The Berlin Wall: Countdown to 1961/1989 - Season 1 Episode 1 Countdown to 1961 - The Rise of the Berlin Wall

On Aug. 13, 1961, Berliners woke up on a Sunday morning to find their city divided by a wall. That day became known as “Barbed Wire Sunday,” marking a peak in the era of the Cold War. It felt like a complete surprise to many, but key moments in the preceding year made clear that something was brewing.