Germany Welcomes Families to Celebrate 35th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

I may be dating myself here, but I remember the day the wall fell in Berlin like it was yesterday. It was a pretty big deal — sadly mitigated by “pieces of the wall” later being sold in our local department store as memorabilia — and while it signified the end of a divided Germany and the Cold War, its memory lives on as a reminder the human race can do so much better.

This Nov. 9 marks a milestone anniversary — 35 years since the wall fell, and throughout Berlin, families can experience a number of events celebrating this monumental occasion, both on the big day and beyond.

On Nov. 9, the city will host open-air events, exhibitions and guided tours to commemorate the fall of the wall and teach visitors all about its history, including the events that led up to both its construction and its demolition, the impact the wall had, and the history of Germany in the years before and after the wall came down.

Events and attractions planned for before and after will give you plenty of opportunity to teach kids about this important part of history. Permanent exhibits like the Berlin Wall Memorial explain things like why the wall was built and why it stayed up so long, while the Immersive History exhibit at Deutschland Museum covers an interactive approach to 2,000 years of German history, from the rise of Germanic tribes in 9 A.D. all the way through the fall of the wall in 1989 and beyond.

Temporary exhibits and events give unique insight into specific aspects of history, like the Berlin Wall Bike Tour, which takes you along a 15-kilometer guided route that includes a stop at the last remaining portion of the wall.

Visit Berlin also designed a special app to help visitors find events to suit their needs and interests, from everyday attractions around this historic city to special events surrounding the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The app, free to use and available in English, allows for offline use once downloaded.