Explore the events, people and personal stories that marked a new era in contemporary German and European history!

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, our multimedia brochure “A Peaceful Revolution – 30 Years Fall of the Berlin Wall”, invites German learners to explore the events, people and personal stories that marked a new era in contemporary German and European history.

In addition to important facts on German post-war history (1945-1990), readers discover everyday life behind the Iron Curtain through the eyewitness accounts of David Gill, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York, and Diana Erinna, a German lecturer from Boston. How did it feel to grow up in the GDR? To what extent were they involved in the events of 1989 and how did they influence the future lives of both eyewitnesses?

The Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Wall show what civil courage and fighting for one’s rights and freedoms can do. It is said that history is the teacher of life. So, immerse yourself in life in the GDR and the events of 1989. – Consul General David Gill

Eyewitness Diana Erinna: Feelings after the Fall of the Berlin Wall video

Dianna Erinna, a German lecturer from Boston, says that she was actually crying when the wall came down. Find out why Erinna’s feelings were ambivalent and why she finally left Germany in December 1989.

Eyewitness David Gill: How did the Peaceful Revolution affect your life? video

David Gill, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York, explains how the Peaceful Revolution affected his life. Find out why he would probably be a protestant minister in East Germany today, instead of being a diplomat in New York.