Things related to the Berlin Wall are rarely mentioned

After World War II, the western part of Germany controlled by the United States, France and Great Britain became known as the Federal Republic of Germany; area controlled by the Soviet Union known as the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Not only East Germany and West Germany, but the city of Berlin was also divided. Although Berlin was on Soviet territory, the United States, France and Great Britain demanded that Berlin be divided equally among four countries - West Berlin controlled by three allies and East Berlin, controlled by the Soviet Union.

Berlin Wall - a 'living witness' for a while; Source: surfnetkids.com

Between 1949 and 1961, more than 2 million East Germans fled to West Germany. On the occasion of August 1961, it was estimated that East Germany lost about 2,000 citizens every day, because the East German economy was weak, the government did not meet them enough for the essential needs of life; people are not allowed to own their own land or engage in free trade, causing their discontent to grow.

Many of them were skilled workers or professionals, so their emigration further devastated the East German economy. To 'stop the bleeding', Soviet leader Khrushchev advised East Germany to cut off the line of access between the two sides. Therefore, on August 13, 1961, East Germany closed the border between East and West Berlin to build a wall to prevent citizens from defecting to West Germany.

Undertaking the construction of the Berlin Wall was a clandestine business directed by Erich Honecker. Only about 20 government officials knew the wall was being erected. All citizens and the rest of the government were told it was 'an exercise'. Nothing or very little information about the construction of the wall was announced. Residents believe the wall was created by the police to help control crowds.

Initially, a rush perimeter was established, and the wall in the city center was made of people and armored vehicles, later East German soldiers raised barbed wire fences on the street known as Friedrich -Ebert Strasse, to build a makeshift wall. Over time, the Berlin Wall was built, 4 m high and 107 km long, some points as high as 4.5 m, attaching barbed wire to the top of the wall making climbing impossible. The wall traverses more than 190 streets in East Berlin.

The opposite side of East Berlin had illuminated control areas and anyone who came near these areas was shot without warning. On the other side of the wall was dug a trench that prevented vehicles from trying to run through the wall. In front of the trench are patrol posts, sniffer dogs, watchtowers and shelters. A second wall was built in front of the first wall for added security. Armed guards patrolled along the wall, ready to shoot anyone who tried to cross.

The Berlin Wall is known by many names such as 'Anti-Fascist Protection System', 'Wall of Shame', 'Inner German Border', 'Iron Curtain'. However, it did not stop everyone from wanting to defect. To get to West Berlin, citizens, mostly university students, dug tunnels under the Berlin Wall. The graveyard is where the first tunnel is seen that can be used.

People bring flowers and fake funerals to camouflage tunneling. The cemetery cellar was discovered when a woman carrying a small child in a car collapsed into the cellar. The tunnel was then locked, sealed, and never used again. One of the tunnels, located in the basement of house number 60 Westerstrasse, helped 29 people escape to West Berlin. Other attempts to escape were by hot air balloons and another 5,000 people climbing over the wall.

The Berlin Wall - a topic of great media attention; Source: wearethemighty.com

According to the Potsdam Center for Contemporary History and the Berlin Wall Foundation, between 1961 and 1989, more than 140 people were killed or died at the wall. While many people were shot by armed soldiers, many more died in a series of suicides following failed attempts, strange accidents and drowning. Perhaps the strangest death was the last recorded death on August 3, 1989, when subject died during a failed attempt to cross the border in a hot air balloon.

Along the Berlin wall, there are several checkpoints where people with the proper paperwork can go back and forth between the parties. Among them is Checkpoint Friedrichstrasse - commonly known as Checkpoint Charlie, shot in the James Bond films 'Octopussy' and John le Carré's 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'. The US military maintained Checkpoint Charlie, and it was the only checkpoint through which foreigners and allied forces were allowed to pass through East Germany.

Checkpoint Charlie also became famous as a passageway for prisoner swaps. The most notable prisoner exchange occurred in 1962, on Glienicke Bridge, just a short distance from Checkpoint Charlie. In this exchange, American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged for Rudolf Abel, a Soviet spy convicted of espionage.

As Hungary allowed people from Western Europe to enter its country, Hungary's wide open borders allowed people in socialist countries and citizens of East Berlin to travel westwards freely. Protests began in the German city of Leipzig, pressuring the government to free the people. On November 9, 1989, the head of East Berlin's communist party, Gunter Schabowski, said people could cross to West Berlin for tourism.

Upon hearing this announcement, people gathered in some areas to break down the wall, some kept these fragments as souvenirs. By July 1, 1990, East and West Berlin were unified and people were free to move around. Today, pieces of the Berlin wall are for sale on eBay. Interested persons can obtain a sample of the material from that historic wall for 0.99 euros plus shipping and handling charges.