Imagine someone built a huge wall through the middle of your backyard.

The wall is 12 feet high and four feet wide. You wouldn’t be allowed to climb it. You couldn’t walk around it, either. It’s 96 miles long.

If you had friends who lived beyond your yard, you might not see them for years. One side of the wall would be free. The other side would be under Communist rule. It would matter quite a lot which side you were standing on!

During the Cold War, Germany was divided into East and West. The Berlin Wall ran right down the middle. East Germany was Communist. Soldiers were ordered to shoot anyone who tried to escape to the free West. At least 138 people died trying.

In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan demanded that the Communists “tear down this wall.” And 25 years ago this fall, the wall was demolished. The Cold War was coming to an end. People flooded through to West Germany.

Just a few pieces of the wall are left. People keep them to remember what happened in the past. This year Germans released over 8,000 helium balloons to celebrate. The freedom party isn’t over yet!