Parts of Berlin Wall to be auctioned as part of 30th anniversary

Sections of the Berlin Wall will be auctioned as the 30th anniversary of the day it fell approaches.

Sections of the Berlin Wall will be auctioned as the 30th anniversary of the day it fell approaches.

Symbolising the end of the Cold War and the re-unification of Germany after border controls between east and west of the country were lifted on November 9 1989, parts of the historic masonry could fetch up to £18,000 when they go under the hammer in West Sussex in March.

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The wall was built in sections which were each 3.6 metres tall and 1.2 metres wide.

Six complete sections will be available to buy in two lots at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst.

They feature messages painted by the German artist and environmental activist Ben Wagin in 1990 after visitors chipped off the original graffiti, the auction house said.

Since then, the blocks have been part of a memorial garden called the Parliament of Trees which stood in Berlin opposite the Reichstag parliament building to honour the lives of the 258 people killed at the wall trying to escape to freedom.

Parts of the commemorative structure had to be removed to make room for one of the city’s new parliamentary buildings, the Marie-Elisabeth Luders Haus, and now these sections are for sale.

The larger lot - made up of four sections and expected to sell for between £10,000 and £12,000 - is inscribed with a quote from the then-German president Richard von Weizsacker, which is translated as: “To unite means to learn to share”.

On the other side of the stone is graffiti which reads “Berlin November 1989”.

The smaller lot of two sections could fetch between £4,000 and £6,000 and includes a phrase translated as “Earth will become earth”.

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Auctioneer James Rylands said: “This is such a historic offering.

“These parts of the wall were safely preserved since 1990, and the two complete wall sections are now available for sale and would look great in a public garden or museum, as well as in a private home.

“It is a great architectural and artistic statement, but also a symbol of the triumph of freedom over tyranny.”

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