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Commemorating the victims of the Wall: laying a wreath in Spandau on August 13, 2025
On August 13, 2025, Spandau will commemorate those who died at the Wall by laying wreaths at several memorials. Citizens are invited.
Commemorating the victims of the Wall: laying a wreath in Spandau on August 13, 2025
On August 13, 1961, the SED regime in the GDR began building the Berlin Wall, which separated East and West Berlin for 28 years and became a symbol of the division of Germany and the Cold War. The wall brought with it numerous tragic fates; many people lost their lives while trying to escape from the GDR. In the Spandau district in particular, authorities and citizens commemorate this cruel past.
Today, October 18, 2025, the Spandau district office plans to lay a wreath with a ribbon in honor of those who died at the Wall and all victims of the construction of the Wall. District Mayor Frank Bewig will honor the courage and sacrifice of the people who risked everything for their freedom at various memorials along the former route of the Wall, such as the Bergstrasse Memorial, the Finkenkruger Weg Memorial and the Oberjägerweg Memorial. The citizens of Spandau are invited to take part in these commemorative events. Feedback can be sent to the email address Events@ba-spandau.berlin.de be sent.
Culture of remembrance and memorial sites
In the 1990s, interest in the Berlin Wall grew among tourists and the local population. Victims' associations called for a comprehensive remembrance of the Wall regime and its victims. International surveys show that Berlin is strongly associated with the Wall and its fall. Historical traces of the Wall are often only visible in the city on guided tours, which makes it difficult to understand the division.
The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse is a central place of remembrance. The last remaining piece of the Wall is located there, and the memorial extends over 1.4 kilometers along the former border strip. It documents the tragic events during the partition and the violent interventions in the lives of the local residents. Desperate people jumped out of windows hoping for a better life in West Berlin, and many managed to successfully escape. The on-site outdoor exhibition, which also includes the monument to the divided city, contributes to the memory of the victims of communist tyranny.
Memorial initiatives and future projects
A total of around 50 memorials for victims of the Wall have been erected since 1961, the first Wall memorial in 1961 on the Straße des 17. Juni. After the fall of the Wall, the population and politicians demanded that parts of the Wall be torn down. Nevertheless, there were calls for parts of the border fortifications to be preserved as memorials. Memorial signs for victims of the Wall were created in various locations, including for Peter Fechter and Chris Gueffroy.
The Berlin Wall Memorial attracts over a million visitors a year and is part of a history mile that explains the events at the Wall sites. The East Side Gallery, the longest surviving section of the Wall, is decorated with artwork from 21 countries and is a significant place of remembrance. This shows that interest in the history of the Wall is growing not only among older generations, but also among younger generations. Future remembrance projects should present the events appropriately and keep the past in mind.