High points and turning points at KfW, 1948–2018
Dossier

Dossier

German Reunification

On the occasion of the German Reunification Day on 3 October: How we grew together and mastered and still master the great challenges together. Our video shows, for example, the epochal events of 1989/90 and KfW's role.

Image-Reference

On our website, pictures taken, among others, by the following photographers/photo agencies are used:

Agentur photothek.net, Deutsche Messe Hannover, Andreas Arnold, Jörg Böthling, Dominik Butzmann, Carsten Costard, Susanne Esche, Charlie Fawell, Rendel Freude, Torsten George, Gaby Gerster, David Greedy, Peter Himsel, Barbara Högner, Frank Homann, Fred Hoogervorst, Steffen Jagenburg (BRANSCH EUROPE), Thomas Klewar, Studio Kohlmeier , Florian Kopp, Georg Lopata, Jürgen Lösel, Kirsten Milhahn, Rüdiger Nehmzow, Rolf Obertreis, Rubén Arnaldo Farina Ortiz, Holger Peters, Joachim Röttgers, Mika Schmidt, Bernhard Schurian, Jens Steingässer, Pietro Sutera, Uwe Tölle, Jan Zappner.

Fotolia.com: amandare, Yuri Arcurs, Kitch Bain, Ingo Bartussek, Sergio Donà, drizzd, Dmitry Ersler, eyewave, Zoltán Futó, Eric Gevaert, Fotolia XXV, Friedberg, goodluz, Dirk Hoffmann, imageteam, Christian Jung, Abdelhamid Kalai, Sergej Khakimullin, Vladimir Kolobov, krizz7, Kzenon, lumen-digital, marog-pixcells, Mindwalker, Miredi, mirpic, Nebuto, Tino Neitz, Christian Pedant, Franz Pfluegl, prognone, Gina Sanders, Henry Schmitt, spree berlin, SVLuma, Kheng Guan Toh, tom, Torbz, typomaniac, VRD, Joachim Wendler, Sreedhar Yedlapati.

To the gallery ”The inner-German border“
inner-German border

The inner-German border

In July 1971, Peter Döbler fled from the GDR by swimming 48 kilometres across the German-German border in the Baltic Sea. Find more stories and facts about the border that separated Germany until 1989 in our gallery.

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To the video
Soviet soldiers smiling and waving from the window of a train.

Withdrawal from the West

Even today, Gorbachev still accuses him of being a cheapskate, remembers the former Chair of KfW's Supervisory Board, Theo Waigel, when it comes to the negotiations on the withdrawal of the Russian soldiers from Eastern Germany.

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To the article about Agalatovo
Inhabitants of Agalatowo

New old homeland

After reunification, Russia withdrew its troops from Germany. In return, the Federal Republic financed modern housing estates for the returnees. A visit to the site.

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Crowd on and in front of Berlin Wall at Brandenburg Gate

From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to the German Reunification

Look back with us on the epochal events that took place in 1989/90. From the first gap in the Iron Curtain on the border between Hungary and Austria to the momentous night of 9 November to the German Reunification Day on 3 October.

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Prespasee

A place without borders

A vast biosphere reserve is spreading throughout the border region between Albania, North Macedonia and Greece. Star photographer Valerio Vincenzo visited the area for KfW Stories and documented the changes in the region where, 30 years ago, the Iron Curtain separated friends and family.

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A beautiful dance in Yugoslavia

War in Croatia, dancing in socialism, “Wind of Change” as your favourite song: author Saša Stanišić describes his life as a teenager.

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Equality march Kiew

“My job and my life”

In the Ukraine, if you are not a heterosexual, you risk being harassed. To help her country become more tolerant, Ruslana Panukhnyk is organising the Equality March. Our author attended the event in Kiev – and experienced both rage and courage first-hand.

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Seating in the form of an erected circle on a lawn in front of panel building.

A bank for the reconstruction of the East

After the fall of the Berlin wall, KfW supported the reconstruction of the East (”Aufbau Ost“) with considerable amounts. Hear Theo Waigel, former Chair of the KfW Supervisory Board, speak about rebuilding the new federal states in our video.

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