The Berlin Wall seems to dominate modern history of Berlin as much as the wall itself dominated the landscape during the 1960s-1980s. As something that started small, it grew to represent the enormous and artificial barrier between Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the West Berlin. Although the Soviets wanted to appear humane and did not want the world to know how tightly controlled their people were, the wall was an obvious display of the oppression and cruelty that the Soviets practiced in East Germany and East Berlin.
The area where the wall once stood is now mostly covered with modern buildings, memorials, or open spaces. Twenty-two years has not been enough to cover the traces of the division of East and West Berlin's landscape. Ideologically, however, Berliners have accepted the past as the past and moved on. It was a difficult time in their history, but now they are living in a modern, thoroughly Westernized city. As a barrier that was erected by an outside agent, many East and West Berliners saw the wall as a foreign entity and when it came down Germany could progress as it should: united.
Frau Baumeister grew up in a small town in the French portion of West Germany and the Wall had little affect on her until after it came down. She says that as an artist, she came to know many artists from East Germany whose artistic endevours had for years been necessarily covert. Following the dissolution of Soviet rule in Germany, many of these artists became famous in very short periods of time. These artists, previously stifled, became some of the many voices of the oppressed and finally freed East Germans. Travelling together to work on projects in Berlin, Sweden, and Moscow, these artists from East and West Germany, Great Britain and America worked together to show the reunited Germany.
The Wall is still dramatically evident in Berlin. Everywhere you look you can see pieces or replicas of it. It is a large part of all aspects of the culture in Berlin from the trafic signals to the artists. It was and still is a harsh reality of the recent history of Berlin, but as such, Berliners have chosen to accept its reality while moving on as a united city inside a united country.
The area where the wall once stood is now mostly covered with modern buildings, memorials, or open spaces. Twenty-two years has not been enough to cover the traces of the division of East and West Berlin's landscape. Ideologically, however, Berliners have accepted the past as the past and moved on. It was a difficult time in their history, but now they are living in a modern, thoroughly Westernized city. As a barrier that was erected by an outside agent, many East and West Berliners saw the wall as a foreign entity and when it came down Germany could progress as it should: united. 
Frau Baumeister grew up in a small town in the French portion of West Germany and the Wall had little affect on her until after it came down. She says that as an artist, she came to know many artists from East Germany whose artistic endevours had for years been necessarily covert. Following the dissolution of Soviet rule in Germany, many of these artists became famous in very short periods of time. These artists, previously stifled, became some of the many voices of the oppressed and finally freed East Germans. Travelling together to work on projects in Berlin, Sweden, and Moscow, these artists from East and West Germany, Great Britain and America worked together to show the reunited Germany. 
The Wall is still dramatically evident in Berlin. Everywhere you look you can see pieces or replicas of it. It is a large part of all aspects of the culture in Berlin from the trafic signals to the artists. It was and still is a harsh reality of the recent history of Berlin, but as such, Berliners have chosen to accept its reality while moving on as a united city inside a united country.
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