Fall Of The Berlin Wall: 25 Years Later, People Remember
The fall of the Berlin Wall is a moment in history burned in the minds of people around the world, but nowhere as much as those who were in Berlin on that day 25 years ago. Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that day more than two decades ago is proof dreams come true, and “nothing has to stay as it is,” according to BBC World News.
The fall of the wall in Berlin in 1989 marked the end of the Cold War.
In a speech about that day, Merkel said that on the day of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as a resident of East Berlin, she had walked toward the western part of the city with friends. She said in an interview with German TV that she felt incredible happiness that day.
Other residents of the city, both east and west, shared stories on social media sites on Sunday of their memories of the day the Berlin Wall fell.
One West German resident described watching the announcement that the city was open for residents from East Berlin to travel freely on a Reddit posting board. Hours later, there were people at the wall yelling for the gates to open so people could freely pass.
“At long last an officer of the border forces decided, alone and in contradiction to his orders, to just open the damn thing – the border guards later claimed that they were fearing for their lives,” wrote the Reddit user. “An incredible cheering and shouting arose and the crowd broke free, dashing across the bridge with complete abandon.”
In the past, residents of East Berlin would use all kinds of methods to escape, including swimming to their freedom. This video from pre-1989 shows the dramatic escape of three East Berlin residents who skirted the Berlin Wall and used a waterway to escape.
On Twitter, #fallofthewall25 and #fotw25 are trending terms drawing comments and experiences from users about the fall of the Berlin Wall.
DW’s editor-in-chief: Nov 9, 1989, is an unforgettable date for #Germany, Europe http://t.co/RCw8HuaHem #fotw25 pic.twitter.com/nCL3W117rx
— DW (English) (@dw_english) November 9, 2014
Tonight in front of #Reichstag building where balloons light up former route of #BerlinWall. @fallofthewall25 #fotw25 pic.twitter.com/vNi9tpybOs
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) November 8, 2014
On Vimeo, a video with memories from members of the European parliament on their perspectives from that day.
Time, whose reporters were on the scene that day, also remembered in special coverage on the magazine’s website.
There have been numerous ceremonies and celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, including a row of 8,000 white balloons where the wall used to stand.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons]
