The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on August 13, 1961. The wall separated East and West Berlin, cutting off the city’s western half from the eastern half.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc. It was also a symbol of the oppression of the East