Berlin Wall: Countdown to 1961/1989

The Berlin Wall divided Germany — and Europe — for nearly 30 years. Like other walls around the world, this inhumane structure tore families apart and destroyed lives. This two-part documentary reveals a very personal perspective on this physical representation of the Cold War.

Countdown to 1961 — The Rise of the Berlin Wall

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Jan. 5, at 9 PM
Saturday, Jan. 6, at 2 AM
Sunday, Jan. 14, at 4 PM 

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Jan. 13, at 2 PM

On Aug. 13, 1961, Berliners woke up on a Sunday morning to find their city divided by a wall. That day became known as “Barbed Wire Sunday,” marking a peak in the era of the Cold War. It felt like a complete surprise to many, but key moments in the preceding year made clear that something was brewing.

Countdown to 1989 — The Fall of the Berlin Wall

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Jan. 5, at 9:45 PM
Saturday, Jan. 6, at 2:45 AM 
Sunday, Jan. 14, at 4:45 PM 

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Jan. 13, at 2:45 PM

The fall of the Berlin Wall on the evening of Nov. 9, 1989, came as a complete surprise to East and West Germans, and the entire world. How did this historic moment come to be?

Interviews describe the events surrounding the fall of the wall, and photographer Dietmar Riemann shares how he decided to leave East Germany in the hope of a better life in the West.