BERLIN WALL MEMORIAL - BERNAUER STRASSE
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The wall that separates East from West in Berlin is topped by an original watchtower that offers a bird's-eye view.
Bernauer Straße is one of the strongest symbols of the division of the two Germanies. On the night of 12-13 August 1961, the East German authorities unrolled miles of barbed wire along the border. What would later become a real rampart passed right through the middle of the street, brutally separating families, friends and neighbours. Dozens of people will try to jump from roofs or windows. Soon these will be walled up... It was in this street that Conrad Schumann's famous photo, The Jump for Freedom, was taken, with a VoPo in charge of monitoring the border who chose to jump across the border in time.
Be sure to climb the tower overlooking the Berlin Wall to get a bird's eye view. It is here, much better than at the East Side Gallery, that you can understand its structure: a double wall separated by a "Todesstreifen" (death zone) with watchtowers. Add dogs, border guards, alarms, and so on.
After reunification, the city of Berlin therefore chose this area to turn it into a memorial to the Wall. The course of the Wall is marked by large concrete rods. Plaques on the ground indicate the location of the tunnels dug between the two parts of the city. The Chapel of Reconciliation (destroyed in 1985) was rebuilt, and a documentation centre was set up at No 111. A photo wall commemorates the 136 people killed while trying to cross the border.
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