On the ninth of November, 2014, the people of Berlin will all come together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. This day signifies the reunification of Germany following a twenty-eight year split and the brutalities of the Soviet Union.

What was once known as Nazi Germany, split after the horrific events that took place in World War II. Nazi Germany became two pieces; West Germany which was occupied by the United States and East Germany which was occupied by the Soviet Union. It was in 1961 that the Soviet Unions construction of the Berlin Wall began. According to Soviet Union leaders, the wall was built to keep the West Germans out, but really the wall was built to stop the thousands of East Germans trying to flee from the dreadful country.

With the Berlin Wall now in their way very few were able to escape. But with a new escape route to Hungary, the Soviet Union’s major loss of power and money during the cold war, and Ronald Reagan’s prodding in private meetings with Gorbachev, the weakened Soviets finally decided to take down the wall.

On November ninth, 1989 thousands of East Germans swarmed the gates of the Berlin Wall. Once the signal was given the Germans erupted as they pulverized the wall with their hefty mauls and their steel chisels that were a foot long. The iron curtain was torn apart, the German people were united and the German flags were unfurled.

Soon after the destruction of the wall, the Chancellor of West Germany, Helmut Kohl, began negotiations with the East German officials. This resulted in a treaty that reunited East Germany and West Germany. Kohl became the new chancellor, Berlin the new capital. The Cold War had ended and Germany was reborn.

Twenty five years later, in 2014, Germany prepares to celebrate again with the Lichtgrenze. The Lichtgrenze is a symbolic wall of lights consisting of thousands of illuminated balloons. These balloons will be released into the night sky on November ninth to celebrate the fall of the iconic Berlin wall and the beginning of the peaceful revolution.