Facts about Berlin Wall Construction

1. 05

   Walter Ulbricht, the East German leader, famously denied any plans to build a wall just weeks before construction began in August 1961.

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2. 04

   Before the Wall, approximately 3.5 million East Germans had fled to the West, a mass emigration that prompted the East German government to seal the border.

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3. 03

   Operation Rose was the East German code name for the Berlin Wall construction operation launched in August 1961.

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4. 02

   Construction of the Berlin Wall eventually involved concrete segments, guard towers, and a no-man's-land 'death strip' stretching roughly 155 kilometers around West Berlin.

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5. 01

   The Berlin Wall construction began overnight on August 13, 1961, when East German workers initially erected a barbed-wire barrier dividing the city.

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