World | Other World Stories
Changing geographies
Symbolising the Iron Curtain that existed between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc, the Berlin Wall was a domineering barrier built in August 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
- Maria Dowdall Stapleton, Feature Writer
- Published: 00:00 November 17, 2009
As a direct result of the Wall, East Germans could no longer travel or emigrate to West Germany, families were split up, East Berliners employed in West Berlin were cut off from their jobs and West Berlin became an isolated enclave in a hostile land.
On November 9, 1989, under mounting pressure from a revolutionary wave that was sweeping across the Eastern Bloc, the East German government announced its citizens would be able to visit West Germany. After the announcement, crowds of East Germans climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side. This landmark event signalled the fall of theBerlin Wall, ending years of separation for friends, family and the German nation.
Twenty years on, four German expatriates share their memories of the historic event and explain the impactit had on their lives.
Nils Fromm
Food and Beverage Director, Grand Millennium Hotel, Dubai
In the weeks leading up to the collapse of the Wall, the entire country was speaking about it. There had been much speculation and discussion, but no one expected it to happen so quickly. When the Wall fell, I was at home in Bremen and watched the event on TV. I wanted to go to Berlin to celebrate, but as a 16-year-old school pupil, I could not. Instead, one week later I visited the former East Germany with my brother and a friend, to show our support and get a feel for what East Germany was like. In the immediate aftermath of the event, the solidarity between East and West was intense, the mood was very positive and people werefull of hope. Although integration is still ongoing, thefall of the Berlin Wall was a fantastic event, as it reunited Germany, as well as families and friends. To see people from former East Germany experience the sense of freedom that was normal for someone from former West Germany was tremendous. >
Sarah Hameister
Marketing and Communications Executive
I was four years old and living with my family in Biberach an der Riss, a town in southern Germany, when the Wall fell. For families separated by the Wall, its collapse meant they could be reunited. Another benefit was that a lot of much-needed workers moved to the former West Germany, which gave the economy a great boost. The biggest disadvantage was that after the fall of the Wall, residents had to pay solidarity surcharges to finance the country — something that remains mandatory for everyone to this day.
Grit and Tewe Pannier
Grit is the Managing Partner of a PR agency while Tewe is a TV Producer and Publisher
Grit: I grew up in Potsdam in East Germany, but a few weeks before the collapse of the Wall, I jumped the iron curtain from Hungary to the West. The West German authorities took me to Bernhardsberg, a small village in the Bavarian Forest. It was there, on an old TV which had been donated to the Eastern Bloc refugees,
I watched the Wall come down. As I watched, all I wanted was to be in Berlin. I never expected the wall to come down, so that night I was overwhelmed by happiness — and I still cry now remembering it. The collapse of the Berlin Wall created a strong, mature Germany which could play a positive role in Europe. For me, the event changed everything. I could go back to my hometown. I could see my family again without fear of the secret police. Most importantly, I could shape my life in my country without any borders set by ideology or dogma.
Tewe: I was living in Luxemburg running a production
company when the Berlin Wall fell. I was working late in
the office and saw the event on a TV news programme at about 9pm. I ran to my local bar and screamed in French: "The Wall is down, the wall is down! Champagne, champagne!"
Then I called Pan American Airlines — one of only three airlines allowed to fly into the separated city — and booked a flight to Berlin. When I returned to the bar, everybody was drinking the champagne I had ordered. They all toasted to me and to Berlin. When I reached Berlin the next day, I celebrated for 24 hours on the streets and ended up on top of the Wall breaking off pieces of it. Two weeks later, I quit my job and returned to my home town.
The event restored the country to its natural state. Families were reunited, ownerships of businesses and property were reinstalled and 80 million people of the same language and heritage could now vote for one parliament. After I relocated, I met and fell in love with Grit. I often feel our love also celebrates the reunion of our country. n
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