Berlin wall

[armaghniac]

This is the twentieth anniversary of when the East German spokesman at a press conference announced that the borders would be open and when someone asked him when he replied "with immediate effect". I know that your average poster on Gaaboard doesn't remember this but it was a big day in history and the end of an era. A year or two earlier, it would have been hard to imagine how quickly things changed in the end.

There were so many ingenious escapes and so many tragedies. 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUkimskFJ0w

[Sandino]

I remember it well. it was just amazing to watch it all unfold. It is one part of history that I wish I could have been there to just live through it in person. I was in berlin not that long after the wall came down the sights of east germany were unbeliveable.

[stephenite]

They just finished a 2 part documentary called the Busting the Berlin wall on SBS, powerful stuff.

[Aerlik]

Yeah just watched that Stephenite.  When the Commy official said 'with immediate effect' it was apparently a mistake as he was supposed to say something like 'very soon' or 'tomorrow' but was in a bit of a daze about the whole thing...ah well all history now.

People talk about JFK and 9/11; well, I wasn't born for the former and asleep for the latter but I do remember being at university and in a launderette in Manchester Road, Preston when someone came running in shouting the Berlin wall was coming down.  We all thought he was starting the weekend celebrations early, but when I got home it was all over the TV.

[stephenite]

Loved the bit about the 2 boys who windsurfed across the sea to freedom in Denmark

[ross4life]

spent last new year eve's in Berlin, superb city i would highly recommend it as it's now europe's biggest new years eve party but bring your winter woolies quiet cold then

[Aerlik]

Loved the bit about the 2 boys who windsurfed across the sea to freedom in Denmark

I just caught the tail end of that bit but remember it on TV.  What about the two lads on the microlights putting red stars on the wings of the aircraft and filming the rescue of their brother? Bloody brilliant.

[armaghniac]

spent last new year eve's in Berlin, superb city i would highly recommend it as it's now europe's biggest new years eve party but bring your winter woolies quiet cold then

I first headed to Berlin for the New year 7 weeks after the wall opened, when things could still be seen. I've have been there since, great at that time of year. Wear a woolly hat.

What about the two lads on the microlights putting red stars on the wings of the aircraft and filming the rescue of their brother? Bloody brilliant.

There were some great escapes. In the early days one guy got a small Italian sports car and just drove under the barrier with a passenger. He observed that although they redesigned the barrier at the place he came through that they hadn't done so in some other places, so he crossed into the DDR a week later and did it again. That took some cohones.

I also recall the guy who built a detailed plan of a checkpoint through talking to visitors etc. He then headed into it from the East, got into some storeroom or something. When they found him, he pretended to a drunk Austrian who was demanding entrance to the East, but with no passport. So they deported him "back" to the West!