How did the Berlin Wall actually fall?

The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989 after a botched press conference by East German spokesman Günter Schabowski, a major mistake.

By autumn 1989, the East German regime was under immense pressure. Hundreds of thousands of citizens had fled through Hungary and Czechoslovakia, which had opened their borders. Massive Monday demonstrations in Leipzig and other cities demanded reform. The long-serving leader Erich Honecker had been replaced by the more moderate Egon Krenz.

On 9 November, the East German government drafted new travel regulations that would allow citizens to apply for permission to travel abroad. The regulations were supposed to take effect the next day, with an orderly process. But Günter Schabowski, the party spokesman tasked with announcing them at a press conference, had not been fully briefed.

When asked by an Italian journalist when the new rules would take effect, Schabowski shuffled through his papers and replied: “Sofort, unverzüglich“. “Immediately, without delay.”

The news spread like wildfire on West German television, which was widely watched in the East. Thousands of East Berliners headed to the Wall’s border crossings, demanding to be let through. The border guards, overwhelmed and without clear orders, eventually opened the gates at Bornholmer Straße, the first crossing to open, shortly before midnight.

Within hours, all crossings were open. Jubilant crowds from both sides climbed atop the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate, celebrating, singing, and chipping away at the concrete with hammers, the famous “Mauerspechte” (wall woodpeckers).

The Wall had stood for 28 years, 2 months, and 27 days.