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The Berlin Wall was not just a simple "wall" but an almost impregnable set of barriers developed over more than 20 years to prevent East Germans escaping to West Germany. It was known colloquially as der Todesstreifen - the strip of death. The Berlin Wall has also been known to have had brokken peaces of glass into it.
The wall started as a "simple" barbed wire fence but went through 3 further development stages until its demolition in 1989/90.
In its final stage the wall was a forbidding structure that contained several elements:
Starting on the East German side, the "wall" consisted of:
1. 2-3 m (6'6"-9'10" high concrete wall or expanded-metal fence (Hinterlandmauer)
2. ground-based trip wires to alert border guards
3. signal fencing, made of expanded-metal and covered with barbed wire and alarm wires. (Signalzaun)
4. fierce dogs on free-running lines
5. vehicle ditches and tank traps (Flächensperren)
6. 302 watch towers (Beobachtungstürme)
7. spotlights to illuminate no-man's land
8. vehicle patrol strips (Kolonnenweg)
9. control strip that was continually harrowed in order to detect tracks of would-be escapees. Border guards/soldiers who inadvertently left tracks in the strip faced disciplinary action.
10. Vehicle ditch (Kfz-Sperre)
11. the "wall" proper. 3.75 m (12'4") high. The top of the wall was lined with a smooth pipe, intended to make it more difficult to scale.
The width of the "wall" varied between 30 m (98') at its narrowest point and 500 m (1,640') at its widest point
The layout of the wall evetually came to resemble the inner-German border in most technical aspects, except that, unlike the Berlin Wall, the inner-German border also included landmines and spring-guns. Another difference was that the hinterland of the border was strictly controlled by East Germany. The land on the East German side of the border was divided into zones with special permits specifying how close an individual could approach the border. Villages within a 5 kilometre (3.1 mile) wide area running parallel to the border (known as Sperrzone, restricted area) were also subject to heavy restrictions. Inhabitants could only enter and leave using special permits, they were not permitted to visit other villages within the zone, and were subject to nighttime curfews. Although the Sperrzone was not fenced off, access roads were blocked by checkpoints.
Click on the links below for diagrams of the Wall and the inner-German border.
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What about the Berlin wall?
The Berlin Wall was built in Germany in August of 1961. The Berlin Wall was built to separate East Germany and East Berlin from West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was destroyed in 1990 which allowed for unification of West and East Berlin.
In what year was the Berlin wall built and what year it was re opened?
what year was the berlin wall reopened
What happened to Hitler at the Berlin Wall?
Nothing. Hitler died in 1945; the Berlin Wall was built in 1961.
What year did was the Berlin wall built between east and west Berlin?
the Berlin wall was built on Sunday August 13, 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR.) They built it so East Germans could not escape from the Soviet Union.
When was Berlin Wall built?
It was built in 1961, and pulled down on 1989.
What about the Berlin wall?
The Berlin Wall was built in Germany in August of 1961. The Berlin Wall was built to separate East Germany and East Berlin from West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was destroyed in 1990 which allowed for unification of West and East Berlin.
What was built in 1961 to stop the exodus from East Berlin to West Berlin?
The Berlin wall
When Germans left East Berlin in large numbers and the East German government did what?
built the Berlin Wall (:A+
Why was the wall built in Berlin?
The Berlin Wall was built to stop east Germans from travelling to West Germany.
Was the Berlin wall built to block east Berlin from west Berlin?
No it was an actuall wall.
Why Berlin Wall was built in 1961?
The Berlin Wall was built to stop east Germans from travelling to West Germany.
Why was the Berlin wall built in 1961?
The Berlin Wall was built to stop east Germans from travelling to west Germany.
How did they build the Berlin wall?
The Berlin wall was built with wood then cemented and barb wired
What year was the Berlin wall built and what year was it re opened?
what year was the Berlin Wall reopened
In what year was the Berlin wall built and what year it was re opened?
what year was the berlin wall reopened
What was the structure built to to separate East and West Berlin?
The Berlin Wall
What was built in Berlin to divide the city?
Is this a joke? But anyway, its the Berlin Wall.
