Beyond Borders: Drawing, Tearing Down and Shifting Boundaries

The starting point is 13 August 1961. With the construction of the Berlin Wall, West Berlin became an island, preventing citizens of the GDR from leaving. The Wall, cutting through the city, became a symbol of isolation and the loss of freedoms. With its fall in 1989, German division and the post-war European order came to an end. Yet its repercussions remain visible to this day.

Today, new borders are being drawn and old ones are being reactivated. In Berlin, across Europe and around the world.

At the external borders of the European Union, belonging, mobility and human rights are being restricted. At the same time, social tensions are intensifying, and questions of migration, diversity and participation are being renegotiated.

Borders also continue to shape life in Germany. The division between East and West still influences biographies and opportunities, and affects how belonging is perceived.

At the same time, new forms of solidarity and resistance are emerging: initiatives, networks and civil society actors are committed to openness, diversity and democratic values. They demonstrate that borders can be changed—and that we all share responsibility for them.

Between the anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, the “Month of Democracy” and “Freedom Week”, we create space for exchange and new perspectives.

Please note: The events are held in German.

Wednesday, 30 September 2026, 6:30 pm
No Border Lasts Forever – Refugee Struggles in Times of Right-Wing Shift
Reading and discussion

Friday, 30 October 2026, 6:30 pm
Niewiedervereinigung: 100 Interjections on German Unity
Reading with Paula Fürstenberg

Thursday, 12 November 2026, 6:30 pm
1989 as a Mandate: Missed Opportunities, New Perspectives
Discussion in cooperation with the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship (BAB)