Berlin Wall segments arrive in Los Angeles

You could drive to 5900 Wilshire to see segments of the real Berlin Wall, which have been donated to Culver City's Wende Museum of the Cold War and will be part of the museum's Wall Project, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Or you could rely on Culture Monster for a first glimpse of the segments being installed after dark Thursday (photo above)  in time for a little ceremony Friday hosted by museum founder Justinian Jampol, City Councilman Tom LaBonge and Wolfgang Drautz, Los Angeles consul general for the Federal Republic of Germany.

Together the 10 sections (40 feet) of the original Berlin Wall represent the largest chunk of the original wall outside Germany.  They can be viewed free through Nov. 14, as an adjunct to the symbolic recreation and fall of the Berlin Wall that will take place across Wilshire Boulevard on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 11 p.m. to midnight.

-- Diane Haithman

Photos: Segments of the original Berlin Wall installed at 5900 Wilshire. Credit: Michael B. Whalen

Related stories:

Bone up on Berlin Wall history with iMinds

Wall Project to close Wilshire Boulevard at midnight instead of afternoon

The writing's on the wall in Berlin

Comments

[Tara]

i worked in century city the day the berlin wall came down. a few days later I saw a couple in their early 20's seated on the footbridge that spans avenue of the stars. they had cloth backpacks (!) stuffed with something and they were selling whatever. turns out they were german, had just arrived in l.a. and had brought pieces of the wall with them to sell. i thought, yeah, uh huh. but then i looked at the newspaper the chunks were wrapped in: "Der Spiegel" and the day after the wall was torn open. there's no paint on the surface. i bought 2 pieces of pristine wall. and the paper. i'd really like to see an exhibit of the resistance art/graffitti that went up on the wall. what's up with that?

[mike]

I understand Obama believes the wall should be rebuilt. He maintains Regan stuck his nose in another country’s business and this is not becoming of a US president.

[miguel]

I so have to go to this...

I hope it's free... =D

Love the art work on the section of the old wall, now that's so beyond graffiti.

-Love you Berlin . <3