Berlin Wall Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany), starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall cut off (by land) West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir
Berlin Now Berlin Now Berlin Now: The City After the Wall (also published as Berlin Now: The Rise of the City and the Fall of the Wall) is a 2014 book by German writer Peter Schneider. Published on the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, "Berlin Now" is a story of how Berlin has changed since reunification to become Europe's most vibrant melting-pot of artists, immigrants and entrepreneurs. "Berlin Now" is described as a "longtime Berliner's bright, bold, and digressive exploration of the heterogeneous allure of this vibrant city." The book combines memoir, history, anecdote and reportage on subjects