When the Berlin Wall was initially constructed using railway cars and barbed wire in August 1961, few could predict its eventual rise and fall. In this feature-length documentary, “Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall,” HISTORY employs computer imagery to depict how the Wall evolved from a simple barrier to a formidable barricade. This powerful structure consisted of seven concentric walls, ditches, fences, signal wires, tank traps, and a flood-lit death strip patrolled by underfed dogs, forming an almost impenetrable barrier. Spanning 96 miles, it included over 200 bunkers and 302 watchtowers.
The documentary features firsthand accounts from individuals who attempted daring escapes from this “Wall of Death” using methods such as tunnels, hot air balloons, windsurfing boats, biplanes, and cable railways. It also includes interviews with security officials who designed the Wall, Stasi agents who guarded it, border guards, politicians, historians, and journalists. These interviews bring to life the history of this Cold War icon, whose fall on November 9, 1989, marked the beginning of a dramatic political transformation.
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