Today marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and there’s a maelstrom of media coverage about the event. (Sadly, the word maelstrom has Dutch origins, not German ones.) Given that this time last year we were living in Berlin, I’ve been following the celebrations and reading as much as I can about the event itself.
Here are a few of my favourite reads:
- 8,000 Glowing Balloons Recreate the Berlin Wall from Wired
Amazing photos of the Lichtgrenze (border of light) art installation commemorating the fall of the Wall. - The History of the Berlin Wall in Seven Questions & Answers by This Week in Germany
A great overview of the Wall itself and what happening on 9 November, 1989. - The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Black and white photographs of the Wall from the 1960s to 1989. - Insider’s Guide to Cold War Berlin from National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel blog
Info on Berlin sites that harken back to a divided city like as the Berlin Wall Memorial, which blew my mind when we visited last year. Great resource for visitors to Berlin. - How the Berlin Wall Really Fell, New York Times Op-Ed
A historian’s take on what led to the opening of the wall on 9 November, 1989 – including a lack of trust amongst Stasi officers, incompetence from East German officials, and the solidarity of the freedom movement. - The Man Who Disobeyed His Boss And Opened The Berlin Wall on NPR
About the East German border guard who opened the first gate on 9 November, 1989. - The Local’s Berlin Wall special
An archive of articles from The Local (a German-focused English-language news source) about the Berlin Wall. Covers a range of topics, including a piece on Cold War kitch, and a gallery of photos from then and now.