West Berlin, the former Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz . The lonely slab of concrete stands precisely at the spot where the construction of the wall began in 1961. The Berlin wall (1961-1989), which divided the city, is still mired in controversy as the families of victims who fell trying to cross over to the west have objected to what they claim is a gross comercialisation of the wall. ABERLIN-GERMANY 15/08/2009.