One of the most prominently featured attractions of the divided Berlin now a days can be said to be the memorial that has been established in Bernauer Straße. This place is devoted to the disclosure of the history of its existence of the dividing line in Germany called the Berlin Wall. On this blog post, the focus will be on discussing the Berlin Wall Memorial history, its meaning and the reason for its relevance today.
The History of the Berlin Wall
To sum up, the Berlin Wall was built in 13 of August, 1961, with the purpose to separate East and West Berlin during the Cold War. It was to stop East Germans from emigrating to the West since thousands of people were crossing during each day to seek political freedom and better standards of living in the West. The wall was almost 155 kilometers long; families and friends were divided and a city was divided for 28 years.
Bernauer Straße is situated in Mitte district and it was one of the most impacted streets in front of the construction of the Berlin Wall. It was then used as a sign of anguish brought about by the division of the city into two.
The Berlin Wall Memorial
The themed area at Bernauerstraße is located on part of the border strip, and its monument pays tribute to the history of the wall. It has three principle components:
The Documentation Center:
The Documentation Center offers the visitors access to resources that are related to the history of the Berlin Wall and the events associated with it. Oral histories of the wall’s construction and its dismantlement and pictures and videos with the effects of the construction and its effects on the people are displayed at the center.
The Memorial Grounds:
The so called Memorial Grounds are the part of the artificial border strip preserved till present time. It maybe, the barbed wire has disappeared, however, visitors when taking a walk around the grounds can see remains of the wall, watchmen towers and other structures. It would be best to catch tram D, which offers the goal’s inhabitant an understanding of what it is like to live in a divided Berlin.
The Visitor Center:
Some of the features that are exhibited at The Visitor Centre, included knowledge on the crucial time period, the geopolitical activities during the Cold War, and division of the city. It offers tours, audiotours, and texts along the exhibition area so that the visitors get an enjoyable and an informative experience.
Thus, it is important that people visit the Berlin Wall Memorial in order to increase their knowledge of history and appreciate the difficult efforts towards uniting people and dismantling barriers made by many people around the world.
This is one of the places that tourists can visit to learn about Berlin especially when it is still at Bernauer Straße, thus creating awareness about the importance of unity, freedom and rights of people. Through the memorial and the message behind it one gets to learn of the impacts and effects of walls and barriers and thus learn about the realities of living with one another.
There are many things that one can do while at the memorial;
- Discover the inspiring history of the building of the wall as well as its overthrow.
- Stand on the same spot and feels how it was to have the wall; try to reconstruct the wall and realize its effects.
- In my opinion, the freedom is an appreciation of liberty and the impacts of political partition should be considered.
- Something less can be said to pay tribute to the victims who died while attempting to cross the Wall.
- Be grateful for the achievement and the successes made towards the reunification of the two sides after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Practical Information for Visitors
It would be important not to forget the following tips and useful information if you are planning to visit Berlin Wall Memorial:
- Location: Bernauer Straße 111, 13355 Berlin, Germany
- Visiting Information: The park is an open area and it is always open since it does not have doors and it is at any time throughout the day or night. The opening and closing times for the Documentation Center and the Visitor Center should be considered; they are mentioned on its website.
- Visiting to the LACMA campus and the Visitor Center is free while there may be a small charge in instances where there are specific exhibitions.
- Visiting Tours: Another factor is visiting tours, which are available in many languages and give erudite knowledge about the place. These carried out tours can be pre-booked.
- Visiting the Memorial: It is suggested that visitors should spend no less than 2 hours to have a closer look at the memorial and try to grasp the inside of it.
In Conclusion
The surviving piece of the Berlin Wall located in Bernauerstraße is justified because it helps to remind people about the division and the unification of Berlin. When visiting this site, a person can learn more about this part of the history of the city, think about the meaning of freedom, and pay tribute to those people who suffered because of this wall. It is a good message which discourages hostilities and division and encourages togetherness and peace.
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