The Wall That Divided a Nation
The Berlin wall was built over night between the 13 - 14th of August 1961. The wall was constructed by the German Democratic Republic, to divide West Germany from the East.The wall was built for two major reasons. Economics, too many people were living in East Germany ( because it was cheaper ) and then working over in West Germany, therefore the DDR ( the group that decided to build the
Old photo of the Berlin wallwall ) lost money. The second is that the west side was interfering with the east ( Russian sector )
Escape routes
The wall divided families and put a lot of stress on friendships and people's mental health. People in East Germany wanted to get into West Germany so much that they risked their lives just to see loved ones. A lot of escape routes were established including under ground tunnels. The first successful tunnel was dug in a graveyard. people brought flowers to the grave and pretended to mourn and when no one was looking they would enter the tunnel. The tunnel was found after a women accidentally fell down the tunnel and left her baby next to the grave, the tunnel was then destroyed.
The most successful tunnel was dug in a basement at 60 Westerstrasse, 29 people got into West Germany safely. These were desperate times and people thought of ingenious ways to enter West Germany. Some other plans included hiding next to a car engine, creating a fake I.D and even hot air balloons!
The highly successful tunnel was made into a film called "Der Tunnel" that portrayed the issues and triumphs of digging the tunnel. Harry Melchior is the main man that dug the tunnel to freedom, the others that helped were Mathias, Vic, Fred and Frizy. They had to dig around 145 meters to reach West Germany and it took around a year to complete. The tunnel was later discovered and destroyed.
Fall of the wall
The Berlin wall is a major part of history and will never be forgotten. It was a terrible time for many families who found themselves
Old photo of the Berlin wallwall ) lost money. The second is that the west side was interfering with the east ( Russian sector )
Escape routes
The wall divided families and put a lot of stress on friendships and people's mental health. People in East Germany wanted to get into West Germany so much that they risked their lives just to see loved ones. A lot of escape routes were established including under ground tunnels. The first successful tunnel was dug in a graveyard. people brought flowers to the grave and pretended to mourn and when no one was looking they would enter the tunnel. The tunnel was found after a women accidentally fell down the tunnel and left her baby next to the grave, the tunnel was then destroyed.
The most successful tunnel was dug in a basement at 60 Westerstrasse, 29 people got into West Germany safely. These were desperate times and people thought of ingenious ways to enter West Germany. Some other plans included hiding next to a car engine, creating a fake I.D and even hot air balloons!
The highly successful tunnel was made into a film called "Der Tunnel" that portrayed the issues and triumphs of digging the tunnel. Harry Melchior is the main man that dug the tunnel to freedom, the others that helped were Mathias, Vic, Fred and Frizy. They had to dig around 145 meters to reach West Germany and it took around a year to complete. The tunnel was later discovered and destroyed.
Fall of the wall
The Berlin wall is a major part of history and will never be forgotten. It was a terrible time for many families who found themselves