Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [86]
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Charlottenburg
The glittering heart of West Berlin during the Cold War, glitzy Charlottenburg has fallen a bit off the tourist radar since reunification. Compared to the wild-child character of the eastern districts, it seems like a middle-aged burgher happy with the status quo. Experimentation is elsewhere.
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THE BERLIN WALL
It’s more than a tad ironic that Berlin’s most popular tourist attraction is one that no longer exists. For 28 years, the Berlin Wall, the most potent symbol of the Cold War, divided not only the city but the world. Construction began shortly after midnight of 13 August 1961, when East German soldiers rolled out miles of barbed wire that would soon be replaced with prefab concrete slabs. The Wall was a desperate measure launched by the GDR government to stop the sustained brain and brawn drain it had experienced since its founding in 1949. Some 3.6 million people had already left for the West, putting the country on the verge of economic and political collapse.
Euphemistically called ‘Anti-Fascist Protection Barrier’, the Wall was a 155km-long symbol of oppression that turned West Berlin into an island of democracy within a sea of socialism. Continually reinforced and refined over time, it eventually grew into a complex border security system that included a ‘death strip’ made up of trenches, floodlights, patrol roads, attack dogs, electrified fences and watchtowers staffed by trigger-happy guards.
The first would-be escapee was shot only a few days after 13 August, but the full extent of the system’s cruelty became blatantly clear on 17 August 1962 when 18-year-old Peter Fechtner was shot and wounded and then left to bleed to death while the East German guards looked on. There’s a memorial in the spot where he died on Zimmerstrasse, near Markgrafenstrasse (Map). Another Wall Victims Memorial (Map) is just south of the Reichstag, on the eastern end of Scheidemannstrasse.
The demise of the Wall came as unsuspectedly as its creation. Once again the GDR was losing its people in droves, this time via Hungary which had opened its borders with Austria. At the same time, East Germans took to the streets by the tens of thousands demanding improved human rights and an end to the SED monopoly. On 9 November 1989 SED spokesperson Günter Schabowski made a surprise announcement on GDR TV: all travel restrictions to the West had been lifted – effective immediately. Amid scenes of wild partying and mile-long parades of GDR-made Trabant cars, the two Berlins came together again. The dismantling of the hated barrier began almost immediately.
Only little more than 1.5km of the Berlin Wall still stands as a symbol of the triumph of freedom over oppression. The longest, best-preserved and most interesting stretch is the East Side Gallery (Map), a 1.3km-long section paralleling the Spree, which was turned into an open-air gallery by international artists in 1990.
Over the past 20 years, the two city halves have visually merged so perfectly that in many places it takes a keen eye to tell East from West. Fortunately, there’s help in the form of a double row of cobblestones that guides you along 5.7km of the Wall’s course.
If you’re feeling ambitious, follow all or sections of the 160km-long Berliner Mauerweg (Berlin Wall Trail; www.berlin.de/mauer, link to English), a signposted walking and cycling path along the former border fortifications with 40 multilingual information stations posted throughout.
A high-tech way to walk the Wall is with the Mauerguide (www.mauerguide.de; adult/concession per 4hr €8/5, per day €10/7), a nifty handheld mini-computer that maps its course via GPS and provides intelligent commentary and historic audio and video. Rental stations include Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburger Tor. Call or check the website to confirm locations and opening hours.
For more background, swing by the Gedenkstätte Berliner