Marking 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

For this reason, when the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy decided to present a segment of the Berlin Wall to mark the 20th anniversary of its destruction, alongside a new exhibition on democracy and human rights in Taipei, the 228 Memorial Foundation and the German Institute in Taipei offered their help to outreach efforts to local citizens.

Without a doubt, Brigitt Ory, director-general of the German Institute in Taiwan, believes that reaching out to Taiwanese is crucial to preserving the memory and inspiration of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Speaking with The China Post on her experience in Germany in November 1989, when she was still a student in political science, she recalled how the event was something that she hadn't expected.

“Oh! This is not possible, what is happening,” she remembered saying on the spur of the moment, while watching the breaking news on television that night.

“We didn't realize what was happening,” she said.

The Berlin Wall burst open almost twenty years ago after months of rising tension in East Germany. Many rushed immediately to border crossings after a Communist East German government leader told a news conference they were free to travel to the West — and vice versa.

Asked about her impressions of East Berlin during her visit for New Year's Eve celebrations that year, which peacefully gathered around two million people near the Brandenburg Gate, she notes her surprise at discovering the buildings, the old and nice museums and the people.

“I wasn't shocked, I was happy, it was magical, because I'd never thought in my lifetime I would be so happy,” she said.

Also, she recollected the distinctive smell of the East side of the city as citizens used different heating systems in the winter — mostly solid fuels.

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