Читать книгу Where in the World is the Berlin Wall? - Группа авторов - Страница 31

The Wall in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels

© Mauro Bottaro / Europäische Union

A piece of the Berlin Wall called the “Kennedy Segment” stands on the esplanade of the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission in the so-called European Quarter on the eastern edge of Brussels. To commemorate the fall of the Wall and to mark the 25^th anniversary of German reunification, the Wall segment was ceremoniously unveiled on November 9^th, 2015 by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. Since 2009, the piece of the Wall, painted by Leipzig artist Alban Seyboth, had initially stood on the nearby Place du Luxembourg, where a replica of the former Checkpoint Charlie border crossing had been erected to mark the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. This was supplemented with a photo exhibition and original segments of the Berlin Wall. The initiative came from the Belgian authorities in partnership with the Prime Minister, the Representation of the European Commission in Belgium, the Information Office of the European Parliament and the Municipality of Ixelles in the Brussels Region. In 2012, the segment came into the possession of the European Commission and was subsequently restored. Since then, it has been protected from weather and damage by glass panels.