With the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall approaching on November 9, museums around the world will have historic sections of the wall on display, including the Vatican, John F. Kennedy Library, the United Nations headquarters and 13 Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums.Yes – Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Ripley’s owns what is likely the largest collection of Berlin Wall sections in the world - 16 10-by-10 foot sections of the wall, most of which are on display at its museums around the world, including right here in New York City.
“We’re proud to have a true piece of history among our over 500 artifacts,” says Michael Hirsch, General Manager, Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Times Square. “Our Berlin Wall display is a perfect example of the Ripley’s Times Square experience. Not only do we offer a journey into the unusual and bizarre, a visit to our attraction also exposes the minds of children and adults to cultures and historical events from around the world.”
So how did a company famous for oddities acquire 160 feet of the Berlin Wall?
“Like most of the country, we were watching the events unfold on TV,” said Edward Meyer, VP of Exhibits for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! “A couple of people in our company had the idea that something significant was about to unfold and we should get over there as fast as possible.”
Meyer was part of a small Ripley’s team that was soon on the ground in Berlin.
Meyer said “It was one of the most emotional things I have ever experienced. To walk in and out of holes in the wall and experience something that had been impossible for nearly 30 years was truly amazing.”
As people around him stuffed chunks of the wall into suitcases, Meyer started scouting for the most interesting sections he could find and prepared to make offers to buy them.
“It was a bit of a free-for-all, because no one really owned the wall,” he said. “We received assistance from an American diplomat who shall remain nameless, and we dealt directly with the German military.”
Ripley’s was soon the proud owner of 160 feet of Berlin Wall - 16 sections that each weighed about 2 tons.
“Buying it was easy. Getting it home was the hard part,” laughed Meyer.
The sections were taken down and put on a barge and floated up the river to Hamburg and eventually placed on a shipping vessel and sent to the U.S.
Meyer won’t reveal the purchase price, but says “it cost us about 50 times more to ship the collection to the U.S. than it did to buy it.”
Today most of the sections are popular exhibits at Ripley museums around the world. Two of the sections not currently on display will eventually head back overseas to go on display at proposed Ripley museums in Bahrain and Korea.
“We were there for one of the most historic events of the 20th century,” said Meyer. “And our collection still serves as a living history lesson today.”
Ripley museums with Berlin Wall displays include: Orlando , New York City , London, Hollywood , San Antonio, Atlantic City , Ocean City , Panama City , Williamsburg , Gatlinburg , Thailand , Mexico City, Kuwait and Cavendish (Canada).
Multimedia materials:
Click here for a video of Edward Meyer talking about what it was like to be in Berlin as the wall was coming down. Click here for a video of Meyer talking about how he bought sections of the Berlin Wall and got them home.
To view images of some of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Berlin Wall sections go to www.ripleysnewsroom.com
Media are welcome to visit their local Ripley’s museum to take pictures or video of the Berlin Wall displays, talk to people about the 20th anniversary, etc.
Media contacts:
Michael Hirsch
Ripley’s Times Square
(212) 398-3133
Tim O’Brien
VP Communications, Ripley Entertainment Inc.
Office – 615-646-7465
Cell – 615-496-5949
About Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square
Situated in the heart of Times Square in Manhattan, New York, Ripley's Believe It or Not! offers visitors the ultimate insight into the world of the odd and bizarre. Hundreds of weird and unusual artifacts are displayed in more than 20 themed galleries spanning two floors. Whether examining a six-legged cow, a lock of Elvis' hair, 24 shrunken heads (the most on public display anywhere on the planet), a section of the Berlin wall, or a life-size albino giraffe, the amazing Ripley's Believe It or Not! collection proves that fact is indeed stranger than fiction. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square (www.ripleysnewyork.com) is located at 234 West 42nd Street and is open daily 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Call 212-398-3133.
Situated in the heart of Times Square in Manhattan, New York, Ripley's Believe It or Not! offers visitors the ultimate insight into the world of the odd and bizarre. Hundreds of weird and unusual artifacts are displayed in more than 20 themed galleries spanning two floors. Whether examining a six-legged cow, a lock of Elvis' hair, 24 shrunken heads (the most on public display anywhere on the planet), a section of the Berlin wall, or a life-size albino giraffe, the amazing Ripley's Believe It or Not! collection proves that fact is indeed stranger than fiction. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square (www.ripleysnewyork.com) is located at 234 West 42nd Street and is open daily 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Call 212-398-3133.
About Ripley Entertainment Inc.
Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 74 attractions in 13 countries. In addition to its 32 Believe It or Not!museums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.
