Berlin Wall and GDR history explored through Operation Rose and new film

Historical accounts and new cinematic portrayals are examining key moments of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Berlin Wall.

In August 1961, the GDR launched ‘Aktion Rose’ (Operation Rose) to hermetically seal West Berlin. Led by Walter Ulbricht and executed by Erich Honecker, the operation involved over 10,000 soldiers and border police who deployed barbed wire, concrete blocks, and heavy weaponry across 43 kilometers of the border. This sudden deployment severed transit lines and separated families overnight.

Following the fall of the wall in November 1989, the dissolution of the GDR led to unique historical circumstances. The film ‘East/West’ depicts a true story from this era involving a group of residents attempting to steal large quantities of withdrawn GDR marks from an abandoned factory. The group aimed to exchange the currency before the July 1, 1990, deadline, after which the notes would lose all legal value.