61st anniversary of the building of the Wall
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Politicians in Berlin and Brandenburg commemorate the victims of the Berlin Wall
In Berlin and Brandenburg, the construction of the Berlin Wall 61 years ago and the victims of the GDR border regime were remembered. According to researchers, at least 140 people died at the hands of border troops in Berlin alone after construction.
On the 61st anniversary of the building of the Wall in the GDR, memorial events were held in Berlin and Brandenburg to commemorate the victims of the border. Wreaths were laid in various places on Saturday.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franzsika Giffey (SPD) took part in a prayer service in the Chapel of Reconciliation on Bernauer Strasse in Mitte. Afterwards, together with other participants, she laid a wreath at the Berlin Wall Memorial. “The Berlin Wall was a structure of bondage, injustice and dictatorship,” Giffey said in advance.
Giffey recalls historical responsibility
Giffey remembered the people who lost their lives trying to climb the wall and escape to freedom. Among them is the just 18-year-old Peter Fechter. “His death in August 1962 reflects the brutality and cruelty of the Wall in a special way,” said Giffey.
According to researchers, at least 140 people died in Berlin alone after the Wall was built by East German border troops. According to the federal government, at least 260 people died at the inner-German border. Giffey emphasized that there is a historical responsibility to keep what happened alive and to remember the suffering.
Woidke emphasizes the importance of the day
The victims of the border installations were also remembered in Brandenburg on Saturday. Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) referred to the importance of the day at the country’s central commemoration event at the former Nieder Neuendorf border tower in Hennigsdorf (Oberhavel). The date shows how important democracy and freedom are. The day is also important for the victims and the relatives of those who died on the wall, according to Woidke.
Places like the border tower in Nieder Neuendorf told the story of the division of Germany and kept the memories alive for future generations, Woidke explained: “It’s invaluable.”
On August 13, 1961, the GDR began building the Wall around the western part of Berlin. The bulwark divided the city in two for more than 28 years. Millions of people have been separated from family members, friends and acquaintances. The division of Berlin only ended with the fall of the Wall on November 9, 1989.
Broadcast: Antenne Brandenburg, August 13, 2022, 10 a.m