The world celebrates 20th anniversary of The Fall of Berlin Wall
Last updated 11/13/2009 12:13:34 AM
The fall in 1989. Photo © Germany National Tourist Board
Today the eyes of the world are on Berlin. The year 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which had divided today’s capital of Germany right down the middle for more than 28 years.
The wall wrote a sad chapter of world history and was once a frightful symbol for the divided metropolis. Many people died on it and numerous stories were told of brave escape attempts.
The Berlin Wall fell overnight from 9 – 10 November 1989, through a peaceful revolution. It was one of the biggest historical event of the 20th century.
Millions of people around the world were united through the event. The Fall of The Wall signifies fresh starts, hope and balance between East and West. It has directly loosened the grip of communism tyranny in many countries across the world.
The city of Berlin celebrates the peaceful revolution with a year devoted to the theme and numerous exhibitions, commemorative activities, and other events.
From January through November, government buildings, embassies, and new city centers will serve as art objects on which the dynamic development of Berlin will be visualized with projections, large-scale façade arrangements, and focalizing exhibitions.
The central event on November 9 will be the big Festival at the Brandenburg Gate. In the run-up to this, school children are making dominoes that are around 1.3 meters high and 80 centimeters wide out of plastic (as symbolic blocks of the Wall) and are at the same time studying the topics of the Wall and dictatorship.
The blocks will be positioned along the course of the former border, to the left and right of the Brandenburg Gate. The entire length is expected to be two kilometers.