In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?

In what year did the Berlin Wall fall? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, on the night of 9 November. Its opening became one of the defining moments in the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe and the symbolic end of the division between East and West Berlin.

The wall had been built by East Germany in August 1961 to stop citizens from leaving for West Berlin and West Germany. It divided streets, neighborhoods, families, and workplaces for more than 28 years. Although often described as a single barrier, the border system included walls, fences, guard towers, patrol roads, and a heavily guarded area known as the death strip.

The opening followed months of demonstrations, growing pressure for freedom of movement, and a wider political crisis in East Germany. At a press conference, party spokesman Günter Schabowski announced new travel rules and mistakenly suggested they took effect immediately. Crowds gathered at the checkpoints, and border guards eventually let people pass. German reunification formally followed on 3 October 1990, 339 days later.