Historical Backgrounds of Germany’s division, everyday life in East Germany, successful and tragic getaway stories, the Stasi, life in a divided city, the opposition movement, the end of the GDR. Far more than just a wall, the Berlin Wall was a symbol of misery and the most visible sign of the struggle between the two systems. For almost 30 years, this 160-kilometer-long, so-called “death strip” cut through the city and the lives of its people.

Along the 15 kilometers between Bornholmer Straße and the government district, this bike tour follows the obvious as well as the hidden remnants. Along the way, you’ll see border checkpoints like Checkpoint Charlie, places like Mauerpark and the official Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße with the last remaining, totally intact portion of the Berlin Wall and a guard tower.

You will delve into the political dimensions, the background circumstances and, above all, the human element in the everyday madness of life in a divided city, right where it happened.