Commemorated Public Day: October 3rd Recognized as a National Holiday
The Berlin Wall, a physical barrier that divided East and West Germany, was constructed in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This wall, along with the fortified 'death strip' established along the inner-German division, served as a means of limiting the freedom of movement for people in East Germany and preventing them from escaping to the free West.
The Berlin Wall was a constant reminder of the division between East and West Germany, and it was a significant obstacle for families with relatives in the 'other Germany'. It is estimated that several hundred people were killed while attempting to escape from East Germany.
The division of Germany, a result of the Second World War and the Cold War between East and West, was a constant limitation for families with relatives in the 'other Germany'. Europe was divided into West and East from the end of World War II until 1990. The Berlin Wall and the 'death strip' were a symbol of the Cold War division between East and West.
People in the Eastern Bloc were unable to vote in free elections or travel to the West (apart from a few exceptions) during the division of Germany. The political border between West and East Germany before 1990 was the German-German border (innerdeutsche Grenze), including the Berlin Wall separating West Berlin and East Berlin/DDR, serving as the border between NATO-aligned West Germany and Warsaw Pact-aligned East Germany.
The division of Germany came to an end with the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. This symbolised the end of the German division. The process leading to German reunification began with the Monday Demonstrations in Leipzig on September 4, 1989. The former German Democratic Republic relinquished its state sovereignty and acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990, completing the process of German reunification.
The Accession Treaty was signed in Berlin on October 3, 1990, marking the official end of the division of Germany. The division of Europe into West and East, and the subsequent division of Germany, was a consequence of the Cold War between East and West. The Berlin Wall and the 'death strip' are now remembered as a physical manifestation of the political and ideological divide between East and West Germany.
