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The Berlin Wall was a worldwide symbol for the division of Germany after World War II and for the injustice and inhumanity of the communist system. Construction began on August 13, 1961, on the orders of the GDR leadership. It formed a 150 kilometer long barrier sealing off East Berlin and East Germany from West Berlin. More than 2.6 million people had fled the GDR between October 1949 and August 1961, the big majority of them through West-Berlin. The Wall was designed to halt this stream of refugees and make it impossible to cross the border unchecked. The installation consisted of several sections: an "anterior wall" and a "hinterland wall," a border strip with service road, watch towers and barrier fortifications. Over 150 people were shot down by GDR border patrols while attempting to cross it. |
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The impending collapse of the Soviet empire and the rapid growth of the GDR protest movement led to the opening of the Wall on November 9, 1989. Soon afterwards, the first sections of the barrier were torn down. Even before the official reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, the Wall had largely disappeared from the Berlin cityscape. At the request of the "Topography of Terror" Foundation, the 200 meters of the Wall which still stand on Niederkirchnerstrasse, marking the border between the districts of Mitte (East) and Kreuzberg (West), have been preserved, retaining all traces of the destruction that occurred during the transitional period, and placed under protection as a historical monument. This section of the Wall will thus be kept in its current condition, as a document both of the inhumanity of the border and of how it was overcome. It forms the northern edge of the "Topography of Terror" site and will be integrated into its overall design. In the mean time, it is protected by a temporary fence. Since September 1999, the Topography of Terror Foundation, together with the office of historical preservation, is responsible for looking after the memorial structure. The Wall forms the northern end of the historical grounds of the Topography of Terror and will be incorporated into the future design of the foundation grounds. |