Arguably one of the most influential pieces
of concrete of the entire 20th century, this
construction project divided a city and changed
the course of history. But 30 years on from
the fall of the Berlin Wall, what does the
city feel like now? Is it truly reunited?
How are architecture and construction playing
a part? And what are people who live here
really think? We're in Berlin to find out.
At the end of the Second World War, Germany
was partitioned into four occupation zones,
each controlled by one of the allied forces:
France, the United States, the United Kingdom
and the Soviet Union. Reflecting these zones,
Berlin was also split into four sectors, with
the eastern half of the city coming under
the authority of the communist German Democratic
Republic, or GDR. But once the country split
entirely into East and West Germany in 1949,
huge numbers of East Germans began moving
to the West, mostly in search for a better
quality of life. Seeing their population decrease
and economy suffer, the GDR began constructing
a barbed wire and concrete barricade through
the city centre and around West Berlin in
the early hours of the 13th of August 1961.
A physical barrier that would go on to divide
Berliners for a generation. The effect of
the separation on each community was profound,
with East and West Germans thrown into opposing
political, cultural and economic systems,
creating an ever-growing imbalance in living
conditions on either side of the wall.
But on November 9th 1989, in response to
international pressure, with the Cold War
beginning to de-escalate and with the GDR
in turmoil, Berlin's citizens were finally given
the freedom of the entire city once again.
After 28 long years, the wall came down amid
dramatic scenes. This historic moment marked
the start of Germany's steady process of reunification.
In Berlin today, on first impression, it's
easy to forget that the wall ever existed.
And structures like the Brandenburg Gate,
now permanently open, have become symbols
of a united Germany. Equally, the Reichstag
Building, which added a modern glass dome
in 1999, is a key example of a piece of architecture
symbolising the reunification process.
Indeed, many examples of contemporary architecture
have now sprung up along the route of the
former border. From major transport hubs like
Central Station, to the headquarters for the
real estate company GSW. What were once no-go
zones have also been transformed into hives of activity.
This is Potsdamer Platz and, again, the wall
used to run right through here. This was one
of the city's thriving intersections, but
it became pretty much deserted overnight when
the wall went up. Now, with the wall down,
there's construction work happening, developments
taking place, and Potsdamer has returned to
become one of the key hubs of this city.
Although visual clues of where the wall once
stood are now scarce, reminders do still exist,
ensuring the city's history is retained. While
some are hard to spot, others are far easier to find.
One of the best examples of this is probably
Checkpoint Charlie, named after Checkpoint
C by the Allied forces. This was one of the
main crossings between East and West Berlin.
It was also the scene of a major standoff
between the Soviet and Allied forces when
tensions were at their highest. Today, as
you can see and hear, it's very touristy.
I mean, they have retained Checkpoint Charlie,
it's not the original checkpoint, there's
a kind of a mock-up of what the checkpoint
used to look like there. I've studied the
history of this space. I know the importance
and the historical significance of the ground
we’re currently standing on. But then you
get here and it's very busy, you've got KFC,
which has sprung up right next to it. And
it's almost just so busy that it kind of cheapens
the experience a little bit. I guess you get
that with any kind of big historical site
in any city. But, yeah, Checkpoint Charlie has surprised
me.
While Checkpoint Charlie has been turned into
a very prominent reminder of the past,
many less obvious signs of the division still remain
around the city if you know where to look.
When crossing the street in some areas, it's
still possible to see the old East German
pedestrian signal figures, which have now gained
something of a cult status. In other places,
double lines of cobblestones mark the route
of the wall, along with memorial markers and
information boards at what were once key points.
Beyond these small indicators, much larger
areas of the city have retained many of their
original features.
Right now I am in Alexanderplatz. Now, this
area was devastated at the end of the Second
World War. But when the wall went up in 1961,
the Soviets set about making this the heart
of East Berlin. This was the heart of the
city. This is where people in the East came
to as their city centre. But now, as part
of the reunified Berlin, it's part of that
bigger city, but many of its original features
still remain.
While physical signs of the divided years
are now becoming harder to find, some residents
still perceive there to be inequality between
the former East and West regions, both socially
and economically, even though much progress
has been made since the wall came down.
By 2018, the economic strength of the area formerly
classed as East Germany had risen to 75% of
the West German level from just 43% in 1990.
Employment is at a high in the former East
German region, and wages there are 84% of
those in the West. However, despite much being
done on the convergence of living conditions
since the country officially reunified in
1990, there remains an imbalance. Even German
Chancellor Angela Merkel said in 2019 that
there is still a lot to do to create equal
living conditions between the whole of the
former East and West German regions, not just
in Berlin. Furthermore, in the recent ‘State
of German Unity’ survey, 57% of Germans
living in the east of the country said that
they still felt like second-class citizens.
Only 38% of those surveyed in the east see
reunification as a success, including just
20% of people younger than 40. But what about
the citizens of Berlin specifically? Beyond
the major landmarks that we've explored here,
how did they see the process of reunifying
the city to date?
What is it really like? Is there really a
sense of unity or is there a kind of underlying
sense of division still between people, or
is it truly unified?
I think you can find both. Berlin is definitely
a unified city with its one centre and all
its little districts and all its different
identities and all its various cultures of
people living here. And everybody will tell
you a little bit of their truth and their identity.
What do you think has been the biggest thing
that's led to the city feeling more unified?
The completion of the S-Bahn ring has definitely
helped. And then making Berlin have one centre
definitely helps in feeling that you live
in one city.
It was a piece of construction, the wall,
that divided the city for 28 years. To what
extent do you think architecture and construction
is really playing a role in helping the city
feel like one cohesive capital again?
While the wall has been up for 28 years, it's
already been down for 30 years now. And of
course, there's been a lot of developments
along the death strip along the sides of the wall.
There are a lot of new buildings, you can
almost not trace where it was. It's also not
a thing to remember crossing it or minding
your step when you're crossing it. It's like
we just live with the memory of the wall.
And Berlin has definitely a lot of tourists
because of the wall, which is very welcome
because we like to commemorate our history here.
That feeling you describe now where you don't
feel you have to step over it, you don't even
remember if you're in east or west Berlin
anymore. To what extent has that changed from
when you first moved here in 1994?
We would cross to the other part of the city
then you would feel so many differences in
atmosphere and colour. East Berlin was so
much more grey and just 50 meters away west
Berlin was so much more colourful.
So, you're 20 years old, you've only ever
known a united Germany. Does it feel like
a united country to you?
Economically, not really. We have taken massive
steps to undergo the inequality that is still
seen today. But the mindsets still remain
divided to this day.
I think being East German is still part of my identity.
My entire family
is from the east and therefore, you know,
the way I was brought up is sort of East German
still. And it shaped me as a person. And I
assume people from the west also were brought
up with a Western mindset.
So, for you it still feels, I mean it’s
a united city, but you still see those signs every day?
I do, here in the town centre it's obvious.
If you look at where the wall was built, you
can't miss it. You see the Brandenburg Gate
and you notice, oh, this is the east, this is the west.
In the east you can see many
tram lines, while the west virtually has none.
The streetlights in the east tend to be yellow,
while they're blue in the west. Small differences
that do add up in the end. So, you will be
able to tell that, oh, I'm in the former West,
I'm in the former East.
Over the course of your lifetime, do you think
architecture, construction, new infrastructure
projects, efforts to make the city feel more
united through buildings and built infrastructure;
do you think that's made a difference or do
you think it's still a long way to go?
There are still massive differences between
the town centre like here and sort of the
suburbs. Some of the suburbs still feel like
you are in 1980, both in the west and in the
east. But here in the town centre, architecture
has definitely helped unite this city.
While the extent to which Germany and its
capital are now reunited may remain a topic
of debate, and while reunification is recognised
as an ongoing process, Berlin's status as
one of the world's most resilient urban centres
cannot be disputed. Enduring destruction at
the end of the Second World War, the city
has gone from being divided, in many ways,
in the decades that followed, to becoming
known for the exact opposite. Where populations
were once forced apart, they are now welcomed
with open arms to a place that is synonymous
with inclusivity, diversity and with celebrating
people from all walks of life.
While its wounds are continuing to heal,
the progress made in the space of just 30 years powerfully demonstrates
the true strength and resilience of this remarkable
city and its people.
So that concludes our trip to Berlin. The
city is reunited but you look just below the
surface and there is some division still there.
I know we only spoke to two people and, I
have to say it's only when I spoke to Alex
and I heard the view that he had, that his
family had, having lived and grown up in East
Berlin, I realised for the first time in my
life that I've kind of learned about the history
of Berlin through Western eyes. And what was
seen as a great success and a great liberation
by the West wasn't a raging success story
for the people in the East, even though they
gained their freedom, lots of other challenges
came, and some of those challenges are still
here, still very real now. If you were to
ask me, what are the greatest cities in the
world? Berlin has surely got to be up there.
To go through what it's been through and to
now be what it is today is absolutely remarkable.
So that's me guys. I really hope enjoyed watching
this, we hope you enjoyed coming on the journey
with us to Berlin. Make sure you subscribe,
make sure you tell your friends and we'll
catch you soon.
