Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall the differences between the east and west part were clearly visible. But the scar had grown over so fast that no one today could really tell anymore where the wall exactly used to stand. This was the main inspiration for LICHTGRENZE – to mark the Berlin Wall once again and give people an opportunity to discuss its historical impact and understand the importance of its fall as the fundament of today's Berlin.

The use of light was intended as a symbolic nod to the Peaceful Revolution, a process of sociopolitical change that eventually led to the reunification of Germany. In particular, protests held in the east German city of Leipzig in October 1989 saw 70,000 demonstrators protesting against the German Democratic Republic (GDR) authorities, carrying candles as a symbol of their peaceful intentions.

As a public installation bearing great political and cultural significance, the LICHTGRENZE project also aimed for public engagement. Additionally it would be closing streets temporarily and have a significant impact on Berlin city life once again.

LICHTGRENZE was also the central part of the official joint memorial festivities of Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. In a televised spectacle, 8,000 volunteering Berliners so called “balloon patrons” released their balloon into the Berlin night sky. Each carrying a message describing a personal connection to the Berlin Wall and its fall. Like the original Berlin Wall in 1989 the Berlin Wall of Lights 2014 was dissolved by Berlin's citizens.

The main objective for LICHTGRENZE was to mark the Berlin Wall once again and give people an opportunity to discuss its historical impact and understand the importance of its fall as the fundament of todays Berlin.

The use of light was intended as a symbolic nod to the Peaceful Revolution, a process of sociopolitical change that eventually led to the reunification of Germany. In particular, protests held in the east German city of Leipzig in October 1989 saw 70,000 demonstrators protesting against the German Democratic Republic (GDR) authorities, carrying candles as a symbol of their peaceful intentions.

Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world were strolling along the LICHTGRENZE for 3 days and nights talking, interacting, learning, understanding, enjoying.

More than one million people were taking part in the final balloon release event also representing the highest amount of visitors in history for Berlin in November.

Thousands of TV, radio and newspaper publications were reporting the event worldwide accompanied by countless Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media posts. LICHTGRENZE went from 50 to 250,000 hits on Google in 1 month and became the official “german word of the year” in 2014.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the “Fall of the Berlin Wall” from the 7th to the 9th of November 2014, an extraordinary light installation – The LICHTGRENZE (The Border of Lights) – has been created for 3 days and nights all across the city of Berlin. It was following the 15.3 kilometer long former route of the wall separating the western and eastern part of Berlin.

On the 9th of November the LICHTGRENZE was also the central part of the official memorial festivities of the Federal Republic Germany. In a televised spectactle 8000 volunteering Berlin citizens, the so called “balloon patrons” released their balloon in a choreographed manner into the Berlin night sky. Each with an attached message related to a personal connection to the Berlin Wall and its fall.

All parts of the integrated campaign were executed as planned over the course of 3 days and nights.

The City of Berlin was looking for ideas or one big idea to celebrate "25 Years Fall of the Berlin Wall" as a 3-day event for the citizens and with the citizens of Berlin.

This event was not supposed to be a central and short timed event, but more a city wide memorial installation taking into account the historical, physical and political dimension of the Berlin Wall. The city wanted a whole weekend of remembering and understanding the Berlin Wall and celebrating its fall in 1989.

Almost two years of planning went into the LICHTGRENZE project from presenting the first idea to its final implementation. The campaign included multiple press conferences, poster, TV and online adds, finally culminating in the installation of 8000 balloon lights along a 15.3 kilometer stretch of the former Berlin Wall.

As an integral part of the LICHTGRENZE, large format screens at selected public locations were showing film collages made from historic, often little-known archive footage about the construction, life and fall of the Berlin Wall.

The target audience were the citizens of Berlin and guests from all over the world of all ages and genders. People who lived in the GDR, whose stories were personally connected to the wall and its fall. Younger people or guests from outside the city (or even outside the country) were amongst the millions attending the event and being reached by the campaign.