Berlin: Germany's infamous symbol of division, the Berlin Wall, split West Berlin—an isolated enclave of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)—from East Berlin, in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) for 28 years. Construction began in 1961 under the orders of the GDR's communist leadership, following the flight of approximately three million people to the West. They were escaping a struggling economy, limited freedoms, and government surveillance. To prevent further defection to the West, the East German government built a complex system of barriers, obstacles, and guard towers along the 155-kilometer-long border.

According to Deutsche Welle, the wall was meant to be impenetrable—although some 5,000 East Germans did manage to make it across over the years. The wall cut nearly all traffic routes and communication channels between East and West Berlin. Border-crossing points such as Checkpoint Charlie remained exceptions. At the wall, the GDR's cruelty was put on full display. Between 1961 and 1989, at least 140 people were killed there. In addition to around 100 individuals attempting to flee, border guards and uninvolved passersby also lost their lives.

When the communist bloc collapsed in Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall fell with it on November 9, 1989. German reunification then followed about a year later. Today, only some segments of the wall are left standing in Berlin. The longest is the famous East Side Gallery, with its painted-concrete structure spanning 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles). Another section can be found at the Berlin Wall Memorial.

According to estimates by the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Eastern Germany, the US has more pieces of the wall than Berlin does. Whether in front of the CIA headquarters in Langley or in a men's restroom in Las Vegas, the Berlin Wall can be found all over the country. Anna Kaminsky, the director of the foundation, explained that as one of the victors, the US played a major part when it came to divided Germany. The wall was a topic nearly all American presidents referred to in foreign policy, especially for US soldiers stationed in Berlin.

Parts of the wall are scattered not just across the US but the globe—from New Zealand to Iceland and from Indonesia to Chile. The German foundation has identified 57 countries (besides Germany) where there is at least one piece. Each one has its own story, and each is interpreted differently. Sometimes it was private people or companies that acquired the segments, while other times the German government or Berlin Senate gifted them.

In South Korea, where ties can be felt with German history due to the country's separation from the North, there are pieces of the wall at six different places, including Dorasan, the northernmost point of the South Korean railway network, along the North Korean border. In 2015, at the train station there, then-serving German President Joachim Gauck joined South Korean government representatives in opening the "Unification Platform" and revealing a wall segment along with a plaque calling to "Create a reunited Korea and help the world become more peaceful."

In Bulgaria, where the municipal government of Sofia asked the Berlin Senate for a piece of the wall in 2006, it now stands next to the memorial to victims of communism in Bulgaria. It is accompanied by two plaques inscribed with text in Bulgarian and German reading, "On August 13, 1961, a wall divided Berlin and Germany, and thus Europe and the world. Bulgaria remained trapped on the east side of the wall - until November 9, 1989, when the people brought it down."

After the wall fell, the transitional government of the GDR tasked a publicly-owned company with selling the remains of the structure for a profit. That company, in turn, collaborated with a West Berlin agency. Together, they decided to paint the segments to enhance their attractiveness and boost sales prices. Anna Kaminsky explains, "That stirred up a great deal of protest—to see the GDR government, along with party representatives, who had built the wall where so many people died, were now wanting to even turn a profit by selling it."

In the past 10 years, requests for pieces of the wall have dropped significantly. "World history has gone on, and global politics are different," says Anna Kaminsky. "The iconic impact of the wall has receded over the decades. It is increasingly losing its place as a symbol." Some say this has its positive aspects, too—because no matter how colorful it is or where it stands, the wall remains a symbol of dictatorship.