Border, Contemporary Witnesses, East

A last trip to the cinema

loading video

locations

information

Film lover Jürgen Franke from Prenzlauer Berg often goes to the pictures in West Berlin with his friends. The 12 August 1961 is no exception: they go to a late-night screening in the Western district of Gesundbrunnen. As they near the border crossing at Bernauer Strasse in the early hours of 13 August, they can already see the floodlights and construction trucks.

In 2011, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wall going up, the rbb interviewed Berliners to find out what the division of the city meant to them. The Wall had a profound impact on the way each person went about their daily lives - no matter what side they found themselves on. Overnight people were cut off from their friends and relatives, from their offices, factories and schools, and from places where they enjoyed spending their leisure time. The division of the city tore families apart, ruptured biographies and claimed many lives.

locations

  • Bernauer Straße, Berlin-Wedding
    showtime
    1
    latitude
    52.540414
    longitude
    13.403432
  • Gesundbrunnen, Berlin-West
    showtime
    1
    latitude
    52.5486
    longitude
    13.3903