Berlin celebrates a big anniversary on 9 November: 35 years ago the Berlin Wall came down! To mark this major event, the city is organising a variety of events. They deal with the construction and fall of the Wall, but also with life in the eastern and western parts of the city at the time and with people's perspectives and experiences. We have put together the most exciting exhibitions and events for you. Look forward to excursions into the past, memories from contemporary witnesses, a look back at the former Palace of the Republic and much more.
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Tickets around the fall of the Berlin Wall
Tip 1: Experience the day the Wall fell from the perspective of 17 contemporary witnesses
The day the Wall fell is deeply rooted in the collective memory of Germans. Those who experienced it often remember exactly what they did on that day. To mark the 35th anniversary, the Berlin Wall Memorial is now presenting a video installation with interviews with 17 contemporary witnesses. On behalf of many other people, they talk about how they experienced the fall of the Wall and what the Peaceful Revolution meant for their lives.
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Berlin Wall Memorial, Visitor Centre, Bernauer Straße 111, Mitte
Our recommendation: Listen to more exciting contemporary witness conversations on our podcast!
Tip 2: Immerse yourself in the history of the Palace of the Republic at Hin und Weg
Where the Humboldt Forum now stands with its baroque façade of the former city palace, the Palace of the Republic stood in GDR times. Affectionately known as Erich's Lamp Shop or Palazzo Prozzi, the building housed the seat of the People's Chamber and numerous event rooms. A long piece of German-German history came to an end with its demolition in 1990. The mixed reality exhibition at the Humboldt Forum brings the building back to life and is dedicated to the eventful history of this special Berlin location.
When: Wednesday to Monday from 10:30 to 18:30
Where: Humboldt Forum, Schloßplatz, Mitte
Tip 3: Marvel at the model & original exhibits from the Palace of the Republic
Our next tip is also about the Palace of the Republic. Or to be more precise: its opulent interior. In the GDR Museum directly opposite the former site, many original artefacts from the Palace of the Republic are on display. A special highlight is a model of the Palace of the Republic, which has been built in great detail on a scale of 1:125 (200 cm x 130 cm). So you can once again deepen your impression of the former centrepiece of the German Democratic Republic.
When: Daily from 9 am to 9 pm
Where: DDR Museum, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 1, Mitte
Tip 4: Experience history in the photos of the OSTKREUZ agency
35 years of the fall of the Wall - and 35 years of the OSTKREUZ agency. The famous East Berlin photo agency naturally also captured the events surrounding the fall of the Wall and reunification in photographs. You can currently view the work of nine members of the agency in the exhibition Träum weiter at C/O Berlin and immerse yourself in a world in transition.Around 200 works await you, including some previously unpublished shots of the fall of the Wall, Berlin's techno scene and the transformation of Berlin into the new capital.
When: Daily from 11am to 8pm
Where: C/O Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 22-24, Charlottenburg
Tip 5: Learn more about Stasi crimes at the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen memorial
The fall of the Berlin Wall not only marked the end of restrictions on freedom of travel for many people in the GDR. It was also the beginning of the end of spying and surveillance by the Stasi. At the Hohenschönhause Memorial, you can travel back in time and experience the oppressive atmosphere of the former Stasi prison. Through moving individual stories, you will learn how the Stasi operated with surveillance measures, abductions and arrests.
When: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, Genslerstraße 66, Hohenschönhausen
Tip 6: Take a look over the Wall yourself in the Asisi Panorama Berlin
From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall ran around the western part of the city. The panorama exhibition in the Asisi Panorama Berlin reveals the incredible dimensions of this dividing structure. On 900 square metres, the artist Yadegar Asisi shows the reality of life in Kreuzberg in the shadow of the wall in a specially constructed circular building. Here you can look down from a four-metre-high wall onto everyday life in the divided city.
When: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Asisi Panorama Berlin, Friedrichstraße 205, Mitte
Tip 7: Walk 50 file kilometres through Berlin's past
Headphones in your ears, comfortable shoes and original locations of Stasi activities in divided Berlin - that's all you need to really immerse yourself in the processes and operations of the Stasi in Berlin. For the audio play 50 Aktenkilometres, 100 people from Berlin Mitte tell you about their personal experiences with the Stasi. The result is a symphony of original sounds and recordings from back then - always with a view of the city today. During your walk, you will come across obduction reports, operational plans, memory logs and more. This will give you a realistic impression of what life with the Stasi was like.
When: Anytime
Where: Virtual at various locations in the city
Tip 8: Relive the time before and after reunification at the 4D Museum
In the Deutschlandmuseum you can experience 2000 years of German history - from the Varus Battle in 9 AD to the division of Germany and the division of Germany. AD to the division and reunification of Germany. And in immersive exhibition spaces. To mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, you will of course be focussing on more recent history. Why was Germany divided in the first place? You can find out the answers to these and other questions here - and in a more interactive and exciting way than in any history lesson!
When: Daily from 10 am to 8 pm
Where: Deutschlandmuseum, Leipziger Platz 7, Mitte
Tip 9: Discover the border and ghost stations of divided Berlin
In divided Berlin, a wall not only ran through the city above ground. Even underground, suddenly nothing was as usual. On their way through the city's tunnels, suburban trains and underground trains were suddenly no longer allowed to stop at some stations. You can find out what this meant for passengers and what the border and ghost stations looked like in the permanent exhibition at Nordbahnhof Berlin. At the original location directly on the tracks, of course.
When: Around the clock
Where: Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station, Am Nordbahnhof, Mitte
Border and ghost railway stations in divided Berlin
Tip 10: Let yourself be touched by individual GDR fates in the Palace of Tears
The Palace of Tears is one of the most famous sites of the German-German division. Here, directly on the banks of the Spree and the lively Friedrichstraße railway station, was one of the border crossings between East and West from 1961 to 1989. The emotional scenes that took place here during the numerous farewells gave the former exit hall its name. In the permanent exhibition at the historic site, you can find out how border controls worked back then, how the two German states came to be founded and what stories travellers experienced at the time.
When: Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm
Where: Tränenpalast, Reichstagufer 17, Mitte
Tip 11: Look at the fall of the Wall through the eyes of an artist
Daniel Biskup is one of the most renowned photographers to have captured the fall of the Wall on camera. His pictures went around the world and still amaze viewers today. To mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, you can now view his works, including previously unpublished photographs, in a special exhibition at the Hotel de Rome . Admission is free, just register at reception.
When: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Hotel de Rome, Behrenstraße 37, Mitte
