The other view

The early Berlin Wall

Germany has commemorated the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall in August 2011. This exhibition presents a collection of yet unreleased photos of its early construction phase from the perspective of East Berlin. It includes numerous views of 43.7 km of the inner-city wall, taken by the Berlin-Mitte border patrol in 1965/66. The photo documentation comprises approx. 1,500 individual photos of deserted border fortifications, which included the walls of residential buildings, chain-link fences and ruins with views of the Allied sectors in the background. Classified as top-secret in the GDR, the photos have been put together to panoramic views by the photographer Arwed Messmer and given captions by the writer Annett Gröschner, who refers to occurrences at the sites noted in the border regimental files. The exhibition is designed to allow visitors to walk the entire length of the former wall and experience Berlin as never before. Visitors can also use GPS data and street names to compare the current structural situation with images of the area where the Berlin Wall once ran. An accompanying programme, organized in cooperation with the Literaturforum at the Brechthaus Berlin, highlights artists and scientists like Uwe Johnson, Olaf Briese and Einar Schleef, who intensively incorporated the construction of the Berlin Wall into their works. After its presentation in Berlin the exhibition will be shown in France and Poland.

Artistic directors: Annett Gröschner, Arwed Messmer
Guest curator: Florian Ebner