Die as I wish

A new exhibition in Berlin is revisiting the dramatic changes that followed the fall of the Wall. 'Heute noch, morgen schon' at the Nikolaikirche Museum uses films to explore the city’s immediate post-reunification period. The display includes personal stories, from children’s thoughts on unity to the struggles of East Germans adapting to a new system.

Friedrichstraße station was once a symbol of division, where stern East German border guards scrutinised travellers in the Tränenpalast passport control cabins. Until November 1989, even minor infractions—like carrying a copy of Der Spiegel or showing a 'hostile-negative attitude'—could end a trip into East Berlin. After the Wall fell, the station quickly returned to being an ordinary commuter hub.

The documentary *Berlin Bahnhof Friedrichstraße 1990* captures the moment when the *Tränenpalast* was dismantled. Almost overnight, the passport cabins became wooden crates, stripped down by the same guards who had once wielded authority. The film is part of the exhibition, which features a scaffolding structure with nine large screens playing continuous loops of post-*Wende* footage. Other films highlight the human side of reunification. One follows an East Berlin punk musician securing an exit visa. Another records children sharing their hopes and confusion about the changes. The exhibition also touches on the challenges faced by East Germans, including workplace discrimination. In one case, a woman applying for a job at a West Berlin supermarket was told she would first have to 'learn how to work.' The Nikolaikirche itself holds historical significance. In 1991, it hosted the first session of Berlin’s unified city parliament since 1948, marking a formal step toward political reunification.

The exhibition offers a raw look at a pivotal moment in Berlin’s history. Through personal stories and archival footage, it documents the rapid shift from division to unity. The films and artefacts serve as a reminder of how quickly institutions—and lives—were transformed after 1989.