A trip to Leipzig, epicenter of the Wende

This Friday we took a day trip to Leipzig to learn more about the events that led to the Wende – the momentous “turn” or “change” in 1989 that eventually led to the reunification of Germany.

Our first stop was the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum, a museum that focuses on the  the resistance movement that was centered in Leipzig in the 1980s, and its eventual results in the “peaceful revolution.”

Afterwards, historians Dorothee Wierling and Bernd Lindner shared their expertise with us on the streets of Leipzig itself, taking us step-by-step along the route walked by the protesters here in 1989. The resistance movement first centered on the Nikolaikirche, a church where politically-charged “peace prayers” had already been taking place for several years. In 1989, attendance began to soar as people joined the movement to demand change.

As the number of protesters grew week by week, they dared to walk further and further along the “Ring” avenue that encircled the city center. Herr Lindner, who took part in the protests, helped us retrace their steps. (He augmented the experience with photos from a book he helped co-author – right.)

By November of 1989, 70,000 protesters were marching together peacefully through the streets of Leipzig. One of the last sites to be incorporated into their route was the Runde Ecke – the building housing the central offices of the Stasi.

As we approach the anniversary of the fall of the Wall, it’s good to remember that this revolution did not begin in Berlin, but in Leipzig. The capital is often privileged in the narrative of the Wende, but it couldn’t have happened without the courage of the protesters in this other key city.