The Rennaissance of Jewish Life in Berlin After the Fall of the Wall. Page 8
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The Rennaissance of Jewish life in Berlin after the fall of the Wall. Page 8 A global local newspaper 2014 Happy BirtHday, Photographer Paul Glaser recalls the moment he took this picture on November 12, 1989 at Leipziger Strasse close to Potsdamer Platz: ”It was nothing short of a festival atmosphere! People from East and West turned the horrible Wall into a stage for their happiness. And the GDR police had to allow people to Freedom! approach the wall unhindered.“ Let’s drink a toast, let’s have a party, let’s light 25 torches of freedom! 25 years ago on November 9, the Wall that imprisoned Berlin died, and freedom was reborn. This is a birthday party in print. You’re invited! aif l Z/ s chmecken/ s egina egina r laser; small picture: laser; g eter p / PA Berlin bliss on November 10, 1989: A young girl cradles a white dove of peace in front of Brandenburg Gate. large picture: D 2 2014 Welcome to The Berlin Times ver 32 pages, we reminisce How much Stasi ideology still remains about the glorious night of in Berlin? Have we really done enough the fall of the Wall. We take to clear up and process the sinister legacy a look back and also shine a of their activities? And what lessons can Olight on nowadays Berlin. a functioning democracy learn from life tHe nigHt Firstly, we immerse ourselves once again under a dictatorship? Germany’s Fed- in that jubilant night and recall: How a eral Commissioner for the Stasi Records, badly prepared media conference made Roland Jahn, himself a prisoner of the history; how the most important players Stasi, speaks about GDR nostalgia, old in East and West experienced events that boy networks, yes-men and why the Stasi night; what was happening at the Central shouldn’t be compared with the NSA. Committee of the ruling SED at the time; Please read pages 10 and 11. how the Mayor of (West) Berlin found out As Berlin is a city in constant flux, tHat that the Wall was crumbling; where the cel- realities and illusions always go hand in ebrations took place; who was trembling hand. Bernd Eichinger, Germany’s only with excitement and who was sitting in the true movie tycoon, made films that had sauna (prepare to be surprised). a greater impact on the image we have Read the great story of the night that of Berlin politics and history than many changed the world on pages 2 to 5. history books or television news bulle- How did the fall of the Wall affect tins. From “Christiane F.” to “Downfall” Berlin? Initially, the people changed. Mil- through to “The Baader Meinhof Com- lions of hopes and dreams were realized. plex,” he presented the city as a backdrop cHanged Berlin became a place of love without where dramatic destinies are played out. borders. Divided families and separated Sometimes balloons are more powerful friends embraced again. So much happi- than weapons and walls. Nena’s global hit ness longed for but not expected. Right “99 Red Balloons” packed all the 1980s from the outset, the unified city was yearning for freedom into a very simple more than just the sum of East and West song. Writing for us in this special edition Berlin. Unity night was the night that saw (page 16 and 17), she describes how (pleas- the creation of a completely new Berlin. ant) it was to live as a pop star in a city that Today, the city that has experienced it all no longer felt inclined to idolize heroes. tHe is the prototype of the modern metropolis: And Wolfgang Joop (pages 30 and 31), International, non-ideological, egalitarian Germany’s most famous fashion designer, and libertarian. A 24-hours-everything-is- answers the crucial question: What is the possible kind of city. special style of Berlin all about? It’s clear, Creative young businesses established proud, curious and modest. It is in this themselves in the ruins of East Germany’s manner that we have tried to write and command economy and turned Berlin into design the following pages. Europe’s Silicon Valley (pages 22 and 23). Willkommen in Berlin! world six oF our Fine contriButors 1989 2014 1989 2014 Who was Former dissident Roland Jahn on the GDR‘s Singer Nena tells the story of how “99 Red Stasi then and now Balloons” became a worldwide smash 1989 2014 1989 2014 celebrating? Who was Author Katja Eichinger on her late husband BZ‘s Editor-in-Chief Peter Huth tells Berlin’s Bernd Eichinger and his Berlin movies story in headlines (2) e rivat p trembling? 1989 2014 1989 2014 (3), PA (4); D D llsteinbil u aif; l Who was Fashion designer Wolfgang Joop Novelist Thomas Brussig describes explains the phenomenon “Berlin Style” how good triumphed over the past pictures of authors: authors: pictures of in the sauna? Nobody could anticipate how quickly The Berlin Times is an international registered trademark Publisher & liable for editorial content: Detlef W. Prinz events would unfold. A chronology of Times Media GmbH. Printed in Germany by Dogan Media International GmbH, of the historic hours that turned Berlin All rights reserved. Mörfelden-Walldorf This first edition has been produced in cooperation with © Times Media GmbH, Tempelhofer Ufer 23-24, into the world’s happiest city. Berlin Partner for Business and Technology. 10963 Berlin, Germany. www.times-media.de By Ralph Grosse-Bley 2014 3 3 Lady-in-Waiting: On the evening that the Wall came down, Angela Merkel had been relaxing in a sauna. Afterwards she drank a celebratory beer at the “Zur alten Gaslaterne” pub. 1 Freedom Run: East Berliners surge over the border at Bornholmer Strasse into the West Berlin district of Wedding. 1 4 Demob-happy: This East German border guard at Invalidenstrasse realizes after midnight that the time is up for his country. 2 Man of the Moment: Gunter Schabowski was the SED’s Central Committee spokesman. His news conference on the evening of November 9 made 3 Schabowski, now 85, famous. 4 7 5 Unbridled joy: These East Berliners returning from West Berlin’s main shopping boulevard poke 5 fun at SED chief Egon Krenz on the morning of November 10. Writing on their car: “Egon! We are reporting back from our trip to Ku’damm”. 6 2 6 Gay abandon: In East Berlin’s Cinema International on Karl Marx Allee, the first East German gay film, "Coming Out," premières on November 9 with two sold-out showings at 7 pm and 10 pm. 7 “Berlin, now you can rejoice!” When Walter Momper, 44 at the time, stood on a table at the 8 Invalidenstrasse border post on November 9, (4) 1989 and addressed East Berliners through a D This map from 1989 shows East Berlin from the megaphone, he’d only been Mayor of the city GDR regime's perspective. It depicts West Berlin, for eight months. He led a Social Democrat/ llsteinbil on the other side of the Wall, as a patch of green Green Party coalition, his trademark was his u without houses and streets. Forbidden territory. red scarf which he was wearing on that historic evening when he attended 8 lebie (2); homas t t had rained that morning in the city forward to the next round of the German the Golden ool; which had been divided for 28 years, Cup – Stuttgart versus Bayern Munich – on Steering Wheel award ceremony at the Axel Springer p ens but the sun had been out since midday. public broadcaster ARD. publishing house. He was sitting with Friede Springer l ree f The West German Chancellor Helmut Berlin society was getting ready for two big and the CEOs of the nation’s biggest car manufacturing el/ Z IKohl (CDU) was on a state visit to Warsaw. parties – the awarding of the Golden Steering concerns when a bodyguard told him what Schabowski choel The Bundestag was in session in Bonn, Wheel for the best cars of the year had just said. Momper left immediately and became s world famous. His coalition broke down just one year reas where members of parliament were discuss- D n later and Momper was voted out of office. a ing pension reform. Soccer fans were looking continued on page 4 4 2014 aiser k aro c llstein, llstein, u Hello Trabi! Many East Berliners, receiving a warm welcome at border crossings, took their Berlin’s biggest party. Was it really unity after all this time? Had the division been done away cars (mainly a Trabant, sometimes the four-door Wartburg or occasionally a Lada) on a first with? Or was it just some crazy dream? One had to celebrate every day to actually realize it jaunt to West Berlin on November 10. was true. Here are the first unified New Year’s Eve festivities 1989/1990 The night that changed the world started with a badly prepared press conference continued from page 3 t had rained that morning in the city That press conference went down in his- East Germans head for crossing-points. Around 11:00 pm, the barrier is lifted – and which had been divided for 28 years, tory. At 6:57 pm, Schabowski stumbled over Helmut Kohl hears the news of the Wall’s everybody can go West. Lieutenant-colonel but the sun had been out since midday. a question as to when the new freedom to opening at a state banquet in Warsaw from Jäger reports: “We are swamped!” He fears The West German Chancellor Helmut travel would begin – the most beautiful stum- his confidant Eduard Ackermann.