After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, pieces of the infamous barricade were distributed by the newly united German government around the world as mementos and symbols of the end of the Cold War. In 1992, one such piece found its way to Montreal, given to the city to commemorate its 350th anniversary.
Canada has long struggled with the political, economic, and cultural clashes between its English- and French-speaking communities, so the massive cement block was also intended as a gift to symbolize the spirit of reunification. It was a diplomatic gesture of friendship and, perhaps, a subtle warning of the dangers of division.
After arriving in Montreal, the graffiti’d section of the wall was installed in the downtown Ville-Marie neighborhood. The piece, about 12 feet high and 4 feet wide, was placed in the World Trade Center, its new home carefully chosen to ensure it would be both accessible and symbolically significant. It now sits among the shops and offices on the first floor of the commercial center, a crossroad of connectivity and international trade, on the very site where the city’s old fortifications once ran.
There, locals and tourists alike can take a break from sampling poutine to view it and reflect on the themes uniting German and Canadian history — freedom, division, and the power of unity.
