East West Berlin Germany Wall Revisited 1986 - 2015
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- Опубликовано: 28 янв 2015
- The transformantion of East Berlin after Reunification.
The Voice of America helped bring down Communism. Please see this video about one of the transmitter sites. www.voamuseum.org/the-museum/
i enjoyed this footage. I was there 1988-90. It was a privilege 2 witness history unfold.
wow. I simply find this deeply moving.
Very good video...i was in East Berlin in 1987...for several reasons i never can visit Germany again...it will be very hard for me to recognize East Berlin....
Thanks a lot Jeff for sharing your pictures and memories of Berlin with us! Fine work and best wishes to you.
Jeff, what nice work. thanks
Great video! So interesting to see the landmarks from different eras & to hear your story too!
3:32 is not East Berlin. It's Anhalter Bahnhof war remains located in Berlin-Kreuzberg / Berlin - West
You are correct. Hard to remember details from 30 years ago. Thanks.
Great video, I love it. I also visited Berlin briefly on a train trip from Peking to Paris in 1986, going from East to West in the normal course of the journey, and just revisited last week. After so many years, it struck me how my memories seemed unreal to the majority of people I encountered who didn't live that era. Thank you!
I hope you made a RUclips of your trip from Peking to Paris.
@@Jeff-6691 I so wish we had it back then!
Great content Jeff !!
1:25 "Nice city socialism" i love the sarcasm in an artistic way.
great video, thanks!
This is an awesome video. I'm a colombian living in Moscow and i literally feel the same i feel when watching your video. these cities have a lot of history.
Not surprisingly, the Russians show little interest in this video.
As I write, this video has been watched over 4000 times at an average length of 2:45 by over 100 countries. In Russia it has only been viewed 31 times, avg length 1:10. They are not interested in being reminded about communism.
makes sense, nobody likes to be reminded of bitter past
Mr.Worldwide
Jeff, I enjoyed your video, too. I am a high school German teacher and had my first visit in 1981 in the Wall years and went back right after the Wall opened in 1990. My latest visit was summer 2015 where I took a class offered by the Goethe Institut-Berlin and stayed with a family that lived in the former East Germany. It was interesting to hear their viewpoints on the old "DDR," and, because I was a guest, I did not argue with them. I simply informed them what we had been taught in school and on our first visit to the DDR. They conceded what our viewpoint of the Wall was but also insisted there were many positive aspects of their old DDR.
As a kid, we had some family friends that survived the Soviet onslaught of the city; I really have mixed feelings about it. Also, now, I have some Russian friends that I met at the Goethe-Institut. There are lots of competing viewpoints in my head. Anyway, I enjoyed the comments and the civility at which people suggested errors in your narrative, and your very civil response. Overall, I agree with the main point of your posting, the major changes the city has undergone--particularly in the East. Thank you again for posting.
There has always been a 10 to 1 Likes to Dislike ratio. I am surprised that many dislike the video, but I respect those that feel the Soviet system was better. I believe in UFOs and I am in the minority in that realm.
Thanks for sharing👍🏻just back from stay in Berlin & its a wonderful city especially the old east side with its
Historical sites.Too many to mention but I'll definitely return.A city with a mix of tragedy & joy.
Great video!
Brings back memories. Spent some time in Berlin (TDY in Tempelhof and leave from 1984 to 1988) while in the Air Force. How things have changed!
i was a serving british soldier in Berlin in 1979 and saw both sides of the wall having to do tours int east Berlin and also into east Germany on the british military train.thanks for the film and the memories
Great video. It's interesting to see old forgotten places and buildings in East Berlin, especially from other people's perspectives.
Also what is this memorial at 4:49 called? I have yet to identify it.
It's the Soviet war memorial in West Berlin (I think it was literally a Soviet sector exclave inside the British sector and it's in part built from the remains of Hitler's bunker - but don't quote me on that). For a couple of years around 1986 (the time of this video) it was fenced off (in the video you can see the photo taken from a tourist bus which were allowed in through a gate in the fence) and the only way to access the Brandenburg Gate closer was by a pedestrian footpath. A bit later those barriers were removed and you could walk around that area freely.
Jeff this is a genius idea. I was lucky enough to have a school exchange to Berlin in February 1990, just after the fall of the wall. Then in 1994 I had a long weekend there with some friends. I have great memories of both trips but doubt I will ever return. I'm going to try Streetview and see if I can retrace some steps.
I have used Google Street view in other videos. See the one of my home town - Immke collection Princeton.
This is very interesting
3:35 Anhalter Bahnhof is in West Berlin, the main station closed in the 1950s but the S-Bahn station (which is underground) is still operational, originally trains left here for the province of Anhalt, hence name.
you are absolutely right. I must have taken that photo when taking the West Berlin tour. I do remember that the tour guide did not point out the significance of that ruin. So with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, there were two ruins left in W. Berlin.
Anhalter Bahnhof was one of the many Berlin terminals, after the end of WWII and the partition of Berlin into four allied sectors, the Deutsche Reichsbahn was charged with operating all railways (except U-Bahn) in Berlin both West and East despite the DR being an East German organisation. The East Germans were anxious to restrict travel into West Berlin so trains from Anhalt were diverted into East Berlin, with the demise of the train service the station closed and was demolished. The last remaining segment was part of the entrance, the West Berlin Senate decided to keep that last segment as a memorial.
This is quite interesting, I was in Berlin a week or so ago and bought a key ring with a small fragment of the wall attached. To know that a chunk of German history is with me at all times is fucking cool.
This brings a lot of emotions for me personally. I was born (western side) when the wall was still up.
Great video, thank you for posting. Look closely at the Soviet Ware memorial. The red marble is from Hitler’s Reich Chancellery.
+Jeff Monroe I'm super curious, given that I do have a fascination with everything Cold War, what was it like in the DDR?
All I can say is that would have been especially bad living just across the wall from the very vibrant West Berlin. I know E. Berlin needed tourist dollars, but I think it was a mistake to allow outsiders to see how backward a communist country is. Just makes us hate it more. Now Cuba is doing the same thing.
@@JPM6691 And what's your opinon about Cuba. Did you visited the country in the end?
@@matmar2085 Never went. the only reason I went to Berlin is because of a business expense account. I saw the world for free working for GE. Now they are broke and I feel guilty, not.
Very interesting
Very interesting. Going to Berlin January, hope I can still see some differences between west and east (:
how was the trip?
Mike Zeller Yea it was decent. Flew into Berlin, stayed there for 4 days then continued into Poland.
Berlin still has a few differences lile the street lights. Checkpoint Charlie and the wall exhibition museum were fun too
Interesting: The photos are very cold, foggy, and grey from the East German Times... depressing. BUT the Present Day photos of the Bundesrepublik are all Sunny, Warm, and Beautiful... happy. -- It seems you have a little reverse propaganda going yourself! - All in good spirit of the DDR theme ;)
for what is worth, of course my photos on February are grey and those postcard photos are all sunny. Ever been to Germany in Feburary?? Made it hard to bomb too.
I am from the DDR. We did find pride during what was a struggle, but all people in all lands have struggles too. Our sport and some very high quality manufacturing were second to no one. The regional pride still exists but in the end we are all Germany
You musik is nice.
All people will try to make the best out of a bad situation and I have always admired the German work ethic. It is well known that the Soviets did not put money into East Germany to rebuild like they did in countries closer to Russia. After a rough time adjusting, I hope your life is now better.
Peter Watry : No matter how hard you try, you will NEVER make the Marxist-murder machine of East Germany palatable!...and if it was so wonderful there, why did not ONE single person stand up and fight to retain it in 1989!?
East Berlin was a dump. Gloomy and dark. People were quiet and uncheerful. No reverse propaganda there. Just fact.
2:56 But Berlin does have the U-Bahn (subway tunnels). 5:14 Which checkpoint was that? Probably Staaken? (Since you were going back to Hamburg.) I drove few times through the Drewitz/Dreilinden checkpoint (Checkpoint Bravo) and it was never too crowded, just dumb luck probably.
About the subway tunnels, yes I forgot about them, but I now understand that they were considered too shallow for good protection.
@@JPM6691 Aha, OK, makes sense.
A fascinating review of Berlin. Having visited both Berlin and Westberlin in the 1980s (as they were known in the DDR) I preferred the DDR capital.
During the Cold War I was a spy and spent several days avoiding Stasi and KGB in East Berlin...Yup that's the place.. Glad to see its been cleaned up. I bet the air smell better too.
I was stationed in Berlin 84'-87'. I visited the east many many times. We did our Christmas shopping there. We could get great deals due to the exchange rate. A bottle of "Stoli" russian vodka was like $1.00 lol. Many times we gave our "leftover" east marks to a girl that ran an imbus stand. She was always asking us to take her back with us. It was very sad I wish we could have.
I was only there one night. Wish I could have stayed longer. Very exciting.
@@JPM6691 I feel very fortunate to have lived there for over 3yrs. My time there was a real "eyeopener". I am a better man for my time living in Berlin. Some of my fondest memories.
2:57 simply not true, the U Bahn had been operational from 1902.
yes, I realized my mistake but hard to correct after publishing. Also, that was not one of the flak towers. it looked like one except no AA on top. It was just an above ground bomb shelter. I am surprised it took so long to call me on it. Good job.
yes, but it is true anyway because the Berlin subway has always been what is called a "understreet subway" which means that the tunnels were definetely not deep enough to function as a bomb shelter (like in London e.g.)...so, you are right anyway and taos treror is only partly right... BUT there is a mistake in it: the ruin of the Anhalter Bahnhof train station has always been in West-Berlin..
taos tr
The destroyed station (Anhalter Bahnhof) is/was a part of Western Berlin.....
correct. mistake pointed out earlier.
Nice video, If I were you I would have visited other places too like Moscow and Warsaw
We are considering taking a cruise to Havana Cuba this winter. Kind of like East Germany with sunshine and classic cars.
Cherubic Hymn Op.27 no.5
Orthodox liturgical music will help you to transcend earthly cares.
I have viewed this with great interest.
I first visited Berlin in the summer of 1983.
This was a great error, as I was supposed to be flying to West Germany. ,!!
I was in the British Army and I was posted to Neinburg on the Weser.
My flight plans were seriously off course.
After three days sampling the cultural delights of West Berlin, I was shipped out ......... by train to Hildesheim “Check Point Alpha”
It was like a scene out of Tinker , Tailor ........ representatives from East and West, handing over documentation and manifests , three from each side. All very civil and above board. Bristol fashion as it is sometimes referred to.
Then a two hour train ride through the bleak East Germany. Not much to say about that
Then. In 1986 I took the family by car to Berlin. I’ll leave that adventure for another time.
I would like to go back and see it in person. You have got to hand it to the Germans. Remarkable people. What Hitler failed to realize is that those "lazy " Americans he was not afraid of were much made up of German stock.
As a Brit, here is something you may not be aware of. The reason that you blokes got northern Germany and the U.S. got the south all started because of the way the troops landed in Normandy. No one thought ahead that as the troops moved out of the beaches the British would naturally end up in the more desirable north because of the seaports. It was hard for the U.S. to bring in supplies by land.
What’s with the music choice though?
you meant to say, what a great video , but what's with -------?
I say the music makes the video . I was there, were you?
Jeff Monroe sorry if I came off as a dick, I think it’s a great video. I just do t think the music fits. Sorry 😶
wow, thanks.
Having served there during the cold war and spending a great deal of time in East Berlin, I would say the music is perfect. The difference between the East and West is so hard to describe to my German son who is 34. We visited Berlin recently and its amazing how it's changed. Old DDR communist housing are now leased as low rent places to stay for tourists. We stayed in one. It was nice to see they maintained one tiny section of the wall as a memorial but to my dissapointment Checkpoint Charlie is now a trashy museum with fake border guards in inaccurate uniforms who pose for photos if you pay them. In my opinion the United States should be entitled to make a memorial there to represent what we did for the German people instead of it being a sleazy tourist trap.
Also Berlin DID have subway tunnels
yes, my bad. but evidently too shallow to be good bombshelters.
Bombed out buildings were everywhere in GDR Berlin in 1986? Different people have different memories; I spent a great deal of time in GDR Berlin in the 1980s and I didn't see bombed out buildings everywhere. I was a photographer at the time and my photos don't show a bombed out GDR Berlin.
Touche'
So could anyone pass into East Berlin? Also back into West?
With the right approval, people from the West could enter and leave, but those from the East could not go West. Just like North and South Korea. But Kim is even more ruthless than the E German commies were.
Hi.
Hi back, do I know you?
That's incredible , there is socialism country just over the wall , can't imagine now.
I have not seen in this movies any dirty streets. And yes, people stayed at home at night, not drinking booze on the street now
It was a place without joy. Why do you think they kept trying to escape???
Yes, the streets were probably no dirtier than Chicago.
Because they wanted to have more money and be able to travel. Same thinking as in other communist countries at this time
I felt I had been beamed (Star Trek) to another planet when I crossed from West Berlin to East Berlin in the 1980's. The people in the East had pale and patsy faces - lack of fresh fruit and vitamins and too much carbohydrates and fat. They moved and talked v e r y s l o w l y.
I was a student from Canada at the FUB in West Berlin and my neighbour asked me to bring sweets and little presents to his children and wife in East Berlin; he had escaped and couldn't go back and they wouldn't release his family to join him in the West. At Checkpoint Charlie, fat slob DDR guards in dirty, cheap polyester uniforms took their time X-raying every single candy bar and little present.
His wife didn't dare talk to me in the room with the telephone, afraid we were being listened to even though it was on the hook. Communism, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, is a DISASTER. No freedom, no joy, no health, no enthusiam, no expression allowed beyond the official party line, which everyone knew was a lie. No religion. No God. No heaven. No transcedence. No imagination.
When I got back to West Berlin, things sped up again. Punk rockers, anarchists, hippies, gays, businessmen, fat Mercedes's, painted ladies of the night, discos in full swing... decadent anarchy, lively and effervescent... At university, we discussed Derrida and Foucault, Nietzsche and Aesthetics, and every day in the Mensa - the lunch hall - there were DDR/Communist propaganda leaflets on the tables.
One of these Communists asked me where I'm from as he noticed an accent when I spoke German and when I told him Canada, he started berating me for "locking all the Indians up on reservations". First I pointed out that I didn't personally do this and second I pointed out that, while many Indians do live on reservations, they are free to come and go, to live on the reservation or off it, unlike his DDR comrades who are stuck on one giant reservation, locked behind a huge wall they had to build to keep them in. He was none too pleased and left.
Think! Recently I had a conversation with an Israeli who called every Palestinian baby born "a ticking time bomb". Their mothers were "mothers of ticking time bombs" and should be eliminated before they breed more. Gaza is an open air prison where two million people are locked up, with severely restricted access to water, food, medicine, electricity, building materials, etc., whose only crime is to have been born in the wrong place at the wrong time into the wrong tribe - had they been Jewish, they would have been allowed to have kept their homes. This Israeli thought this was right and when I asked him why, he said "God's promise in the Bible". When I asked him if he believes in God, he said "no". Think!
and yet for every 10 that like this video, there is one that dislikes it. Who are these people? Brainwashed people , I guess.
Maybe I should go to Israel/Palestine and make a RUclips. You must admit the Jews seem to be much more productive.
🇨🇺❤🇩🇪 ☭ Cuba & GDR
I went to West Berlin in 1986 june and decided to see if I could go to East Berlin was told "You don't want to go there" by friends we were visiting ,however we went by train cant say I enjoyed it all the dilapidated abandoned stations we passed.Then we arrived and to me its was like stepping into a different world hardly any cars. people, Murals everywhere of happy people working, playing and celebrating socialism..People we did see all looked sad and the cafe we went to for a drink they could not wait for us to go ,kept coming over and pointing to our watches looked so scared.looking back can see why having two foreigners in the cafe.Could have thought they were spies or us scary. Could not wait to get back on that train to West Berlin However was pleased I went
It was not unusual to have East Germans tapping their watches in cafes etc. I've had several similar experiences in the DDR, they were paid by the hour they worked, no commission on sales or number of customers, tipping was frowned upon, so no incentive to encourage customers. Once they completed their shift you were shown he door.
Sorry on this account you are wrong ,after we left we walked around for a while until our train was due ,walked back past the cafe and the same people were working there
Kaz Baz - I felt I had been beamed (Star Trek) to another planet when I crossed from West Berlin to East Berlin in the 1980's. The people in the East had pale and patsy faces - lack of fresh fruit and vitamins and too much carbohydrates and fat. They moved and talked v e r y s l o w l y.
I was a student from Canada at the FUB in West Berlin and my neighbour asked me to bring sweets and little presents to his children and wife in East Berlin; he had escaped and couldn't go back and they wouldn't release his family to join him in the West. At Checkpoint Charlie, fat slob DDR guards in dirty, cheap polyester uniforms took their time X-raying every single candy bar and little present.
His wife didn't dare talk to me in the room with the telephone, afraid we were being listened to even though it was on the hook. Communism, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, is a DISASTER. No freedom, no joy, no health, no enthusiam, no expression allowed beyond the official party line, which everyone knew was a lie. No religion. No God. No heaven. No transcedence. No imagination.
When I got back to West Berlin, things sped up again. Punk rockers, anarchists, hippies, gays, businessmen, fat Mercedes's, painted ladies of the night, discos in full swing... decadent anarchy, lively and effervescent... At university, we discussed Derrida and Foucault, Nietzsche and Aesthetics, and every day in the Mensa - the lunch hall - there were DDR/Communist propaganda leaflets on the tables.
One of these Communists asked me where I'm from as he noticed an accent when I spoke German and when I told him Canada, he started berating me for "locking all the Indians up on reservations". First I pointed out that I didn't personally do this and second I pointed out that, while many Indians do live on reservations, they are free to come and go, to live on the reservation or off it, unlike his DDR comrades who are stuck on one giant reservation, locked behind a huge wall they had to build to keep them in. He was none too pleased and left.
Think! Recently I had a conversation with an Israeli who called every Palestinian baby born "a ticking time bomb". Their mothers were "mothers of ticking time bombs" and should be eliminated before they breed more. Gaza is an open air prison where two million people are locked up, with severely restricted access to water, food, medicine, electricity, building materials, etc., whose only crime is to have been born in the wrong place at the wrong time into the wrong tribe - had they been Jewish, they would have been allowed to have kept their homes. This Israeli thought this was right and when I asked him why, he said "God's promise in the Bible". When I asked him if he believes in God, he said "no". Think!
LISTEN THIS SONG ON YOU TUBE...
LIBERDADE - NACAO NESTA
LIBERDADE - NACAO NESTA
I did, so what was the point???
Jeff Monroe Self advertisement
Craying pictures ........ The ugliness of the Soviet Union ..your prothers from iraq