The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961-1989, as well as encircling and separating West Berlin and East Germany territory.
There are two sections of the Berlin Wall at Kentuck Knob. Lord Peter Palumbo purchased 6 sections of the Berlin Wall when they were sale at a gallery in London. When interviewed about the wall sections, Peter said "I thought they were so beautiful and so poignant." He said as part of the original wall they characterized "separation and brutality and death. If you got on the wrong side of the wall, you were shot." Of the pieces in their new location, he said, "but when you put them in a field in Pennsylvania, surrounded by wildlife and wildflowers they take on a different character. They're much quieter, reflective." Three of the sections that were purchased came to the United States. One was given to Joe Hardy for the collection at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Two are on the grounds at Kentuck Knob. The other three piece purchased by Lord Palumbo are located in the following: the Imperial War Museum in London, Scotland, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
All of the sections acquired by Lord Peter Palumbo, were painted by graffiti artist Juergen Grosse (also known as, "Indiano"). Grosse is an ex-East German artist and he painted 223 wall segments in seven months, many of which that portray his "Totems."
The German Democratic Republic built the wall, and referred to it as the "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart." The West Berlin city government referred to it as the "Wall of Shame," in reference to its restriction on Freedom of Movement. The Berlin Wall came to symbolize physically the "Iron Curtain" that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
