In Berlin

July 21, 2009 · Posted in Germany, sightseeing 

East Berlin "Don't Walk" Light East Berlin Walk Sign
Crossing the street today, a cartoon character caught my eye. I thought it was some artist’s prank, some type of electronic graffiti.

I was surprised to hear from friends the history of these two walk-man designs: the more cartoon-like top-hat “walk man” originated in East Berlin, as a way for the Eastern part to distinguish itself from the Western part of the city, which uses the more staid design that seems more universal.

West Berlin Walk Sign West Berlin "Don't Walk" Sign

I thought that it may be a general rule that the top-hatted walk men would indicate I am in East Berlin, but my friends told me that this design has proven popular since the re-unification of the city, and that West Berlin now sometimes installs the East Berlin design as well.

Benjamin Thomas

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Comments

One Response to “In Berlin”

  1. Ali on September 22nd, 2009 6:09 pm

    Does anyone have any idea whether it is possible to travel from Geneva Airport to Moutiers in France on a Friday evening around 9pm?! I know the snow trains haven’t started running yet – are there alternative buses or trains you know of?

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