The Iron Curtain in NYC

It took us 10 seconds to walk across this wall... for some people, it took 30 years.

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"This 12 foot high, 8 foot wide, 2.75-ton section of the Berlin Wall was given to the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority, by the German Consulate, in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall."

"This segment once stood in downtown Berlin in the area between Potsdamer Platz and Leipziger Platz. It was part of the inner wall designed to prevent East Germans from escaping."

"Today, it stands as a powerful symbol of the strength of democracy - teaching and inspiring all who visit Kowsky Plaza of the importance of freedom."

"Erected by the East German regime, the Berlin Wall for almost thirty years helped to hold millions of people captive under communism. On November 9, 1989 the Wall was finally brought down by the yearning of the people of East Germany to live free."

Source: Battery Park City Authority. 

Pictures by Edward Olivier