- Wall monuments in Berlin and Brandenburg
Berlin and Brandenburg commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, remembering the victims of the DDR's border regime. On Tuesday, representatives from politics and society will participate in several events to recall the consequences of decades of division and those who were killed while attempting to flee.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) will first attend a service at the Chapel of Reconciliation on Bernauer Straße and then lay a wreath at the Memorial to the Berlin Wall. Shortly afterwards, he will participate in the commemoration of the victims of the Berlin Wall at the Peter Fechter Memorial in Kreuzberg. The 18-year-old Fechter was shot there in August 1962 by DDR border guards while trying to escape.
Wegner sees the remaining sections of the wall as a symbol of hope. "Out of sheer contempt for humanity, the SED regime erected a wall right through our city in 1961," he said. The ruins of this wall serve as a reminder to remain vigilant, but they are also a symbol of hope that the desire for freedom will always overcome injustice.
In Brandenburg, a memorial event is planned at the Glienicker Bridge, attended by Landtag President Ulrike Liedtke, among others. Later in the afternoon, the state government, members of the Landtag, and the community of Großbeeren, this year's host, will jointly remember the victims of German division and the DDR's border regime.
Minister President Woidke will give the memorial speech. Additionally, Großbeeren's Mayor Tobias Borstel and eyewitness Michael Valentin will speak. Before the construction of the Berlin Wall, the small village of Osdorf was located in the community of Großbeeren. The village was demolished, and its approximately 150 inhabitants were resettled in the nearby Heinersdorf.
The construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961. The DDR leadership aimed to stop the mass exodus of people to West Berlin and West Germany, which was hampering the DDR's economy and destabilizing the state. The approximately 155-kilometer-long barrier divided Berlin for more than 28 years.
During the commemoration events, someone might ask, "- What time is the next event?" After laying the wreath, Kai Wegner might express his thoughts by saying, "- What a stark reminder of the cruelty of the past, but also of the enduring strength of the human spirit."
