Twenty Years Ago Today - SPIEGEL Essay - The Night The Wall Fell

[Call Me Wesley]

'Let the People Out'

by SPIEGEL Staff 9/11/2009


11:20 p.m.: Border guards at the Bornholmer Strasse crossing could no longer hold back the crowds of East Germans who wanted to cross over into the West. One guard tried to close a barrier that had been pushed open, but it was too late.

Crying policemen. Stinking traffic jams of East German Trabis on the posh streets of West Berlin. Strangers falling into each others' arms. The night of Nov. 9, 1989 was unforgettable. A look into the SPIEGEL archives brings the historic day to life.

Wearing nothing but a coat over his pajamas, the man spoke rapidly in his thick Berlin accent: "We live on Bornholmer Street, in the East, you know. I was in bed already. My wife had gone out to walk the dog, came back up and said, 'Hey, they're all going to the West!' I was dressed and out here in a flash."

Another man, driving an East German Trabant car, rolled down his window and excitedly said: "I keep shaking my head. I'm driving on the Kurfürstendamm!" referring to West Berlin's main shopping boulevard.

Full article here. Make sure to visit the photo galleries!

And here's a great personal memory from the DUer DFW: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6959298

[Jamastiene]

1. That had to feel good. To finally be free. n/t

[Call Me Wesley]

3. The faces of the guards are priceless.

There was no order on what to do; it was pure confusion, and also a very dangerous situation at first since they had order to shoot if someone attempts to cross the borders. Thankfully, no one of them snapped and let it all happen.

[Lefty48197]

2. The fall of that wall was such a wonderful thing to witness

It's too bad that the Chinese were hosing the blood of their protestors from the pavements of Tiananmen Square at that same time.

[Call Me Wesley]

4. I agree.

Nah, wait a second. I can't find anything about Tiananmen Square on Chinese sites. Are you sure something happened there? :sarcasm:

[unhappycamper]

5. I remember when that happened.

The pics on the idiot box were incredible.

[Call Me Wesley]

6. It was, besides making history, very, very moving.

There were so many who never could cross the border, even if they lived within sight. They saw the buildings, the landscapes, the lights at night, but no chance of ever getting there. It could have happened that members of your family lived within sight, yet you never spoken to them. The wall even went through apartments, so actually your neighbor was living in a different country, a few feet away:

(the darker part of the building was GDR, the brighter part was standing in West Germany.)

:hi:

[TheMightyFavog]

7. I was only 9 at the time.

But I knew then I was seeing something big when we watched the special report on TV.

[Call Me Wesley]

9. It was very moving.

I attended a discussion with Ernest Mandel (IV. Internationale) the next day at the university which should have been about Marxism, and it was all about the emerging news about the GDR and the former USSR.

[Heidi]

8. Recommended.

:kick:

[Call Me Wesley]

10. Adding a video of what was happening this night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_eCVhCGYwE&feature=related

English subtitles included.