When Did the Berlin Wall Fall? November 9, 1989

Q: When did the Berlin Wall fall?

The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, when East German authorities unexpectedly announced that citizens could cross the border, and crowds poured through the checkpoints. The wall had divided East and West Berlin for 28 years. Germany was reunified less than a year later, on October 3, 1990.

Why the wall was built

After World War II, Germany and its capital, Berlin, were split between the Allies. West Berlin became an island of the democratic West inside communist East Germany. By 1961, about 3.5 million East Germans had fled west, many through Berlin. To stop the exodus, East Germany built the wall overnight on August 13, 1961, calling it an “anti-fascist protection rampart.”

The night it fell

Summer 1989Hungary opens its border with Austria; thousands of East Germans escape that way
Autumn 1989Huge peaceful protests spread, especially in Leipzig
November 9, 1989At a press conference, official Günter Schabowski mistakenly says new travel rules take effect “immediately”
That nightCrowds gather at checkpoints; overwhelmed guards open the gates at Bornholmer Strasse and elsewhere
Following daysPeople chip pieces off the wall as souvenirs, celebrating on top of it

The human cost

At least 140 people were killed trying to cross the wall or because of the border regime in Berlin. Thousands more succeeded in escaping through tunnels, in hidden car compartments, and even by hot-air balloon.

Why it matters

The fall of the wall became the symbol of the end of the Cold War. Within two years, communist governments collapsed across Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. You can read more about the ideas behind those governments in what communism is.

Can you still see it?

Yes. Sections survive at the East Side Gallery, an open-air art gallery along the river Spree, and the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse. Planning a visit? Check what time it is in Germany.