Unnamed Archive
Maker: Unknown
Date Made: August 1, 1984
Country: German Democratic Republic
Materials: photograph paper
Measurements: 9 cm x 14 cm; 3 9/16 in x 5 1/2 in
Genre/Form: photograph
Two black and white photographs of construction on the Berlin Wall appear to show the positioning of concrete pipes on top of the concrete wall slabs. The pipes were intended to prevent further escape across the border into West Berlin, a problem that continuously plagued the German Democratic Republic. This phase of construction was part of the fourth and final generation of the Wall, whereupon it became known as the "Grenzmauer" or Border Wall. The buildings in the background, including the abandoned hair salon, show how the Berlin Wall cut through the urban landscape. The construction worker perched on top of the wall (B-1), with one leg swung over the pipe on either side, is literally straddling between East and West.
Collection/Series: Peter Bochmann Border Guard Collection
Accession Number: 2017.015.008