In a press conference on Nov. 9, 1989 GDR central committee spokesman Guenter Schabowski unintentionally announced that citizens could travel to West Germany immediately. It was the beginning of the end for East Germany. Guenter Schabowski's press conference on November 9, 1989 was a fairly dull affair for most of its duration, according to those present. But a question by an Italian journalist right at the end turned it into one of European history's most memorable events. Schabowski was asked just before 7 p.m. about when a new law permitting GDR citizens more freedom of travel would go into effect. Schabowski famously told the journalist: "As far as I know, that goes into effect now, immediately." Since television viewers in both East and West Germany were following the live press conference, his comments electrified East Germans and eventually led to a redrawing of the European map. Immediately following the remark, GDR citizens rushed to the border separating East and West Berlin, wanting to visit the western part of the city. The GDR border guards were unaware of the press conference, and, taken aback by the crowds gathering in front of them, made repeated calls to their superiors asking for guidance. They successfully prevented citizens from crossing the border for three hours. But later in the evening, the guards relented and opened the borders. People were able to cross freely from East to West for the first time since the wall's erection on August 21, 1961.
In a press conference on Nov. 9, 1989 GDR central committee spokesman Guenter Schabowski unintentionally announced that citizens could travel to West Germany immediately. It was the beginning of the end for East Germany.
Guenter Schabowski's press conference on November 9, 1989 was a fairly dull affair for most of its duration, according to those present. But a question by an Italian journalist right at the end turned it into one of European history's most memorable events.
Schabowski was asked just before 7 p.m. about when a new law permitting GDR citizens more freedom of travel would go into effect. Schabowski famously told the journalist: "As far as I know, that goes into effect now, immediately."
Since television viewers in both East and West Germany were following the live press conference, his comments electrified East Germans and eventually led to a redrawing of the European map.
Immediately following the remark, GDR citizens rushed to the border separating East and West Berlin, wanting to visit the western part of the city. The GDR border guards were unaware of the press conference, and, taken aback by the crowds gathering in front of them, made repeated calls to their superiors asking for guidance. They successfully prevented citizens from crossing the border for three hours.
But later in the evening, the guards relented and opened the borders. People were able to cross freely from East to West for the first time since the wall's erection on August 21, 1961.
Hardy Graupner was working as a journalist in East Germany the night the Wall fell. Now a reporter for Deutshe Welle, he remembers the mixture of optimism and trepidation he felt as the world opened up to him. November 9, 1989, was a normal working day for me. I was on a newsreader shift for the English program of Radio Berlin International, East Germany's foreign broadcasting service. It was a time of many hectic developments in the East that were extremely hard to put into perspective from within the country. As an ordinary journalist, I only had rather limited access to foreign news agencies, which would have helped me to analyze the political events of that era better. When the news broke about Easterners now being able to travel to the West, I didn't really believe it at first. As far as I remember, our radio station chose to ignore the news for quite a while, with the editor-in-chief double-checking whether we were supposed to talk about it at all in our news bulletins. Later in the day, I saw on West German television how hundreds of easterners had wasted no time and gone to the Wall and crossing points to engage in lively debates with the border guards. What followed is well known -- the events of that night spelled the beginning of the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). And on that Thursday, 20 years ago, I wasn't quite sure whether I was heading towards a brighter future or a disaster.
November 9, 1989, was a normal working day for me. I was on a newsreader shift for the English program of Radio Berlin International, East Germany's foreign broadcasting service. It was a time of many hectic developments in the East that were extremely hard to put into perspective from within the country. As an ordinary journalist, I only had rather limited access to foreign news agencies, which would have helped me to analyze the political events of that era better.
When the news broke about Easterners now being able to travel to the West, I didn't really believe it at first. As far as I remember, our radio station chose to ignore the news for quite a while, with the editor-in-chief double-checking whether we were supposed to talk about it at all in our news bulletins.
Later in the day, I saw on West German television how hundreds of easterners had wasted no time and gone to the Wall and crossing points to engage in lively debates with the border guards. What followed is well known -- the events of that night spelled the beginning of the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). And on that Thursday, 20 years ago, I wasn't quite sure whether I was heading towards a brighter future or a disaster.
