Berlin 1990
On the 9th November 1989, we, like many others, watched events unfold on our TV screens as the Berlin Wall, which had divided the city since August 1961, finally fell. Having intended visiting the city for several years, but never having got around to it, in late June of 1990 we set off on holiday, heading first for Berlin and then intending to see some of East Germany and Czecheslovakia.
Our transport was a 2.0 litre Ford Sierra pulling our 14-foot Safari caravan. On arrival in Berlin, we were unable to find space on any of the several campsites in the West and ended up on an 'International' site to the South of the city in what was still East Germany. Albeit the process of unification had started, with the Ost Mark having been replaced by the Deutsche Mark on the 1st July and Chancellor Helmut Kohl attending meetings in the Volkskammer to finalise details for die Wende on the 3rd October 1990, the D.D.R. still had a totally different feel from the West.
Many years before, en-route to Germany on a motorcycle, we stopped overnight in Luxembourg. Riding through the Ardennes early the next morning, as the sun burned away the mist hanging over the trees, the scent from the pine trees created a lasting memory. My lasting 'scent' memory of Berlin is that of two-stroke fuel hanging in the air from the Trabants and Wartburgs.
Some photographs from 1990
The abandoned checkpoint at Helmstedt / Marienborn, East Germany was the first indication that we were now entering what had been the main access route from Hannover and Dortmund in the West.
There were three Allied checkpoints. Helmstedt was defined as Checkpoint Alpha, Checkpoint Bravo was the other end of the corridor on the outskirts of Berlin at Dreilinden-Drewitz (below). The more familiar Checkpoint Charlie, thanks to books and films, was inside the city at Friedrichstrasse.
The view from the TV Tower, looking West towards Unter den Linden and the Brandenburg Gate (below) which was surrounded by scaffolding whilst restoration and cleaning was done. The wall had been demolished in the vicinity of the gate but the line was still clearly visible and small pieces could be picked up from the ground. Enterprising youngsters had put these into small polythene bags with an 'authentication certificate' and selling them as souvenirs to the visiting tourists.
The Neue Wache (New Guard House) on Unter den Linden. Originally built in 1816, it has been a memorial to war dead since 1931. In 1969, an eternal flame was placed in center of the hall. When the memorial was re-dedicated in 1993, the flame was replaced by a sculpture.
The Schloßplatz, which was renamed as Marx-Engels-Platz between 1951 and 1994. There was a panel of what appeared to be stainless steel erected in this square, displaying pictures of 'Heroes of the Soviet Union'. The only two faces I recognised were those of Yuri Gagarin and Fidel Castro.
The Palace of the Republic where Die Volkskammer, the DDR Parliament, met. The Berliner Dom, shown below, is reflected in the glass frontage. The Palace was closed in 1990 and demolition started in 2006. The police activity was due to a visit by Chancellor Kohl.
The Alte Bibliothek (Old Library), built between 1775 and 1780, is at the western end of Bebelplatz.
The Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall), built between 1861 and 1869, is on Rathausstraße near Alexanderplatz and was the town hall of East Berlin.
The Neptunbrunnen (Neptune Fountain) in Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
The World Clock, errected in 1969, in Alexanderplatz
The Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) in Karl-Liebknecht-Straße and the Fernsehturm (TV Tower).
The East Side Gallery on Mühlenstrasse is a section of the former inner wall, roughly 1.3 km long. The paintings, by various artists, were done after the Wall had fallen.
Some of the sections were simple grafitti consisting of names and initials.
Others, like the three below, are paintings in various styles.
The text on this one reads, 'You have learned what freedom means. Do not ever forget !'
The crossing Point at Chausseestraße and Reinickendorfer Straße which could only be used by West Berliners and GDR citizens travelling in a vehicle.
People who did this were nicknamed "Mauerspechte" (wall woodpeckers).
The piece that I brought home (approx 6" x 5")
And in 2009 - The Dom is on the right. The Schloßplatz is front center with the River Spree behind it. The site where the Palace of the Republic once stood is totally cleared.
