SHOTLIST:

BERLIN, GERMANY (NOV. 8, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF REMAINS OF BERLIN WALL / PEOPLE VISITING BERLIN WALL /

2. EAST GERMAN VEHICLES USED FOR VISITORS

3. GERMAN WOMAN, PETRA LUTZ SPEAKING TO REPORTER (German)

4. GERMAN MAN, KLAUS BODE SPEAKING TO REPORTER (German)

5. ANOTHER GERMAN MAN, ROLNAD HENKEL SPEAKING TO REPORTER (German)

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOV. 8: Thirty-six years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germans still remember vividly the years of division that symbolized the Cold War and separated families, friends, and a nation.

After Germany’s defeat in World War II, the country was divided into four zones controlled by the United States, Britain, France and the former Soviet Union.

In 1949, the three western sectors merged to form the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), while the Soviet-controlled area became the German Democratic Republic (GDR), splitting the country in two.

Over the following years, more than 2.5 million young and skilled people fled from East to West Germany in search of better opportunities. To stop the mass exodus, East German authorities secretly decided on Aug. 12, 1961, to seal the border in Berlin, initially using barbed wire.

When the wire proved ineffective, construction began on Aug. 17, 1961, on what became known as the “Wall of Shame,” a 3.6-meter-high concrete barrier that physically divided East and West Berlin.

The structure came to symbolize not only Germany’s division but also the split between East and West during the Cold War.

Stretching about 155 kilometers around West Berlin, the wall was fortified with guard towers and inner barriers over time.

Some 11,000 East German soldiers were deployed to patrol the border, and 302 watchtowers were installed. Crossing to the West was prohibited except in rare cases, and attempts to flee often ended in death — at least 136 people were confirmed killed while trying to cross.

By the late 1980s, reforms under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika policies inspired calls for change in East Germany. In 1989, mass protests erupted under the slogan “We are the people,” demanding political reform and freedom of movement.

On Nov. 9, 1989, East German official Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced that new travel regulations were effective “immediately,” prompting thousands to rush to border crossings. Crowds began dismantling the wall, and East and West Berliners embraced in celebration.

The Berlin Wall — which stood for 28 years, two months and 28 days — finally fell that night, marking the end of the Cold War era.

Today, remnants of the wall remain across Berlin, serving as a stark reminder of the city’s divided past.