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Images - The Shadow of the Wall
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1.   Walter Ulbricht's Speech on the "Berlin Question" (June 15, 1961)
In the photograph below, Walter Ulbricht, head of the GDR State Council, discusses the “Berlin Question” at an international press conference on June 15, 1961, at the House of Ministries in East....
Walter Ulbricht's Speech on the "Berlin Question" (June 15, 1961)
2.   Building the Berlin Wall (August 13, 1961)
Since 1945, the the French and Soviet sectors of Berlin had met at Bernauer Straße. With the building of....
Building the Berlin Wall (August 13, 1961)
3.   Willy Brandt Watches as the Wall is Built (August 13, 1961)
Willy Brandt, who went on to become chancellor of West Germany, was mayor of West Berlin from 1957 to 1966. His resolute actions and dignified public presence....
Willy Brandt Watches as the Wall is Built (August 13, 1961)
4.   Demonstration by West Berliners (August 16, 1961)
In his appeal to U.S. President John F. Kennedy on August....
Demonstration by West Berliners (August 16, 1961)
5.   East Berliners Flee to the West (September 16, 1961)
Whereas the houses on the south side of Bernauer Straße were still part of the Soviet zone, the houses....
East Berliners Flee to the West (September 16, 1961)
6.   The Border along Berlin’s Spree River (no date)
The border between the districts of Kreuzberg (West Berlin) and Friedrichshain (East Berlin) ran along the Spree River. Although East Berlin controlled the entire width of the Spree at this point,....
The Border along Berlin’s Spree River (no date)
7.   Peter Fechter at the Berlin Wall (August 17, 1962)
On August 17, 1962, Peter Fechter, an eighteen-year-old East Berliner, bled to death at the base of a barricade after being shot multiple times by East German border guards during the course of an....
Peter Fechter at the Berlin Wall (August 17, 1962)
8.   May Day Parade in East Berlin (May 1, 1963)
Beginning in 1951, the GDR celebrated May Day, the most important holiday of the international workers’ movement, with a parade in East Berlin. From 1956 onward, the celebrations opened with a military....
May Day Parade in East Berlin (May 1, 1963)
9.   U.S. President John F. Kennedy visits West Berlin (June 26, 1963)
As a symbolic gesture of support, John F. Kennedy had sent his vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, to Berlin after the Wall was built in August 1961. At the time,....
U.S. President John F. Kennedy visits West Berlin (June 26, 1963)
10.   Replacement of the Stone Wall with a Concrete Wall (July 1, 1963)
Starting in 1963, portions of the original stone Wall were replaced with concrete. This photo shows work being done at Bernauer Straße. The two signs on the right are still within the Western sector....
Replacement of the Stone Wall with a Concrete Wall (July 1, 1963)
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