The Berlin Wall was a strong concrete barrier. It completely surrounded West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. East Germany built it to stop people from escaping to the West. Construction started on August 13, 1961. It had tall walls, guard towers, and a dangerous "death strip" with many traps. East Germany called it the "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart." They said it kept out bad Western influences. West Berliners knew it as the "Wall of Shame" for taking away freedom.
The Wall became a stark symbol of the "Iron Curtain." This divided communist Eastern countries from democratic Western ones during the Cold War. Before the Wall, millions of East Germans fled seeking better lives. After it was built, escaping became very risky. Many hundreds died trying to cross, but about 5,000 succeeded.
By 1989, big protests grew in East Germany. On November 9, 1989, East Germany let its people visit West Berlin. Joyful crowds climbed the Wall, celebrating new freedom and tearing it down. Germany became one country again less than a year later.
