The record
A segment the German government gave to a development bank, which was refused permission to erect it and passed it to a school instead.
An original segment has stood on the grounds of the German School London in Richmond since 1994, still carrying its original paint, which has never been renewed.
It was not meant for the school. The German federal government gave it to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, an institution founded because of the events the segment stands for: the EBRD's own account of itself names the fall of the Wall among the monumental events that led to its creation, its task being to support the rebuilding of eastern Europe. The bank had to give the gift up again — the local authority refused permission to erect the monument — and it was passed on to the German School.
A German and English plaque records that the piece came from Bernauer Straße, the street where the Wall ran along the building line and where people jumped from upper windows in 1961. Richmond has been a district favoured by German emigrants since the nineteenth century, and the school is one of some 140 German schools abroad supported by the federal government.
How did it get here?
A gift from the German federal government to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, passed to the German School after the local authority refused permission to install it. The plaque names Bernauer Straße as its origin.
Sources & verification
Federal Foundation — Berlin Wall worldwide, site entry ↗
The original segment on the German School London site since 1994 with its original paint, the intended gift to the EBRD, the refusal of permission and the transfer to the school, and the bilingual plaque naming Bernauer Straße.
Source accessed 2026-09-17
Federal Foundation — Berlin Wall worldwide ↗
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 129
Last verified: Not yet verified
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