Overview

This 12 foot high, 8 foot wide, 2.75-ton section of the Berlin Wall was given to the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority, by the German Consulate, in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Authority's commitment to education through the display of public art. Erected by the East German regime, the Berlin Wall for almost thirty years helped to hold millions of people captive under communism. On November 9, 1989 the Wall was finally brought down by the yearning of the people of East Germany to live free. This segment once stood in downtown Berlin in the area between Potsdamer Platz and Leipziger Platz. It was part of the inner wall designed to prevent East Germans from escaping. Today, it stands as a powerful symbol of the strength of democracy - teaching and inspiring all who visit Kowsky Plaza of the importance of freedom.