It's regarded as one of the major 20^th century symbols of social division, and has also been described as the 'longest art gallery in the world.'

Memories of the Berlin Wall remain strong after it was demolished before rapturous crowds in 1989.

It had divided the city's East and West sectors for 30 years - after building work began on this day in history, August 13, 1961.

Around 1,065 were killed trying to escape from East Germany during its division from the West - many as they tried to get over the Wall.

And for today's collectors, remaining pieces of the wall remain vital pieces of 20^th century memorabilia, commemorating one of Europe's greatest social upheavals.

A short section of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz (Berlin, Germany). The white painted text in the upper third of the section reads: "At this place, the first crevice/hole in the Berlin Wall was created"

This was shown at auction in 2008, when a Berlin auction house announced that it had sold one of its few remaining sections.

According to reports, the final sale price was €7,800 (a then-equivalent of £6,150).

Daubed in the famous graffiti which earned the Wall its 'longest art gallery' moniker, the large section was apparently bought to be displayed in an office.

This was one of many fragments of the wall to have been collected as memorabilia since its demolition.

Much of the Wall has been chipped away since this 1990 photograph

Today, a preserved section of the Wall still stands in Berlin's Bernauer Straße, beside a dedicated museum which is set to be expanded further.

For the time being, the Wall and its pieces remain among the most important and unique memorabilia artefacts of the past 100 years.

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