Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Berlin Wall

It has been 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and I have to stop and wonder if tearing it down was archaeologically unethical. Of course, the destruction of the wall, which was built in 1961 in order to seperate East Germany (under Soviet control) from the democratic West Germany, symbolized freedom, the end of communism, and the end of the Cold War. While the Berlin Wall was a barrier and a symbol of war and seperation, it was and is a great monument in history.





In last weeks lecture, we wondered if it was ethical to turn concentration camps of the Second World War into museums. Many believed that it was ethical because even though they brought back sad memories, they served as a learning tool and also served as a type of memorial for those who died. Now, I have to wonder the same thing about the Berlin Wall. Yes, it had many negative connotations and symbolized war, but nonetheless is it a part of history, not only German history but world history. The destruction of the Berlin Wall was the destruction of cultural heritage and now all we are left with are small pieces of the wall that are displayed around Berlin as if they are modern works of art.

Yes, pieces of the Berlin Wall remain, but they have been taken totally out of context. Moreover, people can go online and buy pieces of the Berlin Wall. Now, apparently it is unethical to do this with Classical artifacts that have no provinance, but it is perfectly ethical to sell modern history?
Should these pieces not be in a museum? Or even multiple museums around the world?
We cannot pick and choose our history, we must accept it for what it was and learn from it. Trying to erase certain monuments does not change what had happened and future generations are put at a great disadvantage when it comes to learning about history.
It has been 20 years since the Berlin Wall was torn down, and what did we learn? I feel as if people have forgotten what it truly stood for. According to one article, a replica of the wall was built in France....out of chocolate. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iIUP6m4CgYE1LK3wpogON2eQZkow



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