[ Shouting indistinctly ]
[ Laughs ]
The city of Berlin, Germany,
was once divided in half by a wall,
but today this is a bustling urban experiment.
I feel like a kid in a candy store.
This is amazing.
And it's also considered one of the most creative
and free places on the planet.
I have an entirely new world view through their eyes.
I'm Kari Byron.
Whoo!
I travel around the world...
Ah! [ Laughs ] This is wild.
...seeking out stories of inspiring people.
We're working on solutions
to some of the biggest questions of our time.
♪♪
Berlin, Germany, is one of the most interesting
and diverse cities in the world.
It's a bustling urban experiment and a vibrant center for food,
art, and culture.
But what's really wild to think about
is how far the city has come.
♪♪
During world war ii, it was almost completely destroyed,
flattened.
Berlin was divided up by four of the allied countries
that won the war.
The east fell under the control of the Soviet union,
now Russia.
And the west was controlled by Britain,
France, and the U.S.
Over the next 16 years,
nearly 20% of east Germany's population
fled west for political and economic reasons.
This nearly killed the economy in the east.
So in 1961, the Soviets put up a wall to keep people in.
It happened overnight
separating friends, family, and the city.
The wall stayed up for nearly three decades.
So the question is this,
how did the Berlin wall built to divide a city,
instead end up creating what is arguably
the most free city of all?
♪♪
The Berlin wall is actually two walls
running parallel to each other,
separated by a width of about an American football field,
an area known as the death strip.
This was a gauntlet of barbed wire and booby traps
and armed guards.
Despite all of that,
people still tried to cross this wall.
♪♪
Over, under, through, any way they could think of.
This right here marks one of the 70 tunnels
that were dug from the east to the west.
Reporter: 57 people squirm their way
through a narrow tunnel to emerge to freedom.
Imagine how desperate you have to be to spend weeks
inside of a dark tunnel digging dirt clod by dirt clod
just to get past this wall.
♪♪
I want to talk to somebody who grew up in east Berlin
before the wall came down.
He asked to meet up in a very unusual place.
♪♪
How high does this thing go?
- Stefan? - Hey!
This is where we want to meet to see the Berlin wall?
This is crazy. Are we gonna climb it?
[ Laughs ]
- Nice to meet you, I'm Kari. - Hi, nice to meet you.
These are my two boys.
I was just explaining to the two of them
over there that used to be the Berlin wall.
So you grew up on the east side of the Berlin wall?
I did, yes.
When you were a kid, how wild is it to imagine yourself
on this side of the wall in this crazy contraption?
Yeah, I could have never come here.
♪♪
Byron: The wall kept Stefan from coming
to this side of the city.
Very good.
Byron: But today, within just one generation,
anyone can come climb and play just a few hundred feet
from where the divide once stood.
Feel like a ninja warrior, but less graceful.
♪♪
Can you jump out?
Byron: Stefan takes me to the street level
so I can learn more about what life
was like growing up in east Berlin.
This used to be my street during the time of the wall.
We couldn't go any further. The wall was right here.
We had no idea that this street even continued
on the other side of the wall.
You had no idea it was happening on the other side?
No idea.
Now, I got to show you something real interesting and spooky.
♪♪
[ Woman speaks in German over P.A. ]
Down here, we're in the ghost station.
Ghost station?
This entire station existed during east German times,
but as a kid, you had no idea
there's a train station down here.
You couldn't get on the train
because these entrances, they were completely sealed off.
Byron: Even though the wall went up,
subway lines under west Berlin
still ran under the east side of the city.
The Soviets boarded up stations in the east
to prevent people from escaping.
But west Berliners could still ride the trains.
You could get on on the western side of town,
take your train through east Berlin
and get off in the western side again.
♪♪
Byron: I decide to take a ride through the ghost stations
or Geisterbahnhof
to see what a west Berliner would've experienced.
Maybe it's just because they call them ghost stations,
but it's a bit eerie riding through the dark tunnel
not contained by a car.
I think a horror movie started like this, right?
♪♪
The stations were completely closed off in east Berlin,
as trains would approach the border,
the passengers would hear "last stop west Berlin."
After that, nobody got off.
The train would pass by,
there would be no passengers, just border guards.
♪♪
So much of what I'm hearing is about how the wall
was built to contain people,
but I'm curious about those who wanted to get past it.
Did you know anybody who tried to get across?
Actually, a friend of mine, he tried to build a plane
to fly across the wall. - And he didn't make it?
People tried all kinds of stuff.
People were trying to jump from the windows
into west Berlin.
They flew with a balloon across the border,
everything imaginable.
The idea was to separate the people.
Do you think that the wall worked?
The wall was a challenge the people wanted to overcome.
[ Cheering ]
Reporter: As dozens of young men pulled on a rope and chains,
the chant went up... [ Speaks German ]
"Down with the wall."
[ Cheering ]
Byron: By the time the wall came down in 1989,
there was an eagerness for both sides of the city to reunite.
Reporter: The pace of change in this city
is astonishing everyone.
Whoo, yeah!
Whoo!
Was it hard coming to a new school and making friends?
Today, Berlin is a city of openness,
welcoming people from all over the world.
Cheese!
♪♪
Byron: When the Berlin wall fell,
not only did east and west embrace each other again,
the city also opened its arms to people from all over the world.
There are about 190 different nationalities
represented in Berlin.
Some come for jobs, others come for art,
some are escaping an unimaginable situation
in their home country.
Germany has welcomed nearly 600,000 Syrian refugees.
♪♪
When did you guys come to Berlin?
Female interpreter: Two years ago we came to Berlin.
Byron: Today, I'm hanging out with a family from Syria
to learn about their journey to the city.
Male interpreter: We were in Syria,
but left because of the war.
♪♪
We went to Lebanon, then Turkey by boat to Greece,
then by train to Germany.
My little son was 3 and the twins were 7.
The weather was very stormy.
And that was very difficult.
Female interpreter: Because the trip was in December,
it was raining and cold.
Byron: It took the family several days
to cross multiple countries.
The entire time, fearing they'd be deported back to Syria
and a life of war and uncertainty.
I'm a mom, too, and I can't imagine
how hard it would be to take your children
on such a long journey
and try to keep the spirits up.
Female interpreter: We were so very afraid.
Male interpreter: My kids were scared.
So I took a lot of pictures.
I told them we were going on a trip, not fleeing a war.
Female interpreter: And when we saw the border police,
I told my daughter and sons to say hello
and not be afraid.
I had a balloon in my hand,
and when the police were next to me, I was scared.
I just waved the balloon and he laughed.
Byron: After arriving in Germany,
they spent two and a half years in a shelter.
But now they're more settled.
Female interpreter: We have a very nice apartment,
very nice lives, and the kids have a good school.
Male interpreter: In Syria, I worked as a gym teacher,
but in Germany I've been working as a security guard.
My wife attends German classes and my children go to school.
Was it hard coming to a new school and making friends?
Female interpreter: They were very nice.
I have six friends.
Male interpreter: The goal is integration
as quickly as possible.
We must always move forward
and carry on without stopping.
♪♪
Byron: There are so many great things immigrants can bring
to a country... new languages, ideas, and customs,
but perhaps the easiest way to experience this diversity...
This place looks good. - Yeah.
...is through a culture's food.
This is my favorite restaurant.
♪♪
What should I order?
[ Speaking foreign language ]
- Falafel? - Falafel, yeah.
♪♪
Falafel is a traditional middle eastern food,
a deep fried ball made of chickpeas.
Oh!
Mm! So good.
Shawarma is marinated meat shaved off a roasting skewer
and served in pita bread.
♪♪
Oh, look at that. Wow.
♪♪
Mmm.
Fattah.
Byron: They've also introduced me to Fattah,
which is a chickpea and yogurt mixture.
Like a hummus and savory.
That's delicious.
Male interpreter: And we always eat French fries.
I feel like it doesn't matter where you go in the world,
French fries and ketchup, everybody loves.
Universal kid food.
It's amazing how sharing a meal can bridge cultures
and encourage people to open up.
So if you could tell kids all around the world one message,
what would it be?
Female interpreter: To pay attention in school.
Aw, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Female interpreter: An eye doctor.
Byron: What makes you want to be an eye doctor?
- I like glasses. - Do you wear glasses?
Female interpreter: My mama wears them at home.
And they're beautiful?
[ Laughs ]
Now, I knew I was gonna come here
and meet some Syrian refugees.
And I have to say most of my education on this topic
comes from the news.
And the pictures that I see
did not add up to the family that I met.
Silly face!
They were so beautifully successful
in becoming part of Berlin and bringing their culture here.
I have an entirely new world view through their eyes.
[ Shouting indistinctly ]
[ Laughs ]
That was fun, let's go see what the pictures look like.
Do you feel like artistic expression was a way
of healing? - 100%.
This historic wall
is now a giant mural of freedom of expression.
♪♪
Byron: The diverse and open culture
that has emerged since the wall fell
makes Berlin the perfect place for artists.
Creativity has always been extremely important to me
because I believe when people throw their spirit
into their arts, their passion, their music,
it really elevates society as a whole.
This is the east side gallery.
Stretching for nearly a mile,
it's the longest piece of the Berlin wall still standing.
The coolest thing about it, it's been completely transformed
into one of the world's largest outdoor galleries,
home to over 100 different murals.
♪♪
The city that used to be divided had an entire side
that wasn't allowed to express itself.
People in east Berlin lacked key freedoms,
such as the right to free speech.
Expressing ideas critical of the government was forbidden.
This included artistic expression.
East Berlin, you couldn't get spray paint.
You couldn't paint on the walls.
So this historic wall that once separated people
is now a giant mural of freedom of expression.
Everybody comes here, throws up their colors
and really shows like the change the city has gone through.
Oh, hello. - Hello, it's so good to see you.
Yasha Young is the creative director
of Berlin's urban nation,
the world's first museum for street artists.
Having lived in the city for six years,
she's an expert on Berlin's art scene
and how the wall created an explosion of creativity.
When the wall came down, it was a huge euphoria.
♪♪
All of a sudden, there was unity
and there were concerts, there was movement,
there was art, there was one country again.
[ Cheering ]
Do you feel like artistic expression and music
was a way of healing? - 100%.
All of a sudden, people from the eastern side
had the opportunity to express themselves and connect
with like-minded people without having to be afraid.
I think it inspired people to figure out how to live together,
and I think that spirit inspired people from other countries
to come here and be working and creating.
- So art attracts art. - Art attracts art.
Art is a language that we all speak.
We can see what this means,
whether we speak German or not.
I don't think walls work at all.
I think communication works.
Human beings between each other
can solve a lot more problems than any wall could ever solve.
♪♪
Byron: We head over to urban nation,
where Yasha is hosting a workshop for kids
who want to make art.
♪♪
Now it's time to let loose with the street artist's
favorite weapon... spray paint.
I feel like a kid in a candy store.
This is amazing.
♪♪
How did you get the box?
You just, like, tap it.
Okay.
Get your little splashy...
Ooh, okay, I like that.
- Yeah, that's gorgeous. - Okay.
♪♪
Very creative, so we have Jackson pollock,
Georgia o'Keeffe.
- What am I? - Good god.
[ Laughs ]
I think this is very Andy Warhol.
Whoo! I'll take it.
You know, very pop colors.
This is a little trick for ketchup or paint
or whatever you need, use centripetal force.
As I spin my arm,
the inward force that keeps the bottle
moving in a circular motion is called centripetal force.
Inertia causes the paint inside the bottle to move.
Gets all the paint to the top.
See? Science and art.
One, two, three. [ Gasps ] So pretty.
Look what we made.
Art's always been really important to me
because it helps me sort through my feelings about things.
It's really hard to explain an emotion,
but sometimes that emotion is just red.
♪♪
Yeah. - Brilliant, there you go.
Looking good.
My god, these are good.
That's awesome.
I mean, it's so brilliant to foster street art and kids
giving everyone a chance to play with art and play with paint.
What could be more cool than expressing yourself through art
in a city where 30 years ago
a wall blocked freedom of expression?
Oh, I love this. This is so much fun.
I'm riding my bicycle on what used to be an active runway.
How cool is that?
How's it feel to jump that high?
Does it feel free? - Yeah, like a bird.
♪♪
Because Berlin had the wall fall and the two sides
of the city were eager to reunite,
this city has that feeling of just being really free.
But it gave rise to a very alternative culture
all the way down to its sports activities.
♪♪
Kite land boarding is quite alternative.
I mean, it's like surfing, skateboarding, parasailing,
all at the same time.
The only thing wilder than what they're doing
is where they're doing it.
This is Tempelhof, it used to be a gigantic airport
and was used as part of
the famed Berlin airlift in 1948.
During that year, the Soviets closed off all roads
and ports to west Berlin, making it impossible
for those living there to get food and supplies.
The Soviets hoped it would drive the U.S.,
France, and Britain out of the city,
but instead the three came up with a plan to use this airfield
to deliver food and supplies by plane.
♪♪
Now, it's a huge urban park that anybody can use,
I'm riding my bicycle on what used to be an active runway.
How cool is that?
All of this open space provides the perfect spot
for kite land boarders like 15-year-old John
to practice their high flying moves.
The air you can get on those things, that's crazy.
Whoo!
You make it look so easy. - Thank you.
- How high can you jump? - Five to 10 meters.
- Really? - Yeah.
How's it feel to jump that high?
Does it feel free? - Yeah, like a bird.
How long have you been doing this?
Two years.
15 year olds are unstoppable. They're fearless.
They mend easier. [ Laughs ]
Okay, this looks like so much fun.
There's no way I'm not gonna try it.
So it's time to suit up for a lesson
with a kite land boarding expert.
This is just a kite I could let go of a kite.
Aah! [ Laughs ]
Aah.
I can definitely feel the lift from this thing.
Aah!
[ Laughs ]
When wind hits the kite, it slows down underneath
causing the wind pressure to increase.
It's a principle called the Bernoulli effect.
When wind pressure flowing beneath the kite
is more forceful than the pressure on top,
it will lift up into the air.
I'm gonna do this on wheels?
- What? - Slowly, slowly, yeah.
If you know it, it's very easy.
If you know how to do it, it's easy.
I mean, that describes everything ever.
♪♪
Oh, my.
Good, very good. Awesome.
♪♪
Whoa!
Okay, and I...
[ Laughs ]
Awesome, again.
Being able to use a kite to propel me forward
on that kite board is amazing.
I love being able to utilize wind as a mode of propulsion.
And slow, let go.
You let go?
A little bit.
- I was doing it by myself? - Yes.
- Can we do it again? - Of course.
Yes!
♪♪
I've been on a journey to find out how a once
divided city became known as the most artistic
and free place on the planet.
What I found was that although Berlin was divided by a wall
for almost three decades, the separation only built up
this pressure that eventually exploded when the wall came down
and created this amazing freedom for expression and ideas and art
and a city that opens its arms to all cultures.
No place is defined by one story.
It's the story of the Syrian family I met.
It's the story of the gallery owner.
Thank you.
It's the story of the man that grew up in east Berlin.
It's all the stories together that make this city
such an incredible place.
♪♪