Berlin Wall: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026

News •

Germany news: Germany marks fateful date of November 9 • Nov. 9, 2026, 10:11 PM ET (Deutsche Welle)

37 years after fall of Berlin Wall: How divided are Germans today? • Nov. 9, 2026, 9:02 AM ET (Deutsche Welle)

Berlin Wall pieces go on display in northeast Arkansas’ National Cold War Center • Nov. 8, 2026, 12:15 AM ET (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

Did You Know?

The wall included a system of 302 guard towers and 55,000 landmines.
A barbed-wire fence where the wall would be was installed overnight, surprising residents on both sides.
The East German government claimed that it built the Berlin Wall to keep out Western ideas, spies, and fascists.

Photos and Videos

Large crowd celebrates on and around the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is seen through coils of barbed wire, with a sign reading in German that you are leaving West Berlin, during the early Berlin Wall era, circa 1962.

Map of divided Berlin, with the path of the Berlin Wall marked

Crowds, tanks, buses, and jeeps gather at a US Army Checkpoint in Berlin, Germany. Signs overhead read US Army Checkpoint and You are leaving the American sector.

Keith Haring: Berlin Wall mural

Witness the creation and collapse of the Berlin Wall separating East Germany and West Germany

The path to German reunification

Bringing down the Berlin Wall

Modern Berlin: Blending history with modernity

Was it possible to escape East Germany?

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Great Wall of China Tower of London Hadrian’s Wall Maginot Line Bastille Agra Fort Siegfried Line Antonine Wall Hindenburg Line Palace of Diocletian

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