Status: 02/15/2022 7:10 p.m
So far it’s a secret: who sold the note that Günter Schabowski sat with in 1989 at the famous press conference that led to the fall of the Wall? The name must now be disclosed, a court ruled.
It is probably one of the most famous notes in the country: the note that Günter Schabowski read from on November 9, 1989 at a press conference on new travel rules for GDR citizens and said: “As far as I know, this will take effect immediately, immediately”. Shortly thereafter, the border crossings between East and West Berlin opened: the Wall had fallen.
Schabowski at the press conference on November 9, 1989: “Immediately, without delay”
11/9/1989 7:00 p.m
Schabowski’s note, who died in 2015, is now in the possession of the House of History Foundation in Bonn. However, it is not entirely clear how it ended up in his collection: the seller demanded anonymity, which the museum also assured him.
A “Bild” journalist did not want to put up with this, sued and was now partially right by the Cologne administrative court. The House of History must disclose the seller. However, the judgment is not yet final. One examines whether legal action against the verdict is possible, said the President of the House of History Foundation, Harald Biermann.
The Schabowski note. Günter Schabowski read new travel rules for GDR citizens from him at a press conference on November 9, 1989.
Seller wants to remain anonymous
In 2015, the museum bought the piece of paper for 25,000 euros from a so-called second seller. He had in turn bought the note from a first-time seller. While the latter agreed to his name being published, the second seller does not want this.
The court has now ruled that both names must be disclosed. In this case, the press is more interested in information, especially since the House of History works with public funds and is therefore subject to transparency and accountability obligations. According to the judgment, however, the wording of the purchase agreement, which the “Bild” journalist also wanted to have, does not have to be published. However, the press’s right to information does not go that far.
Representatives of the museum had argued that in future they would hardly be able to buy objects from owners who value anonymity. The purchase of the Schabowski note would most likely not have worked without the guaranteed anonymity, it said.
Günter Schabowski at the press conference on November 9, 1989.
Schabowski’s widow: note was stolen
As early as 2015, there was a dispute about how the note came into the possession of the foundation. Schabowski’s widow Irina told the media at the time that her family’s note had been stolen. Accordingly, acquaintances of Schabowski are said to have borrowed documents such as the note in the early 1990s, but never returned them.