Berlin, rushing in, Yfhcrc a 'wall has been Story, art and photos by Michael LaFond Berliners removed the Wall about three years ago, and in its place a striking variety of creative, small-scale projects have sprung up. The reclaiming of the “death strip” began directly after the opening of the border, led by artists, ecologists, teachers and other community activists. They call their efforts the Wall Park, and already this includes walking and bicycling paths, gardens, playgrounds, art festivals and other innovations. The strip of land that divided the city was defortified, and is now mostly a free and open space 48 km. long and between 30 and 300m. wide. The strip runs across water, roads, train tracks and open fields. I rode my bike along the border area to see what was new. While the Wall stood, Oberbaum Bridge was a controlled crossing for West Berliners wanting to get into East Berlin. One of the oldest bridges in the city, it is now open to pedestrians and bicycles and closed to everything else. Nearly 50 citizen groups intend to keep it that way. They defy certain politicians and planners who want to open the bridge to cars, completing an auto ring in the city’s core. Neighborhood groups hold weekly protests, and sometimes occupy the bridge until removed by police. With the help of thousands of concerned people throughout the city, the neighborhood is continuing to fight auto development interests. Across the Bridge, on the east bank, a one kilometer stretch of wall, covered with paint and graffiti and known as the East Side Gallery, runs along the river. Most of the space between the wall and the river is abandoned, except for close to one hundred trailers, buses, and tents. Many of these surround communal firepits, grills, tables and chairs. Page 30 RAIN Spring 1993 Volume XIV, Number 3
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