Where can you find remnants of the Berlin Wall today?
Although much of the wall was demolished in the years after its fall there are numerous important locations where there remain pieces of this historic divide today.
1. East Side Gallery
East Side Gallery is maybe the best-known and most public spot to witness fragments of the Berlin Wall. Situated on the Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain, the East Side Gallery is 1.3 kilometers long and features artwork from all over the world adorning the wall. It has become both open-air gallery and an enduring monument of freedom.
2. Berlin Wall Memorial
A Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Street provides a complete experience of the Berlin divided city. This Memorial Site is a preserved part of the wall, a watchtower, a visitors center and an exhibition which explains the history and impact of the wall. This place provides a haunting insight into the reality of the Wall and the people it violated.
3. Checkpoint Charlie
While Checkpoint Charlie originally was a crossing station between East and West Berlin, it is today a historic site. Here you can locate a mock up booth and signs that exists the old location of the check point. It is a famous landmark that draws a visitor to identify with the strongly intense Cold War perception and their attempt to breach the border.
4. Bornholmer Straße
Bornholmer Straße was the location of a defining moment in history when the wall was opened at last on the 9th November, 1989. This former border crossing is now successfully memorialized with a memorial plaque that commemorates the location from which hundreds of East Berliners with the help of the careful west crossed into the West, marking the fall of the partition. It is a reminder of the happy reunification of family and loved ones.
5. Mauerpark
Another notable area to be formed after the fall of the Berlin Wall is the Mauerpark, or Wall Park. The park was constructed on the location of the “death strip” of the wall, above which lowering watchtowers and defensive fences stood in past times. Today, Mauerpark has become a great meeting point, where in addition to a bustling flea market also takes place a famous Sunday outdoor Karaoke.
6. Topography of Terror
The Topography of Terror is an outdoor and indoor museum of the site of the former headquarters of the Nazi Gestapo and SS. Here, you can see pieces of the Berlin Wall as well as comprehensive explanations of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime and the subsequent split of Berlin.
Conclusion
The left overs of the Berlin Wall are more than just their physical form, but a strong symbol that indicate a world that had been split in two and the victory that achieved unity. From the East Side Gallery’s splashing artwork to the Berlin Wall Memorial’s heartfelt reflection none of these places offer windows into the human side of turmoil. Visiting such sites provides the possibility to reflect on history, savour freedom, and grasp more about the impact that the Berlin Wall had on Germany and world.
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