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Mauerfall - Twenty Years Ago in Berlin
2009-11-10
Mauerfall
Twenty Years
East Berlin to a foreign visitor was a bleak city devoid of billboard advertisements and the consumer luxury goods in shops one was accustomed to in Western Europe and North America. West Berlin contrasted its other half with bright lights and department stores on the Kudamm. Foreigners had to exchange 25 DMs (German Marks) for the same in East German currency upon entry into East Berlin. There was really nothing to buy except an overpriced lunch in the main hotel. In West Berlin, residents were paid subsidy by the federal government to live there.
Then to everyone's amazement, the wall opened.
TV coverage of the Berlin Wall's fall differed greatly between
German and the U.S. A German television crew set up a camera
and let it roll as events at the wall unfolded. American
television flew in network news anchors, stood them in front of
the wall and fresh from the flughafen they "explained" what was
taking place all around them.
It wasn't long after the dancing and celebration ended that
night clubs opened in abandoned buildings in the East and
American Express opened an office in a prominent location (as
if they had already chosen the spot.)
Eventually, the world would hear the stories of East German
secret police the Stasi and their
files.
Pieces of the Berlin Wall today in Leipziger Platz across from the Canadian Embassy
Berlin Twitter Wall