Abstract

On November 9, 2009, the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a large “Celebration of Freedom” was held at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. In addition to Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit and Chancellor Angela Merkel, a number of famous international leaders greeted the crowd of celebrants; they included Russian President Dimitri Medvedev, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A video message from U.S. President Barack Obama was also broadcast. The events culminating in the fall of the Wall were symbolically reenacted by the toppling of a row of dominoes set up along the former East-West border between the Reichstag and Potsdamer Platz. To honor Poland’s and Hungary’s role both before and during the political transformation of 1989/90, the first dominoes were pushed over by Lech Wałęsa, former Polish president and Solidarność (Solidarity) chairman, and Miklós Németh, former Hungarian prime minister.

Video Message from U.S. President Barack Obama during the “Celebration of Freedom” (November 9, 2009)

  • Arno Burgi

Source

Source: picture-alliance/ZB (c) dpa-Report