The Berlin Wall: Design and Extent


Figure 1.--Here an West German teenager plays a flute in front of the Berlin Wall, we think in the late-1970s. Note therecis no grafiti on the Wall. West Germans could approavh the Wall. This was not possible on the Eastern side. Notice the track along the Wall. All the killing installations (guns and mines) were located on the other side.

The Wall was a massive undertaking. The Berlin Wall was initially a barbed wire barrier around Berlin. Ulbricht was determined, however, to have cement barrier. He wanted a formidable barrier to make a visual statement. He was determined to force the East German people to come to terms with Communism. The Wall eventually extended 155 km. It was a barbed wire barricade and concrete wall with an average height of 3.60 meters. There were barriers, gun posts, motion sensors, and mine fields preventing East Berliners from even approaching the Wall itself. The barrier between East and West was also constructed all along the border between East and West Germany. From the West the Wall could be approached. The high wall prevented a view of what was built to prevent passage. From the East, the Wall could not be approached.

Design

The Wall was a massive undertaking. The Berlin Wall was initially a barbed wire barrier around Berlin. Ulbricht was determined, however, to have cement barrier. He wanted a formidable barrier to make a visual statement. He was determined to force the East German people to come to terms with Communism. The Wall eventually extended 155 km. It was a barbed wire barricade and concrete wall with an average height of 3.60 meters. There were barriers, gun posts, motion sensors, and mine fields preventing East Berliners from even approaching the Wall itself. The Wall evolved over time in several stages. The East Germans set up an initial barrier during the night without any previous announcement (August 13, 1961). It was the weekend. Most Berliners were sleeping when the East Germans began closing the border. By the early morning of Sunday, the East Germans had completed most of the beginning work and the border between East and West Berlin was sealed. The East German soldiers began to rip up streets to make it a permanent closure. The initial installations were simple barbed wire entanglement and fences. The Easter Germans within days began constructing the concrete barriers from which the Wall took its name (August 15). They were large square blocks. Over the next months the concrete was completed making this the first Wall. The Fist Wall was still porous. The East Germans reacting to escape attempts began perfecting the Wall. Improvements were begun (June 1962). This second phase of construction continued for about 3 years. These were improvements and not a major design change. Thus it is to distinguish between the first and the second phases of construction. East German authorities became obsessed with the Wall. The number of escapees were limited, but the East Germans were determined to reduce the level to zero. A major new construction project was initiated (1965). The existing Wall was torn down and replaced with concrete slabs set between steel girders and concrete posts. A concrete sewage pipe was placed on top of the Wall. This was to make it impossible to get a grip on the top of the Wall. The East Germans launched another major construction project (1975). This was the fourth and final version. New concrete segments were used to replace the 1965 Wall segments. The new segments were prefabricated. Thus the new Wall was easier to build. They were also stronger as well as stronger. They were designed to be less affected by weather and pollution. About 45,000 concrete segments were used This version of the Wall was also called "Grenzmauer75" (Border Wall 75).

Extent

The barrier between East and West was also constructed all along the border between East and West Germany.

East-West Views

From the West the Wall could be approached. The high wall prevented a view of what was built to prevent passage. From the East, the Wall could not be approached.







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Created: 10:10 PM 3/11/2009
Spell checked 7:18 AM 11/25/2013
Last updated: 7:18 AM 11/25/2013