Can the Longest Remaining Stretch of the Berlin Wall Be Saved From the Threat of Condos?

It’s all happening so fast that locals can hardly believe it. In a move first announced publicly only on Thursday afternoon, Berlin developers attempted this morning to tear up and remove one of the last still-standing pieces of the Berlin Wall.

Part of an intact 1400-yard stretch flanking the eastern bank of Berlin’s River Spree, a 25-yard chunk has been abruptly slated for removal, despite being protected by national monument status. It’s being demolished primarily to create space for a Jenga-like 14-story luxury apartment block, going by the rather absurd name of Living Levels, as well as to provide better site access for the construction of a new footbridge. Taken by surprise by the short notice of the wall demolition, 400 protesters tried this morning to form a human chain preventing cranes getting near the threatened section, whose upper rim was already ripped off last night. The crew were successful in removing two slabs, but at 11:15 a.m. the demolition was called to a halt — it’s unsure for how long.

For outsiders, the demolition of one of Berlin history’s central shaping forces is perplexing, not least because this stretch of the old dividing rampart between East and West has found a new life since reunification. Known as the East Side Gallery, the wall has been transformed into a popular open-air street art exhibition that is now a major tourist attraction.

For many Berliners, it’s as if their worst nightmares are coming true. Following a wave of unpopular demolitions and evictions, there's a growing sense in the city that nothing, not even preserving one of 20th century Europe’s most historically significant structures, will be allowed to stand in the way of Berlin’s repurposing as a showcase for the wealthy. Protest has been vocal. Shocked by this cavalier attitude to the city’s history a commentator in the Berliner Zeitung asked this week: "Athenians also need money, but would they convert the Acropolis into a shopping mall and rip out a few ancient columns for truck access?"