All of Berlin will be on its feet this weekend: For the 35. To mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, numerous events are being organised.
On the 4-kilometre-long event mile along the former course of the Wall, a unique Open-air exhibition with thousands of posters: They reflect the voices of our society on the great anniversary motto Hold up freedom!
The highlight on Saturday evening is a gigantic concert on the Event Mile. From 8 pm to 9 pm you can enjoy the Fest for Freedom to join in the celebrations: Join hundreds of musicians and singers and become the biggest band in Berlin for an hour!
Here you can find out what's going on this weekend. You can also book with us:
Ticket for activities around the fall of the Berlin Wall
Tip 1: Celebrate the most important thing across Berlin: freedom!
This weekend, Berlin will be transformed into a living symbol of freedom and democracy to mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Under the motto Hold up freedom! | Thousands of voices for freedom and democracy, a four-kilometre-long installation with historical and newly designed posters and banners on the topic will stretch along the former course of the Wall. The route leads past Berlin locations such as the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and Invalidenstraße. The exhibition will be accompanied by the gigantic concert "Fest für die Freiheit", readings and talks that emphasise the importance of freedom and democracy in the here and now.
When: Friday and Saturday at various times
Where: Along the former inner-city Wall in Mitte
Tip 2: Let yourself be touched by the fates and love stories of (East) Berlin heroes:Inside touch
The Wall Tour "Fates, Love Stories and Heroes" takes you on a moving journey along the former course of the Wall. The two-hour tour takes you through a dark historical era. It brings to life stories of dramatic escapes, moving fates and courageous people who sought freedom and dared to flee the GDR. Visit central places of history with the professional guides and share in the fates of suddenly separated families and neighbours who became citizens of different worlds because of the Wall. Especially on the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, this touris an immersive experience that brings Berlin's turbulent past to life.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 3pm
Where: Elisabeth-Schwarzhaupt-Platz, Mitte
Our special recommendation: Listen to our new podcast episode with exciting interviews with contemporary witnesses!
visitBerlin Podcast BERLIN UNBOXED
Tip 3: Experience contemporary witnesses at the East Side Gallery
On 9 November, the East Side Gallery will be transformed into the East Side Gallery. On 9 November, the East Side Gallery will become a canvas for German-German history: as part of the projection I - You - We: Voices on the Fall of the Wall, videos with personal memories of the peaceful revolution and the fall of the Wall will be projected onto the back of the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall Foundation has spent several weeks collecting the personal stories and perspectives of Berlin contemporary witnesses. The videos immerse you in the time when courageous citizens of the GDR fought for freedom and democracy. Experience how very personal voices describe Berlin's historical heritage and the importance of democracy and call for these values to be preserved together.
When: Saturday from 5 to 8 pm
Where: East Side Gallery, Mühlenstraße, Friedrichshain
Ich-Du-Wir: Voices on the Fall of the Wall
Tip 4: Deadly barrier systems: learn about strategies of the former GDR at the Spy Museum
In order to thwart escape attempts, the GDR government came up with quite a few things in the 1980s. You can find out about one particularly devious escape defence strategy on Saturday at the German Spy Museum when the award-winning documentary Barriers - A Murderous Invention is shown. The film precisely reconstructs the development of the deadly barrier systems that were installed at GDR border crossings to forcibly prevent escape attempts. The haunting images and in-depth research reveal thecooperation between engineers, secret services and the military, who worked together to develop barrier systems that were propagated as "protective measures".
When: Thursday at 7pm
Where: German Spy Museum, Leipziger Platz 9, Mitte
Barriers-A Murderous Invention
Tip 5: Take exciting insights into the fall of the Berlin Wall and human rights issues at Checkpoint Charlie
When the Berlin Wall came down on 9 November 1989 at Checkpoint Charlie. When the border opened at Checkpoint Charlie on 9 November 1989, a new life began for many people across Germany. The Wall Museum was founded on this very spot on the western side of the Wall in 1962. On three floors, you can see many impressive exhibits and several exhibitions. The permanent exhibition The Berlin Wall - From Construction to Fall documents escape attempts and the development of the GDR border protection system. Other exhibitions shed light on topics such as the history of NATO, the international human rights movement and the fall of the Wall itself. Come along for exciting insights into recent history!
When: Daily from 10 am to 8 pm
Where: Mauermuseum - Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Friedrichstraße 43-45, Mitte
Tip 6: Discover Berlin's World War II & Cold War history on a guided tour
Explore Berlin on this two-hour walking tour while learning about the eventful years of World War II, the Cold War and reunification after 1989. The tour starts at the Brandenburg Gate and takes you to key sites of German history, including the Reichstag building, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the former location of Checkpoint Charlie. The English-speaking guide brings history to life at these significant places, vividly illustrating the defining events of the 20th century. The tour is free for children up to 12 years old when accompanied by an adult and offers a discounted rate for seniors aged 65 and over.
When: Daily at various times
Where: Meeting point at Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz 1
Tip 7: Remember the victims of violent German regimes at the Gethsemane Church
Not only the victims of the GDR regime will be commemorated on the anniversary weekend of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The victims of the pogrom night on 9 November 1938 will also be mourned at a solemn memorial concert in the Gethsemane Church in Pankow. From 6 pm, the sound of great choral compositions will fill the church, performed by the Gethsemanekantorei, the Jugendkantorei and other choirs. Works by Vivaldi, Bach and Britten create a musical bridge between solidarity and remembrance. The concert combines the longing for peace with respectful remembrance and invites you to experience the powerful atmosphere of the Gethsemane Church. Admission is free, donations are welcome.
When: Saturday from 17:40
Where: Gethsemanekirche, Stargarder Str. 77, Pankow
Memorial concert in the Gethsemanekirche
Tip 8: Come to the Wall Film Festival at the Colosseum cinema
The Wall Film Festival brings a whole weekend of exciting short films and documentaries about life with the Wall and the period of reunification to the screen at the Colosseum cinema. In addition to insights into the political dimensions, the film contributions revolve around topics such as the construction of the Wall, fear and mistrust in everyday life as well as the fall of the Wall and the subsequent social transformation. The programme includes experts and contemporary witnesses who make an important contribution to remembrance work with their personal stories. And children won't miss out either: on 10 November, young guests can learn more about German-German history through animated films. The Wall Film Festival is an impressive homage to events that changed Berlin and the world.
When: Saturday from 4pm and Sunday from 3pm
Where: Colosseum Berlin, Schönhauser Allee 123, Prenzlauer Berg
Wall Film Festival
Tip 9: I wonder what it was like to live on the Berlin duckbill?
Entenschnabel - that's the rather cute-sounding nickname for a small strip of East Berlin. But for the people who lived here during the GDR, the situation was different: As the Entenschnabel protruded into the West Berlin district of Reinickendorf, it was enclosed on three sides by the Berlin Wall. Here, people literally lived with the Wall as a garden fence. On the 35th anniversary weekend of the fall of the Wall, you can gain deep insights into this absurd, oppressive and dangerous everyday life at a staged reading from the publication of the same name with Florina Limberg and Sebastian Teutsch. History comes to life with historical photos and documents at the Heimatmuseum Reinickendorf!
When: Sunday from 9am to 5pm
Where: Reinickendorf local history museum, Alt-Hermsdorf 35, Reinickendorf
Entenschnabel - about life with the Wall as a garden fence
Tip 10: Learn interesting details about the former GDR judiciary in Keibelstraße
The Lernort Keibelstraße is located on the upper floor of the historical remand prison in Berlin-Mitte on Alexanderplatz. From 1951 to 1990, this building housed a GDR remand prison - the walls bear witness to decades of oppression and humiliation of the members of the opposition imprisoned here. This weekend, you can take part in a special guided tour that will show you the inhumane prison conditions and restrictive justice system in the GDR. Experts and tour guides use former prisoner files, historical documents and eyewitness accounts to paint a vivid picture of this dark era.
When: Saturday at 12 noon
Where: Lernort Keibelstraße, c/o Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family, Bernhard-Weiß-Straße 6, Mitte
Pre-trial detention centre near Alexanderplatz
Tip 11: Ask yourselves questions at "Die DDR hat's nie gegeben"
Under the provocative event title Die DDR hat's nie gegeben (The GDR never existed), the Berlin Ensemble reminds us of the opposite on this special weekend: The GDR did indeed exist - and it is up to us to continue telling the stories. On Saturday, writers, journalists and cultural practitioners from East and West will address the question of how the GDR can be remembered today and what perspectives the younger generations can contribute to this discourse. What does it mean to be East German today? Look forward to interactive readings, discussions and open conversations that take a fresh look at a topic that is now 35 years old - and is still one of the most important points of discussion in German society.
When: Saturday from 11am
Where: Berliner Ensemble, Neues Haus, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 1, Mitte
