Berlin Wall at the end of 1961

Historical context

The construction of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961 cemented the political division of Germany and Europe. It became a global symbol of the Cold War and divided the world politically into an eastern and a western hemisphere.

The film footage shows various scenes of West Berlin city life and views of the Berlin Wall. The Wall was a deadly and symbolic barrier that separated West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding GDR. It was built to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West. Many people were shot trying to get over the wall and flee to West Berlin. The Wall became the most important symbol of the division of Europe between the communist Eastern Bloc and the democratic West during the Cold War. The Wall stood for 28 years. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 signalled the end of the Cold War and SED rule in the GDR and ultimately the reunification of Germany.