In Remembrance 9 November 1989

[Sucre]

A good summary of the events which led to the fall of the Wall of Berlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM2qq5J5A1s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM2qq5J5A1s)
(German with English sub-titles)

A very dramatic video on the opening of the Bornholmer Strasse, the first "Grenzübergang" to open in that night, giving way to the pressure of the crowd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_eCVhCGYwE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_eCVhCGYwE)
(German with English sub-titles)

Another, very reaslistic, video, at Potsdamer Platz (also German with English sub-titles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbsCYLx2TI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbsCYLx2TI)
There is a dramatic scene with this woman pleading to go through the Brandenburger Tor, at least once, and swears with blazing eyes that she will return - on the head of her children -
"Ist das so schwer zu verstehen ?"

And the Wall being dismantled piece by piece in front of the eyes of the border police, arguing with the demonstrators:
"Why do you think we built the Wall in 1961 ? We built it to protect ourselves from the West !"

Last but not least : the famous international press conference, where Günter Schabowski announced that "private" people are free to travel.

Schabowski did not attend the ZK meeting in the afternoon. The new rule was a draft and had been packed together with other documents for the press conference. He was reading the content of the announcement for the first time. In fact it was a mistake : the opening of the borders was a proposal drafted on the same morning - When a startled Western journalist called in-between : "When will it come into force ?", Schabowski, obviously puzzled by what he had just read, stuttered ...
"... Ab sofort ... Unverzüglich" (From now on ... Immediately ...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQiriTompdY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQiriTompdY)

The last video is a remake of this press conference with consequences, a montage made up of interviews of former witnesses and old footages.

A fascinating reportage on what happened in that dramatic night : how a mistake and bureaucratic mess lead to the fall of the Wall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoT6ZNYTeHM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoT6ZNYTeHM)

Unfortunately, I could not find any video with English translation of Schabowski's press conference. They are all in German.

There will be some celebration tomorrow in Berlin and I cannot see any of these images without tears coming to my eyes.

[Sucre]

Follow-up ...

Hungarian historian: ‘Kohl's promise was not kept'
Published: Monday 9 November 2009

Chancellor Helmut Kohl's promise that no one’s life will be worse than it was before Germany’s reunification was not met, György Fehéri, a literary historian, told EurActiv Hungary in an interview.

EurActiv.com - Hungarian historian: ‘Kohl's promise was not kept' | EU - European Information on Enlargement (http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/hungarian-historian-kohl-promise-kept/article-187145)

[Sucre]

The entire world is commemorating.

[Americano]

The entire world is commemorating.

I saw a net image, a piece of the wall (8'x10'x2'?[please pardon my US measurements]) made entirely of chocolate complete with graffiti by a French cook/artist. His intent was to smash the wall with a sledge hammer.

[Malvolio]

Great videos. Thank you for posting them, Sucre. :)