Berlin Wall Memorial

The sealing off of the sector border starting on 13 August 1961 made dramatic changes especially in the everyday lives of the people living on Bernauer Strasse. From one day to the next, they could no longer travel freely through their own neighborhood, and neighbors, friends, and relatives were separated from one another. The house across the street was suddenly part of another political system. Through no fault of their own and against their will, the people of Bernauer Strasse became eyewitnesses to and actors in an episode of post-war German history in Berlin.

In desperation, people jumped out of the windows of apartments bordering West Berlin and paid with their lives. Some of the Bernauer Strasse escape attempts succeeded, however. Cameras and film crews brought these scenes to a watching world.

The construction of the Berlin Wall put an abrupt and violent end to daily life, leaving traces that are visible even today on Bernauer Strasse. The former “no man’s land” between Brunnenstrasse and Gartenstrasse has been preserved, undeveloped, in its original width. An outdoor exhibition by the Berlin Wall Memorial is being laid out here. Using the many historical fragments still found here and the area's eventful past, the exhibition uses concrete examples to describe the purpose and function of the Berlin Wall. It concentrates especially on the stories of people whose lives were disrupted or restricted by the Wall, who were expelled from their homes because of it, or who attempted to escape over it.

The Berlin Wall Memorial is located roughly in the middle of this section of the former border. The Federal Republic of Germany established it in 1998 "in memory of the city’s division from 13 August 1961 to 9 November 1989 and of the victims of communist tyranny." In their design, the Stuttgart architects Kohlhoff & Kohlhoff preserved sixty meters of the former "no man's land" as a physical reminder of the Wall, while giving it an artistic interpretation and shape.

The memorial grounds can be reached best from the Visitors Center at the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station. From here you can walk to the outdoor exhibition along the former border strip with its "Window of Remembrance," the Berlin Wall Memorial, and the memorial's other buildings: the Documentation Center with the exhibition "Berlin, 13 August 1961" and the Chapel of Reconciliation. Work on this ensemble will be completed in 2011.

Foundation Stiftung Berliner Mauer
Berlin Wall Memorial
Bernauer Straße 111
13355 Berlin-Mitte

Visitors Center
Bernauer Strasse 119
13355 Berlin

Tours and admission free

November to March: 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
April to October: 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Visitors Service
Phone +49 (0)30 467 98 66 66
Fax +49 (0)30 467 98 66 77

S-Bahn station Nordbahnhof (S1, S2, S25), U-Bahn station Bernauer Strasse (U8), Tram M10, Bus 245, 247

info@berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de
www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de

(See also "Berlin Wall Memorial")