Berlin had been divided into two
sections similarly to Germany. The west was controlled by the Americans,
French, and British, where as the east was controlled by Nazi Germany. Since Nazi
Germany was in control of East Berlin, the German people were not happy with
the amount of control that was being put upon them. Many of them had decided to
flee East Berlin and head to the west in order to pursue their personal goals.
This did not sit well with the East Berlin and East German government so a wall
was constructed in order to keep the East Berlin citizens. Many citizens
constructed tunnels and mapped out many other escape routes to flee East
Berlin.
One of the monuments in Berlin that
has fascinated me the most was the Brandenburg Gate. I knew that the gate had
some significance to the Berlin Wall and World War II, but I was unaware of the
exact significance of the gate. The statue atop the gate consists of four
horses pulling a chariot which is being ridden by the goddess of victory. The
statue was created for Frederick the Great because of his excellent military
knowledge and expertise. The statue is gorgeous and I had no idea that it was a
tribute to Frederick the Great. I also was unaware that there were so many
other gates surrounding Berlin. I found it interesting that the Gate symbolizes
German Unity. It makes sense that they would construct an open gate that
symbolizes the unification of Germany. The video stated that the gate was
designed to represent the hope and peace that could come in Germany. This
information makes the Brandenburg Gate seem that much more interesting. I love
that it was constructed to unify and bring together all of the people of
Germany.
The Brandenburg Gate
The Berlin Wall was constructed in
1961 to divide Berlin into the east and west. There have been many stages of
the wall over the years to keep Berlin divided. The beginning of the wall was
very different from the end of it. Since there were so many attempts to escape
East Berlin, the wall had to be renovated over and over. It began as a simple
wall with barbed wire but had to be constructed into a concrete wall with many watch
towers and barbed wire with many guards. Many families sacrificed everything to
get to the west so that they could either connect with lost family members,
escape Nazi Germany, search for freedom, and many other reasons. I know a
little bit about the Berlin Wall because of German class. I was really fascinated
of all the different ways that the East Germans attempted to flee their
country. The intricate tunnel systems and secret groups that they created in
order to help each other find their family amazed me. Another piece of information
that I previously knew about the Berlin Wall was that the East German
government constructed the Berlin Wall around all of West Berlin. I found this
very interesting because they had created a fail-safe so that the East Berlin
citizens couldn’t find another easy way into West Berlin.
A blueprint of the Berlin Wall
It is a shame that Germany had to
be divided and separated for many years. It is also a shame that many families
were separated and some never were able to be reunited with their family
members. The Brandenburg Gate is a beautiful representation of the unification
of East and West Germany. The idea for the gate to be wide open is a wonderful
idea to show the unity between the two. I am very excited to visit these
monuments and learn more about them when we visit.
A map of the complete Berlin Wall surrounding West Berlin
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