Are the Pieces of the Berlin Wall You Can Buy as Souvenirs Real?

When I’m not guiding visitors around Berlin, I work as a radio journalist — and for the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, I decided to investigate one of the city’s most curious questions myself: Are the pieces of the Berlin Wall that you can buy as souvenirs actually real?

Join me on a Cold War tour of Berlin!

After all, the Wall has now been gone far longer than it ever stood. If you walk through Berlin today, you’ll find only a few visible traces — except in souvenir shops. There, you’ll see “authentic” Wall pieces everywhere, sealed in Plexiglas with a colorful certificate of authenticity. But can they still be genuine?

To find out, I spoke directly with the people who sell them.

Inside Berlin’s Wall Souvenir Business

One of the key players is the company Berlin Souvenirs, run by Julian and Sebastian Sacha. The brothers took over the business in 2024 from Volker Pawlowski — the man Der Spiegel once dubbed a “Wall monopolist.”

Their workshop in Reinickendorf still stores original UL12.41 Wall segments — massive 2.6-ton concrete slabs, 3.20 meters high and 1.20 meters wide. According to Julian Sacha, they still have enough of the real Wall left for about ten more years, based on how many segments they cut each year — around three to five. Note that this was told to me in 2024.

Each one is broken down by hand, using saws, metal cutters, and hammers, then freshly painted. The reason: most of the original graffiti has flaked off. So while the concrete itself is authentic, the colorful paint on top usually isn’t.

Real or Fake? The Short Answer

After my conversations with the Sachas, the verdict is clear: Most of the pieces sold by reputable dealers are real — but not all of them.

“We can’t rule out that there are fake Wall souvenirs in circulation,” says Julian Sacha, “but the ones from our Berliner Mauermanufaktur are authentic.”

Souvenir shops across Berlin stock pieces labeled “Berliner Mauermanufaktur.” Those are the ones you can generally trust. But be cautious around cheap stalls at Checkpoint Charlie and other tourist hotspots. Because it is also believed that:

“If every piece sold were real, we could rebuild the Wall three times over.”

The Bottom Line

Yes — some Berlin Wall souvenirs are made from real Wall concrete, but often with a new coat of paint.

If you want an authentic piece of history, look for a certificate from Berliner Mauermanufaktur or buy directly from trusted places like the Mauermuseum at Checkpoint Charlie. Avoid unverified street stands — and remember: even if the graffiti is new, the history beneath it is real.