Fall of the Wall 25: On the scene in Berlin

The East Side Gallery aglow for the fall of the wall celebration. Photo: Craig Nelson

Twenty-five years ago on the night of November 9, 1989, Berlin witnessed the Fall of the Wall, an iconic moment for the whole world.

This weekend the city was aglow with lights spread out along 15km of the wall’s former path. It was a spectacular sight to behold across Berlin, and the city held several events to commemorate this historic moment. They even encouraged a hashtag #fallofthewall25 to document the festivities. It all built up to a big celebration last night on the official anniversary.

Here are some photos that capture the spirit of the city on this historic evening.

A mural along the famous East Side Gallery. Photo: Craig Nelson

A view looking over the preserved guard tower at the Berlin Wall Memorial. Photo: Craig Nelson

Looking up at the towers along the Oberbaum Bridge crossing the Spree River. Photo: Craig Nelson

The lights stretching as far as you can see along the East Side Gallery. Photo: Craig Nelson

The light display running through Mauerpark. Photo: Craig Nelson

Crossing Oberbaum bridge into Kreuzburg just after sunset. Photo: Craig Nelson

Thousands of Berliners of all ages turned out for this historic night. Photo: Craig Nelson

The balloons were released one by one around 7 pm. Here is the scene along Behmstrasse. Photo: Craig Nelson

November 9 Platz. This is where the border was first breached in 1989. Photo: Craig Nelson