1961. The construction of the Berlin wall

Photo: nsarchive.chadwyck.com

55 years ago, on August 13, 1961, the German Democratic Republic closed the border between the Western and Eastern Berlin. On the same day, a wall was erected around West Berlin - a system of engineering barriers with a length of 155 km, including 43 km within Berlin. The construction of the wall was carried out on the recommendation of the meeting of the secretaries of the communist and working parties of the Warsaw Treaty, held in early August.

Subsequently, the wall was reconstructed by the time of its destruction in 1989 consisted of concrete fence 3.6 m high, fencing from a metal grid, an electric shock, anti -tank ditches and fortifications, as well as stripes of sharp spikes. During the existence of the wall during an attempt to overcome it, at least 125 people died.