The 156-kilometer-long Berlin Wall, which divided the city of Berlin and Germany for 28 years, collapsed on November 9, 1989.
While the fall of the Berlin Wall was a turning point for both Germany and Europe, it also accelerated the process leading to the end of East Germany, that is, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) regime.
The process leading to the Berlin Wall
Germany, which was defeated in the Second World War, was divided into four by the USA, England, France and the former Soviet Union.
In 1949, the administrations of the regions controlled by the USA, England and France were combined and the Federal Republic of Germany (BRD) was established, while the GDR was declared in the region under the former Soviet Union in the same year and Germany was divided into two.
Between 1949 and 1961, approximately 3 million people, especially educated and qualified young people, fled to the West from East Germany, whose economy was worsening.
In order to prevent these escapes, the GDR administration decided to secretly close the border in Berlin on August 12, 1961.
65 years ago, on the morning of August 13, East German soldiers closed the area under the rule of the Soviet Union with barbed wire. When these wires could not prevent escapes, the 3.6 meter high Berlin Wall began to be built on the night of August 17.
The Berlin Wall became the symbol of the Cold War
The 156-kilometer-long concrete wall, built in 1961 to prevent people in East Germany from escaping to West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany), continued its existence for years as a symbol of the Cold War in the 20th century.
138 people lost their lives trying to overcome the wall and reach West Germany, but 5,075 people managed to overcome the barrier and escape to the West until the wall collapsed on November 9, 1989.
The unification of East and West Germany is celebrated with official ceremonies held on October 3 every year. All state officials attend the ceremonies on October 3, which is a public holiday. November 9, when the Nazis attacked Jewish homes, workplaces and synagogues in 1938, is not celebrated as a day of unification because it went down in history as Kristallnacht.
The Berlin Wall, also known as the "Iron Curtain", left deep scars on those living in the country. The ruins of the wall can be visited in some parts of the city.
"At first I couldn't believe it was real"
Those who visited the Wall Monument in Berlin before the 37th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall made evaluations to the AA correspondent.
Andrea-Barbara Czeskleba, who visited the Wall Monument in a wheelchair, described the collapse of the wall in 1989 as a great surprise and said, "But it was a very happy surprise because over the past years I have always felt sorry for the people in the GDR and I had relatives there, I visited them. I found this (the collapse of the wall) really wonderful. At first I could not believe it was real, but I welcomed it very much." he said.
Czeskleba visited his cousin, who lives with his wife and daughter in Chemnitz after the fall of the wall, and said that his cousin's family was very happy to be able to travel, but on the other hand, they were not employed and had almost no money.
Stating that he still remembers that period when he visits the Wall Monument and finds it shocking, Czeskleba said, "My memories of visiting my relatives in the GDR as a young adult come alive, how they stood in lines for food and bed linens, how they tried to offer us the best, which they never had to do. We also had great difficulties in spending the DDR's money because there was nothing. And this feeling of being in prison, all of this comes back to life." he said.
Stating that he also remembered what the GDR looked like, Czeskleba said that he found the border crossings scary.
Reacting to those who think the wall should not be demolished, Czeskleba said, "East Germans are still being insulted and I constantly hear things like 'If the wall had never been opened, if it had not been demolished, it would have been better to rebuild it.' I find all this very bad because how can people be imprisoned?" he said.
"We felt like, 'There's something wrong here.'"
Berthold Just, who lives in Bayreuth, also stated that he happened to be in East Germany when the Berlin Wall fell.
Explaining that they went to East Germany with Junge Union, the youth organization of the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU), Just said, "An application was made for the trip a long time ago. Nothing could be changed that day, and that's why we felt like 'There is something wrong here' even as we entered Meiningen. The guide assigned to us by the DDR hit the front panel of the bus with both hands and said, 'The border cannot be opened, this would be abolishing the state.' I thought he might be right about this." he said.
Just said later that day he had seen on television people sitting on the wall in Berlin.
Stating that he knew that the full reunification of the two Germanys would create some difficulties, but he was optimistic that it would be achieved, Just said, "In a short time, we also had business connections in the East and it was necessary to trust people a little. Of course, there may be some problems from time to time, but in general, we can say that most things are working out." he said.
Albert Harms, who worked in a ministry in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the 1980s, also stated that he heard on the radio that the wall had collapsed late in the evening, while returning from the ministry in Düsseldorf, and said, "This news affected me so deeply that I first went into a parking lot on the side of the highway to digest it. It was incredible." he said.
Harms, who said that he went to East Germany in April 1989 with a delegation from North Rhine-Westphalia, said: "We did not even think that it would be possible for this (the fall of the Wall) to happen within the next two generations." he said.
Explaining that the then Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia State, Johannes Rau, was in contact with the opposition in the DDR, Harms stated that they knew that something might happen in the DDR.
Stating that it can be said that the two Germanys and their people are partially united today, Harms said, "Sometimes there are differences in these areas, and of course, as can be seen from the current election results. There are explanations for these differences. However, in my opinion, it will take another generation for the words of (Former German Chancellor) Willy Brandt, which he said at the time, 'Now those who belong together are united', to come true. We will not see this in the next ten years. I think a unity will be achieved after that, but the process will continue." made his assessment.
