Berlin Wall Now Down as Long as It Stood: 10,316 Days

The Berlin Wall, which separated East Germany from West Germany through the middle of the city of Berlin, has reached an important anniversary: As of Monday, it has been down for exactly as many days as it stood — 10,316 days. 

The wall was a symbol of communism and was intended to keep people from crossing over into the capitalist side of Berlin, which was part of West Germany. It also symbolized the Cold War between the United States and the communist Soviet Union that controlled East Germany.

The Berlin Wall stood for more than 28 years until the Soviet empire began to collapse. It was torn down Nov. 9, 1989.

A minimum of 140 people died trying to cross the wall from communism into Western Germany. More than 5,000 people tried to cross the wall while it was up.

Berlin was reunified Nov. 12, 1989, under Western control. The wall’s ruins are now an open air art gallery that shows murals dedicated to freedom and may be the longest such gallery in the world.

On Twitter, some shared memories of the Berlin Wall and their recollections of what happened when it came down.

I know,we hosted the teenage daughter of our East German business colleague,took her to a seaside town in the Summer she couldn’t understand how there could be so much coloured illumination.When I then visited East Germany I understood why it was amazing to her.Everthing was grey

— Stefania Barutta #FBPE (@SBarutta) February 5, 2018

I was 10 when it went up.  Never expected to see it come down in my lifetime.

— Jim Naveau (@Lima_Naveau) February 5, 2018

I am glad I got to see it, go through Checkpoint Charlie, and through Soviet Army checkpoints from Helmstedt to Berlin in 1985. We cannot forget what walls do to people.

— Orlando Gotay (@orlandogotay) February 5, 2018

Remember the night it came down. Working on the sports desk at The Telegraph and the first edition arrived with it on the cover. One of the few times I wished I reported news rather than sport.

— Glenn Moore (@GlennMoore7) February 4, 2018

I used to live right next to the former wall. My neighbor was an old lady who had lived there since forever. She watched as the wall was built, and she watched as it was torn down. From the same flat!

— Daniel (@danielkitta) February 5, 2018

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