Relevant to students of: Life in East Germany, the Stasi and terror state, the Berlin Wall, Communist Control of Eastern Europe.
The Documentation Centre on Bernauer Strasse focuses on the building of the Berlin Wall. From its observation tower, you can see a section of the original border. The network of walls, fences and barriers is clearly visible, giving students a deep understanding of the complexity of the wall and the difficulty in escaping from behind it. The watchtower, death strip and fortifications expose the dark irony that the officially titled Anti-Fascist Protective Wall’s defences were all pointed inwards, to East German territory. Students can see the proximity of the Berlin Wall to apartment buildings and understand why escape became more difficult as the wall developed. Inside, students can hear audio from East and West German radio broadcasts. Students can access a digital archive of original documentation also.