The Fall Of The Berlin Wall In 57 Stirring Photos

The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, marked not just the dismantling of a barrier, but a victory for freedom itself.

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1 of 58Berlin had been politically divided since the end of World War II, with the eastern portion of the city serving as the capital of the German Democratic Republic. Pool Chute Du Mur Berlin/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 2 of 58 3 of 58Crowds cheer during the opening of the Berlin Wall. The concrete structure had divided Germany into East and West factions since its construction in 1961.Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images 4 of 58Patrick Piel/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 5 of 58Days before the fall of the Wall, the East German cabinet resigned. David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 6 of 58Gerard Malie/AFP/Getty Images 7 of 58A few days before the Berlin Wall was destroyed, Gunter Schabowski, the East Berlin Communist party boss, declared that starting from midnight, East Germans would be free to leave the country without permission at any point along the border, including the crossing-points through the Wall in Berlin. However, this was not entirely true.John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images 8 of 58R√©gis BOSSU/Sygma/Getty Images 9 of 58The announcement was misinterpreted as meaning the border was now open and East German border guards were unable to stop the crowds.Getty Images 10 of 58Peter Timmullstein bild/Getty Images 11 of 58Chris Niedenthal/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images 12 of 58Indeed, East German border patrol had no idea the Wall was to come down the day that it did, but crowds had heard otherwise from the press and crowded the Wall until the soldiers felt they had no choice but to let them through.Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 13 of 58Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images 14 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 15 of 58It was early on Nov. 11, 1989, as East German border guards demolished a section of the wall in order to open a new crossing point between East and West Berlin.Gerard Malie/AFP/Getty Images 16 of 58Getty Images 17 of 58As Francis Fukuyama would later say, this moment ushered in “the end of history.“The National Post 18 of 58Getty Images 19 of 58In stunning juxtaposition to the images of loss are those of celebration at the time of the fall. The symbolism of the crumbling monolith was powerful and uniting. Gallery Hip 20 of 58At least 938 people - 255 in Berlin alone - were shot and killed by East German border guards for attempting to flee to West Berlin or West Germany. Gerard Malie/AFP/Getty Images 21 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 22 of 58Arthur Sidey/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images 23 of 58A crowd of West Germans welcome the first travelers from the east that come through the border by car. The Berlin wall stood for 10,316 days before it was brought down.Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 24 of 58Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images 25 of 58Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 26 of 58The Berlin Wall was reinforced with barbed wire, spikes, metal gratings, bunkers and vehicles made to discourage people from trying to go through it.David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 27 of 58A slew of artists performed on the Wall shortly before its destruction to protest its existence, including David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and David Hasselhoff. Pool Chute Du Mur Berlin/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 28 of 58Pool Bouvet/Merillon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 29 of 58Getty Images 30 of 58Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, parts of it have been sold off, small chips going to tourists and larger blocks to higher bidders. 31 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 32 of 58The Berlin Wall which was nearly 12 feet high and approximately 27 miles long.Getty Images 33 of 58Boston 34 of 58The wall, which was one of the most visible symbols of the Cold War, did not come down all at once. The initial section was removed in a ceremonial fashion but others would bring their own tools, chiseling and hammering away section by section, bit by bit. Franklin Now 35 of 58Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images 36 of 58Pool Bouvet/Merillon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 37 of 58The opening of the Berlin Wall symbolized the true end of the Cold War for Germans on both sides. Peter Timmullstein bild/Getty Images 38 of 58Peter Timmullstein bild/Getty Images 39 of 58Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 40 of 58A West German offers champagne to an East German passing through Checkpoint Charlie. David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 41 of 58Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 42 of 58Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 43 of 58The opening of the Berlin wall on Nov. 11, 1989, from the viewpoint of West Germany.Michel BARET/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 44 of 58Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images 45 of 58 After the wall collapsed, east Berliners were able to pass through into West Germany.Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images 46 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images 47 of 58Never again would there be soldiers mounted on the wall, ensuring that no one could get into or out of East Germany. The shattering of the stone divide brought down the barriers and alleviated many fears of the time. Time 48 of 58Reddit 49 of 58The Berlin Wall stood for 28 years.Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images 50 of 58Within hours of East Germany’s announcement of exit visas, people were smashing sections of the Wall with their own hand tools and these first cracks in the Wall led to the complete opening of the border within days.Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images 51 of 58Those who gathered took their accomplishments to heart, standing atop the wall that was once unclimbable, waiting for it to come crashing down. Boston Globe 52 of 58Gallery Hip 53 of 58Gallery Hip 54 of 58Those on the Eastern side of the wall were divided in emotion and loyalty. While many found it to be a too-long awaited day, there were some who did not look kindly upon the change.The National Post 55 of 58Once the first section fell, people from both sides were eager to venture through to the parts of their country - and their capital - from which they had been cut off for so many years. Gallery Hip 56 of 58Daily Mail 57 of 58The pain is still present, if not fresh, for many who lived through the Cold War. Here, a nun walks in front of a line of wreaths during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall, at the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse in Berlin on Aug. 13, 2011. Mourners visit and remembrances are often left at this and other memorial sites. Boston 58 of 58Like this gallery?Share it:

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57 Photos Of The Day The Berlin Wall Fell View Gallery

The winter of 1989 was a significant time in German history. After 28 grueling years, the infamous Berlin Wall — which was built in the 19660s to divide Communist East Germany from non-Communist West Germany — came toppling down. The fall of the Berlin Wall, however, started as something of an accident.

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2 of 58

3 of 58Crowds cheer during the opening of the Berlin Wall. The concrete structure had divided Germany into East and West factions since its construction in 1961.Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

4 of 58Patrick Piel/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

5 of 58Days before the fall of the Wall, the East German cabinet resigned. David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

6 of 58Gerard Malie/AFP/Getty Images

7 of 58A few days before the Berlin Wall was destroyed, Gunter Schabowski, the East Berlin Communist party boss, declared that starting from midnight, East Germans would be free to leave the country without permission at any point along the border, including the crossing-points through the Wall in Berlin. However, this was not entirely true.John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

8 of 58R√©gis BOSSU/Sygma/Getty Images

9 of 58The announcement was misinterpreted as meaning the border was now open and East German border guards were unable to stop the crowds.Getty Images

10 of 58Peter Timmullstein bild/Getty Images

11 of 58Chris Niedenthal/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

12 of 58Indeed, East German border patrol had no idea the Wall was to come down the day that it did, but crowds had heard otherwise from the press and crowded the Wall until the soldiers felt they had no choice but to let them through.Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

13 of 58Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images

14 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

15 of 58It was early on Nov. 11, 1989, as East German border guards demolished a section of the wall in order to open a new crossing point between East and West Berlin.Gerard Malie/AFP/Getty Images

16 of 58Getty Images

17 of 58As Francis Fukuyama would later say, this moment ushered in “the end of history.“The National Post

18 of 58Getty Images

19 of 58In stunning juxtaposition to the images of loss are those of celebration at the time of the fall. The symbolism of the crumbling monolith was powerful and uniting. Gallery Hip

20 of 58At least 938 people - 255 in Berlin alone - were shot and killed by East German border guards for attempting to flee to West Berlin or West Germany. Gerard Malie/AFP/Getty Images

21 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

22 of 58Arthur Sidey/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

23 of 58A crowd of West Germans welcome the first travelers from the east that come through the border by car. The Berlin wall stood for 10,316 days before it was brought down.Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

24 of 58Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

25 of 58Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

26 of 58The Berlin Wall was reinforced with barbed wire, spikes, metal gratings, bunkers and vehicles made to discourage people from trying to go through it.David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

27 of 58A slew of artists performed on the Wall shortly before its destruction to protest its existence, including David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and David Hasselhoff. Pool Chute Du Mur Berlin/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

28 of 58Pool Bouvet/Merillon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

29 of 58Getty Images

30 of 58Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, parts of it have been sold off, small chips going to tourists and larger blocks to higher bidders.

31 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

32 of 58The Berlin Wall which was nearly 12 feet high and approximately 27 miles long.Getty Images

33 of 58Boston

34 of 58The wall, which was one of the most visible symbols of the Cold War, did not come down all at once. The initial section was removed in a ceremonial fashion but others would bring their own tools, chiseling and hammering away section by section, bit by bit. Franklin Now

35 of 58Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images

36 of 58Pool Bouvet/Merillon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

37 of 58The opening of the Berlin Wall symbolized the true end of the Cold War for Germans on both sides. Peter Timmullstein bild/Getty Images

38 of 58Peter Timmullstein bild/Getty Images

39 of 58Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

40 of 58A West German offers champagne to an East German passing through Checkpoint Charlie. David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

41 of 58Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

42 of 58Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

43 of 58The opening of the Berlin wall on Nov. 11, 1989, from the viewpoint of West Germany.Michel BARET/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

44 of 58Patrick PIEL/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

45 of 58 After the wall collapsed, east Berliners were able to pass through into West Germany.Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images

46 of 58David Turnley/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images

47 of 58Never again would there be soldiers mounted on the wall, ensuring that no one could get into or out of East Germany. The shattering of the stone divide brought down the barriers and alleviated many fears of the time. Time

48 of 58Reddit

49 of 58The Berlin Wall stood for 28 years.Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images

50 of 58Within hours of East Germany’s announcement of exit visas, people were smashing sections of the Wall with their own hand tools and these first cracks in the Wall led to the complete opening of the border within days.Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images

51 of 58Those who gathered took their accomplishments to heart, standing atop the wall that was once unclimbable, waiting for it to come crashing down. Boston Globe

52 of 58Gallery Hip

53 of 58Gallery Hip

54 of 58Those on the Eastern side of the wall were divided in emotion and loyalty. While many found it to be a too-long awaited day, there were some who did not look kindly upon the change.The National Post

55 of 58Once the first section fell, people from both sides were eager to venture through to the parts of their country - and their capital - from which they had been cut off for so many years. Gallery Hip

56 of 58Daily Mail

57 of 58The pain is still present, if not fresh, for many who lived through the Cold War. Here, a nun walks in front of a line of wreaths during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall, at the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse in Berlin on Aug. 13, 2011. Mourners visit and remembrances are often left at this and other memorial sites. Boston

58 of 58Like this gallery?Share it:

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57 Photos Of The Day The Berlin Wall Fell View Gallery

57 Photos Of The Day The Berlin Wall Fell

View Gallery

When a misinformed party boss told a crowd of Berliners that the strict regulations around crossing the border had been softened, near-chaos ensued as East Germans rushed the border. Unprepared guards eventually had no choice but to let citizens through and eventually, the opening of the borders led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall entirely.

Leading Up To The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty ImagesStalin, Churchill, Attlee, Truman, and others at the Potsdam Conference.

The defeat of the Nazis at the end of World War II was followed by the occupation of Germany by Allied troops. The country was divided into four different occupation zones: the western two-thirds of Germany was split between the Americans, British, and French, while the Soviet Union occupied the eastern part.

The arrangement was settled in the Potsdam Conference between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin, and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

But Berlin, the former capital, became a special case. The occupying powers agreed to place the city under joint four-power authority led by the Allied Control Council even though technically the city fell within the Soviet’s occupation zone.

Since most of Germany’s agricultural production was within the Soviet-occupied zone, the Soviets took over Germany’s manufacturing and production facilities. They were also tasked with providing food to the rest of the occupied areas, but the Soviet’s desire to push out the Allied forces won over their post-war agreements.

Entering The Cold War — And The Berlin Wall Goes Up

Dominique Berretty/Gamma-Rapho/Getty ImagesThe Deutsche Volkspolizei, or commonly known as the Volkspolizei or VoPo, was the national police force of the German Democratic Republic.

In June 1948, the Allies introduced a new currency. In retaliation, the Soviet Union cut all access to Berlin to squeeze out the Allied forces, leaving West Berlin without access to food and supplies from outside its borders.

The Allies’ solution was to airlift 278,000 separate flights of supplies to Berlin that included roughly 2.3 million tons of food, coal, medicine and other necessities that were inaccessible because of the Soviet blockade.

The airlift operation was in part a humane act from the Allies and a geopolitical tactic to win over the support of the 2 million West Berliners in their attempt to establish control post-war Germany. The British declared food rationing in England so that grain from America could be diverted to feed the people in West Berlin.

“It was an essential step to say: ‘If we want to establish a democracy, we have to make sure that democracy is able to feed the people,’” Acting Director of the Allied Museum in Berlin Bernd von Kostka explained in an interview.

But the price of democracy did not come cheap. The U.S. spent $48 million to accomplish the air delivery while England shelled out $8.5 million. Fifty-seven lives were lost during the operation, among them 27 Americans, 23 British, and seven Germans.

The Soviet blockade lasted 318 days, but Allied forces continued to airlift supplies into West Berlin even afterward as a precaution.

Later, Germany formally split into two independent nations and remained so until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Years Of Separation

DPA/Picture Alliance/Getty ImagesBorder guards from East Germany converse with police from West Germany after the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

In June 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy sought to discuss the unresolved matter of Berlin. By this point, the issue spelled the possibility of an all-out nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Kennedy tried to negotiate with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, but his plan did not go well.

Khrushchev took a hard-line position. “It is up to the U.S. to decide whether there will be war or peace,” Khrushchev said, to which Kennedy responded: “Then, Mr. Chairman, there will be war. It will be a cold winter.”

Indeed, the climate of the Cold War grew even chillier. Especially when on August 13, Berliners awoke to 40,000 East German building the Berlin Wall which would serve as the visible divider between the East and West.

The GDR claimed that the Berlin Wall — which stretched 96 miles around West Berlin with 13 frontier posts — was meant to be an “anti-fascist rampart” against the West Germans.

But the truth was that 3 million East Germans had already fled to the less oppressive West German territory since the border between the two separated states was closed, so the GDR wanted to make sure that nobody else could escape their domain. Thus, families and friends were forced to separate overnight.

East Berliners pass through the border to West Berlin for the first time in 28 years after the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall started as a plain barbed wire fence and was later built into a concrete two-layer fortress that sandwiched an empty plot known as “death strip” which featured extra security measures, like sand beds, searchlights, barbed wire, armed vehicles, and electric alarm systems. In total, there were 302 watchtowers along the Berlin Wall.

East Berliners pass through the border to West Berlin for the first time in 28 years after the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

Before the Berlin Wall was built, Berliners on both sides of the city could move between the east and west reasonably freely, and even public transit lines continued to operate and carry passengers back and forth. After the wall was built, however, it became almost impossible to go between East and West Berlin. Diplomats and other officials were screened at one of the 13 border checkpoints along the wall.

The frontier post bordering directly with the Allied territory was named “Checkpoint Charlie” and became the scene of a contentious standoff between East German tanks and Allied forces.

East Germany’s guards were ordered to shoot on sight — including women and children — should they spot someone crossing the border illegally. But people were desperate. In all, an estimated 250 people were killed trying to make the crossing, though roughly 5,000 managed to escape safely.

The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

Scherhaufer/ullstein bild/Getty ImagesCrowds gather at the border in anticipation of the Berlin Wall’s destruction.

Surprisingly, the fall of the Berlin Wall did not happen through rigorous political negotiations. Instead, it came about through a mistaken and premature announcement.

On November 9, 1989, GDR spokesman Günter Schabowski spontaneously announced that restrictions on travel visas to West Germany would be lifted.

When asked for a timeline of the new policy to take effect, Schabowski answered: “Immediately, without delay.” The announcement shocked everyone — especially the border officers who had not been aware of the plan.

The surprise announcement was not at all how the visa policy was supposed to be rolled out.

Indeed, the original visa policy would still require East Germans to go through a lengthy application process to cross the border. But Schabowski’s premature statements had already gone to the press which reported the news with fervor.

The reports sparked thousands of East Berliners to head to the Berlin Wall. Checkpoint officers faced a swell of crowds that grew angrier by the minute as the borders had not been opened as was announced.

At the Bornholmer Street checkpoint, Chief Officer Harald Jäger was harangued by the masses waiting to cross the border. To make matters worse, Jäger’s superiors had ordered him to keep the border crossing closed despite the growing mob of angry citizens.

According to Jäger’s own account, his superiors refused to listen to his explanation of what was happening at the border

Berliners celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“I shouted down the phone: ‘If you don’t believe me, then just listen.’ I took the receiver and held it out of the window,” Jäger said in an interview about the night of the border opening. Eventually, the scene had grown too much for Jäger and his staff officers to handle. He decided to disobey orders and open the gate.

Berliners celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the border security checkpoints to follow. Berliners from both sides rejoiced and celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall with sledgehammers, chisels, and celebratory drinks, hammering happily at the concrete barrier as a gesture of its destruction.

Crowds scaled the wall and cheered as their Eastern counterparts began to cross through the fallen border while reunited family members embraced and shed tears of relief.

Although the physical fall of the Berlin Wall can be attributed to a string of unplanned factors that happened overnight, the freedom that it granted East Berliners and Germans as a whole, was a long-fought battle.

As East German dissident-turned-politician Marianne Birthler put it, Westerners believe that “it was the opening of the wall that brought us our freedom.” But “it was the other way around. First, we fought for our freedom; and then, because of that, the wall fell.”

After this look at the fall of the Berlin Wall, learn how the Wall became a canvas for astounding artwork. Then, take a look at vintage photos that provide a peek into life in East Germany.

The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, marked not just the dismantling of a barrier, but a victory for freedom itself.#

Leading Up To The Fall Of The Berlin Wall#

Entering The Cold War — And The Berlin Wall Goes Up#

Years Of Separation#

The Fall Of The Berlin Wall#

The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, marked not just the dismantling of a barrier, but a victory for freedom itself.

Leading Up To The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

Entering The Cold War — And The Berlin Wall Goes Up

Years Of Separation

The Fall Of The Berlin Wall