Berlin Wall Memorial - stock photo

A closeup of the Berlin Wall memorial, made up of the remnants of a concrete barrier that physically divided the city of Berlin from 1961 to 1989. The wall was built by the German Democratic Republiic, colloquially known as "East Germany", starting on August 13, 1961. Demolition began on June 13, 1990 and was completed two years later. The wall included guard towers which were manned by armed guards, ready to kill anyone who violated the "death strip" on the east side of the Wall. Only small sections of the wall remain as a stark reminder of a dark page in German history.