On the historic night of 9th November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and shortly after Germany became a united nation, bringing an end to the so-called “Iron Curtain” and setting the stage for the end of the Cold War. 35 years later, Germany is marking the anniversaries surrounding the historical date with a multitude of events in Berlin, Leipzig, Schwerin and other cities. These include official ceremonies, open-air stages, exhibitions, tours and workshops related to the momentous day.

After reunification, The regions in the former East Germany have benefited disproportionately from the surge in tourism to Germany since the early 1990s. In the new federal states (including Berlin), the number of overnight stays by international visitors has risen significantly up to 2024. The new federal states (excluding Berlin) recorded an increase in overnight stays by international visitors of 239 % from 1993 to 2023, while Berlin recorded an increase of 528 %. In comparison, the development of the old federal states is +104 %.

This year, Berlin has already recorded 7.2 million overnight stays by international guests. Saxony has so far recorded 1.2 million overnight stays, Brandenburg 600.000 thousand and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 500.000 thousand. Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt have each recorded 300.000 thousand overnight stays.

Berlin

Most of these events will take place in Berlin, the new capital city that was once
physically divided by the Berlin Wall. Some key events and exhibits are summarized below:

On 9th November:

• Historical and modern posters, signs and banners will line the former course of the Wall on the anniversary date. This multi-media exhibition made up of personal statements and contributions from thousands of people is part of a project exploring the “Peaceful Revolution” of 1989 and the significance of the events of 1989 and 1990 to today’s society.

Permanent (or reoccurring) exhibitions:

• The Humboldt Forum has its ongoing BERLIN GLOBAL exhibition, which tells the story of the city, its people and its history.

• DIE MAUER – The Asisi Panorama of the divided Berlin: A unique panorama exhibition depicting life in the shadow of the Berlin Wall by the artist Yadegar Asisi. The exhibition took five years to perfect and was only intended as a temporary exhibit, though it has now surpassed its 10th year due to its extreme popularity.

• 1961 | 1989. The Berlin Wall: A 500-square-yard space dedicated to the history of the division of Berlin.

• Site of German division: The permanent exhibition in the Tränenpalast tells the stories that took place at one of the border railway stations.

• Border and ghost stations in divided Berlin: In East Berlin, the stations of the West lines largely disappeared from the cityscape and underground stations were closed and watched by GDR armed guards. Today, visitors can read about the complex history of the Berlin train network and understand how it was also affected by the divide of East and West.

• The largest open-air gallery in the world! The famous East Side Gallery is a half-mile stretch of the Berlin Wall painted by various artists  after the reunification.

New and/or temporary exhibitions:

• The major annual exhibition on the lost Palace of the Republic, hosted at the Humboldt Forum in Mitte, the building it was replaced. Visitors can find out the history of the Palace that once represented the political power in the GDR. A detailed model of the palace and its original parts can be viewed at the nearby DDR museum.
May 17, 2024 – February 16, 2025

• The wall. Before, after, East and West: This collection explores contrasted artistic viewpoints of East and West Berliners from the second half of the 1980s to the early 1990s, with a conscious focus on the period around 1989/90.
November 8, 2024 – March 2, 2025

• Speaking pictures – photographs on the division of Berlin and political imprisonment in the GDR: 16 photographs of the Berlin Wall, which document everyday life and the changes of the Wall in the divided city. All displays provide insights into the GDR’s oppressive state.
August 23, 2024 – January 12, 2025

• Dream On – Berlin, the 90s: Temporary exhibition featuring photographs of East Berlin taken during 1990 by members of the East German photo agency OSTKREUZ. These photographs display the societal transformations and the challenges of reunification in a heavily divided city.
September 14, 2024 – January 22, 2025

• Love Letters to the City: A street, urban and installation art exhibition. As part of the 35th anniversary celebration, key artifacts are on loan from the Stiftung Berliner Mauer which showcase the diverse and historical perspectives of wall painting within the city.
September 14, 2024 – May 30, 2027

• Heavy Metal in the GDR: An interactive exhibit exploring the underground heavy metal scene that developed in the repressive GDR a decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
March 19, 2024 – February 9, 2025

• THE WALL MUSEUM: Fascinating exhibits, as well as films and contributions form contemporary witnesses, make the historical events tangible through multimedia installations.
September 1, 2022 – September 25, 2026

For more information about anniversary events in Berlin:
Berlin wall – events | visitBerlin.de

Leipzig

On 9th October 1989, after prayers for peace in several churches in Leipzig’s city center, more than 70,000 people, carrying candles in their hands, gathered to demonstrate, chanting “Wir sind das Volk” (We are one/the people) and “KeinenGewalt” (No violence) – the breakthrough of the Peaceful Revolution. The protestors took to the streets despite the threat of violence, and this gave way to ideas of freedom and civil rights to triumph over the communist dictatorship. This day was the precursor to the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9th November and to the reunification in a peacefully united Europe.

This year, the following program of events will take place surrounding October 9th, the 35th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution:

• The Leipzig Festival of Lights 2024 will stage the authentic protest route of the Monday demonstration from 7pm to midnight. Over 20 light installations by
international artists will line the entire inner city ring road.

• The giant 89 – built entirely out of candles and traditionally filled with thousands of lights by visitors – will be located on Augustusplatz in the anniversary year, where the opening of the Festival of Lights will also take place. Candles are available free of charge or for a voluntary donation to the benefit of the charity organization Wolfsträne e. V..

• As part of the Festival of Lights XXL, five selected light projects will be on display from October 9-12, 2024.

• The anniversary evening begins at Augustusplatz with short welcoming speeches from Leipzig’s Mayor Burkhard Jung, contemporary witnesses and representatives from the federal and state governments.

• The ceremony opening will be accompanied by music from Saxon Wind Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Peter Sommerer. Pieces by Beethoven, Dvořák and Rheinberger will be performed. The Saxon Wind Philharmonic Orchestra impresses its audience with an extraordinary variety of sounds. Of the 129 German concert and theater orchestras, it is the only orchestra with a symphonic wind section and thus occupies a special position. With the OPUS Klassik award as ‘Ensemble of the Year 2023’, the special artistic quality at a high level was also recognized internationally.

• Another new feature is the Explore Leipzig app, which allows visitors to experience all light projects in a virtual light festival tour in German and English as well as audio. The tour can be downloaded and accessed offline.