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Berlin Wall back up — on a multimedia map

Traffic makes its way down Berlin's Friedrichstrasse on April 15. The Friedrichstrasse, for many years cut in two by the Berlin Wall, has become the city's "shopping mile" with prestigious brands competing side by side for tourists' attention. At center in the background is the the former "Checkpoint Charlie." PHOTO: AFP

It can be hard to find what remains of the Berlin Wall, a divisive landmark that for 28 years split the German capital and an entire generation.

But history buffs wanting to see the last vestiges of the iconic symbol of East versus West no longer have to consult old maps or seek out guidebooks. A new multimedia guide offers individualized walking tours connecting key points where the 166km-long wall once stood.

The hand-sized minicomputer, commissioned by the city government and to be introduced on Thursday, is linked to global positioning satellites (GPS) mapping the wall’s former path.

Boasting a headset and a touch-screen, it features a colorful city map that can zoom in and out, showing users where they are. The route of the former barrier between East and West Germany is marked in red while a yellow line guides the visitor from one wall section to the next, calculating the distances via GPS in meters.

“With the help of this guide, we finally have an answer to the most often asked question: ‘Where was the wall?’” Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit told reporters as he introduced the new gadget last week.

Most of the wall was torn down after communist East Germany collapsed and the border was opened in 1989.

A city project to mark the wall’s path is scheduled for completion by 2011, the 50th anniversary of the wall’s construction.

Apart from guiding tourists from one wall memorial to the next — among them the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the mural-covered East Side Gallery — the digital assistant gives information about 22 historically significant spots along the wall’s route.

Starting on Thursday, the wall guides can be rented at five booths throughout the city. They cost between US$9.50 and US$24 depending on how long visitors want to keep them.
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