West Berliners Lift & Show Their Children to Grandparents Residing on The Eastern Side, 1961
When the Berlin Wall was built in August 1961, it was a traumatic time for the people of Berlin. Entire families and neighborhoods suddenly became divided in what had until then been Germany’s capital. From families to friends, thousands became abruptly separated with no chance of meeting face to face.
Children were separated from their adult parents, brothers from sisters, aunts from uncles, all had to live in almost separate countries. ‘Meetings’ like these were not uncommon to the people of Berlin, who had to stay in contact somehow. The wall finally came down in 1989, reuniting long-separated families once again.