Cold War and the Wall

Just as World War II ended, Berlin became a focal point for a new war. In no other city in the world, Soviets and Americans camped so close to each other; and although Germany as a whole was divided, no other place in Germany symbolizes the division like the Berlin Wall. We offer several routes for Cold War/Wall tours. There is much more to this chapter in History than Check-point Charlie and the remains of the Wall. The Friedrichstrasse crossing point was much more important than Checkpoint Charlie. The latter was intended for foreigners and diplomats, whereas regular Berliners – West Berliners – who came to visit their families in the east used to arrive by train, and they entered East Berlin at the Friedrichstraße train station. The passport control station got the nickname “the Palace of Tears”, a tragic farewell place for many people from their loved ones. We would visit the main Berlin-Wall memorial, a site where not only a piece of the wall itself was kept, but also some sections of the no-man’s land – "the death strip" – including one of the guard-towers. It is the site where some famous tunnels under the wall were dug. We will discuss some attempts to flee to freedom and more importantly, will understand and see its impact on the lives of people from both sides. You will also hear some spying stories about the ways both sides kept a tag on each other, and how East Germany became, as Anna Funder calls it, "Stasiland".