Vatican · 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berliner Mauer

Issue date14 Oct 2014

Total mintage103,000

EU maximum103,000

Editions2

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionXXV ANNIVERSARIO DEL CROLLO DEL MURO DI BERLINO 1989 2014 / Città del Vaticano

DesignerGabriella Titotto (Claudia Momoni)

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin commemorates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer). The design shows openwork wall stones bearing the inscription “XXV ANNIVERSARIO DEL CROLLO DEL MURO DI BERLINO 1989 2014”, an olive branch between the remains of the wall and barbed wire, and the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) in the background. Above it is “Città del Vaticano”.

The design

The coin design shows several masonry blocks of the breached Berliner Mauer in the foreground, bearing the following inscription: “XXV ANNIVERSARIO DEL CROLLO DEL MURO DI BERLINO 1989 2014”. In the center, an olive branch is depicted between the remains of the wall and a piece of barbed wire. The Brandenburger Tor can be seen behind it. Above it is the inscription “Città del Vaticano”.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

After the Second World War, Germany and Berlin were divided into occupation zones. In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) emerged from the western zones, and the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) from the Soviet zone. West Berlin remained a western-administered territory surrounded by the GDR. Because many people were leaving the GDR via Berlin, the GDR government ordered the border sealed off on 13 August 1961. Provisional barriers developed into an extensive border system with walls, watchtowers and other obstacles. Attempts to flee were prevented by force; people lost their lives in the process.

In 1989, the GDR leadership came under increasing pressure. Reforms in the Soviet Union, the departure of numerous GDR citizens via other countries and growing protests within the country weakened the political system. In several cities, demonstrators demanded freedom of movement, free elections and political change. On the evening of 9 November, Politburo member Günter Schabowski announced new travel regulations at a press conference. Asked when they were to take effect, he replied, according to his knowledge, “immediately, without delay”. Thousands of people then gathered at the Berlin border crossings. The border guards, who had not received clear instructions, eventually opened the crossings.

The opening of the border became the most visible sign of the collapse of communist rule in the GDR and set in motion the process leading to German reunification on 3 October 1990. At the same time, it symbolised the end of the political division of Europe during the Cold War.

During the division, the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) stood directly within the sealed-off border area and could not be freely passed from either the west or the east. After the opening, it became a central site of reunification. The olive branch generally refers to peace and reconciliation.

For Vatican City, the theme reflected the Holy See’s attention to religious freedom, human rights and the peaceful upheavals in Central and Eastern Europe. Pope John Paul II, who came from Poland, repeatedly accompanied these developments and supported overcoming the division of Europe.