Newly discovered Berlin Wall segment to get protected status

BERLIN (AP) - A recently discovered remnant of the Berlin Wall from the heavily fortified border's early days is being given protected status.

Monday's announcement by the city government's culture ministry comes on the day when the wall has been open for as long as it divided Berlin: 28 years, two months and 26 days.

An amateur historian said last month that he had found the 80-meter (260-foot) stretch of wall and reported it to authorities because of concerns about its condition.

The brick wall was used as part of communist East Germany's original fortifications when the border with West Berlin was sealed in 1961. The border fortifications were expanded over the years, and the barrier was far more sophisticated by the time it was opened in 1989.