The Berlin Wall stood in Berlin, Germany, for 28 years, 2 months, and 26 days. However, it was not just any wall—it was the Wall: politically, a symbol of the post-World War II Cold War world order; architecturally, an example of the power of the most basic building block of architecture; and artistically, a giant 166-kilometer-long blank canvas. After the defeat of the Third Reich in 1945, both Germany and its capital, Berlin, were partitioned into four zones, each under the administration of one of the Allies: Great Entries A–F 263 Britain, France, the United States, and the USSR. The partition of Germany was done so along existing provincial boundaries. The partition of Berlin, which was located in the middle of the Soviet sector, was done so in terms of postal codes. In 1949 the French-, British-, and American-controlled sectors were merged to form the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), with Bonn as its capital. In that same year, the Soviet-controlled eastern quarter of Germany be...