On popular demand, the Berlin Wall stands again

Berlin, Aug 10: The wall that split a nation into two, will make a comeback. And this time there is no divisive agenda at play rather the tourist's attention that is causing the infamous wall to be re-erected after two decades of its demise.

The Berlin Wall, which divided Germany into two countries of the same name pre-fixed by East and West was chiseled away in the euphoria after it was breached in 1989. Germany became unified and Berlin Wall was reduced to being just a footnote in history.

Speaking about the plans to re-erect the wall, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit was quoted by Reuters as saying, "There's a general complaint that the demolition of the Wall was a bit too extensive. That's understandable from today's point of view and it would have probably been better for tourists if more of it could have been preserved."

And added, "But at that time we were all just so happy to see the Wall gone."

But now when the number of globetrotters have increased significantly and as most of them flung to Germany to find traces of the Wall, Berlin has re-erected and restored parts while monument preservation experts are working to conserve other vestigial segments.

Jochen Staadt, political scientist at Berlin's Free University was quoted by the Reuters as saying, "At first no one gave a second thought to the idea of preserving any of the Wall for future generations."

And added, "But there was always interest from foreigners who came and say 'Where's the Wall?'...It took about a decade until the late 1990s before people in Berlin, especially those under 30, started taking an interest in what the Wall was actually like."

According to reports, part of the rebuilt section is made up by authentic Wall slabs, purchased for $1,400 each from a private collector. Some other parts of the wall is made of 3.6-meter-high rusting iron rods that symbolise where the Wall stood but have gaps to let visitors to see through it.

When the wall was tore down, many of its slabs were sold, raising about $1 million at the time for the government.

Berlin, with a bit of financial help from the German federal government and the European Union, is spending around 28 million euros on the re-construction.

OneIndia News