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At and on the Wall, 10-11 November 1989: On and at the Wall [6/8]

OBJECT INFORMATION

Info

November 11 1989
Berlin, Brandenburg Gate
Created By: Dagmar Lipper

License: Creative Commons License

Crowds of people at the West side of the Berlin Wall upon which border guards stand; Brandenburg Gate in the background on the right

Depicts

banderole, Berlin Wall (West), border guard, crowd, mural crown, Wall graffiti

Context

anxiety, celebration, fall of the Berlin Wall, member of the People's Police, mural crown

People/Organizations

Border Troops of the GDR

Places

Brandenburg Gate

Other items in this set

Memory

"These photos show how the totalitarian state didn't just disappear from one day to the next. During the night of 10 November, people quite simply charged the Wall on the Western side. They danced and celebrated on the Wall. People went wild and the atmosphere was very relaxed. Members of the People's Police didn't intervene, they just watched. But the atmosphere was completely different when we went back to the Wall with several other people the next morning. The Wall had been cleared and the border guards had taken it again. They rather gave the impression that it wasn't a good idea to mess around with them (even if they weren't armed). People spoke quite softly and exchanged views about the situation and its possible significance. It was quiet, oppressive and also a little frightening – the party atmosphere was well and truly over."

Dagmar Lipper (West Berlin)