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The Berlin Wall became one of the most significant symbols of the Cold War. The Soviet Union and East Germany referred to it as Die anti-Faschistischer Schutzwall (‘Anti-Fascist Protective Wall’), claiming it was crucial to prevent Western spies from infiltrating East Berlin. Simultaneously, it was meant to stop West Berlin residents from crossing into East Berlin to purchase the cheaper, subsidized goods meant for East Berliners.
In West Germany, the wall was initially presented as a Soviet tactic to halt the migration of East Berliners to West Berlin. At first, the United States feared that the wall marked the Soviet Union's first move toward starting a war with West Germany, prompting President John F. Kennedy to send additional troops to West Berlin. However, Kennedy later supported the wall once he realized that war was not imminent, famously stating that the wall was 'a hell of a lot better than a war.'
10. The Wall Did Not Physically Divide East And West Germany
A common misunderstanding is that the Berlin Wall divided East Germany from West Germany. This is incorrect. It was actually the lesser-known Inner German Border that separated East and West Germany. The Berlin Wall only divided West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding East Germany. Yes, that's right—West Berlin was located within East Germany.
To understand how West Berlin came to be situated in East Germany, we first need to explore how Germany was divided. At the close of World War II, the Allies decided to partition Germany into four occupation zones, each controlled by the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, or France.
Berlin, located in the Soviet-controlled zone, was also split into four sectors, shared among the Allies. Tensions with the Soviet Union led to the US, UK, and France merging their zones and sectors to form West Germany and West Berlin, while the Soviet Union took control of East Germany and East Berlin.
The often-overlooked Inner German Border was more complex than the Berlin Wall. Stretching over 1,300 kilometers (800 miles), it was more than eight times the length of the Berlin Wall, which was just 154 kilometers (96 miles) long. In fact, only 43 kilometers (27 miles) of the Berlin Wall separated East Berlin from West Berlin. The rest of the wall separated most of West Berlin from East Germany.
9. The Berlin Wall Actually Consisted of Two Walls
Contrary to popular belief, the Berlin Wall wasn't a single structure but rather two parallel walls, spaced 100 meters (328 ft) apart. The wall we commonly associate with the Berlin Wall is the one closest to East Berlin. Construction of the first wall began on August 13, 1961, followed by the second wall a year later. The space between the two walls was known as the no-man’s-land, which became infamously referred to as the “death strip.”
Access to the death strip was strictly forbidden, and anyone attempting to cross into West Berlin faced the risk of being shot. Buildings within this area were demolished, and the ground was flattened and covered in fine gravel to make any escape attempts visible. The death strip was also illuminated by floodlights to prevent nighttime escapes.
8. A Church Was Situated Between the Two Walls
Within the death strip, East German and Soviet forces demolished all structures except for the ironically named Church of Reconciliation. Yet, the congregation was unable to gather in the church as it was situated within a restricted zone. The church’s story is quite intriguing.
After Berlin was divided, the area surrounding the church was located right at the boundary between the French and Soviet zones. The church itself was part of the Soviet sector, while its congregation resided in the French sector. When the Berlin Wall went up, it physically separated the church from its congregation. By the time the second wall was added, the few remaining worshippers in the Soviet sector could no longer access the church.
In West Berlin, the deserted church became a symbol of the Soviet Union’s oppression of East Berliners and East Germans. The church itself became an obstacle for East German guards, who had to bypass it during their patrols. Furthermore, churches within East Germany had become sanctuaries for those opposing the government, prompting the regime to send a message. This led to the decision to demolish the church.
The destruction of the church began on January 22, 1985. East Berlin argued that the demolition was needed to 'enhance security, order, and cleanliness.' However, the demolition only exacerbated tensions and increased the church's popularity. As images of the ruined church spread globally, it became a potent symbol of the oppression faced by East Germans.
7. Its Influence Reached Even the Subway System
Although the Berlin Wall stood above ground, its reach extended all the way to the subway beneath Berlin. Before the wall, Berlin’s subway system was shared by both sides. After the division, each side took control of the stations and tracks beneath their respective territories. This created complications, as some trains traveling between two points in West Berlin had to pass through lines that ran under East Berlin.
In order to prevent escapes and limit interactions between citizens of the two sides, East Berliners were barred from using subway lines run by West Berlin. Stations were sealed off, and the tracks were surrounded by barbed wire and equipped with alarms to prevent East Berliners who managed to enter the system from boarding West Berlin trains.
West Berlin trains also did not stop at East Berlin stations. The only exception was the Friedrichstrabe station, which served West Berliners traveling into East Berlin. West Berlin officially recognized the entirety of the East Berlin subway, but labeled these stations as 'stations where trains do not stop.' Meanwhile, East Germany erased them entirely from their maps, effectively pretending they didn’t exist.
6. A Smaller ‘Berlin Wall’ Divided a Village
After Germany was divided, the Tannbach river that flows through the village of Modlareuth, located today in Bavaria and Thuringia, became the boundary between the zones controlled by the US and the Soviet Union. When the Inner German Border was established, it split the village, leaving it divided between the two nations.
At first, the villagers did not realize the long-term impact of this division, as they were still able to cross the border freely to visit relatives living on the other side. This changed in 1952 when a wooden fence was built to limit access. Then, in 1966, this restriction became permanent when the wooden fence was replaced by a 3-meter-high (10 ft) concrete barrier, similar to the one used in Berlin.
The wall effectively trapped the villagers, severing their connections and cutting off their ability to visit family on the other side. The West German side of the village came to be known as “Little Berlin” due to the stark resemblance to the division caused by the Berlin Wall between families and neighbors in Berlin.
But the villagers' struggles didn’t end with the construction of the wall. East German authorities added electric fences behind it to prevent would-be escapees from entering the village and attempting to breach the barrier. This made life even more difficult for the residents, who found it increasingly hard to leave their village.
A portion of the wall still stands today, complete with watchtowers and guardhouses. Despite this, the village remains divided between two federal states.
5. The Most Iconic Graffiti Depicts Two Presidents Sharing a Kiss
As previously mentioned, the Berlin Wall was made up of two parallel barriers. The side facing West Berlin quickly became a popular canvas for graffiti artists. On the other hand, the East Berlin side remained blank because East Germans were prohibited from approaching it.
After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, numerous artists flocked to the East Berlin side to leave their mark with graffiti. One of the most famous pieces depicts a passionate kiss between Leonid Brezhnev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, and Erich Honecker, the former leader of East Germany. This iconic image, titled The Kiss of Death, was created by Dmitri Vrubel, an artist from the Soviet Union. He added the caption: 'God Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love Affair.'
The image recreated a famous moment from 1979 when both leaders kissed to mark the 30th anniversary of East Germany’s creation. This 'fraternal kiss' was a common display of affection between Communist leaders. A joke goes that Brezhnev commented on Honecker after the kiss: 'As a politician, rubbish... but what a good kisser!'
4. Over 6,000 Guard Dogs Patrolled the Death Strip
The 'death strip'—the area between the two Berlin Wall barriers—earned its grim name for good reason. It was heavily guarded, with numerous security measures in place, including thousands of fierce dogs, known as 'Wall dogs,' to prevent any attempts at escape.
German Shepherds were the most common choice, though other breeds like Rottweilers, Great Danes, and Griffons were also used. The exact number of dogs is unknown, with some reports estimating around 6,000, while others claim the number could be as high as 10,000.
The dogs didn’t have free range within the death strip. Instead, each was chained to a 5-meter (16 ft) leash, allowing it to move in any direction. The leash was connected to a 100-meter (330 ft) cable, restricting the dog’s movements to a parallel course along the wall. This arrangement ensured that the dogs were positioned to intercept any escapee until guards could arrive.
After the Berlin Wall came down, the dogs were offered for adoption in both East and West Germany. However, many West Germans hesitated to adopt these animals due to their portrayal in the media as menacing beasts capable of tearing a person apart.
The German Animal Protection Union backed the adoption efforts but worried that some people might take the dogs as trophies of the Wall. While they didn't want the dogs to be euthanized, they were willing to provide euthanasia chemicals if necessary, considering it a less inhumane alternative to East Germany’s method of electrocution.
3. The Division of Germany Continues to Impact the Country Today
The division of Germany and Berlin went beyond the mere construction of walls; it represented a clash of ideologies, and the consequences of this division can still be felt. West Germany embraced capitalism, while East Germany was rooted in communism. This fundamental difference shaped their political systems, the ways they were governed, and their respective levels of success.
A 2012 photograph taken from the International Space Station by astronaut Andre Kuipers vividly highlights the differences between eastern and western Berlin. The image clearly displays East Berlin bathed in yellow lighting and West Berlin in green. This striking contrast was due to the different types of streetlights used in both regions. Western Germany opted for more environmentally-friendly lighting, while eastern Germany did not.
Currently, eastern Germany experiences lower average wages compared to its western counterpart. Many factories in the east struggled to compete with the more developed industries in the west after the fall of the Wall, leading to their closure. As a result, western Germany retained most of the industrial jobs and had to increase wages to attract skilled labor.
As a result, many job seekers from eastern Germany have migrated to the west in search of employment opportunities. This shift has reduced unemployment in the east but has also caused a brain drain, with businesses in eastern Germany now turning to Poland and the Czech Republic for workers.
On a brighter note, eastern Germany produces less waste than the west. This is a remnant of the communist era, where East Germans were more frugal, buying only what was absolutely necessary. In contrast, West Germans were less concerned with consumption. Additionally, eastern Germany offers superior childcare, as East German mothers typically worked while West German mothers tended to stay home.
Eastern Germans also tend to have larger farms and are more likely to get vaccinated against the flu. Furthermore, they are more inclined to sleep in tents while camping, whereas western Germans are more likely to use trailers. The difference is due to western Germans' greater disposable income, which allowed them to enjoy certain luxuries that East Germans couldn't afford.
2. A Forgotten Section Of The Wall Was Recently Found
A significant portion of the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989. The sections that were purposely left standing serve as symbols of Germany's division. Yet, one piece of the wall was forgotten until it was rediscovered in 2018. The 80-meter (262 ft) section located in Schonholz, a Berlin suburb, was uncovered by historian Christian Bormann.
In a blog post on January 22, 2018, Bormann shared that he had actually found the wall in 1999 but chose to keep it under wraps. He only came forward about it later, fearing that the wall, in a state of severe disrepair, could collapse. The wall's location—hidden in a dense, overgrown area between a cemetery and railway tracks—is why it had been forgotten for so long.
1. Margaret Thatcher And François Mitterrand Wanted The Wall To Stay
At first, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and French President François Mitterrand were opposed to the demolition of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. Thatcher, notably more outspoken, voiced her dissent clearly. When discussions about reunification were heating up, she remarked, “We beat the Germans twice, and now they’re back.”
Thatcher took significant steps to prevent reunification, attempting to sway the UK government to share her views (but to no avail). When she realized her opposition wouldn't succeed, she suggested that Germany reunify after a five-year transition period rather than immediately.
Mitterrand, concerned about what he referred to as “bad Germans,” was also wary of a reunified Germany gaining too much power in Europe—more so than Adolf Hitler ever had.
Eventually, when Mitterrand realized that reunification was inevitable, he shifted his position and began to support it. Nevertheless, he continued to back Thatcher’s opposition, believing that the only way to keep Germany in check was by integrating it into a European organization—such as the European Union, for instance.
