The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, opening crossings between East and West Berlin.
The East German government began building the Wall on 13 August 1961 to stop people from leaving East Berlin and East Germany for the West. The barrier eventually included concrete walls, fences, guard towers, a patrol road, and a heavily controlled zone known as the death strip.
On 9 November 1989, East German official Günter Schabowski announced new travel rules and, after questioning, said they took effect immediately. Crowds gathered at border crossings, and guards eventually opened them. The Wall’s fall became a defining symbol of the collapse of communist governments in Central and Eastern Europe.
Germany was formally reunified on 3 October 1990. Sections of the Wall were preserved as memorials, including the East Side Gallery, where artists painted murals on a remaining stretch. The Wall’s fall was therefore in 1989, while reunification followed in 1990.