On what date did the Berlin Wall fall, opening its crossings to Berliners?

The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989, when East Germany unexpectedly opened its border crossings to Berliners.

The immediate trigger was a confused announcement by East German official Günter Schabowski during a live press conference. Asked when new travel rules would take effect, he said, “immediately, without delay,” although the government had not intended an uncontrolled opening that evening.

Crowds quickly gathered at the checkpoints. Border guards, unable to obtain clear instructions and facing thousands of people, began allowing passage. The opening became the defining public moment of the Wall’s collapse, even though some physical demolition followed later.

German reunification formally took effect on 3 October 1990. That date is therefore different from the Wall’s fall on 9 November 1989, a common source of confusion.