About

9 November 1989 marks the infamous fall of the Berlin Wall. On midnight of that day, East Germany's Communist rulers gave permission for gates along the Wall to be opened as a result of days of mass protest. After decades of partition, East Berliners surged through cheering and shouting and were greeted by West Berliners on the other side. Ecstatic crowds immediately began to climb on top of the Wall and destroy segments of the concrete fort.

For 28 years, the 28 mile Berlin Wall had split a city in two and divided a nation with two million tons of concrete, 700,000 tonnes of steel, attack dogs, tank traps, death strips and tripwires. While its dangers kept most GDR citizens at bay, others were spurred on to overcome it, by digging under it, hiding in car trunks, flying over it in hot-air balloons, and even surfing around it.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the Wall's historic demise, The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall charts its epic history and vividly brings to life the most daring escapes and interviews former border guards, politicians, spies and escapees.