35th Anniversary - The Fall of the Berlin Wall

On the 9th November 1989, following a bungled press conference by the spokesman for the GDR government and months of protests and pressure, the checkpoint at Bornholmer Straße between the neighbourhoods of Prenzlauer Berg in the East and Wedding in the West was opened. It began a dramatic night as images flashed around the world of Berliners from both sides of the divide celebrated what became known as the Mauerfall or the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2024 we are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall and the unification of East and West Germany, which followed eleven months later on the 3rd October 1990. Berlin is marking the event in a number of different ways, and here at The Circus we also have something special planned.

GUIDED WALK FOR CIRCUS GUESTS

On the anniversary itself, we have a special walk from The Circus with our friend and Berlin-based author Paul Scraton. Together with Paul Sullivan, Paul wrote a book about walking the route of the Berlin Wall for the 25th anniversary in 2014. Since then, Paul has returned to the stories of the divided city in a number of his books, including the novels Built on Sand and the forthcoming A Dream of White Horses.

Paul will take Circus guests to Bernauer Straße to talk about how the Wall came to be built, how it fell 28 years later, and some of the dramatic events that took place along the border in the years between.

The tour takes place on 9th November at 10am and places are limited, so please sign up in advance if you are interested.

EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS FOR THE ANNIVERSARY

There are a number of fascinating exhibitions and events taking place across Berlin related to the anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall as well as the division of the city and country more generally. The Museum in der Kulturbrauerei (more details below) has a special exhibition on the history of Heavy Metal in the GDR and how the music scene developed in East Germany. At the DDR Museum, the current exhibition explores the The Baltic Sea, and how the East German coastline was both a border area, holiday destination and place of longing for the people.

At the C/O Gallery (in the Amerika Haus) a new exhibition looks at Berlin in the aftermath of the fall of the Wall, and the hopes and dreams of the newly reunified city in the 1990s, a time of great upheaval and creative energy.

On the 9th November itself, special images will be created in Berlin at different sites along the former border (including the Berlin Wall Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate) to mark 35 years of the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Wall. In the Gethsemanekirche in Prenzlauer Berg, site of opposition during the GDR, there will be a Festive and Memorial Concert to mark the anniversary of the end of division.

You can find more details on these events and an updated list of everything planned to mark the anniversary on the Visit Berlin website.

GDR HISTORY IN BERLIN

If you are interested in the history of the divided city and are not in town on the 9th November, there are a couple of museums that are well worth your time.

In the Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg (about 15 minutes walk from The Circus) you’ll find the Everyday Life in the GDR exhibition, which explores in detail what life was like living in Communist East Germany, from school and work to holidays and free time. It is a nuanced take on what it is like to live under an authoritarian regime, the injustices of the oppressive system, the sometimes absurd realities of life in the GDR and everyday details that help us understand how people lived and shaped free spaces for themselves within the system.

At Friedrichstraße station (15 minutes by tram from The Circus), you’ll find the Tränenpalast. Meaning ‘Palace of Tears’, this was once the border-crossing point for those travelling by train between East and West Berlin, and reflects the sadness of the goodbyes between those able to leave and those who could not. The exhibition explores the history of the division of Germany, and how the border shaped the lives of people on both sides.

Both the exhibition at the Kulturbrauerei and at Friedrichstraße station are run by the ‘House of History’ foundation and are free of charge for visitors.

To explore the Berlin Wall and its history on location, the Berlin Wall Documentation Center and open-air exhibition on Bernauer Straße is a short walk from The Circus and an excellent starting point to discover stories from the border and the legacy of division in the city.

35 years since the Fall of the Wall