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Berlin Wall between Mitte and Kreuzberg

Berlin Wall

Documents on the history of the Berlin Wall, beginning with the conditions in Berlin and East Germany following WWII and the history of the wall's construction in 1961, and followed by the 1971 Four Power Negotiations on the status of Berlin, and the final tearing down of the Wall in 1989. See also the collections on German Unification and the End of the Cold War.

Berlin Wall between Mitte and Kreuzberg

Associated Essays

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The fall of the Berlin Wall stands as a symbol of the end of the Cold War

Written By

Hans-Hermann Hertle

Berlin Introduction

Berlin was at the heart of the Cold War.

Written By

Hope M. Harrison

Connected Conn.

Popular Documents

November 9, 1989

Günter Schabowski’s Press Conference in the GDR International Press Center 6:53 - 7:01 p.m.

Schabowski announces new travel regulations allowing permanent exit for East German citizens at all border crossing effective "immediately, without delay."

June 12, 1987

Speech by President Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate, West Berlin, 'Remarks on East-West Relations'

Ronald Reagan's famous speech in which he advises Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!"

September 15, 1961

Letter from Ulbricht to Khrushchev on Closing the Border Around West Berlin

Ulbricht writes to Khrushchev regarding the closing of the border between east and west Berlin.

November 10, 1989

Excerpt from the Diary of Anatoly Chernyaev

Excerpt from Anatoly Chernyaev’s diary following the fall of the Berlin War, praising Gorbachev’s vision

August 1, 1961

Notes on the Conversation of Comrade N.S. Khrushchev with Comrade W. Ulbricht on 1 August 1961

Transcription of a meeting in Moscow between Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and East German leader Walter Ulbricht on August 1, 1961. They discuss plans to close the border between East and West Berlin. The document shows Khrushchev’s and Ulbricht’s deliberations about the reasons for sealing the border in Berlin, the timing for sealing the border and some of the difficulties they expected to arise therefrom.
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Explore Related Resources

Exterior of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

The Berlin Wall: Wilson Center Publications & Archival Resources

A bibliography of all Wilson Center publications, video interviews, and archival documents that relate to the history of the Berlin Wall.

Go to Sources & Methods
Exterior of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

New Evidence on the Building of the Berlin Wall

On August 13, 1961, the East Germans sealed their border with West Berlin, beginning what would become known as the Berlin Wall.

Go to wilsoncenter.org
Exterior of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Black Lives Matter and the Berlin Wall

Hope Harrison brings to light the Wall's connections to the US civil rights movement and the still ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality in the United States.

Go to Sources & Methods