Summer 1989 Footage Shows Berlin Wall City Frozen Before Fall
Newly surfaced camcorder footage from summer 1989 captures a mundane Berlin just months before the Wall fell on November 9, 1989. The video shows the Wall's brutish form, graffiti, guards, and memorials for recent escapees Chris Gueffroy (shot in February 1989) and Winfried Freudenberg (died in March 1989 from a balloon escape). The footage contrasts with the sudden opening triggered by Günter Schabowski's mistaken televised announcement that border travel was effective immediately. Demolition took over four years, with sections preserved as memorials.
Key facts
- Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989
- Demolition took more than four years
- Günter Schabowski mistakenly declared border opening 'immediately, without delay'
- Chris Gueffroy was the last person shot trying to escape the Wall in February 1989
- Winfried Freudenberg died in March 1989 from a balloon escape attempt
- Footage shows memorials for fallen wall jumpers
- Border guards gave up around 11:00 PM on November 9, 1989
- The opening turned into a massive street festival
Entities
Artists
- Chris Gueffroy
- Winfried Freudenberg
- Günter Schabowski
Institutions
- Socialist Unity Party of Germany
- Open Culture
Locations
- Berlin
- East Berlin
- West Berlin
- East Germany
- West Germany
- Seoul
- South Korea