The building of the Berlin Wall began on 13th August 1961. A day that marks a division in the city’s history – in the truest sense of the word. 2011 sees the 50th anniversary of the building of the Wall. To commemorate this day of remembrance, Berlin’s museums and institutions are offering a varied programme of exhibitions and events.
An overview
The central venue is the Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial Site) on Bernauer Straße (Mitte district). The Wall and the border installations have been largely preserved or reconstructed here. Providing background information is the modern documentation centre, where the exhibition “Berlin 13th August 1961” brings the division of the city to life with photographs, film clips and sound recordings (opening times: Tues – Sun 9.30 a.m. – 7 p.m., entrance free).
The 50th anniversary of the start of the building work will be marked by a memorial ceremony from 10 a.m. onwards in the Kapelle der Versöhnung (Chapel of Reconciliation) on Bernauer Straße. In the afternoon there will be a programme of events, including interviews with eye-witnesses, art projects, guided tours for children and an “Infomeile der Zeitgeschichte” (“Contemporary History Information Mile”). The memorial site will also be showing historic Berlin Wall films in the open-air from 11th to 13th August at 9 p.m. Programme and information: http://www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/de/
Exhibitions
The division of Berlin forms the central focus of the photo exhibition “The 20th Century – People-Places-Times” in the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum). Images from both sides of the Iron Curtain have been drawn from press archives but also from renowned international photographers such as Will McBride. Until 3rd October, opening times: daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., www.dhm.de
The Glienicker Brücke became famous as the legendary “secret agents’ bridge”. Approximately 40 spies were exchanged here in secret arrangements between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. The exhibition “Behind the Wall – Glienicke, Site of German Division” recalls the special importance of the border area between the West Berlin district of Wannsee and Potsdam. http://www.hinter-der-mauer.de
In the city installation “Historische Blicke” (Historical Perspectives), the whole of Berlin becomes an exhibition space. From 15th June onwards you will be able to see black and white photos in large format at selected locations along the former border strip. http://50jahremauerbau.de/mauerbilder
Tours
The building of the Wall turned the River Spree into a border river, secured with “death strips” and patrol boots. In collaboration with the Berlin Wall Memorial Site, the boat trip operator Stern und Kreis has designed a two-and-a-half hour boat trip “Grenz- und Wassergeschichten aus dem geteilten Berlin” (“Border History and River Stories from Divided Berlin”). Landing stage: Treptower Hafen, www.sternundkreis.de
Almost every weekend until September the Berlin Wall Memorial Site on Bernauer Straße is offering guided “Wall Bicycle Tours”. The routes vary – some explore the parks of Potsdam, others focus on special themes such as football stadiums in divided Berlin. The special guided tour “Tunnelfluchten in der Bernauer Straße” (“Tunnel Escapes in Bernauer Straße”) takes place on foot. An historian and a number of eye-witnesses point out the locations where tunnels were dug between East and West Berlin. Dates: 17th July and 14th August at 3 p.m., group guided tours on request, http://www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/de/
Further events
The construction of the Berlin Wall that began on 13th August 1961 also divided the Berlin S-Bahn and U-Bahn network. Some stops became “ghost stations”, while Friedrichstraße station suddenly became a border crossing. The theatre project “Mit der S-Bahn in den Westen” (“Into the West by S-Bahn”) commemorates this. On 13th and 14th August, professional actors will re-enact everyday scenes and refugee stories relating to the “Tränenpalast” (“Palace of Tears”) in the station’s shopping centre (11 a.m. – 3 p.m. respectively).
During the “Berlin Wall Relay Race” more than 500 runners will carry a Berlin flag around the former border. Anyone who takes part will automatically become part of a work of art – the Berlin film-maker Gerd Conradt intends to edit footage of the event to make a film. http://50jahremauerbau.de/rahmenprogramme/mauerweg-stafette |