65 years since start of Berlin Wall construction, 'Operation Rose'

Germany is commemorating the 65th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, an event that began on August 13, 1961, under the codename 'Operation Rose'. The wall physically manifested the Iron Curtain, dividing the city for 28 years and becoming a stark symbol of the Cold War division between the Soviet bloc and the West. An estimated 140 people lost their lives attempting to cross it. Commemorative events are taking place across Berlin, including at the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall Memorial. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reflected on the anniversary, stating, "Today our country has been unified for longer than it was divided, and we live in freedom and peace. The lesson of the Wall is that freedom and democracy must not be taken for granted but must be fought for again and again." Bundestag President Julia Klöckner noted that the Wall's legacy continues to influence contemporary issues, such as migration, the pandemic, and relations with Russia, with differing perspectives still evident between eastern and western Germany. She condemned the Wall's construction as an "act of political violence," recalling the first victims, Ida Siekmann and Günter Litfin, who died shortly after the wall's erection while trying to escape or were shot by East German border guards. The construction was a response to the mass emigration from East Germany, which had lost approximately three million people since its founding in 1949.

“

Today our country has been unified for longer than it was divided, and we live in freedom and peace. The lesson of the Wall is that freedom and democracy must not be taken for granted but must be fought for again and again.