Berlin Wall Came Down 25 Years Ago

The Berlin Wall came down 25 years ago today.

Built in the middle of the night Aug. 13, 1961, the wall divided East and West Germany for 28 years to stop East Germans from leaving the Soviet Union-occupied country for the capitalist western state.

Over the years, what began as a simple fence turned into a concrete wall that separated the capital and became a focal point of the Cold War.

On Nov. 9, 1989, the East German government announced its citizens could move west. As people discovered guards were allowing crossings, East and West Germans began chipping the wall away.

East and West Germany reunified into a single German state less than a year later.

MORE: 8,000 BALLOONS COMMEMORATE FALL OF BERLIN WALL