fall of the Berlin Wall Archives

Posts Tagged ‘fall of the Berlin Wall’

Alexanderplatz-Most Visited Locale in Berlin

Monday, March 20th, 2023

Not only is Alexanderplatz Berlin’s biggest public square, but it is also the biggest public square in any German city. Named after Tsar Alexander I, who visited Berlin in 1805, the “Alex” is located in the district of Mitte, Berlin’s center. It is a busy pedestrian zone as well as an important transportation junction. S-Bahn (elevated train), U-Bahn (underground train), buses, trams, and regional trains, all stop at the Alexanderplatz. And if you are a movie buff, it has also been a popular film location with scenes from the recent movie Babylon being shot here.

Alexanderplatz – Post World War II History

In April of 1945, near the end of World War II, the Red Army largely destroyed the plaza during the Battle of Berlin. A thriving black market popped up in the ruins. Police raided Alexanderplatz several times a day, but activities continued. No major redevelopment took place until the 1960s. At that time, still under East German control, the large plaza was turned into a pedestrian zone, and several department stores were constructed along its flanks. In additionk the plaza served as a venue for large celebrations such as the 25^th anniversary of East Germany. Later, during the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, the Alex saw the largest demonstration in the history of East Germany. The protests continued and culminated in the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

World clock – Weltzeituhr at the Alex

In 1969, the same year the Fernsehturm (television tower) was built, a sixteen-ton world clock was constructed in the plaza. By reading the markings on its metal rotunda, the time in 148 major cities around the world can be determined. Over time, the world clock has become a popular meeting place and has been declared a historically and culturally significant monument.

World Clock at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, photo © J. Elke Ertle, www.walled-in-Berlin.com

Attractions near the Alexanderplatz

Many tourist attractions are within walking distance of the Alexanderplatz: The Fernsehturm, the Brunnen der Völkerfreundschaft (Fountain of International Friendship), the Nikolai Quarter, and the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). Shoppers have the opportunity to shop at department stores surrounding the plaza. Every December, several popular Christmas markets set up their booths at the Alex.

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.

Tags: Alex, Alexanderplatz, Battle of Berlin, Black Market, Christmas markets in Berlin, fall of the Berlin Wall, Fernsehturm, Rotes Rathaus, Weltzeituhr, World clock
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Konrad Schumann Paid High Price for Freedom

Monday, August 15th, 2022

Konrad Schumann (also referred to as Conrad Schumann in English speaking countries) leapt to freedom in the blink of an eye. It happened on 15 August 1961, the third day of construction of the Berlin Wall. Ordered to guard the beginnings of this newly created barrier, he made a split-second decision and jumped into West Berlin.

Konrad Schumann’s Early Years

He was born in 1942 and grew up in a small town between Dresden, and Leipzig, both located in East Germany. Following high school, he apprenticed as a shepherd. Because the military offered better pay and greater promotional opportunities, Schumann enlisted in the East German border police (Grenzpolizei) soon after his 18^th birthday. Following a brief training period, he was posted to a non-commissioned officers’ college in Potsdam. In early August 1961, he volunteered for service in East Berlin, the capital of East Germany. That’s how he came to be in East Berlin on the fateful day in August 1961.

Berlin Crisis

The East German state had been in crisis mode since November 1958. At that time, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had given the three western occupying powers an ultimatum. He had demanded that they transform West Berlin into a demilitarized free city within six months or the Soviets would sign a peace treaty with East Germany and allow the East Germans to control the access routes between West Germany and West Berlin. In spring of 1961, Khrushchev repeated his demands. He believed the free city concept to be a solution to East Germany’s people drain. Between 1950 and 1960, 2.4 million East Germans had fled to the west, pushing the East German economy to the brink of collapse. If West Berlin was a neutral city, however, East Germans might not be so eager to migrate into the west.

Konrad Schumann’s Decision to Jump

At 11 p.m. on August 12, a Saturday, Schumann’s unit was ordered to help seal the border between East and West Berlin at Bernauer Strasse. There were no incidents the first night, but by morning, 1,000 West Berliners had gathered in protest. The demonstrations continued for the next couple of days. The crowd grew more and more menacing. By Tuesday, August 15, they yelled profanities. Schumann was nervous and chain-smoked one cigarette after the other. This was not the kind of job he had bargained for. When he casually pressed down a section of barbed wire with his foot, West Berlin bystanders shouted, “Komm rüber, komm rüber” (come across, come across). When one young man came too close to the border, Konrad Schumann bellowed “Get back at once”, then whispered “I’m going to jump!” The young man alerted the West Berlin police, who soon arrived in a van.

Konrad Schumann’s Leap to Freedom

All of a sudden, Sergeant Schumann threw his machine gun over his shoulder and jumped across the knee-high concertina wire. The act took no more than a couple of minutes, and Konrad Schumann stood on West Berlin soil. He was immediately ushered into the police van and driven off. Eventually, he was flown to West Germany, where he settled in Bavaria. He was free. He felt relief. But fear and grief lurked not far behind. What if the East German Stasi, the secret police, located him? His desertion was punishable with death in East Germany. Would he ever see his family and old friends again?

Konrad Schumann leaps to freedom across the Berlin Wall on 15 August. 1961. Photo: courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, <https:/creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0> walled-in-berlin.com

Life goes on in West Germany

In West Germany, Konrad Schumann picked up the pieces. At first, he worked as a caregiver, then as a worker at a winery, and later at Audi car factory. He married a local girl and seemed content until … the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. He was elated. Now, he could visit his family and friends again. But it turned out to be more difficult than that. Some members of his family and former friends no longer accepted him in their circle. In their minds, he had lost the right to belong with his desertion. As time went on, Schumann got more and more depressed, and nine years later, in 1998, he took his life. The price he paid for freedom had been too high.

Schumann was only three years my senior. We both were in Berlin when the Berlin Wall went up: he on the East side; I on the West side. I saw his escape on film. A few years later, I too, left Berlin for greater freedom, but under very different circumstances. I left for adventure and independence. Would I have had the courage to do what he did?

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.

Tags: 15 August 1961, Berlin Crisis, Berlin Wall, Conrad Schumann, fall of the Berlin Wall, free city berlin, Konrad Schumann, Stasi
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Walking Horses Ownership Clarified

Monday, August 16th, 2021

The “Walking Horses” are two-ton sculptures, standing 16 feet high and 33 feet long and are worth millions. They were custom-made for Adolf Hitler by Austrian sculptor Josef Thorak. The bronzes disappeared from the former East Germany shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall and were recovered again in 2015 during a raid of a ring of illegal art dealers. Following a lengthy legal battle that ended on 26 July 2021, the two bronzes will now be returned to the German Government.

New Reich Chancellery: garden portal, 1939. Walking Horses Sculpture in courtyard of Hitler’s New Chancellery, www.walled-in-berlin.com. Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1985-064-24A / CC-BY-SA.

History of the Walking Horses

At the peak of the Nazi regime, Hitler commissioned thousands of artworks. He intended to exhibit them in Berlin, Germany, as part of the transformation of the city into the world capital of “Germania“. Among the artworks were the twin “Walking Horses,” which once guarded the courtyard of Hitler’s New Chancellery. In 1943, when the first Allied bombs fell on Berlin, Hitler had the bronzes evacuated to an unknown location. The New Chancellery was badly damaged in World War II and later destroyed by Soviet forces.

Lost and the Found

In 1988, a West German art historian discovered the two horses on a sports field at a Soviet base near Eberswalde, approximately 35 miles northeast of Berlin. However, within a year, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the sculptures disappeared without a trace. In 2015, West German police found the long-lost masterpieces in a warehouse in southern Germany. An illegal art dealer had acquired them from the Soviets and smuggled them out of East Germany in pieces, disguised as scrap metal. The German government plans to put the twin Walking Horses on exhibit.

Tags: Adolf Hitler, artwork, fall of the Berlin Wall, Germania, Hitler's New Chancellery, Walking Horses
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Berlin Wall Trail Retraces Former Wall

Monday, August 5th, 2019

The Berlin Wall Trail (Berliner Mauerweg) is a 100-mile hike and bike trail that retraces the course of the Berlin Wall, which encircled the western half of the city for 28 years. In many places the path makes use of old patrol roads formerly used by East Berlin border guards or West Berlin customs agents.

Cobble Stones Mark Former East/West Border

Immediately after the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Berliners wanted to forget that the “Wall of Shame” had ever existed. They could barely wait for it to be torn down. But a few years later they decided that some visual reminders should remain. After all, the 12-foot Berlin Wall is part of the city’s history. Following reunification, when massive new construction projects threatened to commit to oblivion the memory of the Berlin Wall, many Berliners wanted to make its former path more visible again. That is why double rows of cobble stones snake through the city today. The cobbles mark the former East/West border.

Cobble stone border markers showing the course of the former Berlin Wall. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2019. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Creation of the Berlin Wall Trail for Hikers and Bikers

In 2002, the city also began work on the 4.4 million Euro Berlin Wall Trail project. It consists of a 100-mile hike and bike trail that is divided into 14 segments, each between 4.5 and 13 miles in length. Along historically significant sections, the city installed information boards with photos, texts and maps. In some areas, remaining pieces of the Berlin Wall are left in place. The Berlin Wall Trail also cuts through forests and long stretches of natural beauty.

Berlin Wall Trail (Berliner Mauerweg) sign near Eiskeller. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2019. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Eiskeller – a Community near the Berlin Wall Trail

I was particularly interested in visiting Eiskeller, a tiny rural community and former West Berlin exclave not far off the Berlin Wall Trail. In 1961, a photo from this hamlet had gone around the world, and I will always remember the picture. It was taken the year the Berlin Wall went up when I lived in West Berlin. The black and white photo showed a young Eiskeller boy riding his bike to school along a narrow country road. A British military vehicle followed closely behind. The acompanying narrative became even more incredible decades later. I hoped to find the Eiskeller site by hiking the Berlin Wall Trail, and I was in luck. Get a chuckle when you read the full Eiskeller story in my next blog.

Tags: Berlin Wall Trail, Berliner Mauerweg, Cold War, Eiskeller, fall of the Berlin Wall, Wall of Shame
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“The Day the Wall Came Down” Sculpture

Monday, November 5th, 2018

Berlin’s THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture is located near the Allied Museum on Clayallee, a wide boulevard named in honor of U.S. General Lucius D. Clay. A gift of friendship from the American people to the people of Germany, the spirited 1-1/4 life size bronze symbolizes victory of the human spirit. The bronze was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.

Berlin’s THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture symbolizes victory of the human spirit. It was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Creator of THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture

American artist Veryl Goodnight created the sculpture, which consists of five horses leaping to freedom over the rubble of the collapsed Berlin Wall. Although Ms. Goodnight is widely known for her realistic depiction of horses, THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture is not about horses. It is about Freedom, inspired by the Fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989.

For 28 years, the Berlin Wall was a visual reminder of oppression. Goodnight’s horses symbolize the deep-seated human desire for freedom, a yearning that is shared by all people. In addition to sculpting the animals – one stallion and four mares – the artist replicated four-foot-wide and 14-foot high concrete panels, just like the ones that extended for 105 miles around West Berlin prior to the fall of the wall. She then broke the reconstructed panels beneath the horses, showing graffiti on the western side of the wall. To further symbolize the East-West separation, Ms. Goodnight then placed the stallion inside what would have been East Berlin while the mares gallop to the free West.

Inspiration for THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture

Veryl Goodnight conceived the idea of horses leaping to freedom on the evening of 9 November 1989. After having worked on a small horse sculpture earlier in the month, she watched on television thousands of East Berliners push through the openings of the Berlin Wall. That night she dreamt that her sculpted horses represented people galloping through the rubble of the fallen Berlin Wall. THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN was born.

Two identical castings of Ms. Goodnight’s THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture exist. One of her artworks is located in Berlin, the other is on display in the central courtyard of the George Bush Presidential Library, adjacent to the campus of Texas A&M University. Each sculpture is 30 feet long, 18 feet wide, 12 feet high and weighs approximately 7 tons. In 2016, Ms. Goodnight was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.

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 and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Tags: "The Day the Wall Came Down" sculpture, 9 November 1989, Berlin Airlift, fall of the Berlin Wall, General Lucius. D. Clay, Veryl Goodnight
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5 February 2018 – half-life of the Berlin Wall

Monday, February 5th, 2018

Half-life is the time required for half of something to undergo a process. Today, on February 5, 2018, Berliners celebrate the halfway point between the Berlin-Wall-era and the post-Berlin-Wall-era. In other words, today the Berlin Wall will have been down for exactly the same number of days that it once stood, namely 10,315.

The Day the Berlin Wall went up

The Berlin Wall went up on 13 August 1961 and divided the city for the next 28 years. The purpose of the monstrosity was to stop the massive exodus of East Germans who were seeking a less controlled and more prosperous life in the West. Prior to the construction of the Wall, an estimated 3.5 million people had defected from East Germany.

The East German government called the barrier an “Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart”, necessary to protect East German citizens from western fascist elements who supposedly were intent on undermining East Germany’s efforts of building a utopian socialist state. The West German government called the barrier the “Wall of Shame.” During its 28-year existence, the Berlin Wall was continually fortified with guard towers, anti-vehicles trenches, beds of nails, dog runs, a death strip and shoot-to-kill orders.

Berlin Wall, Photo © J. Elke Ertle, www.walled-in-berlin.com

The Day the Berlin Wall came down

The Berlin Wall stood until 9 November 1989 when it unexpectedly fell in the wake of a misunderstanding. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/the-day-the-berlin-wall-fell/ At an East Berlin press conference, Guenter Schabowski, an East German government official misread a new policy that was intended to allow select East Germans to visit the West with proper approval. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/schabowski-sparks-fall-of-berlin-wall/ Instead, Schabowski mistakenly announced that visits to the West would be permitted “immediately.” http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/brinkmann-or-ehrman-the-crucial-question/ Within minutes, masses of East Germans headed for the Berlin Wall crossings points. Without specific orders and quickly overwhelmed by the crowds, East German border guards opened the checkpoints. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/who-really-opened-the-berlin-wall/ Following that initial border opening on 9 November 1989, there was no going back. Within days, the Berlin Wall began to be dismantled for good.

Tags: 13 August 1961, 9 November 1989, Anti-Fassist Protective Rampart, Berlin Wall, fall of the Berlin Wall, Guenter Schabowski, half-life of the Berlin Wall, Wall of Shame
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Berlin’s “Citizens in Motion” memorial

Monday, October 2nd, 2017

Berlin’s impending “Citizens in Motion” – Buerger in Bewegung – memorial will commemorate the protest movement that toppled the East German communist regime and led to the reunification of Germany in 1990. In June 2017, more than a quarter of a century later, a memorial to freedom and unity received final approval by the Bundestag (lower House of the German Parliament). The monument is expected to open in 2019, the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

What the Citizens in Motion memorial will look like

Citizens in Motion will consist of a steel bowl-shaped structure, 180 feet in length and 60 feet across. Inscribed with Wir sind das Volk (We are the people) and Wir sind ein Volk (We are one people), the memorial honors the men and women who caused the Berlin Wall to fall in 1989 and led to the German reunification one year later. The structure will hold up to 1400 people. When at least 20 more people stand on one half of the structure as opposed to the other half, the bowl will gently tip to one side, similar to a teeter-totter. The visitors themselves then become an active part of the monument.

Berlin's planned "Citizens in Motion memorial to commemorate the men and women who who caused the Berlin Wall to fall in 1989 and led to the German reunification one year later. Rendering: Milla & Partner. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Berlin’s impending “Citizens in Motion” memorial, which commemorates the men and women who caused the Berlin Wall to fall in 1989 and led to the German reunification one year later. Rendering: Milla & Partner. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Concept of Citizens in Motion

Memorials are normally passive objects of contemplation. Citizens in Motion will be interactive. The monument will come to life when people gather on it. Designed by Stuttgart-based architect Johannes Milla & Partner and Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz, Citizens in Motion is designed to illustrate how people have to act in concert to effect change.

As the East German economy crumbled and people fled to the West, the East German people began to hold gigantic, non-violent, pro-democracy demonstrations, which led to the fall of Berlin Wall and the socialist government. Then another enormous task faced the German people: Bringing together two Germanys, which, despite a common language, had experienced dramatically different political and economic realities for over 40 years. The road to a German memorial to commemorate freedom and unity was equally difficult. Everything from design, location and cost was controversial. The ensuing debates demonstrated that freedom and unity require participation and interaction. http://www.dw.com/en/bundestag-gives-green-light-to-controversial-german-reunification-monument/a-39093773

Where will the Citizens in Motion memorial be located?

Citizens in Motion will be positioned in front of the Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace) in the city’s historic center. The Berlin City Palace is currently undergoing reconstruction and will house the Humboldt Forum when completed. Read: Berliner Stadtschloss to Humboldt Forum The original Berliner Stadtschloss was demolished by the East German regime in 1950 to make way for the Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic), the East German parliament. Read: The Palace of the Republic lives on In 1989, the square in front of the Palace of the Republic was a site of mass demonstrations, which contributed to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Tags: Berlin, Berlin City Palace, Berliner Stadtschloss, Buerger in Bewegung, Citizens in Motion, Citizens in Motion memorial, East Germany, fall of the Berlin Wall, freedom, German reunification, Humboldt Forum, Milla & Partner, Palace of the Republic, Palast der Republik, Sasha Waltz, unity
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Ode to Joy – European National Anthem

Monday, March 27th, 2017

Two hundred years after inception, Ode to Joy is still as popular as ever. Throughout the world, it is seen as a song about resistance to war and repression. It is even speculated that Schiller originally entitled his lyric poem “Ode An die Freiheit” (Ode to Freedom) and later changed it to “Ode An die Freude” (Ode to Joy).

First written in 1785 by German poet Friedrich Schiller as a celebration of the brotherhood of man, Ode to Joy is best known as the 4th and final movement in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. When the poem was republished in 1808, Schiller made some minor revisions. This revised version forms the basis for Beethoven’s famous movement. The Ninth Symphony was completed in 1824.

Ludwig van Beethoven, photo courtesy of wikipedia. Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820.

Becoming the European National Anthem

In 1972, the Council of Europe adopted Beethoven’s famous movement as the European National Anthem. In 1985, it also became the anthem of the European Community and in 1993 that of the European Union. The European Anthem does not replace the national anthems of its member states. It celebrates their shared values and their unity in diversity. It symbolizes not only the European Union but also Europe in a wider sense. Just as Schiller’s lyric poem, the European Anthem symbolizes the human race as one of brothers.

Due to the large number of languages used in the European Union, the European National Anthem is purely instrumental. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuhvzbQ5El/ In the universal language of music, this anthem expresses the European ideals of freedom, peace and solidarity. It is played on official occasions, such as the opening of Parliament following elections and at formal sittings.

Ode to Joy has been heard around the World

In Chile, women sang Beethoven’s Ode to Joy in the streets and sometimes outside torture prisons during Pinochet’s dictatorship to raise the hope of inmates. In 1989, Chinese protesters sang the Ode to Joy during their march on Tiananmen Square. Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven’s Ninth on both sites of the Berlin Wall to celebrate freedom.

German and English Lyrics to the Ode to Joy

Ode an die Freude Ode to Joy

Freude, schoener Goetterfunken Joy, beautiful spark of divinity,

Tochter aus Elysium. Daughter from Elysium.

Wir betreten feuertrunken We enter, burning with fervor,

Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! heavenly being, your sanctuary!

Deine Zauber binden wieder Your magic brings together

Was die Mode streng geteilt; what custom has sternly divided;

Alle Menschen werden Brueder, All men shall become brothers,

wo dein sanfter Fluegel weilt. Wherever your gently wing hovers.

Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen Whoever has been lucky enough

Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, to become a friend to a friend,

Wer ein holdes Weib errungen Whoever has found a beloved wife,

Mische seinen Jubel ein! let him join in the jubilation!

Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Yes, and anyone who can call one soul

Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! His own on this earth!

Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der steel And who cannot, let them slink away

weinend sich aus diesem Bund. from this gathering in tears.

Freude trinken alle Wesen Every creature drinks in joy

An den Bruesten der Natur; At nature’s breast;

Alle Guten, alle Boesen Good and Evil alike

Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Follow her trail of roses.

Kuesse gab sie uns und Reben, She gave us kisses and wine,

Einen Freund geprueft im Tod; A true friend, even in death;

Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Even the worm was given desire,

und der Cherub steht vor Gott. And the cherub stands before God.

Froh wie seine Sonnen fliegen Gladly, as his suns hurtle

Durch des Himmels praecht’gen Plan, Through the glorious universe,

Laufet, Brueder, eure Bahn, So you, brothers, should run your course,

Freudig wie ein Held zu Siegen. Joyfully like a conquering hero.

Seid umschlungen Millionen! Be embraced, you millions!

Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! This kiss is for the whole world!

Brueder ueber’m Sternenzelt Brothers, above the canopy of stars

Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen. Must dwell a loving Father.

Ihr stuerzt nieder, Millionen? Do you bow down before Him, millions?

Ahnest Du den Schoepfer, Welt? Do you sense the Creator, world?

Such ihn ueber’m Sternenzelt. Seek him above the canopy of stars.

Ueber Sternen muss er wohnen. He must dwell beyond the stars.

Tags: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, European National Anthem, fall of the Berlin Wall, Friedrich Schiller, Leonard Bernstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ode an die Freude, Ode to Joy
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Avant-Garde Recyclers of Cars

Monday, February 6th, 2017

Did you know that Communist East Germany was an ingenious, albeit unintentional, recycler of cars? East Germany’s most popular car, the Trabant – affectionally called Trabi by its owners – turned out to be edible. You heard right! When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, East Germans abandoned their cars in droves and walked across the border. Many Trabis were hastily left in open fields. When the owners returned some weeks later, they found to their surprise that goats and pigs had dined on their beloved Trabis.

Pig dining on abandoned Trabi. Photo courtesy of AcidCow.com

A 1984 UN report identified East Germany as the most polluted country in Europe. http://www.csmonitor.com/1984/1005/100538.html In terms of air, water and soil pollution, East Germany certainly was the most polluted European country. But East Germans were also cutting-edge recyclers of cars because Trabant bodies were made from an amalgam, called Duroplast, a material which turned out to be edible. No other carmaker can say that about its vehicles.

The East German Trabant

Between 1957 and 1990, the East German state-owned automobile manufacturer, VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau, produced a total of 3,096,099 Trabants http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/the-trabi-an-ugly-duckling/. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall http://walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/schabowski-sparks-the-fall-of-the-wall/ East Germans coveted those cars. To buy a new Trabi, the prospective owner was placed on a list and had to wait for delivery an average of 11 to 18 years. Aside from the lengthy wait, a Trabi was a huge financial investment. In most cases it cost the equivalent of one year’s salary. With so much riding on ownership, Trabis were well cared for and had an average lifespan of 28 years.

In West Germany, Trabis were mocked for their 25-horsepower, vacuum-cleaner-size plastic motor, their uncomfortable ride and their bodies’ fibrous reinforcing material that looked like – but wasn’t – cardboard.

What is Duroplast?

The roof, trunk lid, hood, fenders and doors of the Trabant were made of an amalgam, called Duroplast. Duroplast was made from cotton waste from the Soviet Union and phenol resins from the East German dye industry. Fibrous reinforcement was added. The resulting material was strong, light and durable.

Worldwide Recyclers of Cars

In the U.S. nearly 12 million cars are recycled every year. In Europe it is nearly eight million. Generally, about 75-80 percent of a vehicle is recyclable. That means the car is shredded, metal is recovered for recycling and the remainder is put into a landfill. The waste usually includes polymers such as plastics and resins. Not in East Germany, however. These avant-garde recyclers of cars reprocessed the Duroplast.

As discarded Trabants began filling junkyards after the German reunification, VEB Sachsenring, the same automobile manufacturer that had produced the cars in the first place, developed a way to shred the Duroplast and use it as an aggregate in cement pavement blocks. A Berlin biotech company even experimented with bacteria that would consume the car bodies in 20 days.

Tags: car recycling, Duroplast, East Germany, edible cars, fall of the Berlin Wall, Trabant, Trabi, VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau
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House of One – three faiths under one roof

Monday, August 15th, 2016

Berlin’s House of One, when completed, will be the spiritual equivalent of the confederation of Switzerland, which has four main linguistic and cultural regions. The House of One will bring together three different faiths under one roof: a church, a synagogue and a mosque. The concept of a house of worship shared by Christians, Jews and Muslims is a “first” in the world. It is the hope of the project’s initiators that the House of One will eventually tear down the walls between religions just as the fall of Berlin Wall removed the barriers between East and West Berlin a quarter of a century ago.

What the House of One will look like

Plans have already been drawn. Berlin architect Wilfried Kuehn of Kuehn Malvezzi GmbH designed an interfaith prayer house that has three separate sections. A communal room in the center of the building will link the three areas and seat 380 people. Each of the worship areas will be the same in size but of different shape, allowing each religion to keep its own identity.

Originators of The House of One

The three men now heading the House of One project are: Pastor Gregor Hohberg, Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin, and Imam Kadir Sanci.

Protestant pastor Gregor Hohberg of Berlin’s St. Marienkirche (St. Mary’s) first conceived of the idea of an interfaith house of worship when a 2009 redevelopment excavation unearthed the ruins of Berlin’s very first church. That archaeological discovery pointed to fragments of the foundation of St. Petri (St. Peters), built in the 13th century. The church was named after St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen. St. Petri had already been destroyed and rebuilt several times when the communist government of East Germany decided to demolish the church altogether in the 1960s. Currently, a parking lot occupies the space.

Location of the House of One

Once built, the House of One will be located at the Petriplatz (Petri Square) in the historical birthplace of Berlin between Breite Strasse and Gertraudenstrasse. In medieval times, the square was not located in the historical center of Berlin but that of Coelln, Berlin’s sister city. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/coelln-and-berlin/

Funding of House of One

The religious leaders are still in the process of raising funds for the construction of the House of One. The goal is to raise 43 million euros and to finance the project entirely through crowdfunding, by selling bricks for €10 each. http://house-of-one.org/en So far, one million euros have been raised. Construction is to begin in earnest once the first €10,000,000 has been raised.

Tags: Coelln, crowdfunding, fall of the Berlin Wall, House of One, Imam Nadir Sanci, interfaith house of worship, Kuehn Malvezzi, Pastor Gregor Hohberg, Petrikirche, Petriplatz, Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin
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