13 iconic photos of the Berlin Wall coming down 27 years ago

The Berlin Wall fell 27 years ago Wednesday.

The imposing wall that divided East and West Germany was constructed in August 1961, and began to fall November 9, 1989. The wall, also known as the DDR, was constructed to separate

The wall was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) to keep the western "fascists" out and to keep East Germans from emigrating to the West. The 12 feet tall and 4 feet thick wall had guard towers lining it and contributed to an estimated 139 deaths of people who attempted to cross.

Many have drawn comparisons of the Berlin Wall and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's plan to build a wall on America's boarder with Mexico.

13 iconic photos of the Berlin Wall