For 28 years the Berlin Wall brutally divided the city of Berlin. It was both a symbol of the Cold War and Berlin’s most famous structure. We will explore why the wall was built in August 1961, how it affected the lives of East and West Berliners for nearly three decades, what it symbolized to both East and West, and why and how it “fell” in November 1989. After most remnants of the wall had been destroyed, in the early 1990s Berliners frantically tried to preserve or reconstruct parts as a memorial and a reminder (and tourist attraction). We will cover what remains of the wall you can see today, which parts are authentic and which are re-constructed, and how Berliners now remember the Berlin Wall. 

Subject: history 

Dr. Gary Stark, professor of history emeritus, taught German and European history for 40+ years. He has studied, researched, and lived in both West and East Germany (and Berlin) numerous times since 1968. Since retiring from GVSU, he has regularly offered historical lectures for travelers on cruise ships and for adult learners in Grand Rapids.