for one last cultural experience in Berlin I'm exploring
one of Germany's most visited sites
no trip to
this remarkable city is complete without to
this ultimate symbol of freedom or
perhaps a symbol of what happens when we lose our
freedom this of course is the Berlin Wall
it divided a nation a people
a culture those with freedom and those that
were oppressed but for me what's so symbolic
about this wall is its connection to history
a history that is alive today
especially through the hearts of people
living in this city that experienced
this oppression stories that we need to hear
in 1961 communist East Germany
constructed a formidable concrete partition
around half the city isolating East Berlin
from free and democratic West Germany
the iconic Brandenburg Gate became a centerpiece of the Berlin Wall
today the famous landmark is a powerful symbol of German unity and a poignant reminder of its history
so guys between 1961 and 1989 over 100,000
people attempted to escape from east
into the west from communism and into freedom 5,000 people were successful
over 100 lost their lives each one is a powerful story including
Peter's this is Peter Bieber tell me about your story
all the people left in east Germany was like
a prisoner they couldn't go where they wanted
the government said to the people what they can read what they can hear for music what they have to say
the other problem is the stasi the police all the time
they looked and heard what the people said
it was not a good feeling you were always being spied on yeah
life was so small I had no freedom and I thought to myself I must go
but it's not so easy to go it's not so easy it was
luck for me a big car like a truck like a truck they stopped
he was from west Germany and I said to him please
help me if you can that's
from my heart it's really from my heart help me
and he looked in my eyes and said
okay I'll help you that's
the biggest moment in my life he could have been in trouble yeah you and him yes the truck was transporting
furniture and Peter hidden in the back inside a big trunk when the truck reached
the border to west Germany it was stopped by the guards and searched so basically
the guard opens the door you're hiding inside the furniture you're standing perfectly still
and my luck was the soldier didn't have a dog it just was your luck that the guard the solider didn't have a dog yes that's
a crazy moment they closed the doors now I'm in the freedom
Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall
if we time travel to 1989 what was it like when you saw the wall literally come crumbling down
families have not seen each other for decades and the people from east Germany reuniting with the west
what was it like for you for that moment
I can say that water come from the eyes it was very emotional yes I could say
now it's over now it's over people are free they can go where they like
decades later sections of the Berlin Wall still exist and anyone can catch a glimpse
of the city's darker days the soldiers
stayed there up there in the watch tower and if you tried to go
over the wall there was barbed wire yes electricity up there you see there's a big light like a spotlight
constantly scanning the landscape looking for people trying to escape you had so
many oppressive forces trying to keep the people inside but the hunger for freedom
that's an appetite you can't suppress can you yeah
that's so people despite all the obstacles and the dangers thousand and thousands
of people attempted to escape when I see this wall I remember how hard
it was to live in this country for me what's powerful about this experience
it really reminds me of how precious freedom is
how you must always fight for it appreciate it because freedom is the greatest
