Berlin Wall Escape Footage

The Berlin wall was constructed and reconstructed many times over the course of its thirty years at the core of the city. Above I've shown two videos which show previous versions of the wall that were set up as the first lines of "defense" between sides. The first video shows escape attempts from East Berlin to West Berlin in the early years when multiple building facades acted as the wall. These apartment buildings were torn down within a few years of the building of the wall, but in these early years escape attempts through high windows as shown in this video took place. East German soldiers can be seen attempting to retain those attempting to escape while the West Berlin soldiers are ready for anyone willing to jump out of their window to join the West. The second video is propaganda from West Berlin in the early years, but I post it to show the early conditions of the walls.

The final manifestation of the wall were the pre-cast, 3-meter tall concrete borders behind which there was a "death strip" that was guarded 24/7 by the East German army. That death strip included multiple rows of barbed wire, sand, a patrol path, and even trip wire that would set off alarms. In addition there was a second wall of concrete on the east side of the wall as well. The massive pre-cast pieces (seen above) represent the iconic form of the wall in the years leading up to its dismantling. The circular concrete tubing on the tip was a cap to the wall making it more difficult to grip and stand on for anyone attempting to cross. The video below is news footage from the evening the wall wall opened. Jubilation from residents on both sides demonstrate how long residents from both communities had longed for that day.