19899 November 1989 · Berlin

Fall of the Berlin Wall

A crane removes a section of the Berlin Wall beside the Brandenburg Gate in 1989 — Archival image: SSGT F. Lee Corkran. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stop its citizens fleeing west, and at least 140 people died at it. On 9 November 1989 a confused announcement of new travel rules sent crowds to the checkpoints, and at Bornholmer Straße the guards opened the gates. Germany reunified within a year, and the Cold War division of Europe came to an end.

Political History
Revolutions & Resistance
Berlin, Germany

Sites

Site 1: Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer StraßeA preserved stretch of wall and death strip with a watchtower.Map ↗
Site 2: Bornholmer Straße bridgeThe first crossing opened on the night of 9 November.Map ↗
Site 3: Checkpoint CharlieThe Allied crossing point, with a replica guard hut.Map ↗