Are you in Germany, Berlin? So don't miss discovering the remains of the Berlin Wall, one of the must-see attractions to explore in the heart of the city!
Visiting the Berlin Wall is a giant leap in history; notably the period following World War II, the famous Cold War. Symbol of the opposition between the Eastern bloc and the Western bloc, materialization of the Iron Curtain, the Berlin Wall is a symbol, known throughout the world, and which is still interrogating, fascinated and siding today. To help you understand this place so famous but yet so unrecognized, it will be necessary to organize your visit, which is why we have prepared a travel guide to the small onions containing all the necessary practical information: a quick history, the major attractions of this high place of European history, as well as the access to privileges, schedules and rates: so we go?
Come and discover the best tips to visit the Berlin Wall!
History of the Berlin Wall
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons – Yann
The Berlin Wall (in the language of Goethe, the latter is called Berliner Mauer), officially called by the East-German government “anti-fascist protection wall” and nicknamed by the German people “the wall of shame”, was erected in one night, from 12 to 13 August 1961 by the GDR government (German Democratic Republic); The latter wanted to interrupt the emigration of East Berliners - a sector controlled by Soviet power - to the western part of the city, controlled by the United States, the United Kingdom and France. In fact, individual freedoms were strongly shattered and people wanted to benefit from Western economic development!
For more than 28 years, the building physically separated East Berlin and West Berlin, tearing thousands of families and friends who had forbidden to go on one side... or on the other, to see their loved ones! This military device consisted of two walls of 3.6 m high, a round road travelled night and day by armed guards, more than 300 miradors and countless alarms, as well as 600 dogs and 14,000 border guards... responsible for slaughtering the fugitives.
The famous "fall of the Wall", which became a major historical fact, took place on 9 November 1989, and the latter ceased to constitute an impermeable barrier between the Berliners: the reunification of the city had just begun! Progressively destroyed, there are only a few traces of this building in the city of Berlin today, but its stigma remains well visible and the memories associated with it, vivked in German collective memory.
What to see and do at the Berlin Wall?
You will have understood this: the Wall, destroyed in its almost totality, is not a point of interest that one can visit. Nevertheless, the Berlin Wall is physically represented in the city by a double row of pavers! This makes it easy to visualize the location of the Wall, and the circuit is ideal for visiting the Berlin Wall by bike: a track crosses the city by following exactly the location of the Wall, and covers more than 160 kilometers by counting the route of the old border of the Berlin-West RDA. Traces of the Berlin Wall can be seen throughout the city, including many memorial sites, such as East Side Gallery the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall with more than 1300 metres; This portion of the Wall was decorated by a hundred artists in 1990, and it is now possible to admire famous works like the “ Baiser fraternnel between Russian leader Leonid Brezhnev and SED President Erich Honecker.
But we can also discover the old Berlin Wall along the Friedrichstrasse a large cultural and commercial avenue.. formerly cut in two by the latter. At the bottom of this street, you can see the amazing Checkpoint Charlie , a checkpoint now reopened in a peaceful museum and a major point of interest in the Berlin capital, allowing dignitaries and diplomats - only - to get from one sector to another in Berlin. Here was a historical face-to-face between Russian and American armouries during the Berlin Crisis in October 1961!
The Berlin Wall Memorial , on the Bernauer Straße, in the district of Prenzlauerberg, is a museum and the ideal place to discover history, the remarkable anecdotes, the legendary images that made the Berlin Wall a historic place! From the museum’s terrace, we can observe all the military installations that celined West Berlin until the fall of the Wall; the site is more than a kilometer long! It is certainly one of the most important places to visit the Berlin Wall, in order to have an overview of the building and its importance in the Berlin metropolis at the time and to discover fabulous exhibitions, including the border stations and ghost stations of the divided Berlin.
Of course, many other places are available when you want to visit the Berlin Wall, but the three cities are undoubtedly the most culturally, historically and educationally interesting.
Book your ticket to visit the Berlin Wall
How do I go to the Berlin Wall?
- For the East Side Gallery
Along the Spree, the historic building can be reached by metro via the U2 line , exit Warschauer Straße. ♪ tram using the M10 , or by bus, with the N1, 248 or 347 which stop near certain portions of the Berlin Wall!
- For Checkpoint Charlie
The address of the place – Friedrichstraße 43-45 - is easily accessible by metro on the U6 line , Kochstrasse/Checkpoint Charlie station, or by bus via the M29 line at Kochstraße.
- For the Berlin Wall Memorial
The address of the place – Bernauer Straße 111/119 – is easily accessible by urban express train (S-Bahn) on lines S1, S2, S25 and S26; by tram on line M10, by bus with line 247 and by metro (U-Bahn) on line U6 (Naturkundemuseum) and U8 (Bernauer Straße station).
Schedules & Rates of the Berlin Wall
- For the East Side Gallery
East Side Gallery is a gigantic open-air wall panel, so there is no.. entrance to itself, no hours, in this monument accessible at any time Day and night!
- For Checkpoint Charlie
To discover Checkpoint Charlie, it is possible to go on site every day of the year - including holidays !-, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. . The price to access the museum is from 12,50€ per adult , and 6,50€ for 7 to 18 years .
- For the Berlin Wall Memorial
The entrance is free ; documentation centres are open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; as for exhibitions and outdoor sites, they are accessible daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Book your ticket to visit the Berlin Wall
BON A LEARN
- If you want to visit several parts of the wall in a single day, you should have a good one physical condition since you will have to walk a good distance during the different points of interest to admire.
- All monuments and cultural places are accessible to persons with reduced mobility, including public transport, Germany being an example in terms of dedicated infrastructure.
- If possible, don't come during the school holidays or in the summer weekend... to avoid the attendance of this place become mythical!
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