Travelbeat Inside Information Celebrating 20-years Since The Fall Of The Berlin Wall This November, all eyes will be on Berlin as the city celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. After more than 28-years of German division, the Berlin Wall fell overnight from November 9-10, 1989, uniting millions when the border crossings between East and West Germany were opened. A host of celebrations are taking place to mark this important date, with visitors from around the world flocking to Germany to commemorate the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Berlin is marking the anniversary with a grand Festival of Freedom centred around the Brandenburg Gate, and a domino rally symbolising the collapse of the infamous barrier. Thousands of young people are designing oversized dominoes, which from November 7 will form a two kilometre gallery along the former course of the Berlin Wall between the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz. On the evening of November 9, the dominoes will be sent tumbling down with the help of high-profile artists, politicians and representatives from the cultural community. The Festival of Freedom will include an open-air concert with the Berlin State Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Virginia Haddon, the German National Tourist Office’s Sales and Marketing representative in Australia, said ... “The excitement is building in Berlin as the culmination of this year of celebrations draws near. "We have seen much interest from Australian travellers looking to be part of this commemoration, and it is a truly fascinating time to visit Germany.” At the end of the 1980’s, the change in politics in the Soviet Union under Michael Gorbatschow affected the GDR, which experienced more and more political and economic difficulties. In 1989 countless citizens fled to the opened border between Hungary and Austria and others sought refuge in embassies. In those years more than 220,000 East Germans left the GDR and many demonstrations took place calling for political change. The national celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the GDR turned into protest movements against the regime. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans climbed onto and crossed the wall, joined in celebration by thousands of West Germans on the other side. People from East and West Berlin lay in each other's arms in a celebration that was one of the most beautiful days in the city’s history. Over the subsequent weeks, parts of the wall were chipped away by a euphoric public and souvenir hunters, and industrial equipment was later used to remove almost all of the remainder. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on October 3, 1990. Other events taking place in Berlin to mark the anniversary include an open-air exhibition at Alexanderplatz, presented by the Robert Havemann Society to remember the peaceful revolution and the incidents of 1989/90 in Germany, and an exhibit of works at the Berlinische Galerie by internationally significant artists such as Tacita Dean, Alicja Kwade and Wolfgang Tillmans, illustrating the change that was initiated by the fall of the Wall. A full list of events can be found on www.mauerfall09.de (Ink Publicity) Back to Front Page