East Germans Uncorking New Year of Freedom

Thousands of East and West Germans clambered over the Berlin Wall on Sunday in wild New Year’s celebrations marking the new political freedom in East Germany.

Fireworks exploded and champagne corks popped. Hundreds of souvenir hunters with hammers and chisels chipped away at the 28-year-old symbol of the Cold War that was finally opened in November.

Breaking one taboo after another, East Germans sprayed graffiti on their side of the wall and penetrated the “death strip” where guards once shot at anyone trying to flee to the West.

Revelers hugged strangers and sang and danced under gray skies. Police said tens of thousands gathered at the landmark Brandenburg Gate to see in the 1990s.

“We’ll never see anything like this again,” said an elated visitor from the West German city of Hamburg, who came to Berlin for the festivities.

“The wall is open for the first time in my life. We want to celebrate along with everyone else,” said Hans-Juergen Witfeld, who traveled from the Ruhr Valley city of Dortmund with eight friends to spend the holiday in cold and misty Berlin.

“We just wanted to be here for it. It’s fantastic,” said 21-year-old Kerry Bundgaard of Phoenix as her father videotaped the scene.

Tour buses from throughout Europe shuttled thousands to the heart of the party, a stretch of pockmarked wall between the Brandenburg Gate in East Berlin and a towering Christmas tree on the west side.

East Germany’s Communist rulers threw open the borders on Nov. 9 to contain a wave of unrest that had swept away hard-line leader Erich Honecker in October.

The reform-minded government opened more than 40 extra, temporary crossing points to West Berlin.