25 Years After The Fall Of The Wall, These Photos Merge Past And Present, East And West

By Eline Gordts

On November 9, 1989, thousands of East Berliners headed to the borders that had separated them from the western part of their city and demanded to be allowed to cross. That night, the people on both sides of the Berlin Wall brought down the barrier between East and West, reuniting a city that had been divided for nearly three decades.

Berlin has changed much in the 25 years since. A thriving cultural and economic metropolis, the German capital has been lauded for its energy and tolerance, attracting thousands of foreigners each year.

To celebrate the fall of the Wall, take a look at the photos below and discover Berlin before and after the wall.

Central Press / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Tourists and tourist buses pass by the Brandenburg Gate on April 3, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white a sign reads: "Attention! You are NOW leaving West Berlin!" across from the Berlin Wall at the same location on August 1, 1962.
Gamma-Keystone / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Young visitors from Russia pose for a photo with an actor dressed as a U.S. soldier at the former Checkpoint Charlie border crossing between West and East Berlin on February 26, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white, U.S. soldiers peer from behind sandbags at Soviet soldiers at the same location on December 4, 1961.
Imagno / Hulton Archive / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

A woman in East Berlin looks out from an apartment window behind the newly-erected Berlin Wall sometime in 1961 or 1962, while people ride bikes on the same street on Feb. 24, 2014.
Central Press / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

A man walks past the underground subway entrance at Potsdamer Platz on February 25, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white, French soldiers and other people peer over the newly-erected Berlin Wall at the same location sometime in 1961.
Gamma-Keystone / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Cyclists and tourists make their way across the intersection of Friedrichstrasse and Zimmerstrasse at former Checkpoint Charlie on April 1, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white, Soviet tanks (behind) and U.S. tanks confront one another at the same location on October 26, 1961.
Imagno / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

A man walks a dog past the memorial to the Church of Reconciliation, which was demolished by East Berlin authorities to make way for a widening of the Berlin Wall, in Bernauer Strasse on February 25, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white, people in West Berlin look at an early version of the Berlin Wall in front of the church at the same location sometime in 1961 or 1962
Imagno / Hulton Archive / Sean Gallup / Getty Images

A couple crosses the street near the Berlin Wall memorial (R) at Bernauer Strasse on February 25, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white, people in West Berlin look at the newly-erected Berlin Wall at the same location sometime in 1961 or 1962.
Defot Echtes / Alinari via Getty Images

In the colour photo above, visitors walk next to a still-standing portion of the former Berlin Wall at the Topographies des Terrors memorial on March 20, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. In black and white, East German soldiers and workers stand next to the Berlin Wall at the same location sometime in 1962.

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