AFV Club 35317 Berlin Wall (3 Pieces)

The Berlin Wall (German Berliner Mauer) is essentially a system of fortifications consisting of a concrete wall, but also trenches, barbed wire dams (often energized) or watchtowers. It is considered to be one of the most famous and recognizable symbols of the Cold War, and its destruction was for many citizens of Western Europe and the USA the beginning of the end of the Soviet empire. The construction of the Berlin Wall began in August 1961 with the purpose of separating East Berlin from the "West Display Window", ie West Berlin, made up of three occupation zones - American, British and French. The clear division of Berlin into East and West can be dated as early as the establishment of East Germany and West Germany in 1949, but for the following years the movement of people to the western part of the city was relatively free by the standards of the communist regime. This, in turn, led to mass escapes of East German citizens to West Germany. To prevent this, the Berlin Wall was built, the construction of which was a surprise to all observers in the West. In its final version, the Berlin Wall was approximately 156 kilometers. It is also assumed that in the course of the attempt to force it and get out of the GDR, from about 140 to about 240 people died.