And in the midst of it all… – People remember the fall of the Berlin wall November 9, 1989.

And in the Midst of It All…

– People Remember the Day of Change

A literary collage with eyewitness accounts and music about November 9, 1989, in Germany

Suddenly, everything happened very quickly: the border was open, and everyone streamed into the West. That’s how we know the story of the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany. But how did individual people actually experience November 9, 1989? This is the question explored by the literary collage “And in the Midst of It All…”

German musician and author Timm Völker asked people in his circle nine questions to find out how they experienced the day the Wall came down. What was playing on the radio? What did everyday life look like? And how did this fateful day affect the rest of their lives? From the answers, a text emerged that seeks to depict the diverse realities and perceptions surrounding the events of November 9.

A student in Erfurt followed the events all alone in the dormitory’s TV room. A woman in Leipzig was greeted at the door by her mother with a bottle of sparkling wine—to celebrate that they could finally see their relatives again. And a boy in Marburg was annoyed the next morning because there were only special broadcasts on TV instead of cartoons.

The memories are as different as the people themselves. But in the end, everyone sang along with David Hasselhoff’s “I’ve Been Looking for Freedom” at the Brandenburg Gate.

Or was it all just a dream?

The event is held in German.