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

Dossier

German Reunification

9 November marks the 35th anniversary of the night the Wall came down. Our dossier ‘German unity’ shows how we grew together and how we have mastered and continue to master the major challenges together. Our video shows, for example, the epoch-making events of 1989/90 and the role of KfW.

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

Withdrawal from the West

The former Chairman of the KfW Board of Supervisory Directors, Theo Waigel, remembers the lengthy negotiations on the withdrawal of Russian troops and the talks with Mikhail Gorbachev.

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To the video
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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Kristin Preßler, Chief Operating Officer bei Rhebo

Laboratory of the future

Five young companies in Dresden and Leipzig are developing innovative solutions – to reduce energy consumption, in biotechnology and housing.

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