The Berlin Wall has officially been gone for as long as it stood here's how the 27- mile blockade looks today compared to 1989

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1 Michal Kranz Feb. 5,2018,4:54PM The Berlin Wall has officially been gone for as long as it stood here's how the 27- mile blockade looks today compared to 1989 Two Berliners have lunch at the wall in November 1989, just before it fell.lionel Cironneau/AP The Berlin Wall divided the modern capital of Germany from August 3, 1961, until November 9, 1989 for a total of 10,316 days. As of February 5, 2018, it has been 10,316 days since the wall fell. A wave of revolutions swept across the Communist Bloc of Eastern Europe, and the wall came tumbling down, sparking the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in As the world moves further and further away from the wall's demolition, Berlin has reconnected and revitalized itself as a global capital.

2 Today, the wall's legacy is barely visible. But if you know where to look, the history of the wall lives on in Berlin's tree-lined streets. Take a look at how the Berlin Wall looked then, and how the same places look today: Although Berlin had been divided between East and West Germany since the end of World War II, the wall wasn't constructed until 1961, to keep people from fleeing the communist East for the capitalist West.

4 Soldiers add height to the Berlin Wall shortly after its construction in 1961.Anonymous/AP Source: History Channel The Berlin Wall was actually two parallel walls, with a zone between them that was dominated by watchtowers, guards, and barbed wire. This are was called "the death strip." An East German couple is turned away by border guards at the Berlin Wall in April 1961.Edwin Reichert/AP Source: History Channel

The wall famously ran in front of Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of post-unification Germany. The gate was actually part of a city wall constructed in the 1700s.

5 The wall famously ran in front of Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of post-unification Germany. The gate was actually part of a city wall constructed in the 1700s. Brandenburg Gate in November 1961 AP Source: History Channel Today, a busy avenue runs where the wall once stood, and buildings populate the once-barren "death strip."

6 Area near the Brandenburg Gate in 2014 Markus Schreiber/AP The wall once bisected many places that today are some of the busiest parts of the city. Here, the Berlin Wall can be seen next to the Potsdamer Platz traffic circle in 1962.

The Berlin Wall running through Potsdamer Platz in 1962.

7 The Berlin Wall running through Potsdamer Platz in Edwin Reichert/AP Today, Potsdamer Platz is a major business district.

Potsdamer Platz in 2014. Markus Schreiber/AP Despite its notoriety, the wall was relatively small in height.

8 Potsdamer Platz in Markus Schreiber/AP Despite its notoriety, the wall was relatively small in height. In most places, it was only about 11 feet tall, so people could clearly see buildings on the other side, as this 1981 picture of the Kreuzberg district shows.

A child plays along the Berlin Wall in 1981. Anonymous/AP Source: CNN Here is the same area today.

9 A child plays along the Berlin Wall in Anonymous/AP Source: CNN Here is the same area today. You can see the ornate orange buildings in the picture from 1981 on the right-hand side of this modern image.

The former site of the wall in the Kreuzberg district in 2014 Markus Schreiber/AP While the wall dividing East and West Berlin was only 27 miles long, an

10 The former site of the wall in the Kreuzberg district in 2014 Markus Schreiber/AP While the wall dividing East and West Berlin was only 27 miles long, an additional 100 miles of wall encircled West Berlin, which was totally surrounded by East Germany. Here, the wall can be seen along Bernauer Strasse in 1973.

11 The writing on the wall reads: "The wall must fall!" Uncredited/AP Source: History Channel Today, this same stretch of road features a Berlin Wall memorial.

The Wall Remembrance Monument along Bernauer Strasse in 2014.

12 The Wall Remembrance Monument along Bernauer Strasse in Markus Schreiber/AP Source: AP Another image of the rather nondescript wall along Bernauer Strasse shows fortifications and defensive equipment in the zone between the two parallel walls.

The Wall along Bernauer Strasse in 1980.

13 The Wall along Bernauer Strasse in Elke Bruhn Hoffman/AP Today, Bernauer Strasse is a bustling street with trams running down its length.

14 Bernauer Strasse in Markus Schreiber/AP With a busy thoroughfare like Bernauer Strasse running along the Berlin Wall, many people tried to cross over the wall. While more than 100 people were killed trying to cross over the wall, miraculously, over 5,000 made it over or under to freedom.

East German policemen at the wall along Bernauer Strasse in September 1961. Edwin Reichert/AP Source: History Channel Today, a corner where the wall once stood could not appear more peaceful.

15 East German policemen at the wall along Bernauer Strasse in September Edwin Reichert/AP Source: History Channel Today, a corner where the wall once stood could not appear more peaceful. Bernauer Strasse in 2014 Markus Schreiber/AP Several US presidents visited the wall, the last of whom was former President Ronald Reagan. Here, Nixon looks over the wall next to Checkpoint Heinrich-Heine-Strasse.

President Richard Nixon visits the Berlin Wall in 1969.

16 President Richard Nixon visits the Berlin Wall in Uncredited/AP Today, the same area is a residential neighborhood.

17 The site Nixon visited, seen in Markus Schreiber/AP The wall along another part of Heinrich-Heine-Strasse was quite short, only a little taller than the children in this picture from 1968.

The Wall along Heinrich-Heine-Strasse in 1968.

18 The Wall along Heinrich-Heine-Strasse in Uncredited/AP Today, the same area is almost unrecognizable, save for the buildings on the left in this picture.

Sebastianstrasse, near Heinrich-Heine-Strasse, in 2014.

19 Sebastianstrasse, near Heinrich-Heine-Strasse, in Markus Schreiber/AP The first US president to visit the wall was former President John F. Kennedy. Here, he can be seen near the famous Checkpoint Charlie in central Berlin in 1963.

20 JFK visiting the famous Checkpoint Charlie crossing. Uncredited/AP Today, Checkpoint Charlie still stands, but is a major tourist attraction. The former military checkpoint dividing the communist and capitalist worlds is flanked by a McDonald's and department stores.

21 Checkpoint Charlie in 2014 Markus Schreiber/AP When the wall finally fell in 1989, it actually happened by mistake. An East German Politburo officer prematurely lifted restrictions on travel between the two parts of Berlin, but once the floodgates were opened, they could not be closed.

22 REUTERS/David Brauchli/Files Source: History Channel Today, the Berlin Wall still stands as a monument in some parts of the city. 10,316 days after its fall, the wall serves as an ever-present reminder of Berlin's turbulent past, but also its triumphant recovery.

23 A general view shows painted segments of the East Side Gallery, the largest remaining part of the former Berlin Wall in Berlin, October 21, Germany will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall on November 9. Picture taken October 21, 2014.REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

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