Fotoeins Fotografie

November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin- and inner-German wall.

Facing south, corner of Julie-Wolfthorn-Strasse and Gartenstrasse:

The brick and metal stripe in the pavement lies between S-Bahn station Nordbahnhof (green “S”) and the Visitor Centre for the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse (beyond the image frame). East- and West-Berlin would have been on the left and right of the stripe, respectively. The stripe delineates the path of the former Berlin Wall which divided the city and represented a sort of “landmark” and “status quo” for the Cold War over a 28-year period between 1961 and 1989. Construction of the Berlin Wall began quietly and without warning just after midnight on 13 August 1961. The Wall fell 28 years later on 9 November 1989.

I made the image above on 6 December 2014 with a Canon 6D mark1 and the following settings: 1/200-sec, f/9, ISO2000, and 28mm focal length. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-fdE.

Location

The first map section from berlin.de shows my location and image perspective with a black asterisk and black arrow, respectively, with additional parts labeled: Vorderlandmauer (boundary or outer wall) which was often but not always coincident with the “politische Grenze” (political border) between West and East Berlin, Grenzstreifen (border control zone), and Hinterlandmauer (hinterland or inner wall). West Berlin is above the red line, and East Berlin is below the blue line. The second map section below is clickable via Google Maps.

Berliner Mauer, Nordbahnhof: berlin.de.

November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin- and inner-German wall.

This green space at the Berlin Wall Memorial looks harmless through a present-day perspective, but this so-called “security wall” was meant to prevent people from leaving. Not only was there a wall at the boundary between East Berlin and West Berlin, there was a 2nd inner wall on the East Berlin side, because East Berlin and East German authorities really meant to keep their citizens contained. I’m standing in what would’ve been the “Grenzstreifen” (border strip) or “Todesstreifen” (death strip).

I made the image above on 19 October 2012 with a Canon 450D and the following settings: 1/320-sec, f/8, ISO200, and 18mm focal length (29mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-f9R.

Location

The first map section from berlin.de shows my location and image perspective with a black asterisk and black arrow, respectively, with additional parts labeled: Vorderlandmauer (boundary or outer wall) which was often but not always coincident with the “politische Grenze” (political border) between West and East Berlin, Grenzstreifen (border control zone), and Hinterlandmauer (hinterland or inner wall). West Berlin is to the left of the red line, and East Berlin is to the right of the blue line. The second map section below is clickable via Google Maps.

 

November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin- and inner-German wall.

At Bernauer Strasse, the former death strip at the Berlin Wall Memorial has been converted to a green space for remembrance and contemplation. In the days of separation, unauthorized entry into this space was met with gunfire without warning by border guards who had “shoot to kill” orders. A row of red bars highlights the former course of the Wall, and I’m standing what would’ve been “no man’s land” or the “death strip”. The cylindrical structure at right-centre is the Versöhnungskapelle or Reconciliation Chapel to mark the former location of the former Church of Reconciliation which was demolished in 1985 because the structure was in the “death strip” area for the Berlin Wall.

I made the image above on 19 October 2012 with a Canon 450D and the following settings: 1/400-sec, f/8, ISO200, 18mm focal length (29mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-f9J.

Location

The first map section from berlin.de shows my location and image perspective with a black asterisk and black arrow, respectively, with additional parts labeled: Vorderlandmauer (boundary or outer wall) which was often but not always coincident with the “politische Grenze” (political border) between West and East Berlin, Grenzstreifen (border control zone), and Hinterlandmauer (hinterland or inner wall). West Berlin is above the red line, and East Berlin is below the blue line. The second map section below is clickable via Google Maps.