Remembering Cold War Division: Wall Remnants and Border Monuments in Berlin

Abstract

Today Berlin's most famous symbol—the Berlin Wall—is almost absent from the city, lost amidst a cityscape striving for ‘normality’. However, this construct—representing not only the conflict of the Cold War, but also its curious stability—continues to provoke controversy, primarily in its role as an ‘unintended’ monument. This article examines the complex patterns of remembrance relating to the Wall and the GDR border which have emerged in Berlin since unification. Through two case studies of contrasting public memory projects—the Übergänge competition (1996–1999) and the Freiheitsmahnmal (2004–2005)—it asks how far memory, and thus identity, can be concretised in physical form and whether monuments can provoke the active experience of memory, thus recognising the fluidity and temporality of identity. The case studies demonstrate not only the highly constructed nature of collective identities, but also the benefits of a varied and decentralised memorial landscape, particularly in light of the large number and variety of interest groups, shifting political agendas, the demands of the tourist industry and frictions between East and West.