Can you believe we’re coming on to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall? For three decades it sliced Germany in two, a physical and philosophical barrier separating east from west, communism from capitalism. More than 5,000 escape attempts were made and over 130 people died trying to flee life behind the Iron Curtain. Then on November 9, 1989, the first sledgehammers pounded into the concrete to “tear down this wall”. It took 18 months to bulldoze the 140 km (87 mile) structure. Most of the materials were crushed and recycled into roads. However, some choice chunks were sold, auctioned off or donated as objet d’arts around the world. Take a look at 16 pieces of the Berlin Wall on display across the globe. You won’t believe where some of these stone slabs are.
1. Montreal, Quebec
This graffiti-filled segment of the Berlin Wall is on display at the World Trade Centre Montreal (Centre de Commerce mondial de Montréal). It was given to the city in 1992.
2. Los Angeles, California
The Wall Along Wilshire is longest remnant of the Berlin Wall in America. Ten panels stand outside the Wende Museum, brought here in 2009 as part of The Wall Project which supports “the legacy of the Berlin Wall as a concrete canvass for art and political expression”. This stretch displays original Cold War era graffiti and some new murals, including a famous one of Kennedy and Regan.
3. Seoul, South Korea
This three-slab chunk of the wall stands in Berlin Square, a plaza near the Jiangtong Bridge and Cheonggyecheon stream. It was brought to Seoul in 2005 as a gift from the City of Berlin to inspire South Koreans to hope for a similar reunification with North Korea in the future.
