Key moments - The wall goes up

1 Nov 2009, 12:00 am   -   Source: Bryony Jones, SBS
0 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
0
The Berlin Wall went up overnight - and was gradually expanded and fortified over the decades that followed (AP/AAP)

The Berlin Wall went up overnight - and was gradually expanded and fortified over the decades that followed (AP/AAP)

August 13, 1961: Berliners wake to find their city divided by a wall of barbed wire and bricks.

RELATED

August 13, 1961: Berliners wake to find their city divided by a wall of barbed wire and bricks.

By 1961, the citizens of East and West Berlin had spent years living side-by-side but separate lives.

Those in the Allied sectors had more freedom, but it was still possible for those in the East to travel West for work and to visit family and friends.

That was to change on Sunday 13 August, when Berliners woke to find their city changed beyond belief: the border between East and West had been closed overnight.

Streets were split in two, transport links were cut, and a hastily-built barrier of barbed wire and bricks had sprung up, separating families.

Despite claiming just months earlier that "no one had any intention of building a wall," GDR leader Walter Ulbricht had given the order to shut the border the previous day.

West Berlin 'loophole' closed

Years of emigration had seen millions of East Germans flee the country through the 'loophole' of West Berlin.

Between 1949 and 1961, it is thought as many as 3.5million people – a sixth of the population – had headed west, prompting fears of a 'brain drain'.



Ever stronger border controls had failed to stem the tide, so Soviet authorities took the drastic decision to put up a physical barrier.

During the night of 12 - 13 August, cartographer and Stasi Officer Hagen Koch traced the outline of the border between East and West Berlin with white paint.

He was followed by a team of builders, who stretched coils of barbed wire along its length, dividing the city.

The following morning, Berliners were stunned: those who had been visiting friends and relatives found themselves trapped in the wrong sector.

Some were cut off from their work, some from family, and for all East Berliners, the route to the 'freedom' of the West was blocked.

 

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.