Commemoration of the 65th Anniversary of the Construction of the Berlin Wall

Commemorative Event

On August 13, we commemorate the construction of the Berlin Wall 65 years ago and honor the victims of the Wall and division.

Like a wound, the Wall cut through the city, severing streets and neighborhoods, families and friendships. As time passes, it becomes all the more important to keep these memories alive and pass them on. That is why Jörg and Franz Hildebrandt will speak at the event. They will share their (family) history on Bernauer Strasse, where Pastor Helmut Hildebrandt led the last service at the Church of Reconciliation in 1961. He was Jörg’s father and Franz Hildebrandt’s great-grandfather. For many people, the church was a place of shelter and community during difficult times, until the Wall made it inaccessible and ultimately destroyed it. The extent to which the experience of the Wall and division continues to shape families to this day will become clear in conversation with the two eyewitnesses. In addition, the President of the German Bundestag, Ms. Julia Klöckner, Member of the Bundestag, will deliver a speech.

The event in the chapel is reserved for invited guests but will be livestreamed to the chapel’s forecourt.

To attend the livestream on the forecourt, please register by email at:

Meeting point: Chapel of Reconciliation, Bernauer Straße 4, 10115 Berlin

Booking: To watch the broadcast on the plaza, please register by email at:

Next date:

• Date Thursday, 13/August/2026 10:00 bis 10:30
• Venue Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer
• Address Bernauer Straße 119, 13355 Berlin-Kreisfreie Stadt Berlin