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Berlin Wall Controversy

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

Following unsuccessful negotiations earlier this month between city officials and investor, Maik Uwe Hinkel, construction crews moved in at 5 A.M. last Wednesday and removed four additional sections (15.75 feet) of one of the two remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall, called the East Side Gallery. Hinkel says the segments had to be removed to provide access for his luxury condominium project overlooking the River Spree, a site that was once part of the infamous deathstrip. Although BBC News reports that the stretch was heritage-listed in 1991, the protection apparently applies only to the wall itself, not the land it stands on.

A section of the East Side Gallery was removed to make room for these condos, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

A section of the East Side Gallery was removed to make room for these condos, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

The East Gallery was recently restored at a cost of more than 2 million euros to the city of Berlin, and about 120 International artists covered it with colorful murals. Scenes include an East German Trabant car and a fraternal kiss between Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German party chief Erich Honecker. Although Hinkel called the removal temporary on Wednesday, many Berliners worry that removal will turn out to be permanent, sacrificing history for profit.

“The Berlin Wall is the most significant symbol of the division of Berlin,” deputy director of the Berliner Mauer Stiftung, Maria Nooke said, according to the Huffington Post reports. “On the one hand it demonstrates the repression in East Germany, on the other hand it demonstrates how Germans peacefully overcame that repression. After a while there was a growing need to deal with that part of history and to preserve it for future generations.”

You may also want to visit http://walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/save-the-berlin-wall/

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Delayed Again

Friday, March 29th, 2013

Last week, the completion of the new Berlin-Brandenburg airport was postponed for the forth time in two years. Meant to replace two of the city’s smaller airports, Tegel in the West and Schoenefeld in the East, the grand opening of this new state-of-the-art metropolitan airport was originally scheduled for October 30, 2011.

Unresolved construction defects forced the opening to be rescheduled first for June 3, 2012, then for March 17, 2013, and most recently for October 27, 2013. But that date, too, had to be scrapped because 20,000 to 40,000 defects remain. Failings range from minor issues, such as cracked floor tiles, to major flaws in the fire protection system. A few weeks ago, an electrical problem caused the entire airport to be lit up around the clock before the turn-off switch could be located.

Earlier this month, Hartmut Mehdorn, the hands-on Ex-Chief of Deutsche Bahn and Air Berlin, became the new Airport Chief. His track record includes ordering last-minute scale-back modifications to Berlin’s new main rail terminal in order to meet the planned opening date. Current projections for the completion of Berlin-Brandenburg airport name 2014 as the earliest date. Most likely, it will be 2015 before the giant airport will open its doors.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Save the Berlin Wall?

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

In 1989, singer/actor David Hasselhoff, best known for starring in Baywatch and Knight Rider, sang his way into the hearts of Germany with Looking for Freedom. He sang standing on top of the Berlin Wall on New Yea’s Eve that year. The song became an instant hit and topped German pop charts for eight weeks in a row. To many, it became synonymous with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Nearly 25 years later, Hasselhoff hopes to help save the Wall he once wished to destroy.

In the years that followed reunification, most of the Berlin Wall was destroyed or sold to museums across the world. Countless tiny fragments ended up on private mantle pieces. I certainly own a piece and like to recount how my husband and I hammered it out at dusk.

Only two large sections of the Berlin Wall remain in place as reminders that at least 136 people died between 1961 and 1989, trying to cross the monstrosity that divided East and West Germany for twenty-eight years. One of the two sections, the longest surviving stretch along the death strip and the second most frequented tourist spot in Berlin, is called the East Side Gallery. It is located at Bernauer Strasse in the north of the city. It is three-quarters of a mile long and decorated with dozens of paintings by artists from all over the world. Now, property developers want to tear down a 20-meter section of it to accommodate luxury building projects.

Demolition of the East Side Gallery was suspended earlier this month after activists formed a human chain in front of it. The scale of protests prompted Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit to oppose the demolition. Much will hinge on today’s meeting between the project investor, M. U. Hinkel, and the Berlin senate.

A section of the East Side Gallery was removed to make room for these condos, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

A section of the East Side Gallery was removed to make room for these condos, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015

You may also want to visit http://walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/berlin-wall-controversy/

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Posted in Berlin News, J. Elke Ertle, Walled In Berlin | Comments Off on Save the Berlin Wall?

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