Survey finds support for return of Berlin Wall

The 155-kilometre barrier split the city of Berlin in two and came to symbolise Cold War division.

BERLIN, March 15, 2010 (AFP) - Nearly one in four Germans "sometimes think it would be better if the Berlin Wall were still there," according to a new poll published on Monday.

The Emnid poll of 1,001 people for mass circulation daily Bild also showed that 16 percent of people thought a rebuilding of the once-hated barrier "would be the best thing that could happen."

The survey found little difference of opinion between those that used to live on either side of the Wall, with 23 percent of east Germans and 24 percent of west Germans saying they could be in favour of another Wall.

The 155-kilometre (96-mile) barrier, erected overnight by communist authorities on August 13, 1961, split the city of Berlin in two and came to symbolise Cold War division.

In a bloodless revolution on November 9, 1989, the Wall, officially called an "anti-fascist barrier" by the communists, was yanked down and hundreds of thousands of East Germans streamed across to the West.

The 20th anniversary of this momentous day was marked recently with an emotional ceremony at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, attended by dozens of world leaders, topped off by a surprise video message by US President Barack Obama.