The record
A Grenzmauer 75 slab inside a working elevated-railway station in Chicago's historically German neighbourhood — commuters pass it twice a day.
A twelve-foot slab stands inside the Western station on the Brown Line of the Chicago “L”, in Lincoln Square, historically the city's German neighbourhood. It carries remnants of a mural painted on the western face during the 1980s, and it is identified as coming from the fourth and final generation of the barrier, the Grenzmauer 75. The setting is the most ordinary of any record here: not a museum or a plaza but a working commuter station, passed twice a day by people not visiting it. The plaque presents the gift “as an expression of gratitude for the invaluable assistance rendered by the United States of America in securing the safety and the freedom of Berlin, in bringing down the wall, and in supporting the reunification of Germany and Berlin”.
How did it get here?
Offered to Chicago by the German government and dedicated at the station on 19 January 2008, at a ceremony with the CTA president Ron Huberman, the German consul general Wolfgang Drautz and Alderman Eugene Schulter.
Sources
Listed by the Federal Foundation as #179 and by the Berlin Wall Archive as #77.
Berlin Wall Monument (Chicago) — Wikipedia ↗
The Western station location, the Grenzmauer 75 identification, the 2008 dedication and attendees, and the plaque text.
General referenceSource accessed 2026-09-17
30th anniversary of Berlin Wall's demise to be celebrated at monument in Lincoln Square — Block Club Chicago ↗
The monument's standing in the neighbourhood and its continued commemorative use.
Press reportSource 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.
Inventory listingSource accessed 2026-09-17 · Source record 179
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.
Inventory listingSource accessed 2026-09-17 · Source record 77
Source-reported segments: 1. This is not a separately verified count.
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