Gadget to resurrect Berlin Wall
23 April 2008A new gadget has been launched that will give visitors to Berlin the opportunity to see the Berlin Wall as it once stood.
The much-maligned barrier, which was built in 1961 by communist East Germany to prevent its citizens from departing en masse, was knocked down in 1989 and very little of the wall remains.
As part of plans by the Berlin government to preserve the history of the wall, the new gadget, called the MauerGuide, will allow visitors to see what the barrier looked like at the spot where they are standing.
Using satellite navigation technology, the handheld multimedia device will present pictures, video footage and audio recordings related to the history of the Berlin Wall at five sites along its former route.
Andre Schmitz, Berlin's state secretary for culture, said: "MauerGuide presents a well-documented and customised account of history that is appealing to tourists and fits nicely with our overarching memorial plans for the Berlin Wall."
The Berlin Wall stretched for 155 kilometres, only three kilometres of which remains intact.
In 2006, the Berlin government announced a €40 million (£32.1 million) initiative to preserve remnants of the wall.