As a resident of Heidelberger Straße in Neukölln, I am constantly reminded of the Berlin Wall. The windows of my Altbau once overlooked the East Berlin border; today a plaque commemorates the more than 100 people who escaped the GDR via tunnels into my building’s basement. While those not living in these scarred, liminal spaces between East and West might rarely dwell on the Wall, the 35th anniversary of its fall offers a moment to reflect. To commemorate the “peaceful revolution” that culminated in the breaching of Berlin’s border on 09.11.1989, two days of open air installations, events and performances will be held next week along its former route. The official program begins with The Road to Freedom, an outdoor exhibition featuring eyewitness accounts and historical photos presenting key moments and characters from behind the Iron Curtain (opens 08.11.2024). Alongside runs a four km-long open-air installation showcasing thousands of protest banners made by East Germans to demand rights and reforms. The celebrations continue on 09.11 with the Festival for Freedom where hundreds of musicians will perform in front of the former border checkpoints across Mitte (starts 20h). On 10.11 the feminist performance-art collective Pussy Riot will headline the one-day democracy festival with a multimedia punk show at the former headquarter of the Stasi (Campus for Democracy). Alongside the official program, venues like C/O Berlin and Filmtheater Colosseum will host talks, workshops, and exhibitions reflecting on a barrier that divided an entire city – for 28 years, two months, and 27 days.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Alexander Rentsch & Kulturprojekte
You can see the full program of 35 Jahre Mauerfall on the website.
@mauerfall35
