25 Years Fall of Berlin Wall

When the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, images from the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin were seen around the world and considered to be a symbol of freedom regained. The autumn of 2014 sees the 25th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and the Fall of the Wall, with Berlin once again becoming the focus of world attention.

The highlight of these anniversary celebrations will take place on the weekend of 7–9 November with the LICHTGRENZE (“frontier of lights”) – a light installation running along the former route of the inner-city Berlin Wall for a distance of approximately 15 kilometres The former division of the city will once more become visible through some 8,000 thousands of illuminated white balloons.

This symbolic frontier of lights will be the festive of the event. On the evening of November 9th the balloons will be released by their patrons along a route from Bornholmer Straße and Bösebrücke, the Mauerpark, Bernauer Straße, the Berlin Wall Memorial, passing the Brandenburg Gate, crossing Potsdamer Platz and Checkpoint Charlie, and all the way to the EastSide Gallery and Oberbaumbrücke. After being lit up for three nights and two days, the battery-operated balloons will be untied from their two-metre long ropes on November 9 and symbolically set free into the night sky.

An accompanying openair exhibition along the LICHTGRENZE will look back at the city’s divided history, the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Wall. The exhibition will use photos and text to tell ‘Wall Stories’ at selected historic locations, the content for which is being compiled by the Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft.

The LICHTGRENZE invites people to embark on a journey of discovery through the once-divided city. Viewing platforms offer fascinating views of the installation along the former course of the wall. Historical footage will be presented on video walls at prominent locations. Guided tours depart from information points.

The ‘frontier of lights’ will create unique images on streets, squares and bridges, along paths and housing walls, that—formerly separated—now set the tone after 25 years: a tone that is creative, exciting, future oriented and international.

www.berlin.de/Mauerfall2014