Berlin Wall

BERLIN, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- World leaders gathered in Germany to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event 20 years ago that is seen as the symbolic end of the Cold War.

The Berlin Wall was the embodiment of Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain, separating Western democratic countries from areas under the control of the Soviet Union. The barrier was erected in 1961 and enclosed what was known as West Berlin. That part of the structure was about 27 miles long.

People in the eastern bloc would often try to escape to the West by attempting to get across the wall -- actually a pair of tall barriers with various traps in between. An estimated 5,000 people tried, often with deadly results.

But on Nov. 9, 1989, East German officials opened the wall's gates, allowing their citizens to move freely into West Berlin. People on both sides of the structure began chipping away at the wall and by June 13, 1990, construction equipment completed the razing. On Oct. 3, 1990, East and West Germany were reunited.

The location of the wall is marked by a line of bricks at street level. Crossing from East to West can be made in one stride.