The Berlin Wall in the Documentation Centre

The Berlin wall has become a symbol of the Cold War, as well as a symbol for the communist dictatorship within East Berlin. By building the wall, the soviets were able to establish full control of the east without the fear of the west pushing into their territory. The wall was not popular amongst the people however, and in autumn of 1989 hundreds of thousands of East Berliners took to the streets to peacefully protest their dissatisfaction. This protest led to the fall of the wall symbolizing the end of the divide of Berlin, as well as a dictatorship that had been overthrown in a peaceful manner.

Within the Documentation Centre, it is easy to understand the resentment the East Germans had for the division. There are sections where one can listen to the horror stories of people who lived in the East, as well as a film showing the protests that occurred during the divide. I found there to be a bigger focus on how life was in the East versus how life was in the West. Some information on the Berlin wall was displayed on tall walls situated in different areas that didn’t quite reach the ceiling, giving one the feeling that they were enclosed by them like how the people of Berlin felt enclosed by the Berlin wall. The lookout on the top of the Documentation Centre over the Berlin Wall exhibit gave the impact of what it would have been like as a guard during the time the wall was up.

Although the wall divided the East and the West physically, spiritually it brought them together. Different ways of communication were formed, such as big speakers on vans so the East Berlin could hear West Berlin’s news. Heroic individuals became known such as Harry Seidel, who helped 100 people pass from the East to the West. Once the wall fell, a sense of community was formed as the East and West Berliners were reunited with their families and Berlin started her own path towards becoming a free city.

The view from the top of the building 

The swimming gear of a boy who helped others get from the East to the West by swimming down a river