Berlin Wall section at IWM London (Photo: © IWM EPH 467)
It is 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, so for our latest Curiosity of the Week we thought we would feature a little piece of the wall that can be found in… London.
The segment of wall in question, can be found at the IWM (Imperial War Museum) in London. This small section of graffitied concrete could be easy to miss as you head into the museum, but take a moment outside and you will find this inconspicuous piece of history.
The Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany from 1961 until 1989, when the wall finally came down. While in place, the West Berlin side of the wall became a focal point for many artists and commentators to leave their mark. You can still visit sections of the wall in Berlin today. In fact, parts of the wall can be found in many places around the world, as far away as Argentina, the USA, Canada, South Korea and Singapore. Nearer to home, there is also another piece of the wall at the Royal Engineers Museum in Kent.
This particular section of the Berlin Wall was taken from the Brandenburg Gate, on which the main item of graffiti is ‘CHANGE YOUR LIFE’ by the graffiti artist Indiano.
It is thought that this ‘motto’ may have been inspired by the ending of a poem by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), which concludes with the words ‘Du musst dein leben ändern’. Translated this means ‘You must change your life’.
Have you come across any segments of the Berlin Wall on your travels? If so, why not let us know by leaving a comment below?
If you have an idea for Curiosity of the Week then please do get in touch, we welcome suggestions from everyone. You can contact us by emailing info@contrarylife.com or send us a message via Facebook. We are always on the lookout for interesting customs, hidden places and unique buildings to share with our readers.