Further Media
Burkhard Strelow was stationed at the barracks on the night of November 9, 1989, and at first did not hear about the fall of the Berlin Wall. The next morning, he wrote to his grandmother:
“All hell has broken loose here again. Apparently, someone tried to storm our border crossing. But is there any truth to that...?”
It was only later that day that he realized that the Wall had indeed fallen. But what did that mean for him as a border guard? The days that followed put Burkhard Strelow in a paradoxical situation: while he continued to make his way through the crowds every day as a border guard to protect the now superfluous Wall, his friends from the East Germany were already visiting West Berlin. From there, they sent him this postcard:
“Hello soldier! Neumi, Ulli, and Kneti send you their best regards from Kurfürstendamm. The hookers are pretty cheap here. Today we're going to do a little shopping. It's crazy to experience everything here. Bye and stay strong!”