Transcripts For DW DocFilm 20240713

I am the story behind one of the most remarkable days in recent german history. Schabowski is no doubt the night the wall came down. Next on the. List to put your response to leave yourself a network or the humax you tube channel subscribers dont miss out. On shooting good those are mostly good at the 6 pm on the 9th of november 1989 going to schabowski opened a press conference about the meeting of the communist Party Central committee you know some hundreds of journalists had come hoping to hear news about east germanys latest decision on letting its citizens travel. Not a word about the travel regulations only partly my language it was all waffle so it went on for half an hour it was dreadfully boring and all the other journalists felt the same thing. You. Should ask john since your address yes is voted to an Italian Journalist a card or was invited to ask a question should not freak him out of going to the concept of trick can do it in one was standing to the left he derive slowly he couldnt get a 2nd he will. Mr schabowski you spoke of mistakes dont you think the draft travel bill you presented a few days ago was a big mistake for bush that for free to get up and does an arm it was that moment i remembered i had wanted to talk about the issue of the travel regulations to inform you and these are. This is what a. Decision has been made today the recommendation of the political euro has been accepted as it is that the passage of permanent departure be taken from that draft and come into effect. This guy if i reached into this pile and was looking for the note i was supposed to read out a colleague came to help me out so when his media didnt show up bosky told the journalists they should have been given a statement then he read it. As a plea bargain that is enough and i was a personal trips to other countries maybe applying for without giving any family or other reason. Which was your. Permanent departure is going to be made as one of the Border Crossings between east and west germany. At this point i called out when. As far as i know immediately. But i was shocked immediately i leapt up and left my supper i really wanted to know what this rubbish was all about. It was the fog i think of bridges. As its true permanent departures can take place at all of the Border Crossings into west germany west berlin. The man in charge of the Border Crossing at on her must pass or have made an action film call to his superior what hatchet bosky been talking about is there not always a lot of surreal he said to me youre calling me because of that rubbish i said yes thats exactly why i am calling he said you know the orders east german citizens are only allowed to leave under the Current Conditions meaning they need a passport and a proper visa otherwise they are to be turned back. 500 look terrific. The east german leadership heard nothing about any of this because the put it pure and the ministers and all the Top Party Officials were still at the Central Committee meeting none of them had seen schabowski press conference. At the same time in warsaw how much cold was also in the dark about the events in east berlin the west german chancellor was a guest at a banquet. The room was a boxer and ensure by asking for the paper put it back as walking and like to state i want out ran up stairs with my camera crew there were a small room with a ship was completely calm courted down our eyes you still have a piece of paper he said i do i said will read it again somebody took it out put on his glasses read it again and i said that that means citizens from each can go out of the war any way that they want to and they are not further forced to leave. By a. Transit. Through another country it is possible for them to go through the ward some point where it is possible for them to go through the border. I ran downstairs there was a course of american newspaper correspondents were a friend of mine and i looked at them and i said its true the wall is down. A few minutes later the news programs on both east and west German Television reportage what had happened. With nothing on it according to Police Bureau membership of east german citizens wanting to leave their country no longer have to take the d. To of via czechoslovakia permanent departures can occur via all of the Border Crossings between east germany and west germany and west berlin. Invest. Shortly after schabowski press conference a west german camera crew was filming in a pub in east berlin where people were drinking a toast to the new regulations. You know people get the stonewall. But i dont know what to say i used to cry every day now were all happy. Its great whats just happened nobody here was expecting but. They celebrated the unexpected news with beer bubbly and rocknroll. The soviet envoy only heard about the new regulation from the television. Came as a shock. To come to on cuba hawkish people we hadnt known anything about it for we were watching television and it was disappointing and we were if you like or a bit angry few of us books. Me to you the tension was rising all the time. The danger that someone would lose their nerve was quite high you could never been pushing. The Border Crossing point upon her mushed ass or. 050 that i didnt have to wait long for people to arrive after id been there for our own 20 minutes the 1st came and asked if they were allowed out. The officer asked if they had a passport in a reserve part of the night as a plane resume no they said but he said we were allowed to leave no. And it was now that the explosive nature of schabowski is no to became clear while its author was sitting in the theater. Ringback a charter for peace and i had theater tickets for that evening to see ironic of folks buy goods or the incredible thing about this play which was sold out like so many was that the people couldnt laugh any more because it was such a parody of the actual situation that it was absolutely serious discussion but lanced. Berliners the shut that fish and his wife rita were just finishing choir practice afterwards they walked down to the plans how about district. Of all. Was quiet in the streets there was no excitement most people were watching television western television so it was a football match was on and that was a good reason to switch on the t. V. To watch. A west German Television station was broadcasting a match between stuttgart and by in munich. By now the meeting in the Central Committee had come to an end. Going to shop bosky was also finishing work in his office it had been a long day the man who had announced the new travel regulation left the Central Committee building to go home to advantage the gated community where the politburo members live. And. Hundreds used to and its often been because when i arrived in van litz i saw that the windows were all dark which meant that the majority of the political row members slept through these eventful hours is a. Increasing numbers of people were making their way to the Border Crossing at dawn her mushed us or they were convinced they were now allowed to travel. But Border Security hadnt received any new instructions the officer tried to tell the crowd he couldnt let them through. But the people could no longer be turned back so easily. The most ill zoom into like the moment that more and more people were arriving they came on foot in cars and by tram they werent aggressive at this point but they were very firm in their demands not to freak. Out. You know i think it. Was. Made another worried phone call to his superiors cannot see going on asking for instructions about how to move mobile through my superior told me on the phone that hed call the ministry hed get hold of either the minister or his deputy he said i could listen to the conversation. As it were to me out of use of tired he wanted to show me that at this point there would be no hope or no rescue from above what kind of i dont give little to. No one in the ministry and wanted to believe what he was telling them. To look at the question came back was i capable of making realistic evaluations or was i acting out of fear at that point id had enough. There are thousands of people out here he said listen to them yourself. When i got the receiver back i could hear the man and hung up i didnt know what to think and i couldnt understand that they didnt believe me exploded as this big item that when youre. In the western half of berlin the news from east germany was spreading as well. Towards 9 oclock we became curious britain i went to the Border Crossing on invalid and strasser that was the closest one and it could be reached relatively easy from silicon berglund. But at that point 140 kilometer long border around west berlin was still closed every when. People were now arriving at the Border Crossing up on her mushed in ever increasing numbers. Made up his mind he triggered the. Model i was there i wouldnt usually have been authorized to call the alarm because i wasnt senior enough but i considered it necessary to go on and on with the entire evening we had to be prepared that people would come and storm the border good. Wrong i was called back by colonel seguin whole he told me this is whats going to happen all of the people provocatively showing up at the border loudly demanding to leave may leave. The fall asleep over the top of all as high as a bunch of all before i was to stamp the photograph in there. Which would allow them to leave but it would prevent them from coming back again nunzio always fight it to tighten. To do for iraq i wasnt allowed to explain this to the people they were only to be told about this when they tried to reenter. Then they would be told they were not allowed back in the community because thats one way trip was known as the safety valve solution. And had no idea about any of that their flat was just 2 blocks away from bomb harm. I got my money my husband like to watch every Football Game and i was annoyed when he wanted to switch the television off so i said no i want to watch the news but does and that was decisive. Good evening we should all be weary of using too many supporter tubes because they quickly lose their force but todays superlatives are appropriate today the 9th of november is a historic day east germany has announced that its borders would be opened immediately to anyone but. We thought we were hearing rides equal we looked at each other and we live close to the Bornholmer Strasse a Border Crossing so we went to check it out was what it was we wanted to see this sensation we got dressed and headed down. The situation of the Border Crossings in berlin is currently quite confusing unclear here it invalid in strasser nothing has happened all evening on the west side people are still waiting for the 1st people from east berlin to come over to a short visit to the us on in portsmouth. Then the safety valve solution was applied at. The start he wanted to use the trick to relieve pressure on the border and also to get rid of possible dissidents chads and past fish fell into the trap. Hes already noticed it isnt great to us all the people standing there we went all the way to the front to the heart of the window open and someone said what do you want the sequence i asked whether he knew that the border was open now i was faced with that we said we wanted to cross. The line or ask from passports in a really brusque way if your presence here is we. Got our stamps we took our passports and off we went but the noise. What they didnt know was that the stamp meant they were expats changing it. As i was so excited my legs were shaking i was scared because i didnt know what would happen was the last thought that i was is that it was this really a good thing we did in order and he walked across very slowly and did it as an ounce of with me. But i could also feel its quite a way from the border to the bridge we were completely on our own we couldnt see anyone there was nobody around. Usually these Border Crossings were very brightly lit but here it was dark and there was a sentry box and a fence with dogs behind it anyone who tried to escape here could expect to be arrested or shot peter but fish felt very apprehensive. The news of schabowski its note was also spreading in west berlin the 1st people from that side of the wall began arriving at the Brandenburg Gate u. S. News anchor tom brokaw was preparing for his broadcast weve been kind of keeping track of German Television about what was going on a lot of students had come from the west got up on top of the wall and there always thought you know they were back again and it was a story. Just a horrible white house so i got up hard to watch and it was chaos i couldnt hear myself. It was all west german chancellor head which corps was trying to get a picture of the situation in berlin. At that time in poland you couldnt just find a telephone in a guest house to make a call we had a floor mounted instrument with a crank lever that you had to turn the lever to create the line to the situation room in the chancellery. Larget center. To do all that was needed so we could be connected to the people the chance of the wanted to talk to this concert special but. Shortly after 11 we shut and lit up our fish one half way across the still empty bridge at the bottom harm us last a crossing. My mind when i held on to my husband and we walked across together then he let me go and waved his hat out of joy. Cup recently of course if we were so happy imagine i said were not even retired and we didnt cross over. Well how was it my wife for twirled around she gets dizzy easily so i didnt do that for long so i threw up by hand up that we didnt know what we were going to do next its what out of. The county if we were going to live they came across all alone and there was nobody else around evie i asked how they got here. They told me they had gone up to the little building and got stamps in their passports and they said they were allowed to leave east germany because i couldnt believe it but thats what they told me such as gibson that girl thought thats all for us to get off he asked if we wanted to stay. I said stay but the wall is open and we live right there. So i told him we live there and he said he live there that was our home. Or dog and then he invited us. There cant. Pay talking it took a couple on his own private tour of west berlin by night. If you do it as well you know as we were driving through west berlin nothing was going on but everything was normal city was calm there was advertising and everything was brighter but there werent many people around why we wasnt like the west berliners were already dancing in the streets of this was it was sort. Of on hard must pass a Border Crossing hardly a dozen men left about 500 people go through to the west they included those whose demands to leave are the loudest im sorry they were just standing nearby. But the vast majority of the people waiting was still not allowed to leave. Were being made a mockery of what could have stayed at home got some sleep instead of come of i mean told about this its ridiculous the calabasas didnt see the idea that suddenly a piece of paper showed up at the border schabowski snow which was making the rounds. As it would communicate off itself an idea and keep our eyes near official notes says personal trips out of east germany can be applied for without giving any reason just say this about talk that. The situation was escalating. Long he wanted on through not and it was a myth about how and they came so close to our colleagues so they could have grabbed the guns they were carrying which would have been dreadful. And. Thus foundation. Thoughtfully for a. Long. Long long long way. And then youve got to put a lot of the students aloft give it and i asked my colleagues to step into the office and tell me want to should do they told me i should know i was the boss of. I asked if i should let the people out or have them shot here god is nothing i can go to school. In the soviet Embassy Officials fear the west. Reservation a drip. Reisman for important her when such developments occur you know that if it happens just once if just a single shot is fired or the Border Police get health it with stones just once you work. The situation can get out of control very quickly that piece your thoughts your guns should move at that point west village medical students benedictine and my and his flatmate better reach the invalid and start a Border Crossing. And come when we arrived we saw many people standing within the border facilities which hadnt been possible before the mood was quite jolly some people had brought food and corks were flying into the air sick or fuel. Here is the in believe in stronger Border Crossing weve let ourselves be swept along with the actions of many people from west berlin or pushing their way across the border beyond the wall far into east berlin territory the east german Border Police are sitting in their watch toes watching the goings on sometimes even with smiles on their faces so indeed norman that was the 1st time i fully realized something was happening as had previously been unimaginable weekends so its not quite possible to see from here how close the people are getting to the checkpoint. Systems of use in making the crowd work their way further towards the border facilities until we were right at the barrier immediately behind it was a group of Peoples Police and size fun force put it system for. Those waiting at Bornholmer Strasse i was beginning to run out of patience. He wanted to get out immediately. On the other side of the bridge the 1st east german citizens were returning from that trip to west berlin but technically the next patch. You go on top of the north pole and i got a call from the 1st guard house by the bridge he said a young couple wanted to re enter but the woman had the passport stamp on a photograph and i said so what he replied they have their children at home. Sale and. Just a lot of the cannot charge of. The cups and i live in the us and i said it no longer mattered whether the people had the stamp on their photograph on not. Gotten up to boston dollars and lovely for them or if they could all come back in again to view the others or god but that moment i really didnt care what a party i was really angry at theres another thing you would. Involve. For 28 years they said being part of the border dividing east from west. Of the slum with everything put together created the motive for my actions i thought ive had enough i started making decisions on my own i gave instructions to have the barrier opened an area 6 to allow all east german citizens to leave without being checked but they could all leave for all i could. The. Youre not going to go to be on the up and then went to the former west german Border Office thats where i started after all in that hut in 1964 i just wanted to cry of. Mystery because thats i had to be on my own but i cant describe it any more but it was the worst and best thing that ever experienced both at the same time for the shy kids who like this one of those and its by the supply side but i was out of luck with the of not i someone else the captain and beat me to it and then he was trying to level to be afraid of him i couldnt really join him. I had to talk to him and calm him down with an eye on the even though he was 2 years older than rail at the water. 2 as the overjoyed people poured over the border shouting well be back get hot lotta who had written a note schabowski had read had left the theater and was just returning home. And it looks like what i got. Out of it was when it was our son welcomed us with the words that you should make a call the phones been ringing off the hook it was you minister and then he said by the way the borders open and some of the items are mystical and so all i could think was that something must have gone terribly wrong with i didnt call the minister he wouldnt be able to help me over the phone i drove to the ministry i didnt know the time how all this had come about we had only worked out the paper that morning and making it public was not supposed to happen before 4 in the morning next day it would have been around 6 in the morning before the 1st news programs broadcast the information so i knew something had gone very very wrong as we often have sex with mormons could be laughed at and expressing optimism was helpless crimes gunfights could offset. By midnight the border was open at other checkpoints as well as in the leadership us of bennett exceeded my i used the Border Guards confusion to find a way through. This time just another car went through and as the barrier went up a handful of people just ran into east berlin the moment that moment i had no concerns or fears that something could happen even though i knew that breaching border regulations could be extremely dangerous so transferred. But these 1020 people had made is across 24 if you dont get involved. So benefited a mile and his friends crossed into the east from the west. In la i think i. Mentioned the city was completely devoid of people nobody was on the streets we started shouting in calling for people to come out we even rang doorbells we. Were deflated when nobody opened but we saw people at the windows and we got the impression they were uncertain and were scared to open. So we decided to go and see what was happening at the Brandenburg Gate and mother tossed up us here at. The Brandenburg Gate an iconic landmark in the divided city and symbol of the cold war here the east german state didnt want to give in to popular pressure so easily several 100 Border Guards were in position. To Brandenburg Gate could be seen from the soviet embassy. Of the 1st official we were looking out of the windows. The usually empty on to a den linden avenue was filled with people on their way to the Brandenburg Gate they knew just as much as we did that there was no Border Crossing at the Brandenburg Gate but on the border of course. None the less people from west berlin were flocking to the Brandenburg Gate ignoring police warnings. Of the Brandenburg Gate and were all waiting. For people over what comes through the wall again not you know the doors or shouting at the strictly come are. Going to east german guards came and hose everybody off the wall. On the east berlin side the Border Guards barricaded the gate against the fast growing crowd of people there. As a recall there was a steel fence in front of the Brandenburg Gate as you know. All the Police Officers were behind it of course they tried to end. Simulators but as soon as we got to the barrier the 1st person jumped across the Peoples Police officers grabbed him and tried to hold onto him but there were only 2 of them and we all climbed over one by one. And i mentioned it was. The can you at least i jumped over the steel fence and ripped my right hand then i ran towards the Brandenburg Gate they called out stop the stretch between the place where the hotel are dont know stands where the barrier was and the Brandenburg Gate was quite long with a lot of uncommon but then a larger number of peoples pleas came marching out under the Brandenburg Gate and they lined up there we didnt know how they would react and how dangerous theyd be going on its nice you know if its you that made me think what are we doing here really theres nothing to it i mean if youre. Out in front. Got an alarming phone call from delhi. Theres a part of this or i i said what a mess or why has communication been so bad in the last few days i hadnt understood yet this it was a fundamentally muddled situation because when i heard the news i was horrified because i knew that it could lead to confrontation which had to be prevented without fail. Then i drove into a 1000000000 that i get. Shortly after midnight schabowski reached the highly chinas tasa Border Crossing. Of hugo chavez i was getting out of my car a civilian came towards me i assumed he was from the start he told me theyre letting them through now no incidents so. There was nothing more schabowski could do. Back home. In west berlin talkies east. German guests to a pub called house of 100 being is. Not very much then we were in a pub and bilma store where they had more than a 100 kinds of beer that was incredible for us and it tasted better than our beer. Some people heard what we were talking about whats happening they said did we hear right. I said yeah were from over there the wall is open you look at our id weve just come across that made an impression the 1st thing they said was oh what a shame we got nothing here for you they wanted to give us something you would with. Us even they said in the news that all those people who has dampened their passports wouldnt be allowed back in the east germany. Proper up fish had a fainting fit and we had to rush back to the border. He was so worried about her family and that she wouldnt be able to see them again you know. Get a 4000000 the committee. Has office in the east German Interior Ministry the found was ringing off the hook finish and i was sitting there completely alone the staff on duty in the ministry had no idea and every call that came in about this matter was put through to me which caused a huge queue up if i had to jump from one green button to the next to try and answer questions for sort of talking to bob as one very different people were calling michael i think the American Embassy called very early on asking what was going on in this country as the Party District and the municipal leaders called asking what was going on in this country because they knew the borders had opened in berlin. Up your magazine to somebody and you kind of pick on private citizens to hold enterprises to. I cant remember any more. Which concentrates are. For. The most middle of the midnight we have to assume the measures have been decided we couldnt take anything back anymore because the borders were open life had caught up with us and i quote. Only at the Brandenburg Gate where the border guard still trying to stem the tide of events it was a last show down between the state and the people. And then your lives to do for there was this woman these of Border Police officers with impassive faces when living across she was elderly and she was crying i just want to go to my children she cried let me go just once im going to come back again just make stuff im i gave camos a look at. That and i swear on my childrens lives and theyre with the army too they do their duty just like you both of them have for 3 years. And one of them wants to study to become a teacher in this republic our republic is all of that so hard to understand if i didnt know she had to push and. Push and i thought this wont last they wont manage this cant go on an emo shot from the smith. Family they left the woman through. That. Everyone in the west was also waiting for the crucial moment. Yeah 1 point one young man from a. Popped up. And he was the 1st one of the crowd went. Wild. So we go on there the last 4 i had before us and good evening was dont screw this up. You name a y. A problem or a war on a mortar strike night and this was half way what you say we i agree is a far greater number of new policy and also there by the east German Government that now for the 1st time since the wall was a regular night in 61. 00 people will be able to move through freely. Is design under 1st then i touched the columns and i had to admit i just broke dont crying i was so emotional i cried like a baby even know it makes me emotional to think about it i was touching these columns would only be able to see from a platform in the west but it was an incredible feeling but. That night picked up anchorman and spent it exceeded my monthly only ones who had the party of their lives. Starts listing he turned into a big party people were coming in that bathrobes and pajamas they walked through the Brandenburg Gate with tears in their eyes he was very emotional. For the 1st time in decades the bridge at bonheur mushed awesome was opening. Tens of thousands of people flooded into west berlin thats night. Returns they had bought fish returned to the bridge but no one asked them for their passports they realized the wall had come down for good to. Be an insult even though he kept weve never had to fight like that in our lives we were used to accuse but we were the only ones going into east berlin. We were in the middle where the hearts were and on one side were cast on the other people some with buggies it felt like the whole of east germany was moving because everyone was gathered borders would close again they were carrying so much. Month hobby commune with then i met with my deputy who kept telling me i had to do something because i was the boss no he said harold its finished. I didnt know right away what he meant i said what is it and he said with an east germany its finished lawyer principles were the. East berlin 4 oclock in the morning that was the moment when the news embargoed good to shop of skis note was supposed to have ended. It was only now that the people were meant to find out about their new freedom to travel that at least had been plowed has planned. But yet it was louder who had to deliver an explanation on east German Television because the party bus was silent. In the. 1000 of thousands of citizens were waiting for this decision as they took the opportunity and went to the Border Crossing points without using the published channels in order to prevent dramatic situations at the crossings of the border troops and passport offices have acted and bureaucratically and have permitted citizens to cross the border immediately for. The motorist. Eternally shut out fish got home in the early hours of the morning a little while later they went to work as usual. East berlin the day after the fateful announcement the country was no longer the same. When i came home i said to my wife i opened the border she told me not to talk such rubbish and walked off will not be stared looking. 30 years after the fall of the berlin wall on d. W. D. Of france dear antonio theres a scene here that when your mother was born in 1969 the world was already 8 years old and you know my grandchildren were born after the wall fell born in a very unifying sure. 3 generations one family on a journey through recent german history and back to the birth all our family and costs 15 minutes long t w. In a timeless way discover the. House world starts nov 14th on. Earth home to millions of species of home or saving. Global a. T. O. C. Tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the world like deals that protect the claim that boost Clean Energy Solutions and resource station. Losing interactive content to inspire people to take action global audience the environment series of global 3000 on t. W. And online. This is day to the news and these are our top stories germany has been marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall european latest joint chancellor Angela Merkel says they tackle a celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate in berlin which was the symbol of divided europe till the border was opened on november 9th 1909. For antigovernment protesters have been killed and more than 100 wouldnt wounded in the iraqi capital Baghdad Street protests in 10