Since the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago today, segments of the concrete sentinel have arrived in cities around the world to stand at embassies and museums, on campuses and waterfronts, in hotels and corporate collections. So while nothing can stand in for seeing, in person, where Berlin was split into East and West, there are dozens of wonderful places to see how. Here, IgoUgo members recommend locations for viewing a piece of the wall, and a piece of history.
Berlin
“Remnants of the wall are everywhere,” says ripplefan2, “with a brick path running throughout the city, showing where the wall once stood.” So you certainly can’t miss it, but do plan to visit Checkpoint Charlie and its museum to learn more. Also stop by the newly updated East Side Gallery and West Side Gallery to see what artists have done with the wall’s blank slates.
Washington, D.C.
Though it’s far from Berlin, the popular Newseum puts its wall segment in context with impressive displays. Charging a $20 admission fee, the museum is also one of the wall’s pricier homes, but Idler says, “I’d felt initially like $20 was a lot to charge for a museum...but I didn’t feel that way at all by the time we left.” Be sure to check out her photo of the Newseum’s art-covered Berlin Wall segment.
London
London native mcbabe praises the impressive placement of the Berlin Wall segment at London’s Imperial War Museum--but it’s just the tip of the history on display here in a place Liam Hetherington says could be mandatory for “every schoolchild in Britain.” This month, the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester joins its sister museum in displaying its own segment, along with a searchlight, checkpoint sign, photographs, and more artifacts from the wall’s era.
New York
There are several places to view remnants of the wall in Manhattan--including at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum--but BawBaw got a great photograph of one section on the grounds of the United Nations. The tableau stands among famous installments gifted from a variety of countries, including the Peace Bell Japan presented in 1954.
And More
Not anywhere near Berlin, London, New York, or Washington? No problem! Read the impressions IgoUgo members shared after visiting the wall in many other places, including:
Freedom Arches in Toronto
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kentuck Knob in Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania
Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Dartmouth World Peace Pavilion near Halifax, Nova Scotia
Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Kansas
Near the Christ of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Fort Huachuca Museums in Sierra Vista, Arizona
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