berlin wall

Looking for a place to go that’s historical but that can still party? Germany is that place, especially since this year, 2019, was the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.It came as a shock to even some of the Germans when the wall fell because the wall had lasted for over two decades. German teenagers and some young adults never knew anything different. The Berlin Wall divided a city and a country and prevented recovery from World War II after being erected basically overnight in 1961.Since the wall’s fall on November 9, 1989, celebrations and festivities have been held every year to commemorate the rise of democracy and freedom.Der Mauerfall, as the fall of the Berlin Wall is called in German, came as a surprise to Sandra Ehlert, a native German who was visiting both West and East Berlin about three weeks before the momentous Mauerfall.However, Laura Rawlins, an American working for a family as part of a Brigham Young University internship in Berlin before the Mauerfall, could see the inklings of protests.History of a Divided Berlin, the Wall, and Revolution Surrounding West Berlin, the Berlin Wall effectively kept Easterners, who occupied East Germany and East Berlin, from escaping the USSR to freedom in West Berlin, which was occupied by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.The wall itself was made of concrete panels 3.6 meters high (about 12 feet), topped with barbed wire. There was a strip of land next to the Eastern Wall: a no-man’s-land that crawled with guards, police dogs, and alarms; as well as a second wall, the Western Wall, that people could walk right up to. However, the guard towers on the two walls easily made people wary.“A lot of people died trying to flee East Berlin,” Sandra said, confirming all the fears that one could have. Nearly 140 East Berliners died trying to cross. “They had to be really determined,” explained Laura regarding those that tried to cross.The wall was built in the midst of the Cold War between the USSR and the US as a way for the USSR to prevent fleeing, as well as to assert its dominance.In the June of 1948, the USSR closed all incoming roads, canals, and trains from West Germany into West Berlin, forcing the Berlin Airlift to commence. Nearly two years’ worth of airlifted food, supplies, and medicine—a total of more than 2.3 million tons (2.3 Tg)—was lifted into the allies’ sectors of the city.From Their View

“What’s your favorite city in Europe?” That was the question I asked almost every local I came in contact with while traveling around Europe. And I kept getting the same answer: Berlin.

Berlin is a big city with a big history, and it may be overwhelming to know where to start exploring. Much of Berlin’s history is preserved and conveyed through the city’s architecture, which makes an architectural tour the perfect way to experience its culture. Here are some places you don’t want to miss this spring.