Berlin Wall in NUS - A gift from Germany
The Cold War artefacts were a gift of goodwill from German Mr Elmar Prost to Singapore to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) today welcomed two new residents at NUS University Town – in the form of two segments of the Berlin Wall.
The Cold War artefacts were a gift of goodwill to Singapore by Mr Elmar Prost and his company, Lagerhaus KW GmbH, in 2015 to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Singapore. They are on loan to NUS through the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and are currently the only Berlin Wall segments in Singapore.
The Berlin Wall segments on display at NUS University Town were unveiled by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs; His Excellency Dr Michael Witter, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Singapore; and Professor Tommy Koh, Rector of Tembusu College at NUS.
Each segment of the Berlin Wall weighs approximately four tonnes, stands at 3.6 metres tall, measures 1.2 metres across and 27 centimetres in thickness, and is supported by a base that is 2.1 metres wide.
Berlin Wall – A defining symbol of the Cold War
Germany and its capital, Berlin, were divided between East and West after World War II. By 1961, more than three million East Germans, rejecting communist rule, had defected to the West via Berlin. To stem the flow of defectors crossing from East to West Berlin, the East German government closed the border on 13 August 1961. Barbed wires and armed personnel stopped the free movement of peoples across the divided areas of the city. Concrete walls were subsequently raised to cement the division. Additional fences, barriers, and obstacles built over the years reinforced the rift between the East and the West.
For close to three decades, the Berlin Wall stood as the iconic symbol of the Cold War. More than 130 people died attempting to scale the complex system of barricades, before the first sledgehammer tore a hole in the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. Since its fall, many segments of the Berlin Wall have been donated or sold to various institutions around the world.
“The fall of the Berlin Wall not only led to the reunification of Germany, it also heralded the end of the Cold War and the end of the age of ideology as ideological barriers came crashing down with the Wall. We are delighted to have the honour of hosting the two Berlin Wall segments at NUS. Once constructed to keep societies apart, they are now at NUS to mark the enduring friendship between the people of Germany and Singapore,” said Prof Tommy Koh who was involved in negotiating the loan.
Using the Berlin Wall segments as a focal point, Tembusu College plans to organise education programmes to raise awareness among students about the history and significance of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.
In conjunction with the unveiling ceremony, the Tembusu College held a forum titled “The Historical Significance of the Cold War”. Moderated by Prof Koh, the panel comprising Dr Witter, Professor Ted Hopf from the Department of Political Science at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Science and Associate Professor Joey Long from the Department of History at NUS Faculty of Arts, discussed earnestly about the significance of the Cold War and the Berlin Wall and the impact of the conflict on societies in Germany and out of Europe. The experts also debated on the contemporary implications from the historic period in the context of today’s world politics.
The Tembusu Forum, a flagship event of Tembusu College spearheaded by Prof Koh, is convened about once or twice each semester. It aims to raise awareness and engage undergraduates by bringing informed discussions about important global, regional and national issues with distinguished academics, policy-makers, diplomats and intellectuals, in a setting which encourages the exchange of ideas and opinions.
