Monday 23 November 2015

Reliving The Cold War In Berlin

Take a single step in Berlin and chances are you will be crossing a Cold War reminder. The Berlin Wall meandered through the heart of the town and the scars are ever present. History, right under your feet!

A couple of blocks of the Wall, looking from East Berlin.


One clever thing Berlin has done is mark the path of the Wall in the places where it no longer stands. Cobblestones or other markings in the ground act like a perverted Yellow Brick Road. If you can't get enough of life size, check out a museum model.

Checkpoint Charlie, the crossover to another world. Now, a photo-op. Of course, a McDonald's is right next door.



A warning in four languages. Got it? History distilled down to a punch line.

One nice touch at Checkpoint Charlie is a double-sided portrait. Heading into East Berlin, you get a shot of a DDR soldier. Fair warning. GI Joe is on the other side.


You think the whole thing is only preserved for tourists? There are still original remnants, maybe ripped up, but not removed. Sections of the Wall and a guard shack, not re-purposed. Old church, old Soviet TV tower. The Soviets loved their TV towers.
New Berlin, meet old Berlin. Transformer boxes, with authorized paint job (who approved a dog peeing?) in front of Berlin Wall sections. Being truly subversive was more creative.

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