After Germany’s surrender in May 1945, Berlin was divided into four sectors, each controlled by one of the Allied powers: the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.

Very little of the original Berlin Wall remains. Of the 155km of Wall that once encircled West Berlin, only about 3km of original segments survive in various locations around the city.

Life in East Berlin was defined by the tension between the state’s promise of socialist equality and the reality of surveillance, shortages, and restricted freedom.

The Berlin Wall was guarded by the Grenztruppen der DDR (Border Troops of the GDR), a military force of around 47,000 soldiers dedicated solely to preventing escape from East Germany.

The Berlin Wall went through four major construction phases between 1961 and 1989, evolving from hasty barbed wire into a heavily fortified border system.

The Berlin Wall was one of the most heavily fortified borders in history, designed with multiple layers of obstacles that made escape almost impossible.

The dismantling of the Berlin Wall began almost immediately after it opened on 9 November 1989 and was largely complete within two years.

Around 5,000 people are estimated to have successfully crossed the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989.