The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

One of the most iconic symbols of the Cold War was the infamous Berlin Wall which separated East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.

After World War II, Germany, and the city of Berlin, were divided into American, British, French, and Soviet zones with border crossings such as Checkpoint Charlie.  Relationships quickly disintegrated, and in 1949 the American, British, and French sectors became West Germany, while the Soviet sector became East Germany.

Since the city of Berlin was situated entirely in the Soviet zone, West Berlin became an island of democracy within Communist East Germany.

Between 1949 and 1960, 2.5 million refugees, half under the age of 25, fled East Germany.  Roughly half a million people crossed the borders between East and West Berlin daily allowing an opportunity for citizens to compare living conditions on both sides.  East Germany was on the brink of social and economic collapse.

So on the night of 13 August 1961, while most Berliners slept, the Communist party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) stretched a barbed wire and concrete barricade between East and West Berlin.  Officially, the wall was meant to keep Western “fascists” out of East Germany.  Primarily, though, it served to stem mass defections from East to West. 

Between 1961 and 1988, over 100,000 people tried to escape across the wall which stretched almost 100 miles with an average height of 11.8 feet and wrapped entirely around West Berlin.

As a deterrent to escape attempts, there was also a 300-foot-No-Man’s-Land, an additional inner wall, soldiers patrolling with dogs, a raked ground that showed footprints, anti-vehicle trenches, electric fences, massive light systems, watchtowers, bunkers, and minefields.

Indeed, these measures were major deterrents for escaping, but it is estimated that at least 5,000 managed to make it safely across the border.

In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate celebrating the 750^th anniversary of Berlin on 12 June 1987, US President Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet Communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in support of increasing freedom in the Eastern Bloc.

The Berlin Wall stood until 9 November 1989 when the head of the East German Communist party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border any time they wanted.  Many celebrated by crossing the wall and bringing hammers and picks to chip away the iconic barrier.

After the wall fell, East and West Germany once again unified and Germany became a single state once again on 3 October 1990.

On 13 August 1998, a memorial was erected along Bernauer Strasse where traces of the former strip have been preserved.

But don’t expect to see much of the 100-mile long wall as most of it has been chiseled away and carted off.  Not much remains of the once infamous wall.

Both sides of the wall were featured in the John le Carre book (1963) and movie (1965) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.  You’ll find the full movie here (107:24) and here (112:00), but it requires a lot of buffer time to load.

Dresden - Fine Porcelain

Dresden Lace

In 1708, Johann Friedrich Böttger discovered the secret of translucent white porcelain production.  He had been imprisoned by the Saxony ruler Augustus II the Strong because Böttger claimed he could make gold from raw materials. However, his discovery of how to produce “white gold” brought renown to the Saxony region.  The secret: baking the substance at high temperatures.

Dresden, Germany then became the hub of a prestigious porcelain decorating industry while the actual porcelain pieces were manufactured in nearby Meissen, Germany.  The first shop producing the luxurious porcelain started in Meissen in 1710 in a castle, as Augustus wanted a more secure location to protect this secret.

In 1872, the production of the fine china spread to Dresden with its first manufactory.  By the end of World War II, over 200 porcelain shops were located in Dresden.  Unfortunately, production came to a grinding halt with the Allied bombing of the city in 1945.

Dresden china can be recognized by markings on the bottom or back of the pieces.  Each piece is identified with the picture of a cobalt blue crown with a “D” or Dresden underneath.  Other markings denote which shop the piece was made in.

Meissen pieces are denoted with crossed blue swords.  The crossed swords represented Augustus II of Saxony who, as an admirer of fine porcelain made in China, encouraged the perfection of the making of German porcelain. 

Dresden and Meissen porcelain factories were also famous for using “Dresden lace” on the figurines, a process in which real lace was dipped in liquid porcelain and then attached to porcelain ball gowns or ballerinas.  These figurines are extremely fragile and easily breakable.

The Dresden design style features hand decorated plants, flowers, and fruits resembling the French Rococo style as well as gold gilding.  Designs were painted on place settings, serving pieces, and figurines.

The Dresden Porcelain Collection is part of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen (State Art Collection) located in Zwinger Palace in Dresden.  The collection was founded by Augustus the Strong in 1715 and includes his collection of fine porcelain, some produced in China and some unique Dresden pieces. 

The collection largely survived the Allied bombings through evacuation procedures.  They have been on display at the Zwinger since 1962.

After Augustus’s death in 1733, Count von Bühl became Prime Minister and factory director and commissioned what has become known as the Swan Service, a unique place setting service of over 1,400 pieces.  The dinner plates are shaped like sea shells and adorned with swans.

One of Dresden’s most famous sites, the Procession of Princes, is an outdoor mural created entirely from porcelain.

Enjoy this video Meissen Porcelain Factory Dresden.  Watch as they make the porcelain and see the finished product.

Dresden, Germany

Dresden on the Elbe River

Prior to World War II, Dresden, Germany, the capital of Saxony, was known as the “Florence of the Elbe” because of the multitude of striking Baroque buildings along the beautiful Elbe River.

Dresden became a city in 1206 and celebrated its 800^th birthday in 2006.  It gained this fame during the 18^th century under Augustus the Strong and his son Augustus III.  Their vision produced many of Dresden’s iconic buildings including the Zwinger Palace, the Semper Oper (Opera House), the Lutheran Frauenkirche, and the Catholic Hofkirche.

But on the night of 13 February 1945 as WWII was coming to an end, Allied bombers from Britain and the United States reduced the city to a pile of rubble killing over 25,000 people—although the exact number is unknown. Over 75 percent of the city’s historic center was destroyed.

Although Allied forces claimed the attack on the city was justified because of transportation and local factories serving German needs, the attack has drawn controversy over the years for destroying such a cultural center.

Today most of the city has been restored, although parts are still under reconstruction.  The most well-known of Dresden’s buildings, the Frauenkirche, which was completely destroyed, was restored in 2005 with its donated gold cross from the UK acting as a call to peace to all nations.

One Dresden icon, the 335-foot long outdoor mural entitled the Procession of Princes, depicts a parade of 35 rulers of the House of Wettin since 1127. Today the mural is made entirely of weatherproof ceramic tiles which replaced three earlier paintings which could not withstand the elements. Miraculously, the tiles survived the aerial bombing in 1945.

The Old Town area is one of the most popular tourist spots, but visitors will notice that many of the pre-war buildings still look black and burned—one of the few German cities, other than Berlin, that still shows evidence of WWII.

This site from the Library of Congress, shows numerous vintage photos of pre-war Dresden in all its glory, as well as photos of the devastated city. In particular, see Frauenkirche and New Market Square, 1930 and View of Dresden’s Newmarkt and the Frauenkirche, August 1949. And do look at the photo of the inside of the church. It is absolutely gorgeous!

This video, Beautiful Dresden – Bombed and Rebuilt, does an excellent job of telling Dresden’s story and providing a unique look at the city before and after restoration.

Literary note: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was in Dresden as a POW that fateful day in 1945. He later became a celebrated author writing his novel Slaughterhouse Five in 1969 about his experiences. It was made into a movie in 1972.

A TV movie entitled Dresden (2006) set against the historic bombing features a romance between a British pilot hiding in Germany and a German nurse.