“The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the “death strip”) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses. The Soviet-dominated Eastern Bloc officially claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. However, in practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period”. – Wikipedia

Photo: West Berlin policemen and East German Volkspolizei face each other across the border in Berlin, circa 1955. (Photo by Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A man rides his bike along a controversial bike lane on Prospect Park West on August 17, 2011 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. In what is being viewed as a victory for the Bloomberg administration, a judge on Tuesday dismissed an effort by Brooklyn residents to remove a bicycle lane installed by the city on Prospect Park West. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with his transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, has attempted to make New York more bicycle and pedestrian friendly with numerous bike and pedestrian lanes around New York City. The effort has angered some in the city who see the lanes as adding to traffic, taking up parking spaces and a danger to pedestrians. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A Nepalese Hindu woman receives TIKA on her forehead while praying to Lord Shiva during the first day of the Sarwan Brata festival, which is observed through prayer and a month of fasting, at the Pashupati Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, 17 July 2023. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Grand title winner: Environmental photographer of the year. The Bitter Death Of Birds by Mehdi Mohebi Pour. This photo shows the efforts of the environmental forces to collect the bodies and prevent the spread of this disease. The Miankaleh wetland is being destroyed by changes in the climate and it is my duty as a photographer to highlight these problems and create a record for history. I want to prevent the complete destruction of the wetland and the potential environmental disaster by showing the issues and threats to these beautiful natural places. (Photo by Mehdi Mohebi Pour/Environmental Photographer of the Year)

In this undated photo entitled “Close Call”, a Hawaiian green sea turtle swims through a breaking wave on the North Shore of Oahu near Haleiwa, Hawaii. The image appears in photographer Clark Little's new book, “The Art of Waves”. (Photo by Clark Little via AP Photo)

Camels graze in front of a spacecraft tracking station ahead of the Soyuz MS-10 upcoming launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, October 9, 2018. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Models prepare backstage before presenting a creation from the Heaven Gaia by Xiong Ying during the China Fashion Week in Beijing on September 4, 2022. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

Sheep stand on a dyke as clouds cover the sky over Tossens, northern Germany, on September 2, 2019. (Photo by Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa/AFP Photo)