Goethe Scenes

A Wall That Unites

The end of the journey of The Wall in the World. This day welcomes a dozen pieces of a wall that have returned home to the Brandenburg Gate – less marked by travel than highlighted from a journey around the world. The place that, in its history, was not only once the point of departure for walking-tours to Fontane’s beloved Brandenburg March, but also a deserted border district between divided German states can today be freely passed through by all. In many regions of the world, by contrast, division and borders are the daily routine of the population. It was to such places – from Mexico to Korea – that the Goethe-Institut sent symbolic wall stones via airfreight for artistic expression by children, artists and intellectuals. Fittingly, on the Day of German Unity the bulky works can now be seen together. On 9 November, at the Festival of Freedom, the blocks will then fulfil their destiny and be knocked down.