Twenty Years Ago Today - SPIEGEL Essay - The Night The Wall Fell [View All]

[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