In the first of two sessions, this course outlines how mistrust between the Western and Eastern Allies after World War II led to the Cold War, placing Berlin in focus. We also cover the evolution of the Wall over four generations, selected escape stories, notable visits, and the role of the Allied air corridors as the newly divided city’s earliest access to the outside world. In the second session we explore access to West Berlin by road, rail, and public transportation, highlighting the differing experiences of Allied personnel, residents, and visitors. The presentation also considers the role of popular culture, especially music, in the fall of the Wall, and concludes with a look at Berlin nearly forty years after reunification.

Session 1: The Architecture of Division and the Air Bridge

Session 2: Checkpoints, Concerts, and Consequences

Subject: history

An award-winning tourism professional, destination specialist, and living history lecturer, Greg Hall brings a unique blend of firsthand historical experience and professional expertise to this course. Raised in West Berlin during the final decade of the Cold War, he regularly crossed into East Berlin and traveled through East Germany, witnessing firsthand the profound contrasts and daily realities of a divided nation. This deeply personal perspective is paired with extensive research to deliver a narrative that is both historically grounded and intensely human.