Berlin, 37 years ago the fall of the Wall: the German capital before and after. PHOTO

Exactly 36 years have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, marking the end of the Cold War.

It was the evening of November 9, 1989 when the symbol of the ideological conflict between Western bloc countries and the Soviet Union was torn down.

The wall divided the city for 28 years: from 13 August 1961 until 9 November 1989. It was built on the night between 12 and 13 August 1961 by the communist regime to stop the exodus of people from East Germany towards the Federal Republic of Germany.

The border barrier initially consisted only of barbed wire, but already on August 15, prefabricated concrete and stone elements began to be used to form the first generation of a real wall. It was more than 155 kilometers long.

In June 1962, a second wall was built inside the border to make escape to West Germany more difficult.

Thousands of people, attracted by the prospects of West Germany, attempted to cross the wall. It is estimated that there were around 5,000 successful escape attempts. An unknown number of people - between 150 and 250 - were killed while trying to cross the barrier. Several thousand others were arrested.

There were some checkpoints, the most famous of which was Checkpoint Charlie, through which anyone who obtained a permit to travel to the West could pass: they were almost always tourists and diplomats, almost never German citizens.

The fall of the wall was preceded by a series of spontaneous protests by citizens of the German capital, which led to the resignation of GDR leader Erich Honecker.

On November 9, 1989, during a press conference, Günter Schabowski, the GDR's Minister of Propaganda, made a sudden announcement, stating that the checkpoints had been opened.

Tens of thousands of East Berliners rushed to the edge of the wall, climbed up and over it in a festive atmosphere.

Some came armed with pickaxes to demolish the wall once and for all.

The East Berliners were joyfully welcomed by the citizens of the West, so much so that the bars near the wall spontaneously began to offer free beer for everyone.

Germany was officially reunified on October 3, 1990 (this is the date designated for "Reunification Day"). But the event had already been celebrated in July with a mega concert by Roger Waters performing the iconic album "The Wall" live.

Today there is not much left of the Berlin Wall. The official culling began on 13 June 1990 in Bernauer Straße by 300 GDR border guards.

It was then finished by 600 German Army soldiers using 13 bulldozers, 55 bulldozers, 65 cranes and 175 trucks.

Starting in the 1980s, some famous artists such as Keith Haring and Thierry Noir began to paint the side of the wall facing West Berlin.

The more than 1 kilometer long East Side Gallery, which was painted immediately after the collapse of the wall, has been called the largest open-air painting gallery in the world.