Further Media
In the weeks and months after the fall of the Wall, the border strip became increasingly permeable. New crossings were created and the East German border troops began dismantling the border fortifications. People from both sides of the city and from all over the world began to explore the previously inaccessible border strip.
Among them was Willem Heijster from the Netherlands. He was in Berlin a few months after the fall of the Wall. During his explorations of the area, he dismantled this junction box cover and took it with him as a souvenir. What is exciting about this object is that before the fall of the Wall, conscripted border guards immortalized themselves on the inside at the end of their service. The last entry was made just weeks before the fall of the Wall and reads:
EK Timmi 89II
On October 26, 1989, finally heading back to Oranienburg
XXX
This means that the discharge candidate (EK) “Timmi” was part of the autumn discharge wave of 1989. He was obviously eagerly awaiting the end of his military service on October 26 – and literally made three crosses. This is a play on a German idiom that expresses a feeling of relief.