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| Sunday, 14 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
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The wall that separated a city Have you heard of the Berlin Wall? This was a huge wall separating East and West Germany, erected by East Germany during the Cold War. It was reopened 15 years ago on November 9, 1989. In 1949, after the Second World War, Germany was separated as the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). A communist system was established in East Germany. East Germans were allowed to travel to West Berlin until 1961. In May 1952, the border (Zonengrenze) was closed by the East German government and it became more difficult and dangerous to travel to the West over this border. However, the sectorial borders between East and West Berlin were not closed. Many East Germans went to East Berlin and from there to West Berlin. East Germany lost too many skilled workers in these years. More than 2.6 million East Germans had escaped to the West between 1949 and 1961 as life in the West was much better. The East German government saw no other way to prevent citizens going to the West than by closing the border on August 13, 1961, and the Berlin Wall was erected. The Wall was built over a long period. At first, barbed wire was used as a barrier, but on August 15, 1961 the first wall was built up. Until its fall in 1989, it continued to be extended. Over the years, the Wall was overhauled four times and became more impassable. It was made of 12 kilometres of concrete slabs and 137 kilometres of barbed wire and was covered from 116 watch towers, including 32 along the East-West Berlin border. After October 1964, it was gradually strengthened, doubled up and transformed into a 'modern border' which took its final appearance from around 1979-1980. The Wall cut through 192 streets (97 between East and West Berlin and 95 between West Berlin and East Germany), 32 railway lines, eight S-Bahn (roadways) and four underground lines, three autobahns (main roads) and several rivers and lakes. On the waterways, the Wall consisted of submerged railings under constant surveillance from patrol boats. During the first 10 years of the Wall, Berlin went through periods of tension followed by more relaxed periods. The first anniversary was marked in the West with violent demonstrations which lasted several days. Persons numbering 192 have been killed and over 200 injured by shooting, trying to escape over the Wall. In December 1963, thousands of West Berliners were allowed to visit friends or relatives in the East over Christmas and New Year. This agreement was renewed until 1966. After that, special permits were issued for family occasions. In the East, from November 1964, retired East Germans were allowed to visit relatives in the West. The Wall fell as the combined result of both internal and external pressures. For more than 30 years, the Berlin Wall was a tourist attraction. However, only a few of its sections and some watch towers still exist and more of these sections are expected to disappear within the next years. On most streets, the former course of the Wall is marked by a double row of paving stones. **************** The grand old hotel at Galle Face
Located on 1.7 hectares of property, it is the only ocean-front hotel in Colombo. The hotel is a low-rise building and has been acclaimed as a masterpiece example of the architecture of Britain's Victorian period. For almost 100 years, it was the focal point of British colonial life in the island.Although the rooms have been modernised to match present-day needs, the old magic remains - leading many international writers to describe the Galle Face Hotel as one of the few unspoilt hotels left in the world. Although it may not have the luxurious feel of modern hotels, it has a charm and splendour all its own. The entrance to the hotel is covered in carrara marble, the type of marble used by Michelangelo in his masterpiece 'Pieta' in 1499. The hotel has been visited by some famous international names of the 20th century including former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, cricketers Don Bradman and Imran Khan and actors Noel Coward, John Mills, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carrie Fisher. The granite plaque in the lobby lists down the names of some of these people. One of the most impressive sections of the hotel is the Jubilee Room, which was built in 1930 to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee. It became the temporary abode (home) for long-time friend of the hotel, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who lived in this room in 1996 while writing his book '3001: The Final Odyssey'. In the book, he mentions the hotel as a vital factor for the completion of the book. |
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The Galle Face Hotel, which is situated next to the Galle Face Green in
Colombo, is known as one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels east of
the Suez Canal. The hotel, established in 1864 by the British, faces the
Indian Ocean, and resembles a magnificent house and is a charming reminder
of the colonial era.
