Groß Glienicke Wall Memorial
The Groß Glienicke Wall Memorial preserves the only surviving “first generation” Berlin Wall segment, built in 1961-62. Over 30 metres of original concrete slabs with hollow blocks and Y-shaped barbed wire deflectors stand on the shore of Groß Glienicker See.
The memorial at Groß Glienicke is unique because it shows three generations of wall construction at a single location. The earliest section, dating from 1961-62, consists of prefabricated concrete slabs stacked between steel posts. These were among the first permanent structures to replace the improvised barriers of barbed wire and cinder blocks that went up on 13 August 1961.
Memorial, Mauersegment, Am Park 14, Groß Glienicke, Germany (Photo: OTFW, Berlin)
Later additions visible at the site include the expanded metal fence (Streckmetallzaun) that was used in many border areas, and sections of the third-generation wall with its distinctive pipe-shaped top. The combination makes this an invaluable record of how the border fortifications evolved over 28 years.
The site was designated an official memorial in 2014, marking the 25th anniversary of the Wall’s fall. It sits on the western shore of Groß Glienicker See, a lake that formed part of the border between West Berlin (Spandau) and the GDR (Potsdam). During the Cold War, the lake itself was divided by underwater barriers to prevent escape attempts by swimming.
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