- BERLIN (AFP) - The Berlin
Wall, whose construction began early on August 13 1961, was constantly
modified and reinforced until it fell 28 years later, having cost the lives
of at least 250 people who died trying to cross it.
-
- Another 5,000 people succeeded in escaping over or under
it into West Berlin, according to the latest figures produced by the
"August
13 Working Group" which has devoted itself to researching such
questions.
-
- The total length of the Wall was 155 kilometres (about
97 miles), of which 43 kilometres ran roughly north-south, cutting the
city in two, while another 112 kilometres isolated the enclave of West
Berlin from the surrounding East German state.
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- A "no-man's land" ran the length of the Wall,
varying from the width of a street to about 300 metres (yards), effectively
blighting the immediate terrain around for normal human use.
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- For more than 106 kilometres of its length, the Wall
was composed of panels of reinforced concrete to a height of 3.60 metres,
with a rounded top providing no toe- or hand-hold for any would-be climber.
The rest was composed of metallic grill fencing.
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- A total of 302 watchtowers and 20 bunkers were manned
by seven units of 1,000 to 1,200 soldiers each. The Wall was also protected
by 124 kilometres of patrol routes, 127 detector and alarm devices, 259
paths for watchdogs and 105 kilometres of ditches dug to trap vehicles
in.
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- The watchtowers, some 250-200 metres apart in the city
centre, were connected by paths for the guards on patrol. With lamp posts
every 30 metres, the Wall was also the best-illuminated part of all Berlin.
By contrast, East Berlin was quite dark at night.
-
- The land adjoining the Wall was under constant
examination
to detect any footprints, but devices which automatically fired shots at
those who ventured onto the Wall were dismantled in later years. Instead,
a second, inner wall was built along it on the eastern side.
-
- The number who people who died trying to cross is
uncertain.
Estimates vary from 239 to 270.
-
- Demolition began rapidly after the East German
authorities
gave the order to allow people free passage through the Bernauerstrasse
crossing point on the evening of November 9 1989. Souvenir hunters carried
away much of the structure but some of it has been preserved in
place.
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- In parallel with the Berlin Wall, the
1,400-kilometre-long
inter-German border was also marked by barbed wire, metal grill fences
equipped with electronic detection equipment, and landmines.
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- An estimated 960 people in all died trying to cross from
East Germany to the West, according to the August 13 Working Group.
-
- The group said that 40,101 people broke out from East
to West, of which 5,043 entered West Berlin via the Wall.
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