Behind Enemy Lines

Berlin is full of impressive tourist attractions showing the might of Germany like the Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag, but the highlight of my trip was walking along the Berlin Wall. I can remember sitting through high school history classes learning about it, but reading about it in a book does not do the site justice. You learn about the differences between the East and West all throughout school, but to realize that this wall separated the two political ideologies is mind-blowing. As I walked along the wall I imagined what it must have been like to be blocked off from another side of the city, and really a whole different life style. To me it is a seemingly surreal fate to be shut off from another part of the world and confined to a specific space within the city. It was a moment where you really “put yourself in someone else’s shoes”.

I was expecting to see crumbling portions of the wall covered with graffiti, but instead we visited the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km portion of the wall decorated with paintings by artists from all along the globe. The paintings portray different themes; whether it be world peace, harmony amongst religions, or reasons why humanity should never forget this moment in history. The varying styles and themes the artists used portrayed how much of a global impact the Berlin Wall had. Of all the beautiful artwork on the wall, the most striking painting for me combined the German and Israeli flags. This painting in itself embodied many of the themes we have gone over in class to date; the nationalism associated with the flags of both nations, and the community Jews in Germany (and around the world for that matter) must feel, and of course religion. Obviously the wall clearly is the line of demarcation between the two territories, the East and the West.

Although the Berlin Wall is quickly losing its prominence within the city, I was glad to see that there is an association who has preserved such a large portion. After walking along the East Side Gallery, I remember saying “Wow, that was really long” but I soon realizing that was really only a tiny piece of the former wall.

Visiting the Berlin Wall was a special moment for me because it was the opposite of what I usually do when I visit a city. The first place tourists flock when going anywhere are usually the most impressive buildings and monuments the city as the offer; Big Ben and Parliament in London, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris or the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Seeing this crumbing old wall was a much different feeling, instead of gawking in amazement at the accomplishments of some Old World empire, the (surprisingly small amount) of tourists walked along in a somber manner, comprehending the wall’s significance within the course of history. The little amount of tourists walking along the Wall was surprising, but it also made for a closer look which felt more authentic. Similar tourist attractions in the city such as “Checkpoint Charlie” were bombarded by cheap souvenir stores, but the Wall was left unscathed. I noticed the diverse amount of cultures and populations throughout my time in Berlin, but the Berlin Wall signaled the most significant cultural/political difference in the city’s history.