26 years ago, on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell - a symbol of the Cold War and the border between two blocs: the Capitalist one, led by the USA, and the Socialist one, led by the USSR. The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer, officially Antifaschistischer Schutzwall - “Anti-Fascist Defensive Wall”) is an engineered and fortified state border of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) with West Berlin (August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989) with a length of 155 km, including including within Berlin 43.1 km. After the Second World War, the defeated Germany was occupied by the then allies: the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and France and was divided into 4 parts. The capital of Germany, the city of Berlin, suffered the same fate. The German capital was occupied by Soviet troops during the Berlin offensive by May 2, 1945. By agreement of the allies, Berlin was divided into three (from July 26 into four, including the French) occupation zones. The eastern zone, occupied by Soviet troops, subsequently became the capital of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In the three western zones, control was exercised by the occupation authorities of the United States, Great Britain and France. In 1948, disagreements arose between the USSR and the Western allies, resulting in a full-scale crisis, the immediate cause of which was the monetary reform in Trizonia - the unification of the occupation zones of the United States, Great Britain and France. Later, the western parts of the country and the capital (French, British and American sectors) are united under US control. On May 23, 1949, a capitalist state is proclaimed - the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), in response to this, on October 7, 1949, the Soviet Union in its sector proclaims the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR). The country is split into two. Two new states are formed. It was unclear what to do with Berlin. The fact is that it was located entirely on the territory of the GDR and was surrounded on all sides by the Soviet zone, although the western part of the city was also united and consolidated under US control, and the eastern part remained in the GDR. West Berlin turned out to be an exclave of the capitalist world in a territory with a socialist system and was a separate independent unit of international law. That is, West Berlin is a separate dwarf state that was not part of either the Federal Republic of Germany or the GDR. But the eastern part of Berlin was part of the GDR and later became its capital. The capital of Germany became the city of Bonn. So, we see that Germany is already divided into three new states. GDR, FRG and West Berlin. East Berlin is the capital of the GDR, West Berlin is de jure a city-state, but has close ties with Germany. Throughout the period of the division of Berlin, representatives of West Berlin did not have the right to vote in the Bundestag, citizens were exempt from military service, and the armed forces of West Berlin were the occupying forces of France, Great Britain and the United States. The Basic Law and federal laws of the Federal Republic of Germany were not in force here unless they were enacted by the West Berlin Chamber of Deputies; in addition, since 1968, passport control existed when moving between the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin through land and air corridors. However, West Berlin used the German Deutsche Mark as its currency, issued by the Bank of the German Lands, subordinate to the occupation authorities until 1951, and after that by the Federal Ministry of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany. Before the construction of the Berlin Wall, the border between the western and eastern parts of Berlin was open. The dividing line with a length of 44.75 km (the total length of the border between West Berlin and the GDR was 164 km) ran right through the streets and houses, as well as along the Spree River, canals, etc. There were officially 81 street checkpoints, 13 crossings at metro stations and city train. In addition, there were hundreds of illegal routes. Every day, from 300 to 500 thousand people crossed the border between both parts of the city for various reasons. The lack of a clear physical boundary between the zones led to frequent conflicts and a massive outflow of specialists from the GDR. East Germans preferred to receive education in the GDR, where it was free, and to work in West Berlin or the Federal Republic of Germany. The West German government, led by Konrad Adenauer, introduced the “Halstein Doctrine” in 1957, which provided for the automatic severance of diplomatic relations with any country that recognized the GDR. Germany categorically rejected the East German side's proposals to create a confederation of German states, insisting instead on holding all-German elections. In turn, the GDR authorities declared in 1958 their claims to sovereignty over West Berlin on the grounds that it was “on the territory of the GDR.” The countries of the Soviet bloc demanded the neutrality and demilitarization of West Berlin. In turn, the foreign ministers of NATO countries confirmed in May 1961 their intention to guarantee the presence of the armed forces of Western powers in the western part of the city and its “viability”. Western leaders declared that they would defend “the freedom of West Berlin” with all their might. In August 1961, the GDR authorities began constructing a secure border wall, physically separating West Berlin from the GDR. The Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War. American President Kennedy called it “a slap in the face to all humanity.” 138 citizens of the GDR, of those who tried to flee to the West, died overcoming the Berlin Wall (climbing over it, making tunnels, etc.), about 5 thousand people overcame it successfully. The Berlin underground was divided into two independently operating transport systems. Most of the lines went to West Berlin. Two of them, crossing the city center, passed through the territory of the GDR; the stations there were closed (“ghost stations”). With the conclusion of the Quadripartite Agreement on September 3, 1971, the relationship between Germany, West Berlin and the GDR received a new legal basis. The occupation regime remained in West Berlin. The legal system of West Berlin retained its specificity, determined by Allied legislation, which was very extensive in scope. Gorbachev began “Perestroika” in the USSR, and the socialist system is falling throughout the world. On November 9, 1989, citizens of the GDR were allowed to travel freely (that is, without valid reasons) abroad, resulting in the spontaneous fall of the Berlin Wall. The monopoly of the National Front of the GDR on nominating candidates for deputies was abolished - the LDPD and CDU immediately left the National Front, and the SPD was recreated. The districts and their state bodies were also abolished, the lands were recreated, as well as the state bodies of the lands - Landtags and land governments, the district councils were again renamed into district councils, the State Council was abolished and the position of the President was restored (the President himself was not elected), the Council of Ministers was renamed the Government, district courts and district courts were abolished and the supreme zemstvo courts, zemstvo courts and district courts were restored, the ideologeme about the “German socialist nation” was abolished, the anthem of the GDR began to be sung again with the words, Karl-Marx-Stadt was again renamed Chemnitz . On September 12, 1990, the “two plus four” agreement was signed in Moscow (GDR and West Germany + USSR, USA, Great Britain, France), which marked the beginning of the occupation of the GDR by the Federal Republic of Germany. Germany is united into one country. Representatives of West Berlin did not participate in West Berlin officially ceased to exist at 0:00 Central European Time on October 3, 1990, and the western and eastern parts of Berlin merged into one city. Subsequently, a united Berlin became the capital of Germany: the FRG occupied the GDR, Soviet (Russian) troops were withdrawn from the eastern part of Germany, and instead of them the American army came to the East of Germany and NATO bases were established. The euphoria of the East Germans quickly passes; they, like the citizens of the former USSR, were deceived: hunger, poverty, unemployment - all this came to them from the West. To this day, many Germans remain warmly nostalgic for the days of the GDR.

Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer) For 28 years it divided the city into west and east, it was a symbol of the Cold War, the confrontation between socialism and capitalism. The reason for its construction is the constant drain of qualified workers and simply the population dissatisfied with their life in the GDR. Since until the end of the summer of 1961, citizens could freely move from one part of Berlin to another and had the opportunity to compare the standard of living of the western and eastern parts of the city. The comparison was far from being in favor of the GDR...

And when 360 thousand people moved to the West in 1960 alone, the Soviet leadership was forced to do something urgent and extraordinary, since the GDR was on the verge of social and economic collapse. Khrushchev chose from two options - an air barrier or a wall. And he chose the second, since the first option could lead to a serious quarrel with the United States, even leading to war.

From Saturday to Sunday August 13, 1961 between Eastern And West Berlin a barbed wire fence was erected. Already in the morning, Berlin with a population of three million was divided into two parts. 193 streets, 8 tram lines, and 4 metro lines were blocked with barbed wire. In places close to the border, gas and water pipes were welded shut and electric and telephone cables were cut. Now Berliners lived in two different cities...

People began to gather on both sides of the barbed wire. They were at a loss. The cheerful wedding party, which had been going on until the very morning, went to spend some time with the bride's parents and was stopped by border guards a few steps from the house, kindergartens were left without teachers, hospitals without doctors. The order was given over the loudspeakers: “Disperse immediately!”, but people did not disperse, then with the help of water cannons everyone was dispersed within half an hour. In the following days, the barbed wire was replaced with a stone wall. At the same time, the walls of residential buildings also became parts of the border fortifications.

Berlin Wall

This had a particularly dramatic effect on the daily life of the townspeople on the street. Bernauer Straße, where the sidewalks now belonged to the West Berlin district Wedding, and the houses themselves - to the territory of the East Berlin region Mitte. In the first hours of this “division”, residents jumped out of windows onto the West Berlin side. West Berliners rescued and helped as best they could: they stretched blankets and tents. Seeing this, the border guards began to wall up the doors of the entrances and the windows of the lower floors. Later, widespread forced resettlement began from all residential border areas.

The journalists’ photo and film cameras were simply “burning” in their hands from work. One of the most famous photographs was the photo of East Berlin soldier Konrad Schumann jumping over barbed wire.

The wall then they will bring it to “perfection” for another 10 years. Since they first built a stone one, and then began to replace it with reinforced concrete. As a result, the wall seemed completely impregnable. But the Berliners did not lose hope of breaking through to the other side, and many attempts ended successfully, but even more tragically.

Years passed, over time the passions subsided, people resigned themselves and got used to the wall. It seemed that it would stand for another 30, 50, or even 100 years. But then Perestroika began in the USSR...

In 1989, on November 9, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the SED, Günther Schabowski, announced on television a new law on border crossings, containing some relaxations, and at the end he stipulated that the border was now practically open. What was meant by the word “practically” was no longer important, since immediately after that walls on Bornholmerstrasse East Germans began to gather, when the border guards asked: “What happened?” they replied that they said on TV that there was no more border. Over the next week, the world watched on television as people climbed over the Wall, danced with joy and chipped off pieces of concrete as souvenirs.

Today it is no longer possible to take a piece of the Wall. It was demolished in 1990, leaving a small fragment of 1.3 km as a reminder of the Cold War. At the Heimathmuseum in the East Berlin district of Treptow, the last block was left for “sorting out” souvenirs. The remaining pieces of the Wall in the very center were fenced off with barriers. Fragments of the reinforced concrete German barrier are located in many places around the world, among them the Microsoft Corporation, the CIA, and the R. Reagan Museum.

The anniversary of one of the most significant and symbolic events of the 20th century is celebrated in Germany. A quarter of a century ago, the Berlin Wall fell. Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the memorial complex and paid tribute to those killed while trying to overcome the concrete barrier.

For three decades, it separated two parts of the city and, as it seemed then, two worlds.

The flowers between the damp and gray blocks that once divided Berlin are a tribute to those who died trying to escape the totalitarian system. Angela Merkel knows what it means to live behind a wall. She grew up in the GDR. I myself did not believe that the reinforced concrete monster could one day disappear.

"The fall of the Berlin Wall showed us that dreams can become reality. Nothing should remain the same, no matter how high the barriers," said Angela Merkel.

The Berlin Wall stood for 28 years. At least 138 people died. Those who fled from the embrace of socialism were shot at. Their names are now immortalized on a memorial on Bernauer Strasse.

Hartmut Richter himself fled to the West in 1966, swimming across the Teltow Canal. Nine years later, he tried to take his sister to the West in the trunk of a car. He was arrested.

“I was sentenced to 15 years in prison. If I had served the entire term, I would have been released only in 1990. But I was released in 1980 because the German authorities bought me out,” says Hartmut Richter.

Another reality of the system is that the GDR sold its prisoners to its western neighbor for foreign currency. Berlin with a wall and Berlin without a wall are two completely different cities. The differences become especially noticeable when directly comparing photographs then and now. The wall that separated families, East and West, was built by order of the leadership of the GDR in 1961. They tried to make the border impenetrable. But they fled from the GDR in every possible way - both with the help of a balloon and by swimming. Only through the sewer passages under the city did 800 people move to the West. Others dug under the wall from the basements of houses. Burghart Feigel, who helped more than six hundred East Germans find their way to the West, shows the only entrance to the tunnel under the wall that remains in Berlin.

"The tunnels did not work for long, only 2-3 days, because they could be discovered. But during this time, a lot of people passed through them, even children. Other escape routes for children are difficult, but they, for example, could pass through the tunnel. Small children They were carried in meat sacks,” says Burghart Feigel.

These were real special operations. In total, 75 tunnels were made under the Berlin Wall. Joachim Rudolf, one of those who dug that underground passage, married a girl who crossed it to the West, still cannot forget the eyes of those who came out of the ground.

"All the problems we had were worth it - calluses on our hands, electric shocks when we connected electric pumps to pump out water, or when we sat on wet clay, and this wet clay floor was sometimes energized. For a while, everything it was forgotten. It was worth it," says Joachim Rudolf.

Bad things are often forgotten. According to a survey conducted just before the celebrations, one in six Germans would not mind returning the wall. Surprisingly, just a few years ago there were fewer people who wanted to isolate themselves again. Moreover, not only East Germans, but also West Germans yearn for the border. By the way, they still pay the solidarity tax. Well, the former Ossies, the eastern ones, remember the good things that happened. Elke Matz, owner of a GDR goods store in Berlin, explains why ostalgia occurs.

“In the GDR there was cohesion, unity. In the West it was not like that. Everyone stuck together, helped each other, were friendly during the GDR. They were much closer, family-like. But the West Germans were real capitalists. Look, today everything belongs to the banks.” , notes Elke Matz, owner of the Intershop-2000 store.

But 25 years ago people wanted only one thing - freedom. The Soviet leadership also insisted on reforms. On November 9, on live television, residents of the GDR were informed of a new free procedure for traveling abroad. Hundreds of thousands of East Berliners came to checkpoints near the wall. The barriers were raised under pressure from the crowd. Soviet troops did not interfere in what was happening.

The wall was practically destroyed, but today, for the special occasion, it was recreated again, from glowing balloons. The light wall stretches for 15 kilometers. And at night, passengers on landing planes again see a divided Berlin.

Exactly at 9 pm Moscow time, all these 8 thousand luminous balls will rise into the sky. Attached to each will be a postcard with Germans' personal memories of the time when Germany was divided. So, after a quarter of a century, the Berlin Wall will be destroyed again.

Why? Because commies don’t like free people who know the “truth”. What other reasons could there be?

Well, first of all, before the wall was built in 1961, thousands of East Germans traveled daily to work in West Berlin and returned to East Berlin in the evening, many traveling back and forth for shopping and other reasons. So obviously they weren't being held in the east against their will. And why was it necessary to build the wall? There were two main reasons for this:

1) The West tormented the East with a powerful campaign to recruit professionals and experienced workers from among the East Germans who were educated at the expense of the communist government. This ultimately led to a serious crisis of employment and production in the East. Here, as an indicator, as the New York Times reported in 1963:

"West Berlin suffered economically from the wall, losing some 60,000 skilled workers who commuted daily from their homes in East Berlin to work in West Berlin."

It is worth noting that USA Today reported in 1999: “When the Berlin Wall came down (1989), East Germans imagined a free life in which consumer goods abounded and hardships disappeared. Ten years later, a staggering 51% said they were happier under communism.” Earlier polls would probably have shown more than 51% expressing similar sentiments, since within ten years many of those who remembered life in East Germany with fondness had already left; although even ten years later, in 2009, the Washington Post could write:

"Westerners (in Berlin) say they are fed up with their eastern citizens' desire to increase nostalgia for communist times."

It was in the years after the unification that a new Russian and Eastern European saying was born:

“Everything the communists said about communism was a lie, but everything they said about capitalism turned out to be true.”

It should also be noted that the division of Germany into two states in 1949 - which set the stage for 40 years of hostility and the Cold War - was an American decision, not a Soviet one.

2) In the 1950s, American Cold War apologists in West Germany orchestrated a brutal campaign of sabotage and overthrow against East Germany, designed to destroy the country's economy and administrative apparatus. The CIA and other US intelligence and military agencies recruited, equipped, trained and financed German activist groups and individuals in the West and East to carry out activities ranging from youth delinquency to terrorism; Anything that could make life difficult for the people of East Germany and weaken their support for the government, anything that would show the commies in a bad light, was used.

It was an outstanding enterprise. The US and its agents used explosives, arson, short circuits and other methods to destroy power plants, shipyards, docks, public buildings, gas stations, public transport, bridges and so on; they caused freight train derailments and serious injuries to workers; burned 12 freight train cars and compressed air hoses for the rest, used acids to destroy vital mechanisms in factories, poured sand into turbines in factories, killed 7,000 cows of a cooperative farm by poisoning them, added soap to powdered milk intended for Eastern Europe. German schools; when arrested, some were found to have a large amount of poisonous cantharidin, which they planned to poison cigarettes with in order to kill the leaders of East Germany; they planted stink bombs to disrupt political rallies, tried to disrupt the World Youth Festival in East Berlin by sending out fake invitations, fake promises of free accommodation and food, fake cancellation notices, and so on; attacked participants with explosives, firebombs and tire puncture devices; forged and distributed ration cards in huge quantities to cause confusion, shortages and discontent; sent out false tax receipts and all sorts of government directives and other documents to cause disorganization and inefficiency in industry and unions... all this and much more.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC, conservative Cold Warriors, stated in one of their International Cold War History Project working papers:

“The open border in Berlin exposes the GDR (East Germany) to massive espionage and sabotage, and as two documents in the appendix show, its closure has provided greater security for the communist state.”

During the 1950s, the East Germans and the Soviet Union continually challenged the Soviets' former allies in the West and the United Nations for patterns of sabotage and espionage activities, and called for the closure of organizations in West Germany that they claimed were responsible and whose names and addresses were given. Their claims were turned a deaf ear. Inevitably, the East Germans began to restrict entry into the country from the West, which ultimately led to the construction of the infamous wall. However, after the wall was built, there was constant, albeit limited, legal immigration from east to west. In 1984, for example, East Germany allowed 40,000 people to leave. In 1985, East German newspapers claimed that more than 20,000 former citizens who had migrated to the West wanted to return home after losing their illusions about the capitalist system. The West German government said 14,300 East Germans had returned home in the previous 10 years.

And let's not forget that while East Germany was completely denazified, in West Germany, more than ten years after the war, the highest positions in the government, in the executive, legislative and judicial branches were occupied by a large number of former and “allegedly former” Nazis.

Finally, it must be recalled that Eastern Europe became communist because Hitler, with the approval of the West, used it as a highway to reach the Soviet Union and wipe out Bolshevism forever; and that the Russians lost about 40 million people in World Wars I and II simply because the West used these highways to invade Russia. It should not be surprising that after World War II the Soviet Union was determined to close this highway.

An additional and very interesting look at the anniversary of the Belin Wall can be seen in Victor Grossman’s article “Humpty Dumpty and the Fall of the Berlin Wall.” Grossman (born Steve Wechsler) defected from the US Army in Germany under the threat of the McCarthy era and became a journalist and author while living in the German Democratic Republic. He still lives in Berlin and occasionally writes for the Berlin Bulletin about events in Germany. His autobiography, Cross the River: A Memoir of the American Left, the Cold War, and Life in East Germany, was published by the University of Massachusetts. They say that he is the only holder of degrees in the world from Harvard University and the Karl Marx University in Leipzig.

The Berlin Wall is the most odious and ominous symbol of the Cold War

Category: Berlin

As a result of World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones. The eastern lands went to the Soviet Union, and the British, Americans and French controlled the west of the former Reich. The same fate befell the capital. Divided Berlin was destined to become the real arena of the Cold War. After the proclamation of the German Democratic Republic on October 7, 1949, the eastern part of Berlin was declared its capital, and the western part became an enclave. Twelve years later, the city was surrounded by a wall that physically separated the socialist GDR from the capitalist West Berlin.

Nikita Khrushchev's difficult choice

Immediately after the war, Berliners were free to move from one part of the city to another. The division was practically not felt, except for the difference in living standards, which was visible to the naked eye. The store shelves in West Berlin were overflowing with goods, which could not be said about the capital of the GDR. In the capitalist enclave, the situation was better with wages, especially for qualified personnel - they were welcomed here with open arms.

As a result, a massive outflow of specialists from East Germany to the West began. The part of the common population that was dissatisfied with their life in the “socialist paradise” did not lag behind. In 1960 alone, more than 350 thousand of its citizens left the GDR. The East German and Soviet leadership were seriously concerned about such an outflow, in fact, a mass exodus of people. Everyone understood that if he was not stopped, the young republic would face inevitable collapse.

The appearance of the wall was also determined by the Berlin crises of 1948-1949, 1953 and 1958-1961. The last one was especially tense. By that time, the USSR had actually transferred its sector of the occupation of Berlin to the GDR. The western part of the city still remained under the rule of the Allies. An ultimatum was put forward: West Berlin must become a free city. The Allies rejected the demands, believing that this could in the future lead to the annexation of the enclave to the GDR.

The situation was aggravated by the East German government's domestic policies. The then leader of the GDR, Walter Ulbricht, pursued a tough economic policy based on the Soviet model. In an effort to “catch up and overtake” the Federal Republic of Germany, the authorities did not disdain anything. They increased production standards and carried out forced collectivization. But wages and the overall standard of living remained low. This provoked the flight of East Germans to the west, as we mentioned above.

What to do in this situation? On August 3-5, 1961, the leaders of the Warsaw Pact member states urgently gathered in Moscow on this occasion. Ulbricht insisted: the border with West Berlin must be closed. The Allies agreed. But how to do that? The head of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev, considered two options: an air barrier or a wall. We chose the second one. The first option threatened a serious conflict with the United States, perhaps even a war with America.

Splitting in two - in one night

On the night of August 12-13, 1961, GDR troops were brought to the border between the western and eastern parts of Berlin. For several hours they blocked its sections within the city. Everything happened according to the declared alarm of the first degree. The military personnel, together with the police and workers' squads, simultaneously set to work, because the building materials for the construction of the barriers had been prepared in advance. Until the morning, the city of 3 million was cut into two parts.

193 streets were blocked with barbed wire. The same fate befell four Berlin metro lines and 8 tram lines. In places adjacent to the new border, power and telephone lines were cut off. They even managed to weld the pipes of all city communications here. Stunned Berliners gathered the next morning on both sides of the barbed wire. The order was given to disperse, but the people did not obey. Then they were dispersed within half an hour with the help of water cannons...

The entire perimeter of the West Berlin border was covered with barbed wire by Tuesday, August 15th. In the following days, it was replaced by the actual stone wall, the construction and modernization of which continued until the first half of the 70s. Residents from border houses were evicted, and their windows overlooking West Berlin were blocked with bricks. The border Potsdamer Platz was also closed. The wall acquired its final form only in 1975.

What was the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall (in German Berliner Mauer) had a length of 155 kilometers, of which 43.1 km were within the city limits. German Chancellor Willy Brandt called it a “shameful wall,” and US President John Kennedy called it “a slap in the face to all humanity.” The official name adopted in the GDR: Anti-Fascist Defensive Wall (Antifaschischer Schutzwall).

The wall, which physically divided Berlin into two parts along houses, streets, communications and the Spree River, was a massive structure of concrete and stone. It was an extremely fortified engineering structure with movement sensors, mines, and barbed wire. Since the wall was a border, there were also border guards here who shot to kill anyone, even children, who dared to illegally cross the border into West Berlin.

But the wall itself was not enough for the GDR authorities. A special restricted area with warning signs was set up along it. The rows of anti-tank hedgehogs and the strip dotted with metal spikes looked especially ominous; it was called “Stalin’s lawn.” There was also a metal mesh with barbed wire. When trying to penetrate through it, signal flares went off, notifying the GDR border guards about an attempt to illegally cross the border.

Barbed wire was also strung over the odious structure. A high voltage current was passed through it. Observation towers and checkpoints were erected along the perimeter of the Berlin Wall. Including from West Berlin. One of the most famous is “Checkpoint Charlie,” which was under American control. Many dramatic events took place here related to the desperate attempts of GDR citizens to escape to West Germany.

The absurdity of the “Iron Curtain” idea reached its climax when it was decided to surround the Brandenburg Gate, the famous symbol of Berlin and all of Germany, with a wall. And from all sides. For the reason that they found themselves in the path of an odious structure. As a result, neither residents of the GDR capital nor residents of West Berlin could even get close to the gates until 1990. So the tourist attraction became a victim of political confrontation.

The fall of the Berlin Wall: how it happened

Hungary involuntarily played a significant role in the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Under the influence of perestroika in the USSR, it opened the border with Austria in May 1989. This became a signal for the citizens of the GDR, who flocked to other countries of the Eastern bloc to get to Hungary, from there to Austria and then to the Federal Republic of Germany. The leadership of the GDR lost control of the situation, and mass demonstrations began in the country. People demanded civil rights and freedoms.

The protests culminated in the resignation of Erich Honecker and other party leaders. The outflow of people to the West through other Warsaw Pact countries became so massive that the existence of the Berlin Wall lost all meaning. On November 9, 1989, Günter Schabowski, a member of the Politburo of the SED Central Committee, spoke on television. He announced a simplification of the rules for entry and exit from the country and the possibility of immediately obtaining visas to visit West Berlin and Germany.

For the East Germans this was a signal. They did not wait for the new rules to officially come into force and rushed to the border in the evening of the same day. The border guards initially tried to push the crowd back with water cannons, but then gave in to the pressure of the people and opened the border. On the other side, West Berliners had already gathered and rushed to East Berlin. What happened was reminiscent of a national holiday, people laughed and cried with happiness. Euphoria reigned until the morning.

On December 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate was opened for passage. The Berlin Wall still stood, but nothing remained of its ominous appearance. It was broken in places, it was painted with numerous graffiti and drawings and inscriptions were applied. Townspeople and tourists chipped off pieces of it as souvenirs. The wall was demolished a few months after the GDR joined the Federal Republic of Germany on October 3, 1990. The symbol of the Cold War and the division of Germany has lived on for a long time.

Berlin Wall: today

Accounts of those killed while crossing the Berlin Wall vary. In the former GDR they claimed that there were 125 of them. Other sources claim that there are 192 of them. Some media reports, citing Stasi archives, cited the following statistics: 1245. Part of the large Berlin Wall memorial complex, opened in 2010, is dedicated to the memory of the victims (the entire complex was completed two years later and occupies four hectares).

Currently, a fragment of the Berlin Wall, 1300 meters long, has been preserved. It has become a reminder of the most sinister symbol of the Cold War. The fall of the wall inspired artists from all over the world, who came here and painted the remaining area with their paintings. This is how the East Side Gallery appeared - an open-air gallery. One of the drawings, the kiss of Brezhnev and Honecker, was made by our compatriot, artist Dmitry Vrubel.