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Friday, March 1, 2013

Berlin Wall protesters halt construction crews -Friday March 1,2013


The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall and is one of the most popular tourist attractions. It was recently restored at a cost of more than two million euros (£1.73 million)

The wall section stood on the eastern side of the elaborate border strip built by communist East Germany and, when the border was closed, carried none of the graffiti that covered the western side of the wall.
It was transformed into an open-air gallery months after East Germany opened its borders on Nov. 9, 1989, and is now covered in colourful murals painted by about 120 artists.

Despite its popularity,historical preservation authorities had given a construction firm permission to remove a section to build a road to access a new luxury apartment complex it is building on the nearby banks of the Spree river.

The plan is for an approximately 22-yard stretch of the 3/4 mile section of wall to be removed and relocated. It is not the first time a section has been removed; a few years ago, a section of wall in front of a new sports and concert arena was taken down.

Crews were only able to remove one approximately 1.5 meter (yard) section on Friday March 1,2013 from a mural, before the protests brought an end to the work.  

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