The record
Segment 41, given in memory of the president who told West Berliners “Ich bin ein Berliner” two years after the Wall went up.
A tall graffitied section, catalogued as segment 41, held by the library of the president who went to West Berlin in June 1963, two years after the Wall was built, and told the crowd at the Rathaus Schöneberg that he too was a Berliner. Of all the recipients in this catalogue this is among the most direct: the object is in the keeping of the man whose most quoted sentence was about the city it divided.
How did it get here?
A gift from the German government in memory of President Kennedy, obtained with the help of his sister Jean Kennedy Smith. Sources disagreed about the year — 1989, 1990 and 1999 all appear — and the photograph's own record settles it: the piece was received after reunification and installed as an exhibit in 1993.
Sources & verification
Boston, MA – JFK Library and Museum — The Wall Net ↗
Segment 41, a gift of the German government in memory of President Kennedy, obtained via Jean Kennedy Smith and erected in Boston in autumn 1990.
Source accessed 2026-09-17
Section of Berlin Wall — JFK Library collections ↗
The library's own object record for the section. Not retrievable at the time of writing; listed so the accession detail can be checked.
Source accessed 2026-09-17
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library (7207868578) — Wikimedia Commons ↗
The piece was received by the Kennedy Library as a gift after German reunification and installed as an exhibit in 1993.
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 198
Last verified: Not yet verified
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