Berlin Wall Urinal

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, it was the end of one of the Cold War’s most enduring symbols. Pieces of the fallen structure were sent to all corners of the globe. Countries from Estonia to South Africa, and 140 places in between displayed bits of the wall as reminders of the past and warnings for the future.

Another piece of the wall ended up displayed with rather more questionable symbolism: prominently displayed inside the men’s bathroom of the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

How and why this historic fragment ended up in such an unusual location isn’t known. When the property was purchased by new owners in the 1990s, the wall was already a part of the bathroom decor. It is, however, an extremely popular feature. David Strow, a spokesman for the corporation that bought the casino noted in a CNN interview that the bathroom had to be renovated due to “the unusual amount of traffic it gets.” 

Visitors to the casino’s bathrooms can now say, if they so desire, that they’ve peed on the Berlin Wall—sort of. The bathroom’s three urinals are attached to the nearly 10-feet wide and six-feet tall piece of the wall, which is encased in glass to prevent damage. But, hey, close enough.