“The wall has fallen!”
This past Sunday, November 9, 2014, marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Davidson hosted a number of themed experiences to commemorate this historic event, not the least of which was the erection and destruction of a “Berlin Wall” in front of our very own E.H. Little Library. The Wall began as a stark white, plywood structure. However, with the words: “Graffiti encouraged!!” and the promise of a prize displayed on a poster nearby, the wall did not stay white for long.
With a portrait of Plato, signatures, quotes, and even a fancy platypus in a top hat, the mock Wall quickly became a sight to behold.
One of the other events of the week was a keynote address given by Kurt Biedenkopf. Biedenkopf was a German exchange-student who attended Davidson from 1949-50. During his year here, he wrote multiple articles expressing his views on his homeland, its people, and its culture for the Davidsonian. Excerpts from these articles as well as an outline of his post-Davidson career were put on display at the entrance to the library.
To top everything off, Davidson was recognized by the blog Kate in Color in the article, Countdown: Best Places to Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall (besides Berlin). Thanks to all of our events, and the ability to tear down a wall better than the other candidates, we made number 1 on the list!
Follow the links below to see the article on Kate in Color, more pictures, more information on Kurt Biedenkopf, and details on the week’s events.
http://sites.davidson.edu/fallofthewall/
http://sites.davidson.edu/german/101-102/mauer-fotos-vom-29-10-2014/
*A special thank you to Dr. Scott Denham and Jan Blodgett for the information they provided for this “Little Reflection!”
