The atmosphere was electric
Ewald König was there when Schabowski opened the border
Ewald König was reporting for the Austrian daily newspaper "Die Presse" at the time of the fall of the Wall. He was the only journalist accredited for both East and West Germany and was in the room when SED functionary Günther Schabowski opened the border at a press conference with the words "immediately and without delay". In an interview in his office in the Haus der Bundespressekonferenz, he provides insights into this exciting time and the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Description
The video is one of several interviews with contemporary witnesses conducted by visitBerlin on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The interviewee is the journalist and author Ewald König. He talks about his experiences as a correspondent in Berlin at the time of the fall of the Wall. As the only journalist accredited for both East and West Germany, he experienced historical moments at first hand. Particularly significant: he was live at the famous press conference given by SED functionary Günther Schabowski, which led to the opening of the border. In addition to the interview situation in his office in the Haus der Bundespressekonferenz, historical material from rbb will be shown. The visitBerlin logo can be seen in the top right-hand corner. The subtitles of the video can be switched on and off in the YouTube player under settings. For a transcription, the video should be viewed directly on YouTube.