Ghost stations and art: how Berlin marks 65 years of the Wall

Berlin is hosting a series of commemorative events, art installations, and exhibitions from August 13 to 16, marking 65 years since the physical division of the city began. The central memorial service will take place on Bernauer Straße on Thursday morning.

Remembering the division of Berlin 65 years on

On August 13, 1961, East German armed units sealed off border crossings to West Berlin, beginning the construction of the 155-kilometre barrier that would physically divide the city for more than 28 years.

Just two months earlier, General Secretary Walter Ulbricht famously asserted that "nobody has the intention of building a wall". The concrete border was erected to stop mass emigration, leaving families separated overnight and West Berlin encircled.

According to the Stiftung Berliner Mauer, at least 140 people lost their lives at the Wall, while a further 251 travellers died during or after inspections at border checkpoints. To remember the victims, a central memorial service will be held at 10am on August 13 at the Chapel of Reconciliation on Bernauer Straße. 

Leading politicians, including Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, will attend the service, which will feature readings of the biographies of those who died attempting to escape.

Art installations, ghost stations & events across Berlin

At the Brandenburg Gate, visitors can view a 30-metre-long and three-metre-high optical art installation organised by Berliner Kulturprojekte GmbH. Made from specialised materials, the structure shifts between transparent and opaque depending on where the viewer stands, illustrating the oppressive nature of the barrier while reminding onlookers that it ultimately failed to divide the city forever.

Right beside the installation, the open-air exhibition "Mauerblicke. Berlin 1961-1990" displays historical photography documenting daily life during the division.

The citywide programme also shines a light on former "ghost stations" (Geisterbahnhöfe) along the North-South S-Bahn line, where West Berlin trains once passed through underground East Berlin territory without stopping.

Displays at key stations such as Nordbahnhof and Bahnhof Friedrichstraße explain how these eerie transit points functioned during the Cold War. Elsewhere in the capital, people in Berlin can attend guided historical walks along Keibelstraße, watch film screenings, or visit a special exhibition at the Stasimuseum.