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Berlin Wall Site Now a Hot Neighborhood
The Berlin Wall was constructed 50 years ago by Communist East Germany. Parts of the wall remain as a remembrance, but much of the area has been transformed into hip neighborhoods and parks.
This is the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall; it was torn down 22 years ago. This weekend Germans will gather to remember how the wall shaped their lives and city. A section of the wall stands in the city center as a remembrance to other times.
"When the city was divided, this area was a no-man's land, covered in barbed wire and constantly monitored from watch towers.
NPR's Bilal Qureshi recently visited the street, in what is now one of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods. Trams and bikes glide along in front of renovated apartment buildings. And that no-man's land has been turned into a park."
Residents recall how the wall had shaped their lives and how the young now only see Berlin as a unified city. The land use of the area around the wall has changed dramatically in 22 years and now there is little to hint at what once was a divided city.
Thanks to Cathie Pagano
Published on Friday, August 12, 2011 in
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