Historian Discovers 80-Metre Forgotten Section of Berlin Wall in Woods

A section of the forgotten wall in Pankow. Photo: Christian Bormann

The Berlin Wall was supposed to have been largely demolished, save for a couple of sections in the city centre. But a local historian revealed on Monday that the communist barrier can still be found if one looks hard enough.

The stretch of wall found by Christian Bormann runs along an 80-metre stretch between two train stations in the Pankow district in the northeast of the city.

On photographs, the Y-shaped metal joints, through which barbed wire was once suspended, give an eerie sense of the purpose the barrier once had. Parallel to that stand the posts through which electrified wires and tripwires ran, all assuring that people trapped in east Germany had no means of escape.

According to Bormann, his discovery is “the last remaining piece of the original wall”, which was hastily erected by communist authorities on August 13th 1961.

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