The record
One of two segments unveiled at the German schools of Mexico City on the day of German reunification, bought from a small advertisement in the Economist.
A segment at the German school in Xochimilco, in the south of Mexico City — one of a pair. The other went to the same school's Lomas Verdes campus in the north, and both were unveiled on 3 October 1990, the day the two German states were reunited, with the school choir singing Beethoven's Ode to Joy in German and the Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari in attendance.
They were bought by the chairman of the school board, Gerhart E. Reuss, who had seen the West Berlin agency LeLé advertising wall segments in the Economist early in 1990. The asking price was 100,000 marks for two blocks of 3.60 metres and two and a half tonnes each; because these were for German schools, 30,000 was accepted, with the proceeds going to the Charité and a certificate promised and delivered. Two German-Mexican businessmen, Erich and Kurt Vogt, sponsored the purchase. The catalogue's record for the Lomas Verdes segment carries the fuller account.
How did it get here?
Bought in 1990 through the West Berlin agency LeLé by Gerhart E. Reuss for the Colegio Alemán Alexander von Humboldt, at a reduced price of 30,000 marks for the pair, with Erich and Kurt Vogt as sponsors; unveiled on 3 October 1990.
Sources & verification
Berlin Wall Archive ↗
The source lists this place as a Berlin Wall location. Coordinates, where supplied, are source-reported and may represent a general area. This is not independent verification of authenticity, current presence, or public access.
Source accessed 2026-09-17 · Source record 257
Source-reported segments: 1. This is not a separately verified count.
List of Berlin Wall segments — Wikipedia ↗
A large segment at the Colegio Alemán Alexander von Humboldt in Xochimilco.
Source accessed 2026-09-17
Federal Foundation — Berlin Wall worldwide, site entry ↗
The two segments at the Xochimilco and Lomas Verdes campuses of the Colegio Alemán Alexander von Humboldt unveiled on 3 October 1990, the ceremony and its attendees, Gerhart E. Reuss's purchase after seeing the LeLé advertisement in the Economist, the Vogt brothers' sponsorship and the reduction from 100,000 to 30,000 marks with the proceeds going to the Charité.
Source accessed 2026-09-17
Last verified: Not yet verified
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