# Canonical recap data for Berlin Wall Erected (1961)
# Source: https://recap.at/1961/berlin-wall-erected
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: berlin-wall-erected
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1961/berlin-wall-erected"
title: Berlin Wall Erected
aliases:
- Berliner Mauer
- The Wall
- 13 August 1961
- Antifascist Protection Rampart
subtitle: East Germany built the Berlin Wall overnight to stop mass defection, creating the Cold War's most potent symbol of division.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1961-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1961
decade: 1960
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic. Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government of the GDR on 13 August 1961. It included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accomp
summaryLong: The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic. Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government of the GDR on 13 August 1961. It included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails and other defenses. The primary intention for the Wall's construction was to prevent East German citizens from fleeing to the West.
lede: On August 13, 1961, East German authorities began construction of a concrete and barbed-wire barrier that would divide Berlin for 28 years. The wall physically separated families, sealed off an entire city's eastern half, and became the defining symbol of the Cold War's ideological split between communist and capitalist Europe.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Berlinermauer.jpg/1280px-Berlinermauer.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Berlin Wall"
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Construction start date
  value: August 13, 1961
- label: Initial barrier length
  value: 155 kilometers
- label: Concrete wall height
  value: 3.6 meters (12 feet)
- label: Number of guard towers
  value: "302"
- label: Estimated deaths during wall's existence
  value: "140"
- label: Estimated number of successful escapes
  value: 5,000
- label: East German population sealed in Berlin sector
  value: 2.7 million
- label: Years the wall stood
  value: 28 (1961–1989)
timeline:
- date: 1961-08-12
  title: Rumors of border closure
  description: East German authorities hint at drastic measures to halt the exodus of citizens fleeing to West Berlin, where economic opportunities and political freedoms attract thousands weekly.
- date: 1961-08-13
  title: Construction begins
  description: "Early morning: East German troops and construction crews deploy barbed wire along the sector border, blocking streets and sealing crossing points. Soviet tanks take positions. The operation is codenamed 'Operation Rose.'"
- date: 1961-08-17
  title: First confirmed death
  description: Peter Fechter, an 18-year-old construction worker, is shot by East German guards while attempting to escape. He bleeds to death in the no-man's-land as Western onlookers watch helplessly.
- date: 1961-08-21
  title: Concrete barrier replaces wire
  description: East German authorities begin replacing temporary barbed wire with permanent concrete wall sections. The barrier grows systematically over following weeks.
- date: 1961-10-27
  title: Tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie
  description: Soviet and American tanks face off at the crossing point for 16 hours, the closest direct military confrontation between superpowers since WWII. Crisis is defused through back-channel negotiations.
- date: 1965-04-01
  title: Wall reaches full height and security
  description: Construction of the complete barrier system is declared complete, with reinforced concrete walls standing 3.6 meters high, anti-vehicle obstacles, and 302 guard towers positioned throughout.
- date: 1972-12-21
  title: Basic Treaty signed
  description: West Germany and East Germany sign an agreement normalizing relations and acknowledging the wall's permanence, effectively legitimizing the division for the international community.
- date: 1989-11-09
  title: Wall falls
  description: Following mass protests and East German policy confusion, borders are opened. Berliners from both sides converge on the wall with hammers and chisels, dismantling the barrier that defined their lives.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall"
  title: Berlin Wall
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The wall's construction reflected the Cold War's hardening into permanent partition. It transformed Berlin into a geopolitical flashpoint, trapping 2.7 million East Berliners behind armed guards and concrete, and would remain a physical and psychological dividing line until its collapse 28 years later.
categories:
- war
- protest
metaDescription: East Germany erects the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961, dividing the city and becoming the Cold War's most enduring symbol.
wikidataQid: Q5086
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260607203355/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-07
  label: Berlin Wall
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall"
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- governance
- transformation
impactRadius: regional
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
