nov 4th 198906000 gathered to demonstrate in east berlin he was the largest non state sanctioned demonstration communist east germany would ever see a few days later the berlin wall fell 30 years on we're at the famous bend you know ensemble theater to meet one of the regime's harshest critics singer-songwriter voice. today his criticism is directed against present day right wing populists like the alternative for germany or e.f.t. party and its leader alexander go lunde. because of course like many others i was annoyed that this gallant of the a.f.d. actually says in public that the whole nazi period since i was just a bird crap. anyone who causes 12 years of. the war was. not to mention the 6000000 murdered jews and half a 1000000 gypsies bird crap is a criminal. in his songs performing here with his wife camilla took the east german communist regime to task on sees reunification and its consequences in a positive light he has no time for people who suggest that the former east germany was colonized. mrs freedom does not miss the barbed wire you can break 2 systems dictatorship and democracy to get su

part of the city was directly in the river and 10 people died just here trying to cross from communist east berlin into the west in total over a 1000 people died trying to escape east germany and so it's really no wonder that in 1909 when the border opened people came down to the wall with. picks with hammers and they wanted to just get rid of the wall and the only reason that this stretch of the wall survived is down to the efforts of a group of artists. the east time gallery was started in february $990.00. artists were invited to paint an original portion of the berlin wall back then the initiative was designed to help east german artists who had suddenly been left without an income but in those exciting days of the former communist state opening up artists came from all over the world. when berlin was divided it was common for people on the western side to draw graffiti on the wall but on the eastern side people approached at their peril the wall became more and more fortified with heavily armed guards tripwires searchlights and lookout towers border guards ordered to shoot to kill anyone who

hey brant yeah i'm in front of the good salmon in church in what was 30 years ago communist east berlin and as you can see behind me there's some quite impressive projections of that time of these days leading up to the fall of the berlin wall which at that time no one was actually expecting that's what this whole week is about it's about commemorating the peaceful route to revolution now 30 years ago today there was a concert in this church they did so many church of beethoven's 3rd symphony this and at the end of that the conductor stood up and he said the wall has got to go there was huge applause and people took to the streets in an impromptu march which not that long ago would have been very very dangerous that was 4 days before the berlin wall fell of course they didn't know that it was going to fall but already there was this momentum this impetus and that concert 30 years ago wasn't the 1st event at this church in terms of opposition to the church was a place for people to meet from the opposition it was one of the few safe places where people could talk politics. and really spe

marks by these lit up blue poles and right here about 10 people died trying to cross from communist east berlin into what was known as free west berlin though if you look at the figures across east germany during the time of the berlin wall the number of people who tried to escape east germany and died during their attempt is over a 1000 some say it's around 1200 and most of those who died trying to escape were young men between the age of 18 and 25 now it's no wonder if you look at those figures that in 1989 when the border opened people came down so the berlin wall with pics with hammers to take it down and there was there was a huge movement to take down the berlin wall and really the only reason that this stretch of the berlin wall 1300 meter stretch of it survived is down to the efforts of around $100.00 artists. the east time connery was started in. february 990 artists were invited to paint an original portion of the berlin wall back then the initiative was designed to help east german artists who had suddenly been left without an income but in those exciting days of the former communist

a wind of change was blowing through east germany in just 4 more days the berlin wall would fall although no one knew that yet and this church in what was communist east berlin figured similarly church helped pave the way for that peaceful revolution. in october of 1989 the good salmon a church became the center of the revolution communist east germany was celebrating its 40th anniversary and there was still rousing applause for the country's leaders but at the same time the streets were slowly filling up with protesters. east german police and members of the country's notorious intelligence service brutally beat the demonstrators on this night thousands some of them wounded fled into the safety of the church there were fears that the church would be stormed but the police didn't intervene the entire situation in the eastern bloc was shifting under michel gorbachev moscow was no longer willing to back the use of force against demonstrators the protest movement based in the get similar church was allowed to continue one of the most anticipated events of the can. memory sions here in berlin is a concert here at the good cement of church by punk roc

portion of the berlin wall back then the initiative was designed to help east german artists who had suddenly been left without an income but in those exciting days of the former communist state opening up artists came from all over the world. when berlin was divided it was common for people on the western side to draw graffiti on the wall but on the eastern side people approached at their peril the wall became more and more fortified with heavily armed guards tripwires searchlights and lookout towers border guards were ordered to shoot to kill anyone who tried to escape and more than 100 people were killed trying to cross the border in berlin alone just a few months after those instruments of oppression were dismantled the east side gallery turned the symbol of terror into a canvas for free expression some of the artworks have become famous around the world because the gallery is exposed to the weather the images of had to be restored or even repainted several times today the east side gallery is a popular tourist destination. back to david leavitt's. david what's going on there today. well this oh i'm going to tell you a little bit more about this projection behind me

east germany's peaceful revolution 30 years ago is the guest 70 church in what used to be communist east berlin and let's go over to my colleague david leavitt's who's standing by there for us. i david tell us what's going on down there and how are people celebrating this historic occasion.

germany's peaceful revolution 30 years ago is the guest salman a church in what used to be communist east berlin and let's go over to my colleague david leavitt's who's standing by there for us. i david tell us what's going on down there and how are people celebrating this historic occasion.

germany's peaceful revolution 30 years ago is the guest salman a church in what used to be communist east berlin and let's go over.

east germany's peaceful revolution 30 years ago is the guest 70 church in what used to be communist east berlin and let's go over to my colleague david leavitt's who stand.

>> i'm in front of a church of what was 30 years ago in communist east berlin. ere are some projections of what was leading up to the fall of the berlinale -- berlin wall. this whole week is commemorating the peaceful route to revolution. [no audio] at the end of that, the conductor stood up and said the wall has got to go. people took to the streets in an impromptu march which not too long ago would have been very dangerous. there was this momentum and the concert 30 years ago was not the first event at this church in terms of opposition. the church was in place for people to meet from the opposition and one of the safe places where people could talk politics and really speak their mind. the weeks and months leading up to the fall of the berlin wall, the whole closet was filled with candles. people came together for pro-democracy demonstrations -- demonstrators who were imprisoned. after a few days, there were thousands of people, people who were not necessarily turkey members or considered themselves political. it is a major groundswell for where this movement

east germany. berlin became a symbol of the division between east and west and between the communist and democratic system. the berlin wall itself was about 96 miles long, completely separating west berlin from east berlin. again, cutting it off from the rest of east germany. we had a couple of pieces of the berlin wall i would like to show you. we have two authentic pieces of the berlin wall here. we ship them over to washington, d.c. from germany and put them up here. most people, they think of all the graffiti and color and designs on the wall. these are completely plain. that's because they were on the east side, where people were not allowed to graffiti the wall. that would have had major penalties. one reason why they did not want people drawing on the wall was because having the wall be completely plain makes it easier for the guards to see people. it made them more visible against plain background. before the berlin wall was built, several million of the 3 million people crossed the border from east to west. people didn't stop trying to get out of east germany. about 100,000 people tried to

marks by these lit up blue poles and right here about 10 people died trying to cross from communist east berlin into what was known as free west berlin now if you look at the figures across east germany during the time of the berlin wall the number of people who tried to escape east germany and died during their attempt is over a 1000 some say it's around 1200 and most of those who died trying to escape were young men between the age of 18 and 25 now it's no wonder if you look at those figures that in 1989 when the border opened people came down to the berlin wall with picks with hammers to take it down and there was there was a huge movement to take down the berlin wall and really the only reason that this stretch of the berlin wall 1300 meter stretch of it survived is down to the efforts of around $100.00 artists. the east time calorie was started in february $990.00. artists were invited to paint an original portion of the berlin wall back then the initiative was designed to help east german artists who had suddenly been left without an income but in those exciting days of the former communi

in october $989.00 think of so many church in what was then east berlin it became the center of the revolution communist east germany was celebrating its 40th anniversary and there was still rousing applause for the country's leaders but at the same time the streets were slowly filling up with protesters. and. east german police and members of the country's notorious intelligence service brutally beat the demonstrators. on this night thousands some of them wounded fled into the safety of the church there were fears that the church would be storm. but the police didn't intervene a new wind was blowing from the east under mikhail gorbachev moscow was no longer willing to back the use of force against demonstrators the protest movement based in the guest them in a church was allowed to continue with candles courage and nonviolent protests these demonstrators paved the way for the peaceful revolution and the fall of the wall. and david clearly such a historic place but tell us what is happening there today. well in just a little bit when the when it gets darker outside there are going to be projections on t

hey how and i'm in front of the good seaman the church in what was just 30 years ago communist east berlin and i'm here because this church played a major role in the peaceful revolution that led to the fall of the berlin wall and the reunification of the 2 germany's just 30 years ago to this day there was a concert held just behind me of beethoven's 3rd symphony and at the end of that concerts the conductor said the wall has to go and there was a huge cheer and the crowd went out onto the streets in impromptu protests which at that time were still very brave we're talking just months after the massacres at tiananmen square in beijing people didn't know what was going to happen and people also didn't realize that just 4 days later the wall was going to fall now that wasn't the 1st time that the gets a mini church played a role in the peace movement that led up to that event the church in general here in east germany was a sort of opposition force to the government which was officially atheist and it was a space where people could come together and talk frankly about politics and organize t

i can hunch you're going legler live to what was then communist east berlin for them the film set is like a journey back in time to the moment in which their lives and the country they lived in changed forever. they switched it's a very emotional moment for me watching this right now even though of course it's just a movie. catron caught 2nd hons martin fleischer 1st met each other on bornholmer bridge that night. she lived in the east and he lived in the west of the divided city. listen closely with the people started shit makes me start to choke up i feel like i want to join in but have. an amazing moment it's like a journey back in time to this sink. credible moment in history absolutely. for catron and hans martin that chance meeting on the bridge sent their lives in a different direction. yes to lived in west berlin filk a family in the east for years they were separated by a wall but they kept their friendship a lot. on the morning of november 9th 1909 the wall still seemed a fact of life impervious man i'm yielding. a moving van was underway in the east berlin district of fran

east germany. berlin became a symbol of the division between east and west and between the communist and democratic systems in the cold war. it was a hotspot of the tension between east and west. the berlin wall itself was about 96 miles long, completely separating west berlin from east berlin. completely surrounding west berlin and again, cutting it off from the rest of east germany. we have a couple of pieces of the berlin wall i would like to show you. we have two authentic pieces of the berlin wall here. they were donated to the museum by a county which is outside of east berlin. we shipped them over to washington, d.c. from germany and put them up here. most people, when they think of the berlin wall, they think of all the graffiti and color and designs on the wall. these are completely plain. that's because they were on the east side, where people were not allowed to graffiti the wall. it would have incurred some pretty severe penalties. one reason why they did not want people drawing on the wall was because having the wall be completely plain makes it easier for the guard to see people. it m

pivotal moment in history which ushered in the end of communism in eastern europe will separated communist east berlin from the capitalist west in a year after it came down germany was reunified a chance and i'm glad muckle who has self grew up in the east has used the anniversary to urge european leaders to defend democracy john mccain reports now from berlin. world germans remember a joyous moment which many thought might never happen the removal of a physical barrier that divided a city a country a continent but in the end it was a wave of people power which swept over them and yet it was the people in power who let that wave top of that within weeks that same government was tapped within months the 2 germans would become one. angle america was one of the many east germans who walked into west berlin on that night in 1909 for her now as chancellor the night of november is a time for remembrance to feel him and to many people became a victim of the dictatorship we were not forget i remember the people who were killed here at this because they were looking for freedom as i also remember the 75000 peo

, that the east german spokesperson says the new order means that people can pass through the berlin wall itself from east billionairin -- berlin berlin. these developments coming as communist authorities have been under tremendous pressure because of the tens of thousands of east germans fleeing their country. of this evening in east germany, they can leave whatever they want and however they want. we'll have further developments throughout the afternoon and nbc report this evening, nightly news, from tom brokaw, today.in east berlin utley, nbc news, new york. announcer: this has been an nbc news special report. announcer: we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. here's harrick utley. >> here is the latest information coming to us from germany. the startling announcement that east german citizens will have their countryeave to travel -- it will no longer be necessary for east germans leaving their country to travel through other communist nations such as hungary, poland, or czechoslovakia. that is the route that tens of thousands of east germans have been taking over these last several weeks. the announcement was made by the spokesman. as you know, the gov