The Berlin Wall.

After World War 2, Germany was divided into 4 sectors. The largest sector, East Germany, was controlled by Russia, and West Germany  belonged to France, Great Britain and America. The same thing happened to Berlin. East Berlin was controlled by the Russians, and West Berlin was owned by France, Great Britain and America. Each with their own sector.

The Soviets controlled the East very differently from the West, they were very strict and did not like what was happening in the West.

The Berlin Wall was built on one night.  If you were asleep in East Berlin on the night of the 12^th of August then when you woke up you were trapped inside the Wall that circled the city. At midnight the police and the East German Army started to build the 200 kilometre wall.

The Berlin Wall was built for 2 reasons:

·       Economics. There were too many well educated people that moved from East Germany to West Germany. Some people lived in East Berlin, because it was cheaper, and worked in West Berlin, because it was more fun and exciting than East Berlin. The DDR lost money on this and weren’t very happy.

·       Political. The East and West did not agree on many things.

The Wall was first built out of barbed wire, and a few weeks later it was built from concrete. It stood from 1961 and on the 9th of November 1989 the government of Germany opened the gate from East Germany to West Germany, which allowed the West and East Berlin people join together again.

But it wasn't until October 9th 1990, that the wall was finally smashed and broken, and sold to tourist companies. Only some sections of the Wall are still standing in Berlin.

Where the wall used to be, there is a brick line in the pavement to remind people of the division. One section has been left untouched next to the museum, it is grey concrete and it is falling to pieces. Another section has become an outdoor art gallery with lots of colourful paintings about war and peace.

By Charlotte