The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 sealed the fate of East Germany. People wasted no time and began hacking away at the monstrosity with hammers and chisels. The people who picked at the former border barricade were called “wall woodpeckers.” By June 1990, most of the Berlin Wall had been demolished by bulldozers. Only a few parts of it have survived to this day; for example in the official Berlin Wall Memorial or the East Side Gallery.
The Supply of Wall Fragments
Nevertheless, wall fragments appear in large quantities throughout the city. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum, souvenir shops and even hotels have thousands of pieces for sale. Almost 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the supply of concrete chunks – brightly painted, made into fridge magnets or stuck on postcards – shows no signs of slowing down. But how can that be? Could these pieces of debris perhaps come from much less significant and historical origins?
Authenticity of Wall Fragments
“There are definitely fake pieces of wall made of plaster,” explains a supplier of authentic wall fragments. However, most of the pieces for sale are authentic. The supplier’s company is the main supplier of authentic pieces of the Berlin Wall. Together with his brother, he runs a business that has been a family business since 1992, when his father-in-law secured a large number of wall fragments and began demolishing the concrete slabs for sale.
The Business of Selling Wall Fragments
The company supplies a large souvenir chain in Berlin, which is their main customer, but they also send items all over the world via their online shop. Most go to the USA, Great Britain and China. There is also an exhibition that has been touring Europe and is currently on view, with wall parts delivered directly from the company. On their website, the company makes no secret of the fact that their wall pieces are sprayed in bright colors – which adds to the aesthetic appeal. Prices start at €9.90, with a certificate of authenticity confirming that the piece of wall is indeed original.
The Future of the Business
Business shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. “We still have 40 to 45 pieces of wall in storage,” says the supplier, “30 of them are still intact, 10 to 15 have already been dismantled and are ready for sale.” Other parts of this former 155 kilometer long concrete barricade are also scattered across the globe. Over the years, many pieces of it – in the form of 3.6 meter high and 1.2 meter wide panels – have been shipped around the world, but the whereabouts of many remain a mystery. The company’s core business is slowly shifting to vintage metal signs, Berlin keychains and other memorabilia.
