The Berlin Wall. A World Divided, the exhibition arrives in Madrid

From the 9th of November the Castellana 214 exhibition space of the Fundación Canal will host the travelling exhibition ‘The Berlin Wall. A World Divided’, a must see for all history buffs.

Built in 1961, the Berlin Wall was, in many ways, a tangible manifestation of the two Germanys that existed during the Cold War, one aligned with the USSR and one with the USA. While this division had existed for some time prior to construction, it was not until the early hours of the 13th of August of that year that building began, and all crossings from one side to the other were prohibited until 1989.

The fall of the Wall meant freedom for a Germany that had been socially punished for everything that had happened since the First World War. Its presence left a permanent scar on all the country’s citizens, especially in Berlin, where everyone had tragic stories

 to tell about how a curtain of stone had affected their lives, separating friends, couples and whole families who in many cases would never see each other again.

Cinema, with films such as Goodbye Lenin, and literature have been greatly inspired by this chapter in history (with a capital ‘H’), for all its significance at the time and how little seems to have been learned from it now.

Fundación Canal will be the scenario in which, spread over 2500 m2, more than 300 objects from that time that have never before exhibited will be on display; objects that tell the story of people’s lives and the impact that the division of the city had on them. A 20 metre section of the original wall will also be on display.

A visit should last about 90 minutes, enough time to take in everything and make full use of a free audio guide that explains some of the history of the Wall, a history that is still very much alive today. Visits are from 10 am to 8 pm, with the last admission at 7.30 pm.

(Photo taken from Fever Up)

Categories: Madrid Cultura