On 13 August 1961 the Communist bosses of East Germany decided to seal off West Berlin from East Germany by building a barricade of barbed wire around it on top of an initial low wall which later became increasingly solid and fortified until it became a formible obstacle to free communist workers wanting to escape to the slavery of the west (once people ceased to be of working age though, they were welcome to go and collect West German pensions instead).
Today a double line of bricks in Berlin streets and sidewalks marks where the Wall once stood.
We've commented on the collapse of the Wall on it's 20th anniversary in 2009. Here's an early 1980s pic of Checkpoint Charlie - the only place non-Germans could cross - viewed from the east: the white line was the actual border, all the Communist crossing installations were behind the photographer.
View Larger Map
No comments:
Post a Comment