1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
Israel and the crisis in the Middle EastTrump inaugurationGerman election 2025
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV

The Berlin Wall: A symbol of division

August 13, 2009

On August 13, 1961, construction began on the Berlin Wall. DW-WORLD.DE looks back at the building of an iconic Cold War symbol which divided familes, a nation and two very different ideologies.

https://p.dw.com/p/J5cX
The Berlin Wall being built
Image: ullstein bild - Jung
Skip next section Explore more

Explore more

Walled in! - The inner German border

Walled in! - The inner German border

For the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Deutsche Welle has developed a unique project in cooperation with the Berlin Wall Foundation: an animated depiction of the former German-German border. (03.07.2009)
July 3, 2009
The Berlin Wall is built

The Berlin Wall: A symbol of division

The Berlin Wall: A symbol of division

On August 13, 1961, construction began on the Berlin Wall. Here DW-WORLD.DE looks back at the building of a hated Cold War symbol which divided families, a nation and two very different ideologies. (13.08.2009)
August 13, 2009