The Berlin Wall Has Fallen Down     

November 9, 1989 was a Thursday and the day that transportation between East and West Germany was no longer an obstacle.  Since August of 1961 the Berlin Wall had been a barrier between East and West Germany and with this barrier arose new problems.  The wall was supposed to be a border between the two countries, yet, it was another reason for Germans to protest and wreck havoc on all.  East Germans demanded the right to travel freely and to see their families that lived on the "other side."  The fall of the wall was something bound to happen, for, the German citizens had gotten a taste of their travel freedom from developing new ways of travel.  Meaning when Hungary opened its borders and allowed East Germans to "vacation" in the country, these vacationers could cross the border into Austria and from their travel to West Germany.  This was the new "vacation" for thousands of East Germans.  The government had built the wall and the government tore the wall down, both because of the people.         The leader of East Berlin's communist party was Gunter Schabowski and it was this man that said the border should be opened for "private trips abroad."  This was said in rather unclear words, but it was enough for action to be taken and that night 2,000,000 East Berlin citizens made a rush for the wall to celebrate the destruction of it by chanting "The wall is gone! The wall is gone!"  The next day, November 10,  "demolition" work began and its aim was to create new border crossings.  The people did not want border crossing, however, they wanted the wall gone and out of sight.  German citizens had had to live with this wall for 28 years and if their protesting was going to get them border crossings they wanted the wall demolished.  Openings in the Berlin Wall became something frequently seen whether the openings were made by the demolition team or by citizens who wanted to cross then.  So the wall became less a wall and more like a ruin.         Today parts of the Berlin Wall still linger in all parts of the world.  Some can be found in the United States in museums and there are even some chunks of the wall displayed in people's homes.  Either way the wall is no longer a barrier between families and friends but a a chunk of history that can be remembered .      Back