page_title: German reunification
section_title: Reunified Berlin
hierarchical_section_title: German reunification / Reunified Berlin
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Brandenburger Tor am 1. Dezember 1989. Das Tor ist von der Ostberliner Seite bereits frei zugänglich, die offizielle Öffnung des Übergangs zum Westen am 22. Dezember steht noch bevor.English: Brandenburg Gate on December 1, 1989. The structure is already freely accessible from the East, however, the crossing to the Western side will not be officially open until December 22nd.Français&#160;: La porte de Brandebourg le 1er décembre 1989. La porte est déjà librement accessible du côté Est, l'ouverture officielle du passage vers l'Ouest le 22 décembre 1989 est encore à venir.
context_page_description: German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic became part of the Federal Republic of Germany to form the reunited nation of Germany, as provided by Article 23 of the FRG's then constitution. The end of the unification process is officially referred to as German unity, celebrated each year on 3 October as German Unity Day. Berlin was reunited into a single city, and again became the capital of united Germany.
  The East German government started to falter in May 1989, when the removal of Hungary's border fence with Austria opened a hole in the Iron Curtain. It allowed an exodus of thousands of East Germans fleeing to West Germany via Hungary. The Peaceful Revolution, a series of protests by East Germans, led to the GDR's first free elections on 18 March 1990, and to the negotiations between the GDR and FRG that culminated in a Unification Treaty. Other negotiations between the GDR and FRG and the four occupying powers produced the so-called "Two Plus Four Treaty" granting full sovereignty to a unified German state, whose two parts were previously bound by a number of limitations stemming from their post-World War II status as occupied regions.
context_section_description: While the fall of the Berlin Wall had broad economic, political and social impacts globally, it also had significant consequence for the local urban environment. In fact, the events of
  9 November 1989 saw East Berlin and West Berlin, two halves of a single city that had ignored one another for the better part of 40 years, finally "in confrontation with one another". There was a belief in the city that after 40 years of division, the reunified city would be well placed to become a major metropolis.
  In the context of urban planning, in addition to a wealth of new opportunity and the symbolism of two former independent nations being re-joined, the reunification of Berlin presented numerous challenges. The city underwent massive redevelopment, involving the political, economic and cultural environment of both East and West Berlin. However, the "scar" left by the Wall, which ran directly through the very heart of the city had consequences for the urban environment that planning still needs to address. Despite planning efforts, significant disparity between East and West remain.
caption: Crowds at the Brandenburg Gate on 1 December 1989. The entrance to the Western side was still not opened.
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