Berlin Wall Falls – 30 Years On

Special day commemorates 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Iron Curtain

Academics from across Wales are gathering at Cardiff University to explore their research and life experiences on the eve of the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

At Berlin Wall Falls – 30 Years On historians and political scientists will link history and politics with their own research and life experiences of living in (East) Germany, Russia and Czechoslovakia thanks to funding from The Learned Society of Wales and Cardiff University.

The day aims to illuminate the way in which the biographies and identities of those who live through grand political events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Eastern Block are influenced by and intertwined with history.

Professor Mary Heimann, Dr Marion Löffler, Dr James Ryan, and Dr Gerwin Strobl of the School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Professor Sergey Radchenko of the School of Law and Politics, Dr Arddun Arwyn of Aberystwyth University and Welsh film maker Colin Thomas will explore their research and films.

Convenor Dr Marion Löffler, who witnessed the historic events first-hand as a student activist, explains more:

“Having grown up in East Germany and participating in the events which led to the Fall of the Berlin Wall I thought the focus of our conference should be Eastern Europe and Germany in autumn 1989, but  we will also reach back to experience life in East Germany, and forward to life in Prague in the 1990s. Our range of experts will also explore changing German and Russian identities since the millennium.”

Berlin Wall Falls – 30 Years On takes place on Friday 8 November in the Council Chamber in the University’s historic Main Building. The free event is open to all with advance booking via Eventbrite. Follow #BerlinWallFalls2019 for latest information.

The Learned Society of Wales is the national academy for arts and sciences. Its Fellowship brings together experts from across all academic fields and beyond to promote research, inspire learning, and provide independent policy advice.

The University is marking a range of historic anniversaries this autumn, including #Generation89, a day of witness marking the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia thirty years ago.