Berlin Rocks!

I'm standing in Pottsdam Platz, embracing the Berlin Wall

For 30 years, the wall stood impenetrable, so long, so tall

The wounds inflicted here were so painful, so deep

Scars that will never go away, memories that we will always keep

* Between 1949 and 1961, nearly 2.5 million East Germans left to start new lives in the West.


To stem the flow of Germans fleeting to West Germany, the German Democratic Republic erected the wall nearly overnight.  Can you imagine waking up to see a huge wall erected.  One day you have family and friends on the other side.  The next day, you are unable to see or even communicate with them.

In 1962, Peter Fechter was shot while attempting to flee to West Germany.  The tragedy was that the GDR allowed Fechter to bleed to death.  A large crowd watched and wanted to rescue him, but were scared that they would be shot also.  Fechter became a symbol of resistance against the wall.

Here we are in the center of history for Prussia and Germany, the Brandenburg Gate

Sitting on top of the Wall is the Quadriga, a symbol of triumph of peace not war and hate

In 1987, President Reagan ordered Gorbachev to "Tear down the Wall."

Two years later, citizens from both the east and west passed through, the beginning of a reunited Germany and democracy for all.

The Jewish Memorial

Alexanderplatz

On 4 November 1989, the largest demonstration in Germany

They wanted democracy now

They made it perfectly clear

The Berliner Dome

This is where many Berliners call home

It is located adjacent to Lust Garden

A sanctuary for arts and science, that's why Berliners call this Museum Island