Most famous fences have a more important purpose than, you know, keeping those crazy kids out of your yard. They provide security, privacy, noise reduction and visual appeal. Did you know that fences have been around for centuries? Well they totally have. Here’s our list of some of the world’s most famous fences and what they were used for.
The Buckingham Palace Fence
The fence around Buckingham Palace in London, England is a strong ornamental fence with beautiful golden cast iron stakes on top. The fence was built in 1911 with the supposed main purpose of protecting the royal family. I’m almost convinced it was built to help the palace look really, really pretty. And it’s doing a pretty good job of it. But that might just be me.
The Great Wall Of China
The Great Wall Of China is a series of walls made from stone, brick, wood, and other materials. It is the world’s most famous defensive barrier and one of the modern Seven Wonders Of The World. The various different structures that make up the group known as “The Great Wall” were built by the Chinese people between 770-476 BC. It is about 13,170 miles long, so I’d imagine it was very successful in its day. Talk about neighbor problems.
The White House Fence
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this fine American fence. The White House is the residence and workplace of the President of the United States of America, so it makes sense that a fence should be built around it. The fence was originally constructed in 1808 by Thomas Jefferson. It was a wooden fence with split rail barriers. Jefferson built the fence to keep animals off of the White House’s lawn. The current fence was built in 1965 by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. This one’s an ornamental fence with stakes at the top that is 7 foot 6 inches tall. I suppose the fence in its current state is much more effective, though it’s a shame we can’t ask Jefferson about it.
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (nicknamed the Iron Curtain) was built in 1961 as a physical barrier between the Democratic West Germany and the Communist East Germany. It was originally constructed out of barbed wire in the middle of the night by The Soviet Union to prevent defectors from crossing over the border to West Berlin. Soon after the barbed wire fence was put up, it was replaced with two concrete walls with a space in between called the “death strip”. If anyone made it over the first wall from the East, they had to make it through the death strip and get over the second wall to the West. The Berlin Wall was about 87 miles long. Official demolition of the wall began in the summer of 1990 but some people still have commemorative pieces.
The DMZ
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land between the Communist North Korea and the Democratic South Korea. This strip of land is used as a safe zone for the two feuding countries so that they can peacefully communicate with one another when needed. At the DMZ, you will find high-voltage barbed wire fences designed to keep the North Koreans from escaping into South Korea and vice versa. The fence is about 160 miles long and is patrolled 24-7.
These aren’t the only fences that deserve mass recognition. Central Fence has a variety of fabulous fences to choose from that can help your house become the new talk of the town. Give us a call at 1-800-221-6425 or click below for a free quote.
