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Twenty Years Ago Today
On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was breached after nearly three decades keeping East and West Berliners apart, separating friends and families. At midnight, East Germany’s Communist rulers gave permission for gates along the Wall to be opened after hundreds of people converged on crossing points. People surged through cheering and shouting. They were met by joyful West Berliners on the other side. Jubilant crowds immediately began to climb on top of the Wall and hack large chunks out of the 96-mile long barrier. The Berlin Wall had been constructed in 1961 to stop people leaving for West Germany.
See a piece of the Berlin Wall and learn the circumstances under which it was built in the exhibit “Conflict and Characteristics of the Cold War: A Look at Elements of the Era through Resources in CU Libraries’ Special Collections.” The exhibit is on display in the Special Collections exhibit area on the lower level of the Strom Thurmond Institute Building through December 18, 2009.