0- About Berlinwall
Berlinwall
The Berlin Wall is widely known as a historical turning point. It is invariably mentioned in textbooks as a symbol of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and by now, it has become such common knowledge that it is unlikely to even appear on a test. Documentaries that occasionally air on television show people climbing over the wall and rejoicing in their reunions, while a quick internet search will immediately bring up images of men swinging hammers to destroy the concrete wall. In most cases, the Berlin Wall is understood as a ruthless tragedy that divided East and West—or at least as a scene from that tragedy.
However, this repeated framing of the Wall has obscured the actual physical reality of how it was designed and constructed. How many people could accurately draw on a map the precise locations where the wall was built?
This is why this series will approach the Berlin Wall as architecture. In other words, it will depict the Berlin Wall through architectural drawings, treating it as a structure that was designed and constructed. On a blueprint, the pure relationships between objects emerge, leaving no room for political elements to interfere. Here, we will refer to the wall that arises through this specific yet ordinary process of drawing as “Berlinwall.” This will represent the real form of the wall—one that is not reduced to a stereotyped political narrative—and from this authentic form, a political nature that cannot be captured by conventional narratives may also emerge.
Where Exactly Did the Wall Run?
Let us begin by clarifying an important point: Where exactly did the Berlin Wall (hereafter referred to as the Wall) run? Did the Wall simply cut Berlin cleanly into two halves (Figure 1)? To understand this, we should first take a textbook-style look at the history of the Wall.
Figure 1: The Image of the "So-called" Wall that Divided Berlin
Germany was defeated in World War II, and the country was subsequently placed under the joint administration of four nations: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. However, the idea of a harmonious joint administration between the Western powers and the Soviets quickly turned out to be an illusion. The Eastern Bloc promoted the ideals of a "Communist Revolution," while the Western Bloc advocated for "Liberation from Communism," leading to the literal division of Germany into East and West.
What needs to be carefully noted here is the geographical position of Berlin (Figure 2). Berlin was located in the eastern part of Germany. However, the city, being the capital, was not entirely governed by the Soviets. Just like the country itself, the capital was also divided into East and West.
Figure 2: Berlin’s Geographical Position (Red: Berlin Wall)
So, why was the Wall built in the first place? It was because people were fleeing from East to West in large numbers. Life in socialist East Germany was marked by strict state surveillance and control, heavy tax burdens, and harsh living conditions. As the days of divided governance wore on, the number of defectors escaping to West Berlin surged dramatically. To sustain the East German state, the Soviet authorities saw it as an urgent necessity to prevent this flow of refugees.
Then, on the night of August 12, 1961, the Wall was erected along the boundary between East and West. However, the Wall at that time was not the well-known concrete structure; it was a simple barrier made of barbed wire. This barbed wire would eventually evolve into a concrete wall through successive upgrades, but the East German government had meticulously planned the operation, installing the barbed wire along the boundary in a single night.
But as noted earlier, the Wall did not "divide" Berlin into East and West. Instead, it encircled West Berlin over a total length of 155 km (Figure 3).
Figure 3: West Berlin Under Siege
Five Perspectives
The image of the Wall is now becoming clearer. From this point onward, this series will explore the Wall more concretely through the following five perspectives:
01 – Entangled Walls (乱れる壁)
02 – Beyond the Barbed Wire (有刺鉄線をとびこえて)
03 – The Wall Killed Two Churches (殺された教会)
04 – All from the Twins (すべては双子からはじまった)
05 – Biography of an Apartment (あるアパートの一生)
We mentioned earlier that the Wall was constructed along the boundary line. However, in reality, the line of the Wall and the East-West boundary did not perfectly align. Far from being the product of a cold, calculated plan, the Wall actually displays a series of reactive, improvised gestures shaped by the circumstances of the time. In the first installment, we will examine the points where the Wall deviates from the boundary and explore the unique environments that emerged there.
The second installment will trace the transformation of the barbed wire that encircled West Berlin overnight into a concrete wall. The Wall took different forms—barbed wire, rubble, concrete—before finally evolving into a double-layered structure with a deadly "death strip" in between. This section will explore the evolving nature of the Wall and the struggles of those who tried to escape it.
The third installment will focus on two churches that were trapped within the Wall. Although these churches stood apart from each other, they met strikingly contrasting fates. This will reveal the Wall's capacity to consume and destroy.
We will then zoom out to the very origins of Berlin as a city. The fourth installment will demonstrate that parts of the Wall align with the site of city walls built in the 17th century. This will place the Wall within a 600-year historical framework.
The fifth installment will turn to an apartment building that stood on the boundary line and was consequently swallowed up by the Wall. By unraveling the life story of this single apartment, we aim to tie together the entire narrative of the series.
This series aims to depict the Berlin Wall as architecture. Through this process, we hope to carve out multiple vantage points that penetrate the abstract notion of the Berlin Wall.
1 June 2022 (translated on 20 March 2025)
Writers
Takafumi Tsukamoto, Akira Yamazaki
