In the final part of this Berlin Wall mini series: incredible footage from a seemingly boring press conference Watch it here, with English subtitles. The scene is this: a long, boring East German press conference. A room full of foreign journalists. A Politburo man, Günter Schabowski, who doesn’t understand the notes he’s been given. He says that free travel is to be permitted without visas … Continue reading When the Wall Came Down: Part 7
Angela Merkel was a 35 year old East German when the wall fell. What does she say now about 1989? This part of the series on 1989: a glimpse into the East-West divide from Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel, as a former citizen of the GDR, is a symbol of reunification. Not only is she the first female Chancellor, she is the first East German to … Continue reading When the Wall Came Down: Part 6
How is the reunification remembered in Germany? Here’s 5 terms to tell us more… Der Mauerfall “The fall of the Berlin Wall” sounds clumsy compared to Der Mauerfall, literally, the wall-fall. In Germany, there is only one thing you could be talking about – year zero of modern Germany. Die Wende One of my earliest posts was about this word, which is used to talk … Continue reading When the Wall Came Down: Part 5
On this day in 1989 there was the largest peaceful demonstration in the history of the German Democratic Republic: what made it so remarkable? Continue reading When the Wall Came Down: Part 4
This part in the series of cultural snapshots around German reunification: a fantastic book about searching for truth in 90s East Berlin Continue reading When the Wall Came Down: Part 3
