Germany before and after reunification

Built in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate is arguably Berlin's most famous landmark. It marked the border between East and West while the city was divided. Located in the eastern sector, it was inaccessible to the Western public. But everything changed when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and the barriers no longer held. Now millions come from around Germany and abroad to see the symbolic structure.

For 28 years, the Berlin Wall divided the city into East and West. Many people died trying to escape the 155 kilometer-long (96-mile), highly guarded fortifications — the exact number of casualties is unknown. The East Side Gallery, the longest remaining piece of the Wall, was painted by artists from Germany and abroad the year the country was reunified.

Until 1989, Hohenschönhausen was the main prison of the East German secret police, the Stasi. Political prisoners were locked up and subjected to psychological and physical torture there. The location of the building was top secret and not listed on any city map. It was closed after reunification and opened a few years later as a memorial where visitors can learn about the Stasi's dark past.

In former East Germany, The Palace of the Republic was a showroom of power. After opening its doors in 1976, it was the seat of the People's Chamber and hosted a variety of political conferences. In 2006 it was demolished as an asbestos-contaminated edifice ready for the bulldozer. The Berlin Palace is currently under construction at the same location.

From 1970 to 1991, a 19-meter-high (62 foot) colossus of red granite stood in the Friedrichshain neighborhood of East Berlin. It was the crown jewel of a square dedicated to the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. But after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the regime had run its course and the statue was dismantled. Today, Lenin Square as it was once called, is now United Nations Square.

The Kaufhaus des Westens, KaDeWe for short, is the best-known department store in Germany. It's second largest in Europe after Harrods in London. The luxury store opened in 1907, survived destruction during the Second World War and stayed standing in West Berlin during the years when the capital was divided. Today it's popular with tourists and locals alike.

"Intershop" was a prominent GDR retail chain, a store where it was not possible to pay with GDR money, but only with foreign currency. As a result, the goods were largely out of reach for many people living in the East. The first Intershop was located at the Friedrichstrasse station in East Berlin (picture). Today that square is a busy retail hub with cafes and clothing stores.

The 13-storey Interhotel Metropol in Friedrichstrasse opened in 1977. It was a luxury hotel, popular with business people, diplomats and celebrities. Yet, for GDR citizens without foreign currency to spend, it could only be admired from the outside. Today, a Maritim chain hotel stands on this site and accessible to all visitors - for a price, of course.

Nothing represents a carefree childhood more than a playground. These climbable metal structures (left) could be found on nearly every playground in the former East. Today, they are typically made of rope — so it doesn't hurt as much when young (and old) run into them into them while playing. More pictures of Berlin then and now can be found on Facebook: #GermanyThenNow and #BerlinThenNow.

The baroque-style city palace was the residence of many famous aristocrats, including Frederick William I and Frederick the Great. But during World War II, the palace was burnt down by Allied air raids. The GDR times demolished it in 1959/60, and its remains were removed. Today's magnificent building was largely reconstructed according to historical plans and photographs of the original palace.

On February 15, 1945 — two days after the first bombing of the Dresden Frauenkirche church— the burnt-out building collapsed. For more than four decades the church lay in ruins as a reminder of the horrors of war. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was reconstructed based on the original model — thanks to donations from Germany and from around the world.

The Hanseatic city of Stralsund in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is famous for its gabled houses. Many of these historic buildings for decades were threatened by decay under the GDR rule. After reunification, they were extensively renovated. In 2002, the picturesque historic old town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This bridge connects Vacha in Thuringia with the village of Philippsthal in Hesse over the River Werra. With metal fences, barbed wire and grills in the river bed, the inner-German border ran right through here until 1989. Today it is freely accessible, and has also become known as the "Bridge of Unity".