What did Walter Ulbricht famously claim about the Berlin Wall before it was built?

Walter Ulbricht famously claimed, “Nobody intends to build a wall,” before the Berlin Wall was built.

He made the statement at an international press conference in East Berlin on 15 June 1961. The wording became famous because East Germany began sealing the border less than two months later, on 13 August.

The original German phrase was “Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten.” Ulbricht was responding to questions about whether East Germany planned to create a permanent barrier through Berlin.

The quote is often translated slightly differently, including “No one has the intention of building a wall.” These versions express the same meaning, but the short English wording in the answer is the standard form used in many historical accounts.