On the historic night of 9th November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. Shortly thereafter Germany became a united nation, bringing an end to the so-called “Iron Curtain” and setting the stage for the end of the Cold War.
Thirty-five years later, Germany is marking the anniversaries surrounding the historical date with a multitude of events in Berlin, Leipzig, Schwerin and other cities. These include official ceremonies, open-air stages, exhibitions, tours and workshops related to the momentous day.
After reunification, the regions in the former East Germany benefited disproportionately from the surge in tourism to Germany since the early 1990s. In the new federal states (including Berlin), the number of overnight stays by international visitors has risen significantly up to 2024. The new federal states (excluding Berlin) recorded an increase in overnight stays by international visitors of 239 % from 1993 to 2023, while Berlin recorded an increase of 528 %. In comparison, the development of the old federal states is +104 %.
This year, Berlin has already recorded 7.2 million overnight stays by international
guests. Saxony has so far recorded 1.2 million overnight stays, Brandenburg 600.000 thousand and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 500.000 thousand. Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt have each recorded 300.000 thousand overnight stays.
Berlin
Most of these events will take place in Berlin, the new capital city that was once physically divided by the Berlin Wall. Some key events and exhibits are summarized below:
On 9th November:
• Historical and modern posters, signs and banners will line the former course of the Wall on the anniversary date. This multi-media exhibition made up of personal statements and contributions from thousands of people is part of a project exploring the “Peaceful Revolution” of 1989 and the significance of the events of 1989 and 1990 to today’s society.
New and/or temporary exhibitions:
• The major annual exhibition on the lost Palace of the Republic, hosted at the Humboldt Forum in Mitte, the building it was replaced. Visitors can find out the history of the Palace that once represented the political power in the GDR. A
detailed model of the palace and its original parts can be viewed at the nearby
DDR museum.
May 17, 2024 – February 16, 2025
• The wall. Before, after, East and West: This collection explores contrasted artistic viewpoints of East and West Berliners from the second half of the 1980s to the early 1990s, with a conscious focus on the period around 1989/90.
November 8, 2024 – March 2, 2025
• Speaking pictures – photographs on the division of Berlin and political imprisonment in the GDR: 16 photographs of the Berlin Wall, which document everyday life and the changes of the Wall in the divided city. All displays provide insights into the GDR’s oppressive state.
August 23, 2024 – January 12, 2025
• Dream On – Berlin, the 90s: Temporary exhibition featuring photographs of
East Berlin taken during 1990 by members of the East German photo agency
OSTKREUZ. These photographs display the societal transformations and the
challenges of reunification in a heavily divided city.
September 14, 2024 – January 22, 2025
• Love Letters to the City: A street, urban and installation art exhibition. As part of the 35th anniversary celebration, key artifacts are on loan from the Stiftung Berliner Mauer which showcase the diverse and historical perspectives of wall painting within the city.
September 14, 2024 – May 30, 2027
• Heavy Metal in the GDR: An interactive exhibit exploring the underground heavy metal scene that developed in the repressive GDR a decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
March 19, 2024 – February 9, 2025
• THE WALL MUSEUM: Fascinating exhibits, as well as films and contributions form contemporary witnesses, make the historical events tangible through multimedia installations.
September 1, 2022 – September 25, 2026
For more information about anniversary events in Berlin:
Berlin wall – events | visitBerlin.de