The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961 and lasted for 28 long years. I remember those years…a very difficult time for me, my family, relatives, and friends. There had been rumors that something might happen to tighten the border of East and West Berlin, but no one was expecting the speed nor the absoluteness of the Wall.
That night just past midnight on the night of August 12-13, 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers rumbled through East Berlin. I like most Berliners was sleeping. These crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up concrete posts, and strung barbed wire all across the border between East and West Berlin. Telephone wires between East and West Berlin were also cut.
The next morning I woke up quite early, I had a weird feeling, it was as if I knew that something bad had happened. As I stepped outside I saw what had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could the approximately 60,000 commuters head to West Berlin for well-paying jobs. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades. And I was one of them. I was stuck on the other side of the wall for forever! That’s what I thought. We weren’t allowed have any communication with the other side of the wall. But I still dared to wave to my family, and they waved back...I had no hope in meeting them again.
But on November 9th, 1989, the Border separating Western from Eastern Germany was effectively opened. The following days were most unusual for the whole of Germany - considering the usual German ways, one could almost speak of anarchy: Shops stayed open as long as they wanted (the usual, mandatory closing time
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961 and lasted for 28 long years. I remember those years…a very difficult time for me, my family, relatives, and friends. There had been rumors that something might happen to tighten the border of East and West Berlin, but no one was expecting the speed nor the absoluteness of the Wall.
That night just past midnight on the night of August 12-13, 1961, trucks with soldiers and construction workers rumbled through East Berlin. I like most Berliners was sleeping. These crews began tearing up streets that entered into West Berlin, dug holes to put up concrete posts, and strung barbed wire all across the border between East and West Berlin. Telephone wires between East and West Berlin were also cut.
The next morning I woke up quite early, I had a weird feeling, it was as if I knew that something bad had happened. As I stepped outside I saw what had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could the approximately 60,000 commuters head to West Berlin for well-paying jobs. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades. And I was one of them. I was stuck on the other side of the wall for forever! That’s what I thought. We weren’t allowed have any communication with the other side of the wall. But I still dared to wave to my family, and they waved back...I had no hope in meeting them again.
But on November 9th, 1989, the Border separating Western from Eastern Germany was effectively opened. The following days were most unusual for the whole of Germany - considering the usual German ways, one could almost speak of anarchy: Shops stayed open as long as they wanted (the usual, mandatory closing time