Nobody knew that it was going to happen that day. Certainly not
Günter Schabowski who was the
SED party boss in East Berlin. In October of 1989 Schabowski was involved with forcing Erich Honecker to step down as the leader of the SED who had served since 1976. Honecker was replaced with Egon Krenz and Schabowski became a party spokesman.
Schabowski held regular press conferences in which he was communicating changes that were being made at the time. And things had to change. A peacefull revolution had begun. and the iron curtain was beginning to fail. In May of 1989 Hungary began dismantling its border fence with Austria. And soon East Germans were escaping through Hungary. On the 4th of September as many as half a million people gathered at Alexander Platz to protest against the government.
At the press conference on the 9th of November Schabowski was given a note. East Germans were free to travel. The new policy was decided earlier that day by the politburo, which was under the new leadership of Krenz. Refugees could now leave directly through the West German checkpoints. This was modified by the ministerial administration to include private travel.
Schaboski was not involved in the discussions and had no instruction as to what to do with the note. It was not intended for release on that day. The border guards had no instruction. Nobody was prepared for the change in policy.
So it was a surprise when he read it during the press conference.
The 1 minute mark: This is how the wall fell?
At the 1:50 mark of this video you can hear a reporter ask when the new policy is to take effect. "Ab sofort?" he asks. Schabowski scratches his head and puts his glasses back on to read it again as he explains that from his understanding that the policy is in effect "ab sofort."
"Immediately."
Those words were broadcast by West German television at 7:17pm and 8:00pm. Nearly all of East Germany was in range of the broadcasts.
The people decided that the policy was, in fact, effective immediately.
And Harald Jäger decided that no blood would spill. Lieutenant Colonel Jäger disobeyed his orders and despite his duties as the officer in charge of passport controll at the Bösebrücke (Böse Bridge) on Bornholmerstrasse decided to open the gate and allowed the East Germans to freely pass into West Berlin.
Very interesting aerial photograph comparisions of Berlin 1989 vs Recent from Berliner Morgenpost.
"Then" and "Now" photographs via Berliner Morgenpost.