The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, at the border crossing on Bornholmer Straße. Today, it is a memorial where you can relive that historic evening

At 11:30 p.m., it was over. The border guards on Bornholmer Straße could no longer hold their ground against the huge crowds of East Berliners who wanted to go to West Berlin. The Berlin Wall fell at that very moment.

On November 9, 1989, Günter Schabowski, secretary of the Socialist Party, inadvertently brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall on live television.

During a press conference, he was handed a piece of paper regarding new travel regulations, which included permission to cross the border into West Berlin. But he wasn’t supposed to read it aloud.

After the reading, he was asked when it would take effect, and he replied:
“As far as I know, it takes effect immediately, without delay.”

Berliners in both East and West Berlin watched, and the East Berliners didn’t hesitate. They rushed to the border crossings and checkpoints in Berlin.

The Bornholmer Straße Checkpoint

The border guards were stationed there and had orders to keep the border closed. But more and more East Berliners kept arriving, and eventually the handful of border guards were no match for the crowds.

Half an hour before midnight, the first border guards gave up and opened the border at Bornholmer Straße.

Platz der 9. November 1989

A memorial to that historic evening now stands on the site where the border crossing used to be.

A section of the Berlin Wall also remains, marked with a timeline showing the few hours it took from when East Berliners began gathering at the border until it was opened.

Panels featuring photographs and text from that historic evening adorn the square. So do two commemorative plaques, one of which is mounted on the bridge across which East Berliners poured when the border barrier was raised.

There are also benches set up so you can sit down and soak up the history of the square and the bridge.

Some of us can remember the event and the flutter in our stomachs when the Berlin Wall fell. Younger people have to make do with the pictures and the stories.

And you can stand right where the peaceful revolution in East Germany reached its climax.

Location:
Bornholmer Straße 61,
10439 Berlin

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Family friendly: Yes
Price: Free