Hudson County officials celebrated a piece of the Berlin Wall that separated West Berlin from East Germany during the Cold War was installed in Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus yesterday.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
“It’s a powerful symbol of a world once divided: It marked the triumph of the human spirit, that moment changed the world,” Hudson County Cultural and Heritage Affairs Director Gina Hulings said at the ceremony.
“We too are an example of what happens when borders dissolve. This Wall reminds us of the we must continue to uphold those values.”
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy also expressed enthusiasm about the unveiling.
“This is an historic event, right? We have a piece of the Berlin Wall that comes all the way across the pond, all the way to Hudson County … It finds itself in one of the best parks,” he stated.
“It just speaks to the thousands and thousands of families that fought for the freedom that this wall held up for so many years. When people stand together and fight for a cause that is significant, they can accomplish almost anything.”
He also noted that the project was in limbo for quite some time.
“This is a really touching moment to be here to unveil this,” exclaimed Hudson County Commissioner Yraida Aponte-Lipski (D-4) said, continuing that it is a symbol of unity that is badly needed.
Hulings noted that the unveiling was 15 years in the making.
“This is the only piece together like this in America,” former Cultural Affairs Director Bill La Rosa noted, indicating that their piece did not have any iconic graffiti.
La Rosa said it was in the part of West Berlin occupied by the French Army after World War II.
“This was called a death wall,” he added: Guards on the Berlin Wall would kill East Germans seeking to flee.
“The Parks Department is very honored to have this piece of the Berlin Wall in the park,” Hudson County Cultural Affairs Deputy Director Kevin Wong said.
He explained they had to restore the wall since it had begun crumbling, therefore, it had to be patched and held together. For example, exposed rebar was covered to maintain stability
Silverman Real Estate co-founder and philanthropist Paul Silverman said he went to Germany with them to do the deal since his company specializes in restoring old buildings.
“Having it here symbolizes friends and relationships,” he argued.
The Berlin Wall was built under Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s dominance of Eastern Europe and East Germany behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.
When East Germans saw that life in West Germany was better, they left in droves, prompting the building of the wall in 1961.
It was torn down under Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in November 1989. The Soviet Union then fell in 1991.
Hudson County received a section of the Berlin Wall as a symbol of peace and the end to the Cold War in 2007 from Oberhavel County in Germany.
Oberhavel County and Hudson County have been sister counties since 2000. The two counties have been involved with student, cultural, and sports exchanges.
The Berlin Wall was constructed of steel-reinforced concrete. The section in the park is 11’-9” tall. It is made of four 3’-10” wide sections secured together by a masonry tube coping.
There are minimal signs of graffiti on this piece because it is believed that this section was not facing the western side of Berlin.
West Germany permitted graffiti on its side while East Germany did not. There are also signs of bullet holes and weathering due to exposure to the elements.
A memorial behind the section depicts the history of the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989.
There’s a QR Code to its history as well on the plaque. New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen is pictured on the mural behind it after he played a historic concert there in 1988 shortly before it fell.
