The Berlin Wall - Before And After

The Berlin Wall stood as a powerful symbol both during its years of concrete reality and in the moment it finally fell. For nearly 30 years it split East and West Germany, shaping daily life so profoundly that many believed they would never witness its opening. When the borders finally eased and reunification followed, the shift was so significant that it reshaped the way people understood their own futures.

This is how looked then, and how it looks now.

An abandoned car at the Wall by the Brandenburg Gate in 1989 and today.

West Berlin police in 1988 at the Glienicker Brücke which crossed from West Berlin into the GDR at Potsdam.

The Brandenburg Gate in 1962 behind concrete blocks.

US tanks at Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstraße in October 1961, shortly after the Wall was constructed.

Andrei Sacharov and his wife Yelena Bonner, were exiled to Gorky for seven years, the banner asks for justice

Border police at Invalidenstraße/Sandkrugbrücke crossing in 1971.

The Versöhnungskirche Bernauer Straße, was demolished in 1985.

The East Side Gallery in 1990 before this former stretch of the Wall became a focal point for artists.

The Wall at Brücke Waldemarstraße, Kreuzberg in 1986.

Pariser Platz by the Brandenburg Gate is sealed off in autumn 1989.

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