Pact countries, decided to strengthen the country's state border with West Berlin.
On the night of August 13, GDR military units began covering the entire perimeter of the West Berlin border with barbed wire; they were finished by the 15th; then the construction of the fence continued for a year.
Another problem remained for the GDR authorities: Berlin had one transport system of metro and electric trains. It was solved simply: they closed all the stations on the line, above which the territory of an unfriendly state was located, where they could not close, they set up a checkpoint, like at the Friedrichstrasse station. They did the same with the railroad.
The border was fortified.
What did the Berlin Wall look like?
The word “wall” does not fully reflect the complex border fortification that, in fact, was the Berlin Wall. It was a whole border complex, consisting of several parts and well fortified.
It stretched for a distance of 106 kilometers, its height was 3.6 meters and was designed so that it could not be overcome without special devices. The construction material – gray reinforced concrete – gave the impression of inaccessibility and steadfastness.
They strung barbed wire along the top of the wall and passed a current through it. high voltage to prevent any attempts to illegally cross the border. In addition, a metal mesh was installed in front of the wall, and metal strips with spikes were placed in some places. Observation towers and checkpoints were erected along the perimeter of the structure (there were 302 such structures). To make the Berlin Wall completely impregnable, anti-tank structures were built.
The complex of border structures was completed by a control strip with sand, which was leveled daily.
The Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of Berlin and Germany, was in the way of the barrage. The problem was solved simply: they were surrounded by a wall on all sides. No one, neither East Germans nor West Berliners, could approach the gates from 1961 until 1990. The absurdity of the “Iron Curtain” has reached its apogee.
Part of the once united people, it would seem, forever cut itself off from the other part, bristling with electrified barbed wire.
Living surrounded by a wall
Of course, it was West Berlin that was surrounded by a wall, but it seemed that the GDR had fenced itself off from the whole world, safely hidden behind the most primitive security structure.
But no walls can stop people who want freedom.
Only citizens of retirement age enjoyed the right of free transition. The rest invented many ways to overcome the wall. It is interesting that the more the border became stronger, the more sophisticated the means of crossing it became.
They flew over her on a hang glider, a homemade hot air balloon, climbed on a rope stretched between border windows, and rammed the walls of houses with bulldozers. To get to the other side, they dug tunnels, one of them was 145 m long, and many people moved through it to West Berlin.
During the years of the wall's existence (from 1961 to 1989), more than 5,000 people left the GDR, including members of the People's Army.
Lawyer Wolfgang Vogel, a public figure from the GDR who was involved in mediation in the exchange of people (among his most famous cases were the exchange of the Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel for Gary Powers, the exchange of Anatoly Sharansky), arranged border crossings for money. The leadership of the GDR had a stable income from this. So more than 200 thousand people and about 40 thousand political prisoners left the country. Very cynical, because we were talking about people's lives.
People died trying to cross the wall. The first to die was 24-year-old Peter Fechter in August 1962, the last victim of the wall was Chris Gueffroy in 1989. Peter Fechter bled to death after lying wounded against a wall for 1.5 hours before border guards picked him up. Now at the site of his death there is a monument: a simple column of red granite with a modest inscription: “He just wanted freedom.”
Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1989, the leadership of the GDR could no longer restrain its citizens from their desire to leave the country. Perestroika began in the USSR, and “big brother” could no longer help. In the fall, the entire leadership of East Germany resigned, and on November 9, free passage across the former, once so fortified border was allowed.
Thousands of Germans on both sides rushed to each other, rejoiced and celebrated. These were unforgettable moments. The event instantly acquired a sacred meaning: no to the unnatural division of a single people, yes to a united Germany. No to all borders, yes to freedom and the right to human life for all people in the world.
Just as the wall used to be a symbol of separation, these days it has begun to unite people. They drew graffiti on it, wrote messages, and cut off pieces as souvenirs. People understood that history was being made before their eyes, and they were its creators.
The wall was finally demolished a year later, leaving a 1,300-meter-long fragment as a reminder of the most expressive symbol of the Cold War.
Epilogue
This building has become a symbol of the absurd desire to slow down the natural course of history. But the Berlin Wall and, to a greater extent, its fall took on enormous meaning: no barriers could divide a united people, no walls would protect from the wind of change that blew through the bricked-up windows of border houses.
This is what the Scorpions song “Wind of Change” is about, dedicated to the fall of the wall and becoming the anthem of German unification.
The fall of the Berlin Wall. German reunification
There are only a few months left before the fall of the Berlin Wall. 1989
On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell - a symbol of the 40-year division of the city, the German nation and the entire continent. The process of unification of the German state proceeded at a rapid pace.
Since the mid-80s, the situation in the GDR has become increasingly less calm. While the USSR is pursuing a policy of perestroika, the leadership of the GDR continues to ignore the dictates of the times. The opposition continues to be persecuted. The number of those who decided to leave the GDR as soon as possible is growing uncontrollably. In mid-August 1989, about 600 tourists from the GDR, who were spending their holidays in Hungary, flee to Austria. Hungarian border guards are not trying to prevent the escape. Moreover, Budapest is lifting the Iron Curtain and allowing East German citizens free travel to the West.
The SED leadership is trying to block the flow of tourists to Hungary. After this, thousands of citizens of the GDR, trying to achieve emigration to the West, begin to besiege the diplomatic missions of the Federal Republic of Germany in Prague and Warsaw. At the end of September, German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher flies to Prague. He informs thousands of East German citizens gathered at the Embassy of the Federal Republic that they are allowed to travel to the West. Refugees who took refuge in the West German embassy in Warsaw also receive such permission.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Celebrations on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the GDR, taking place in early October 1989, turn into a farce for the East German leadership. Not paying any attention to what is happening around, the head of the party and government, Erich Honecker, sings the praises of the GDR and its social system. And even Mikhail Gorbachev’s calls for reforms in the GDR are in vain. However, the inevitability of change became clear to most of the leadership of the GDR. On October 18, Honecker was forced to cede power to Egon Krenz.
The new SED leadership promises to carry out reforms. On November 4, about 400 thousand demonstrators gather at Alexanderplatz in Berlin, demanding freedom of speech, the resignation of the government and free elections. Unrest begins throughout the GDR. In Leipzig the opposition unites around the Evangelical Church. On November 6, over half a million people take part in the demonstration.
On November 9, it was announced that formalities related to obtaining visas in Germany would be reduced to a minimum. On the same day, many East Germans go to the Berlin Wall to find out everything thoroughly. The border guards are not yet aware of the new exit rules and are trying to drive away the crowd, but are soon forced to give in and open the passages. The Berlin Wall is showing its first crack.
Graffiti on the Berlin Wall - M.S. Gorbachev
The new head of the GDR government, Hans Modrow, assures that the process of change is irreversible. He promises to reform political system and the economy of the GDR. Mikhail Gorbachev says he welcomes the changes, but stresses that German reunification is not on the agenda. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl presented his plan to overcome the division of Germany at the end of November.
The merger is happening faster than expected. The prerequisite for the creation of a pan-German state will be the parliamentary elections in the GDR in March 1990. The East German Christian Democrats are winning by a large margin. Their leader, Lothar de Maizières, becomes head of the GDR government. In mid-May 1990, Kohl and de Maizières signed an agreement on the creation of a single economic space.
However, unification is not just an internal affair of the Germans. In May 1990, negotiations began in Bonn on the “2 plus 4” formula with the participation of both German states and the four victorious powers: the USSR, the USA, France and Great Britain. The most controversial issue is the entry of the future united Germany into military blocs.
The historical kiss of Brezhnev and Honecker
At a meeting in Zheleznovodsk on July 16, 1990, Kohl and Gorbachev agreed on all controversial points. Gorbachev agrees to the entry of a united Germany into NATO. The deadline for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of the GDR is determined. In turn, the German government assumes obligations within the framework of economic cooperation with the Soviet Union. This agreement and Germany's final recognition of Poland's western border along the Oder and Neisse constitute finishing touches on the path of unification.
On October 3, 1990, the GDR joined the zone of application of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany. In other words, Germany becomes a single country.
Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall a (German) Berliner Mauer) - an engineered and fortified state border of the German Democratic Republic with West Berlin (August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989) with a length of 155 km, including 43.1 km within Berlin. In the West, until the end of the 1960s, dysphemism was officially used in relation to the Berlin Wall “ Shameful wall", introduced by Willy Brandt.
Berlin map.
The wall is marked with a yellow line, red dots are checkpoints
The Berlin Wall was erected on August 13, 1961, on the recommendation of a meeting of the secretaries of the communist and workers' parties of the Warsaw Pact countries. During its existence, it was rebuilt and improved several times. By 1989, it was a complex complex consisting of:
concrete fencing with a total length of 106 km and an average height of 3.6 meters; metal mesh fences with a length of 66.5 km; signal fence under electric voltage, length 127.5 km; earthen ditches with a length of 105.5 km; anti-tank fortifications in certain areas; 302 guard towers and other border structures; strips of sharp spikes 14 km long and a control strip with constantly leveled sand.
There were no fences where the border passed along rivers and reservoirs. There were initially 13 border checkpoints, but by 1989 the number had been reduced to three.
Construction of the Berlin Wall. November 20, 1961
The construction of the Berlin Wall was preceded by a serious aggravation of the political situation around Berlin. Both military-political blocs - NATO and the Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO) confirmed the irreconcilability of their positions on the “German Question”. The West German government, led by Konrad Adenauer, introduced the Hallstein Doctrine in 1957, which provided for the automatic severance of diplomatic relations with any country that recognized the GDR, while insisting on holding all-German elections. In turn, the GDR authorities declared in 1958 their claims to sovereignty over West Berlin on the grounds that it was “on the territory of the GDR.”
In August 1960, the GDR government introduced restrictions on visits by German citizens to East Berlin, citing the need to stop them from conducting “revanchist propaganda.” In response, West Germany refused a trade agreement between both parts of the country, which the GDR regarded as an “economic war.” Western leaders said they would defend “the freedom of West Berlin with all their might.”
Berlin Wall structure
Both blocs and both German states increased their armed forces and stepped up propaganda against the enemy. The situation worsened in the summer of 1961. The tough course of the 1st Chairman of the State Council of the GDR Walter Ulbricht, economic policy aimed at “catching up and overtaking the Federal Republic of Germany” and the corresponding increase in production standards, economic difficulties, forced collectivization of 1957-1960, foreign policy tension and more high level wages in West Berlin encouraged thousands of GDR citizens to leave for the West. In total, more than 207 thousand people left the country in 1961. In July 1961 alone, more than 30 thousand East Germans fled the country. These were predominantly young and qualified specialists. Outraged East German authorities accused West Berlin and Germany of “human trafficking,” “poaching” personnel and attempts to thwart their economic plans.
In the context of the aggravation of the situation around Berlin, the leaders of the ATS countries decided to close the border. From August 3 to 5, 1961, a meeting of the first secretaries of the ruling communist parties of the ATS states was held in Moscow, at which Ulbricht insisted on closing the border in Berlin. On August 7, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED - East German Communist Party), a decision was made to close the border of the GDR with West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. The East Berlin police were put on full alert. At 1 am on August 13, 1961, the project began. About 25 thousand members of paramilitary “battle groups” from GDR enterprises occupied the border line with West Berlin; their actions covered parts of the East German army. Soviet army was in a state of readiness.
On August 13, 1961, construction of the wall began. In the first hour of the night, troops were brought up to the border area between West and East Berlin, and for several hours they completely blocked all sections of the border located within the city. By August 15, the entire western zone was surrounded by barbed wire, and the actual construction of the wall began. On the same day, four lines of the Berlin metro - U-Bahn - and some lines of the city were closed. railway- S-Bahn (during the period when the city was not divided, any Berliner could move freely around the city). Seven stations on the U6 metro line and eight stations on the U8 line were closed. Due to the fact that these lines went from one part of the western sector to another part through the eastern sector, it was decided not to break the western metro lines, but only to close the stations located in the eastern sector. Only the Friedrichstrasse station remained open, where a checkpoint was set up. Line U2 was split into western and eastern (after Thälmannplatz station) halves. Potsdamer Platz was also closed, as it was located in the border area. Many buildings and residential buildings adjacent to the future border were evicted. The windows facing West Berlin were blocked with bricks, and later during reconstruction the walls were completely demolished.
Construction and renovation of the wall continued from 1962 to 1975. By 1975, it acquired its final form, becoming a complex engineering structure called Grenzmauer-75. The wall consisted of concrete segments 3.60 m high, equipped on top with almost insurmountable cylindrical barriers. If necessary, the wall could be increased in height. In addition to the wall itself, new watchtowers and buildings for border guards were erected, and the amount of funds was increased street lighting, created complex system barriers. On the East Berlin side, along the wall there was a special restricted area with warning signs; after the wall there were rows of anti-tank hedgehogs, or a strip dotted with metal spikes, nicknamed “Stalin’s lawn,” followed by a metal mesh with barbed wire and signal flares. When an attempt was made to break through or overcome this grid, signal flares would go off, notifying the GDR border guards of the violation. Next was the road along which border guard patrols moved, after which there was a regularly leveled wide strip of sand to detect traces, followed by the wall described above, separating West Berlin. Towards the end of the 80s, it was also planned to install video cameras, motion sensors and even weapons with a remote control system.
GDR citizens required special permission to visit West Berlin. Only pensioners had the right of free passage. The most famous cases of escapes from the GDR in the following ways: 28 people escaped through a 145-meter-long tunnel they dug themselves, flights were made on a hang glider, in a hot air balloon made of nylon fragments, on a rope thrown between the windows of neighboring houses, in a convertible car, with the help of ramming a wall with a bulldozer. Between August 13, 1961 and November 9, 1989, there were 5,075 successful escapes to West Berlin or West Germany, including 574 desertions.
On August 12, 2007, the BBC reported that in the archives of the Ministry state security The GDR (Stasi) found a written order dated October 1, 1973, ordering the shooting to kill of all fugitives without exception, including children. The BBC, without disclosing sources, claimed 1,245 dead. Those who tried to illegally cross the Berlin Wall in the opposite direction, from West Berlin to East Berlin, are called “Berlin Wall jumpers,” and there were also victims among them, although according to instructions, the GDR border guards did not use firearms against them.
On June 12, 1987, US President Ronald Reagan, delivering a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in honor of the 750th anniversary of Berlin, called on the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Gorbachev to demolish the Wall, thereby symbolizing the desire of the Soviet leadership for change: “... General Secretary Gorbachev, if you are looking for peace , if you are looking for prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you are looking for liberalization: come here! Mister Gorbachev, open these gates! Mr. Gorbachev, destroy this wall!”
On June 12, 1987, US President Ronald Reagan gave a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in honor of the 750th anniversary of Berlin
When in May 1989, under the influence of perestroika in the Soviet Union, the GDR's Warsaw Pact partner, Hungary, destroyed fortifications on the border with its western neighbor Austria, the GDR leadership had no intention of following its example. But it soon lost control of the rapidly unfolding events. Thousands of GDR citizens flocked to other Eastern European countries in the hope of getting from there to West Germany. Already in August 1989, the diplomatic missions of the Federal Republic of Germany in Berlin, Budapest and Prague were forced to stop receiving visitors due to the influx of East German residents seeking entry into the West German state. Hundreds of East Germans fled to the West through Hungary. When the Hungarian government announced the full opening of borders on September 11, 1989, the Berlin Wall lost its meaning: within three days, 15 thousand citizens left the GDR through Hungarian territory. Mass demonstrations demanding civil rights and freedoms began in the country.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the center of East Berlin, demanding reforms and the closure of the secret police.
As a result of mass protests, the leadership of the SED resigned. On November 9, 1989 at 19:34, speaking at a press conference broadcast on television, GDR government representative Günter Schabowski announced new rules for exiting and entering the country. According to decisions taken, citizens of the GDR could obtain visas to immediately visit West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. Hundreds of thousands of East Germans, without waiting for the appointed time, rushed to the border on the evening of November 9. The border guards, who had not received orders, first tried to push the crowd back, using water cannons, but then, yielding to the massive pressure, they were forced to open the border. Thousands of West Berliners came out to greet the guests from the East. What was happening was reminiscent of a national holiday. The feeling of happiness and brotherhood washed away all state barriers and obstacles. West Berliners, in turn, began to cross the border, breaking into the eastern part of the city.
...Spotlights, hustle and bustle, jubilation. A group of people had already burst into the border crossing corridor, before the first lattice barrier. Behind them are five embarrassed border guards, recalled a witness to what was happening, Maria Meister from West Berlin. - From the watchtowers, already surrounded by a crowd, soldiers look down. Applause for every Trabant, for every group of pedestrians approaching shyly... Curiosity drives us forward, but there is also fear that something terrible might happen. Do the GDR border guards realize that this super-protected border is now being violated?.. We move on... The legs move, the mind warns. Detente comes only at the crossroads... We are just in East Berlin, people help each other with coins on the phone. Faces laugh, tongues refuse to obey: madness, madness. The light display shows the time: 0 hours 55 minutes, 6 degrees Celsius.
Over the next three days, more than 3 million people visited the West. On December 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate opened for passage, through which the border between East and West Berlin was drawn. The Berlin Wall still stood, but only as a symbol of the recent past. It was broken, painted with numerous graffiti, drawings and inscriptions; Berliners and visitors to the city tried to take away pieces of the once powerful structure as souvenirs. In October 1990, the lands of the former GDR entered the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Berlin Wall was demolished within a few months. It was decided to preserve only small parts of it as a monument for subsequent generations.
The wall with the Germans climbing it against the backdrop of the Brandenburg Gate
Dismantling of a section of the Wall near the Brandenburg Gate, December 21, 1989
On May 21, 2010, the grand opening of the first part of a large memorial complex dedicated to the Berlin Wall took place in Berlin. This part is called the “Memory Window”. The first part is dedicated to the Germans who died jumping from the windows of houses on Bernauer Strasse (these windows were then blocked with bricks), as well as those who died trying to move from the eastern part of Berlin to the western. The monument, weighing about a ton, is made of rusty steel, and contains several rows of black and white photographs of the victims. The entire Berlin Wall complex, which occupies four hectares, was completed in 2012. The memorial is located on Bernauer Strasse, along which the border between the GDR and West Berlin passed (the buildings themselves were in the eastern sector, and the sidewalk adjacent to them was in the western). The Chapel of Reconciliation, built in 2000 on the foundation of the Church of Reconciliation, which was blown up in 1985, became part of the Berlin Wall memorial complex.
Memorial complex Berlin Wall
If from the “eastern” side of the wall it was impossible to get close to it until the very end, then in the West it became a platform for the creativity of numerous artists - both professional and amateur. By 1989, it had turned into a multi-kilometer exhibition of graffiti, including very highly artistic ones.
On the night of Sunday, August 13, 1961, a first-degree alert was declared in East Berlin. Military personnel, police and workers' squads took up the indicated positions, where building materials for the construction of barriers were prepared in advance. By morning, the city of three million was cut into two parts. Barbed wire blocked 193 streets, 8 tram tracks and 4 metro lines. In places close to the border, with German punctuality, water pipes and gas pipes, electrical and telephone cables were cut, sewer tunnels were blocked with bricks. The dividing line ran through squares, bridges, boulevards, cemeteries, vacant lots, ponds, and parks. Early in the morning, Berliners learned that from now on they live in two different cities... .
40 years ago, Khrushchev said about West Berlin: “This is a bone in the throat of the Soviet Union.” Apparently, the Secretary General knew what he was saying. By 1961, it became clear to everyone: the dull counter of the GDR socialism could not withstand any competition with the showcase of capitalist Germany bursting with goods. The worst thing is that anyone could be convinced of this - go to the western side and jostle along crowded boulevards, look into busy restaurants, study the content of advertisements, sniff the mouth-watering aromas that come from the open doors of shops. It doesn’t matter that there is no money even for a glass of beer, it’s enough just to look at how people live. They seem to be the same Germans, only they have everything. And on free sale, without cards and queues...
Berlin was divided into 4 sectors at the beginning of 1945, when it became clear that victory over fascism was a matter of time. Supreme body The city was governed by the Union Commandant's Office, which included representatives of all countries. Over time, the USSR broke all agreements, resigned from the allied governing body, declaring East Berlin the capital of the GDR and telling the heads of the three Western powers that they must leave West Berlin and turn it into a demilitarized city. The Western powers rejected the ultimatum. During the Vienna meeting in 1961, the following dialogue took place between Kennedy and Khrushchev:
Khrushchev: War or peace - now everything depends on you. If you send one division to Berlin, I will send two there.
Kennedy: You want to achieve change at any cost, but I don't.
Khrushchev: A peace treaty with the GDR with all the ensuing consequences will be signed by December of this year.
Kennedy: If this is true, then we are in for a cold winter.
By “peace treaty,” Nikita Sergeevich meant the establishment of a real border between the two Germanys under the control of Soviet troops. He later recalled: “What was I supposed to do? In July 1961 alone, more than 30 thousand residents, including the best and most diligent, left the GDR. It was not difficult to calculate that the East German economy would collapse if we did not take some measures against the exodus. There were only two possibilities: an air barrier or a wall. An air barrier would lead to a serious conflict with the United States, and possibly even war. So, there was a wall left.”
And here is a recording of Kennedy’s thoughts: “Having lost East Germany, Soviet Union would have lost Poland, and indeed all of Eastern Europe. He must do something to stop the flow of refugees. Maybe a wall? We won't be able to oppose it. I can unite the alliance (NATO) to defend West Berlin, but I cannot keep East Berlin open.”
At a meeting of the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Pact states held in Moscow in March 1961, the idea of closing the border with West Berlin was rejected. For the next four months, the leader of the GDR, Walter Ulbricht, convinced the leaders of the socialist camp of the need to build a barrier between the Germans. At a meeting of the general secretaries of the communist parties of the socialist countries on August 5, 1961, the GDR received the necessary consent from the Eastern European countries, and on the 7th, at a closed meeting of the Politburo of the SED Central Committee, day “X” was appointed, in other words, the day of the construction of the wall, which became August 13.
...On both sides barbed wire huge crowds gathered. People were confused. The wedding party, which was noisy until the morning, went to the bride's parents to finish the walk - and was stopped by armed border guards a few steps from the house. The postman never delivered the correspondence home, the kindergarten was left without a teacher, the conductor did not appear at the concert, the doctor tried until the evening to explain that he was needed at the hospital. A certain Peter Zelle found himself in the most absurd position - they refused to allow his legal wife to visit him in the western part of the city. After many unsuccessful attempts to reunite his family through official means, he decided to take a desperate step - he found a woman in Germany who was exactly like his wife and tried to use her passport. As the GDR press noted, vigilant border guards stopped this “ill-fated provocation.”
The luckiest ones were those who lived in houses through which the border between sectors passed, for example on Bernauer Strasse. In the first hours they jumped from the windows onto free territory. West Berliners stretched tents and blankets under the windows and caught those jumping, but border guards began to break into apartments and brick up the windows. The wall was brought to perfection for another 10 years - first they built a stone one, and then began to replace it with reinforced concrete. Even the magician Copperfield would have been unable to get through such a machine. The wall seemed like a completely impregnable structure. But the dream of freedom sharpens ingenuity, and some attempts to break through the wall ended successfully. Hundreds, if not thousands of people tried to overcome it. Many fled with non-existent UN passports. One family managed to throw a cable from the roof of their house and move to the other side on a roller. Circus performer Renata Hagen escaped with the help of a Western diplomat, hiding in an amplifier speaker. One day, the sailors got the captain drunk and fled under bullets on a ship sailing along the Spree. In October 1964, after breaking through an underground passage 145 meters long and 60 centimeters high, 57 people escaped: from the eastern side they climbed into the box, three at a time, from the western side they pulled it by a rope. Since diving equipment was not sold in the GDR, one man made a submarine suit himself, using fire equipment, an oxygen bag and a welding hose. He plunged into the water and was gone. Two friends - an electrical engineer and a truck driver - built balloon, picked up their wives and children (8 people in total) and flew to the western side at night.
Some of the citizens of the GDR believed that by erecting a concrete rampart, the East Germans had reliably protected their freedom from outside attacks and could now build a new one in a calm atmosphere. happy life. Others realized that they were locked in a stone cage. “What kind of socialism is this that forces itself to be walled up so that its people do not run away?” - German dissident Stefan Heim wrote bitterly.
...But the years take their toll. Over time, people get used to everything - so the wall already seemed like an unshakable stronghold. Erich Honecker never tired of repeating: “The wall will stand for another 50 and 100 years - until the reasons that led to its construction are eliminated.” But he was wrong... The breath of perestroika is beginning to blow across the Soviet Union. On June 8, 1987, during a rock concert near the Reichstag building in Berlin, major riots occur. US President Reagan, addressing the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR, utters his significant phrase: “Mr. Gorbachev, destroy this wall!” Events begin to unfold at lightning speed, and two years later the climax comes.
A few days before the fortieth anniversary of the GDR, the people's police disperse a demonstration in Leipzig. When Gorbachev arrived in Berlin to celebrate his anniversary, people greeted him with posters: “Gorbi, help us!” Mikhail Sergeevich sees a crowd of thousands, draws conclusions and works with GDR leaders. Immediately after this, 6 thousand GDR citizens who had received asylum in the German embassies in Prague and Warsaw were transported by special train to West Germany. On October 27, the State Council of the GDR announces an amnesty to all those convicted of attempting to escape to the West. November 9, 1989 reads out on TV new law about crossing the border, containing some relaxations. Party Secretary Günther Schabowski makes a reservation at a press conference: “From now on, the border is practically open.” What he meant by “practically” is still unclear. What is known is that by 10 pm many East Germans had gathered at the wall on Bornholmer Strasse. "What's happened?" - asked the border guards. “The wall is gone,” the people answered. "Who said it?" - “It was announced on TV!” The border guards scratched their heads: “If they announced it on TV, then we have nothing to do here.” The rumor spread throughout the city. What started here! All next week World television showed the same stories: people climb over the wall, dance, fraternize and break off pieces from the fallen barrier. The multi-thousand-ton wall of concrete and iron crumbled overnight. This is the consequence that just one accidental slip can have.
Today's Berlin is no longer the same city it was 12 years ago. Its total area is 889 square kilometers, which approximately corresponds to the area of Moscow. The employment problem is being solved thanks to a gigantic construction project that has engulfed the entire center - in the new century, Berlin will become the true capital with the parliament and government of Germany. The Reichstag building, which had undergone alterations, now has a glass dome created by the English architect Norman Foster. A commission for processing Stasi materials has settled on Normanstrasse - people come to reading room and study their dossiers. Musicians play and acrobats perform at the Brandenburg Gate, boys roller skate on Alexanderplatz, beer and sausages are sold near the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. Here is the legendary “Checkpoint Charlie”. Before the fall of the wall, there was a checkpoint between the West and the East. Only embassy workers and citizens of countries allied to the anti-Hitler coalition were allowed to enter - except the USSR. Outdated billboards warn: “Attention! You are leaving the American sector! Now on the site of the checkpoint there is a museum of the Berlin Wall. The wall itself, where it is still preserved, is also a museum - the longest gallery in the world (a 1.3-kilometer segment from the Oberbaumbrücke bridge to the Central Station). In 1990, 118 artists from 21 countries received a fragment of it and painted the gray hulk - each in their own style. The most important symbol of this project was the work of Russian Dmitry Vrubel.
He used as a sample a historical photo published in 1988 in the Pari-Match magazine: the kiss of Brezhnev and Honecker. I primed a piece of the wall and transferred the image using acrylic paints. “My work went around the leading publications around the world, it was printed on T-shirts, posters, postcards, disks, badges,” said Dmitry. Success was the result of a coincidence of historical circumstances.
...Now the wall can no longer be taken apart for souvenirs. Only in one place (the Heimatmuseum in the residential East Berlin district of Treptow) was the last block left to be torn to pieces. And in the center of the city, the few remaining pieces are fenced off with barriers on which it is written: “It is prohibited to approach.”
If from a physical point of view the wall is long gone, then psychologically it still remains in the minds of many Germans. It is difficult to call the relations that have developed between Western and Eastern citizens fraternal. “Westerners” complain that neighbors from the East have turned the city into something resembling a garbage dump and have introduced smoking on subway platforms. And East Berliners accuse Westerners of moral decay and arrogance. According to public opinion polls, every 11th resident of East Germany would like to return to the days of the GDR. There are also many who would like to see the wall restored. The most popular joke of the last decade: “Do you know why the Chinese smile all the time? They didn't knock down their wall."
