IFA iNternational 2019 DAY 4 Edition

© Thomas Keller
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Celebrate the Berlin wall anniversary
2019 is a particularly good time to visit the various remnants of the city’s historic borderline
as this year represents the 30th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Wall.
The Asisi Panorama, East Side Gallery
On November 9, 1989, a spokesman of the
Communist Party announced that newlyadopted
travel regulations allowed East
Germans to go anywhere; this marked the end
of the separation of East and West Berlin, which
had been enforced for 28 years. The concrete
barrier immediately started to come down – at
first informally, as citizens demolished sections
of it and took souvenirs, then formally in June
1990. Most of it has since vanished, of course,
but a few pieces remain which commemorate
the border.
This anniversary year is the perfect opportunity
to track the remains of the “Berliner
Mauer”. Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse
was the largest official border crossing by car
or by foot. The old warning signage has been
kept although the place now has a “Disneyland”
look with its popular tourist attractions. More
interesting, however, is a series of panels telling
the story of Berlin’s division. Next to Checkpoint
Charlie also stands the Asisi Panorama. Turkish
artist Yadegar Asisi painted a 360 o artwork of
the Berlin Wall in the early 1980s. This is the
closest impression of the way West Berlin used
to look along its dreary border.
By following the Wall Path – a mark on the
ground tracing the former demarcation line –
a large piece of wall is still visible next to the
former Gestapo headquarters. You can then
take the S-Bahn train at the nearby station
Anhalter Bahnhof and go out at Nordbahnhof –
stations along the ride were also part of the wall
and not accessible except at Friedrichstrasse.
Nordbahnhof station stands next to the Berlin
Wall Memorial. Set up along Bernauer Strasse
– formerly No Man’s Land – the memorial
shows the wall as it was in the early 1980s. A
preserved documentation centre complements
the visit.
On the way back, stop at the former
Tränenpalast next to Friedrichstrasse station.
The place used to be the rail border crossing
for passengers going to West Berlin – giving
it the nickname “Palace Of Tears”. It contains
a faithful reproduction of the border control
area. Then a colourful way to finish the cultural
and historical tour is to end up at the East Side
Gallery (next to Ostbahnhof station) – 1.3km
of the wall remains and, covered in over 100
individual pieces of street art, it is the longest
open-air art gallery in the world
www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 9 September 2019
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