Thread by @Katja_Thieme

November 9, 1989.

Every German program I listened to in the last few days asked its guests, "Where were you the night the Wall came down?"

It so happens that I can show you photos of where I was. On my summer birthday this year, I, somewhat accidentally, visited that place. 1/

During my annual Germany visit this year, my father drove my children, his wife, and me downriver into the countryside for my birthday lunch. Driving away from the restaurant, we were forced to go in the wrong direction due to some road construction. 2/

Ever the traveler, my father suggested we should go all in and keep driving to the town where I went to boarding school. Riesa. Stahlstadt Riesa, as it was known then for its massive steel forgery. My children had never been, and I hadn't seen the city in several decades. 3/

We drove to my old boarding school, a large, early-20thc school building. In 1989, the building housed a regular school for local students on two floors, the special school I attended on the third floor, and as part of that special school our bedrooms on the fourth floor. 4/

At the time, my school (the 3rd & 4th floor part only) had the wonky title of . . . you will love this! . . . very German & very Eastern bloc at the same time:

Spezialschule mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlich-technischer Richtung "Friedrich Engels."

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner-He…

5/

It was part of a system of 14 such schools in East Germany. We were told we were trained to become the country's scientific elite. 6/
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spezialsc…

It was a good school. It had excellent teachers. Our training was not actually very political (by DDR standards). I'm still very fond of the experience. It was an intense time to live so closely with interesting, smart people from across the region (the majority were boys). 7/

We drove up and parked. Only my eldest and I were willing to get out of the car (my father is in a wheelchair, and my youngest was not that interested). The two of us walked around the school, I pointed to my bedroom window up on the fourth floor. 8/

We got back in the car, and my father asked, "Did you go in? No? Why didn't you go in?" I didn't think it was my place. But he used to be a teacher (& principal during DDR times) and he's at home in a society I don't much belong to anymore, he has a different sense of place. 9/

Thanks to my father for the extra push. Back out of the car we stumbled and into the school we went. Door was open. A contractor who was doing floor work walked past us on the front steps, but otherwise we were alone. My child thought the school was magically beautiful. 10/

And it is beautiful. 11/

Look at the wave-cut on the wood of the stairwell banisters! Have you ever seen a wood banister carved in this way? I have not seen one like this anywhere else. Lovely to run your hands along. Impossible to slide down on, however. 12/

I started with the question, "Where were you when the Wall came down?"

Here is where I was!

This was my bedroom, shared with one other student. Room 440. The door is exactly the same. Imagine an army-style metal-frame bunk bed, two square desks, two Sprelacart wardrobes. 13/

I was in my room doing homework. Math, maybe. There was a TV room in this hallway (behind my back when I took the photo), where others were watching the news. And when they saw that some scaled the Wall and were let down on the other side, they came knocking on all doors. 14/

We crowded into the TV room and watched and commented in disbelief.

We had no idea if this opening was going to last, or if it was going to be forcefully closed again. But we were excited just the same.

15/

If you remember, please tell me in the comments, "Where were you when the Wall came down?" 16/

@dirkmahler, kennst du noch jemand von uns, der auch bei Twitter ist?

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