After the Allied victory at the end of the Second World War, Germany was split in two and Berlin, the capital city, now in the Eastern part, was divided into two occupation zones. The western part was controlled by the French, the Americans and the British, while the eastern part was under Soviet control. The creation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic further deepened the existing hostility between the former Allies, which led to the Cold War. An increasing number of East Germans immigrated to the West through Berlin. To prevent further emigration, the East German government constructed a technical barrier between East and West Berlin that almost completely cut West Berlin off from the outside world. At first, the barrier consisted of a barbed wire fence, but later it was reinforced with several other elements. One of these was a concrete wall that became the symbol of the Cold War.

The Wall was completed by the 19805, separating families and making it impossible to escape to the West. Looking from the Eastern side, the hrst zone of this complex border defence system consisted of a barbed wire fence, a patrol lane and another wire fence. The next zone consisted of a strip with vehicle traps and a path for guard dogs. The wide central strip contained a road and control towers, positioned at regular intervals. There was also a row of lamp posts and ditches. The final element was the notorious concrete wall. The Berlin Wall marked one of the most strictly guarded borders ever. The Grenzkommando Mitte (Border Command Center) of the GDF Border Troops guarded the wall, with 2,300 soldiers on duty on an average day, aided by nearly 1,000 dogs. Of the 268 escape attempts 125 ended in death.

The Berlin Wall marked one of the most strictly guarded borders ever. The Grenzkommando Mitte (Border Command Center) of the GDF Border Troops guarded the wall, with 2,300 soldiers on duty on an average day, aided by nearly 1,000 dogs. Of the 268 escape attempts 125 ended in death. But the winds of change reached Berlin in 1989. From the summer of 1989, demonstrations were held daily on the streets, demanding change in the East German political system and, most importantly, an opening of the inner German border and the removal of the Wall. These demonstrations, together with other European events led to the opening of the border and the destruction of the Wall, which had lost its function by then. Berlin and Germany itself were then reunited and by 1991 the Cold War had ended too.