May 22, 2025

A wall that divides, a wall that unites: Erasmus+ in Berlin talking about history, values and Europe

With the end of the Second World War and with a weakened and destroyed Europe, there was a geopolitical reorganization as a result of the alignments of the States during the conflict in which the two great world powers that had played a fundamental role during the war predominated: U.S.A. and Soviet Union.

Europe was literally divided in two: on the one hand the Western nations close to the USA and on the other the Eastern nations faithful to the principles of Soviet communism.

Thus began the period of the Cold War, which had to ensure peace and democratic leadership after the atrocious Nazi dictatorship and after a war that had caused over 40 million deaths.

The adjective “cold” derives from the fact that it was absolutely impossible to start a real war to resolve the conflicts that emerged immediately after 1945 between the two superpowers who disagreed on the redefinition of European borders and both had ambitions of control over several territories, but they fought with the weapons of propaganda, economics, politics.

One of the symbols of this historical period was precisely Germany, a defeated nation that was divided, without the possibility of exchanges or relations, into two parts: West Germany or American/West German Federal Republic and East Germany or Soviet/Eastern German Democratic Republic. The capital itself was divided into two parts, East Berlin and West Berlin, and a wall was even built in the city in 1961, an emblem of this separation: the most famous wall in the world was about 4 meters high and made up of about 160 km of reinforced concrete. that cut in two everything they found along the way, not only geographical borders but also roads, territories, rivers, houses, families, neighborhoods.

This situation went on for almost 30 years until November 9, 1989, the historic date of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which was the symbol of the end of the Cold War throughout Europe: that day thousands of German citizens showed up with sticks and picks to demolish that barrier that for decades had negatively marked their lives. After less than a year, on October 3, 1990, Germany reunified and returned to being a single nation: from that moment on, history changed, that geopolitical system set up in 1945 and the division of Europe into two blocks was about to be permanently cleared.

What remains of the wall today has been covered with many colorful murals made in 1990 by over 100 artists from about 20 countries and can be visited in different points of the city of Berlin: do you recall the famous kiss between the leader of the Soviet Union Brezhnev and East German President Honecker as a fraternal greeting in an official ceremony by Russian artist Vrubel in 1990?

That is one of the murals that students and teachers from all over Europe can see thanks to mobility projects, such us Erasmus+, welcomed and accompanied by the staff of our Berlink training agency based in Berlin.

So the city that for years was divided by the wall is now united by the same wall, whose representations have now become just nice souvenirs and a must-see for students and teachers who want to take home a small piece of a long history, the history of a Europe capable of uniting and rebuilding itself on the ruins of a terrible war and returning to life thanks to the strength of its principles and values.

Written by Anna Carla Ronchi

Related Posts

Erasmus+ in Malaga to discover the biznagueros and the Arab heritage of Spain

June 30, 2022

June 30, 2022

Walking through the wide streets of downtown Malaga, we cannot fail to notice men dressed in white shirts, black pants...

Erasmus+: the latest news from the KA2 IPAL project

November 2, 2022

November 2, 2022

The IPAL project is bursting with news! On the 28th of September the IPAL partners met in Sofia for the...

Not only Montecchi and Capuleti: an Erasmus+ in Rimini to get to know the Malatesta and Montefeltro families and their rivalry

July 26, 2022

July 26, 2022

Everybody knows the famous rivalry between the Montague and Capulet families or, if you will, between Romeo and Juliet. It’s...

Why is it called Erasmus? Not only after Erasmus of Rotterdam

January 23, 2020

January 23, 2020

Now a word commonly used, Erasmus brings with it an infinite series of meanings that each student has the fascinating...

Erasmus + KA210 and KA220: deadline extended to November 5th

November 3, 2021

November 3, 2021

Due to technical problems that occurred on the Electronic Application Forms Management Platform, which have already been resolved at the...

Andalusia, Costa del Sol, Malaga: Erasmus+ in Tribeka means beauty, art and culture

May 3, 2022

May 3, 2022

Andalucia is the most southern region of Spain and is composed of 8 provinces (Almería, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Malaga and Seville) and...

Empowering Women Over 40: Learning Week by STARwomen

December 16, 2024

December 16, 2024

During the first week of December, as part of the STARwomen – Simulation Training for Women Erasmus+ project, Tribeka Training Lab organized...

Erasmus+ KA2 IPAL project: promote and develop adult training and education

December 17, 2021

December 17, 2021

Briefly about IPAL The IPAL project is a joint initiative of 5 organizations from Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and Germany...

P.IR.A.M.iD: the project for the development of intercultural skills in the tourism sector

August 9, 2024

August 9, 2024

The P.IR.A.M.iD. project (Path for Intercultural Awareness, Measurement and Development) was promoted thanks to the ErasmusPlus programme with the aim...

In Lisbon enjoying the Pastel de nata, the typical Portuguese dessert

February 22, 2023

February 22, 2023

The culture and traditions of a people lay their roots and their beauty also in the typical gastronomy, in the...

At the foot of Mount Vitosha, alive, open, dynamic: Erasmus+ in Sofia is a journey between tradition and modernity

November 7, 2022

November 7, 2022

With Mount Vitosha in the background to protect it almost like a father with a daughter does, here we have...

The 2024 Erasmus+ Call is out

November 29, 2023

November 29, 2023

The European Commission has published the 2024 call for proposals under Erasmus+, the EU Programme to support education, training, youth...

The professional mobility of students and teachers from ZSZ NR 3 in Starachowice in Rimini has just ended

May 4, 2023

May 4, 2023

It’s time to go back to Poland. On Friday, April 28th, students and teachers from ZSZ NR 3 (Starachowice) completed...

Erasmus+ KA2 Mob4app project: the Berlink team and the Final Meeting in Madrid

September 15, 2022

September 15, 2022

As part of the Final Transnational Project Meeting, we as representatives of the Berlink team travelled to Madrid to meet...

Design’s Influence on Success: Insights from the “Design Me” Erasmus+ Project

September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023

We all know that design can significantly influence a company’s success, helping in brand building, attracting clients, increasing conversions, and...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Newsletter