The Berlin Wall

Berlin in 1987.

The last time I was in Berlin before this summer's trip was in 1987, before the wall came down.  I was very curious to see how much had changed and couldn't imagine being able to walk up to Checkpoint Charlie or under the Brandenburg Gate.  I hoped that there would still be a portion of the wall standing so my kids could experience what it was like.  There was:

Quite a long stretch actually, although the graffitied exterior has mostly been chiseled off by souvenir-takers.  Along this section of wall is an exhibit called Topography of Terror.  The outside exhibition was temporary, I believe, and was about the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.  We did not visit the indoor museum.

Topography of Terror outdoor exhibition.

Pieces of the wall are displayed throughout the central Berlin area.

A path of bricks with bronze markers trails through the city delineating where the wall used to be.

We spent hours in Museum Checkpoint Charlie where fascinating exhibits tell the history of the Berlin Wall and those affected by it.  My 15 year old son was amazed by the many objects, techniques, and tricks people used to escape East Berlin and spent more time reading displays, I think, than ever before in any museum.  The stories are phenomenal.

I found this section of the wall quite poignant: