Berlin expects crowds to mark 25 year after the fall of the Wall

Berlin, July 2014 The German capital is expecting a large number of visitors to descend on the city to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. "Guests want to experience first-hand how Berlin and its people have taken advantage of the historic opportunity given to them a quarter century ago", says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin.

The high point of the celebrations will come the weekend of 7–9 November when a fifteen-kilometre long light installation will light up the city centre along the former course of the Wall. 8,000 large, illuminated balloons will mark the line where, up until 25 years ago, the Berlin Wall divided East from West. On the evening of 9 November, the balloons will be released into the sky to commemorate the opening of the border between the two Germanies.

At several points along the installation, information displays will tell the personal stories of those people who helped open up the Wall that night 25 years ago. Many of them undertook a great personal risk to demand freedom and protest against the Communist dictatorship then ruling East Germany. "The global appeal of the Berlin as a brand is inseparable from Berliners' desire to embrace freedom. Both got their start on that November night when the Wall fell", Kieker explains.

visitBerlin presents an overview of the events surrounding the anniversary in English at wall.visitBerlin.com.

Additional articles about the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at http://press.visitberlin.de/en/article/press-news-and-news-service-25-years-fall-of-the-berlin-wall.

Picture is available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140715/697024

CONTACT:

visitBerlin

Björn Lisker

Spokesman

phone: +49 30 264748-956

e-mail: bjoern.lisker@visitberlin.de

Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH

Am Karlsbad 11

D-10785 Berlin