Central and Eastern Kentucky
(2009-11-10)
LEXINGTON
(Kentucky Public Radio) -
The University of Kentucky's German club is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in a unique way. The club is encouraging students to make and then tear down their own wall to symbolize the watershed moment in German history. Even though most students were still in diapers at the time of the fall, German club President John Conway says he hopes today's demonstration makes it a little more real for his generation.
"I feel like with the wall people are remembering. Even if they're not stopping at our even maybe it makes them look into what this is exactly. And then for the students here it makes them look into it even more and realize how significant this is to all of us. Because all of us have taken for granted not living under the specter of complete and utter nuclear annihilation," Conway said.
German masters student Vanessa Plumly says the wall's dismantling had global implications.
"It's just kind of important to get the idea out there what kind of effect the wall had on the people in Germany and actually in the whole world, I mean the fall of communism um in Eastern Europe was a big deal for everyone so it's very important," Plumly said.
Prior to it's destruction on this date 20 years ago the Berlin Wall stood for nearly three decades and served as the line of demarkation between the capitalist city of West Berlin and it's communist counterpart East Berlin. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took part in a special commemorative ceremony earlier today in the now-unified city of Berlin.
© Copyright 2012, Kentucky Public Radio
