7 Days
4—10 November 2019
A festival week to celebrate, remember, discuss and participate
7 Locations
Experience history – at original locations of the Peaceful Revolution
30th Anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution — Fall of the Wall
A week of festivities in Berlin to mark the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Wall from 4 – 10 November 2019
The Berlin Festival Week from 4 – 10 November marks the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall: the capital city was transformed into a large open-air exhibition and event location. In over two hundred events at seven original sites of the Peaceful Revolution, visitors were invited to learn, remember, debate and celebrate.
At these seven locations, which to this day remain inseparably linked to the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Wall, Berlin was transformed into an open-air stage:
Looking back on the Festival Week
The event programme
Discover, experience, join in, and celebrate: The festival week welcomed visitors with a diverse programme of over two hundred events across all seven locations and seven days. This extensive programme included punk concerts and film screenings, exhibitions and panel discussions, readings and poetry slams, sing-alongs and much, much more.
© interfilm Berlin
© Kulturprojekte Berlin / Photo: Alexander Rentsch
Stories & Places
Open-air exhibitions at each of the seven locations explored the historical backgrounds of the events of 1989/90 through texts and images. The recollections of contemporary witnesses brought the events of thirty years ago to life: Their stories were collected and curated in an extensive interview project, and were featured in the exhibitions in the form of quotes and listening stations.
Floating Messages
During the Peaceful Revolution, hundreds of thousands of people boldly raised their voices in protest, paving the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall. Located at the Brandenburg Gate, the art installation “Visions in Motion” was a tribute to the innumerable banners displayed at demonstrations during the Peaceful Revolution by courageous East German citizens as a means to express their wishes and demands.
© Kulturprojekte Berlin / Photo: David von Becker
© Kulturprojekte Berlin / Photo: Alexander Rentsch
Speaking Facades
Visitors to the festival venues could immerse themselves in history each evening with large-format 3D video projections featuring historical images and film footage of the Peaceful Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall alongside cutting-edge lighting and sound effects. The video projections invited visitors to experience history where it had happened. These stunning creations also engaged with values and themes that are as relevant now as they were then: freedom, protest, courage.
Virtual Worlds
Dive into history with the Apps MauAR and Facebook Messenger, using Augmented Reality technology.
Explore new perspectives on history with innovative media: Relive key moments of the Peaceful Revoultion with MauAR, or discover over 30 untold stories of the Fall of the Wall via Facebook Messenger during the Festival Week.
© Kulturprojekte Berlin / Photo: Oana Popa-Costea
© Kulturprojekte Berlin / Photo: Martin Diepold
The evening of 9 November
The festival week culminated on 9th November with a stage show and musical extravaganza at the Brandenburg Gate. Over its two hour duration, this cross-media spectacle recounted the events of the Peaceful Revolution through musical, dramatic and light art performances, complemented by the voices of numerous contemporary witnesses and inspiring figures from then and now.
Film project: “Done with Courage”
The “Done with Courage” film project invited school pupils from Berlin to shoot short films about the Berlin Wall and more. Their films were shown at several film screenings throughout the festival week and are also available online.
© visitBerlin / Photo: Dagmar Schwelle
Impressions of the Festival Week
Looking back on 7 days celebrating 30 Years Peaceful Revolution – Fall of the Wall
What did the 3D Video Projections look like? How was the take-off of “Visions in Motion”, the Art Installation at Brandenburg Gate? How did people experience the talks, discussions ans concerts?
Have a look at selected photos and videos from the Festival Week.
A festival for everyone!
The festival week was a platform for cooperation and participation. A calendar of events is being hosted on this website from September 2019, providing an overview of the many events also taking place in Berlin outside the festival week. Museums, memorials, associations, educational institutes, initiatives and artists’ groups were all invited to take part.
