East German Border Troops officially began dismantling the Berlin Wall on 13 June 1990.
The Wall had effectively lost its political purpose after border crossings opened on the night of 9 November 1989, but most of the physical barrier remained in place for months. Controlled demolition began officially in June 1990, starting around Bernauer Straße and the Mitte district of Berlin.
The dismantling was a large engineering operation rather than a single night of destruction. Border troops removed sections of concrete, fencing, signal systems, and barrier ditches. Work continued across Berlin through December 1990, while many roads severed by the Wall were rebuilt and reopened during the same period.
The date is often confused with 9 November 1989, the night the Wall opened, or 3 October 1990, the date of German reunification. Those events were politically decisive, but neither marks the official start of demolition. The date 13 June 1990 specifically refers to the formal beginning of dismantling by East German Border Troops.