Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Berlin Wall
Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & 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. Berlin Wall
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
Keith Haring: Berlin Wall mural
Modern Berlin: Blending history with modernity
Quizzes
(Left) Eiffel Tower; (right) Washington Monument. Combo using assets (Eiffel Tower) 245552 and (Washington Monument) 245554.
Which Is Taller? Quiz
Quiz thumbnail, "What Happened on this Very Important Date" quiz. A push pin on a calendar
What Very Big Thing Happened on This Day?
Great Wall of China. In c. 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), when (see notes)
A Quiz About Walls and More
Flag of Germany
How Much Do You Know About German History?
Gutzon Borglum. Presidents. Sculpture. National park. George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota.
National Parks and Landmarks Quiz
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Large crowd celebrates on and around the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Berlin Wall opening People from East and West Berlin gathering at the Berlin Wall on November 10, 1989, one day after the wall opened.

Berlin Wall

wall, Berlin, Germany
Also known as: Berliner Mauer
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Berlin Wall, barrier that surrounded West Berlin and prevented access to it from East Berlin and adjacent areas of East Germany during the period from 1961 to 1989. In the years between 1949 and 1961, about 2.5 million East Germans had fled from East to West Germany, including steadily rising numbers of skilled workers, professionals, and intellectuals. Their loss threatened to destroy the economic viability of the East German state. In response, East Germany built...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile