Protest against Egon Krenz being installed as chairman of the State Council outside the State Council building in East Berlin, 24 October 1989.
Quelle: picture-alliance/dpa/Wolfgang Kumm

Leipzig on the move

In September 1988, the dean of the Protestant Church in Leipzig, Friedrich Magirius, banned Leipzig opposition groups from holding the Monday peace prayer in St. Nicholas’s Church. In reaction, on 24 October 1988, Udo Hartmann, Frank Sellentin, Rainer Müller, Anita Unger and Uwe Schwabe (l. to r.) presented their opinion to churchgoers on banners. They had to read out their demands in front of the church. These were the initial steps leading towards the subsequent Monday demonstrations.
Quelle: Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig/Christoph Motzer
Fred Kowasch, a representative of the Leipzig opposition groups, spoke to the participants of the unauthorised Luxemburg-Liebknecht demonstration in Leipzig at the marketplace on 15 January 1989.
Quelle: Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig
On 15 January 1989, around five hundred protesters managed to march several hundred metres through the city centre en masse. Then the security forces intervened and dispersed the demonstrators. There were numerous arrests.
Quelle: Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig
At the beginning of June 1989, members of the opposition scene in Leipzig tried to organise a street music festival. They were refused permission for the event. Nevertheless, 15 music and theatre groups from throughout the GDR came to Leipzig on 10 June 1989 to play in the city centre.
Quelle: Archiv-Bürgerbewegung-Leipzig/Rainer Kühn
On 4 September 1989, Katrin Hattenhauer and Gesine Oltmanns unfurled this banner in Leipzig city centre, which was then forcibly torn down by state security service employees. Katrin Hattenhauer was arrested by the secret police a week later.
Quelle: Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft/Bernd Wiech
During the peace prayer at the entrance of Leipzig’s St. Nicholas Church on 25 September 1989.
Quelle: Johannes Beleites
On Monday, 25 September 1989, five thousand people demonstrated on the inner city ring road in Leipzig for the first time. The police did not intervene since they were not prepared for such a situation.
Quelle: Johannes Beleites
On 7 October 1989, the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of the GDR, four thousand people protested in Leipzig city centre. The security forces used truncheons, dogs and water cannons, resulting in numerous injuries and arrests.
Quelle: Gerhard Gäbler/Leipzig
On 7 October 1989, the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of the GDR, four thousand people protested in Leipzig city centre. The security forces used truncheons, dogs and water cannons, resulting in numerous injuries and arrests.
Quelle: Martin Jehnichen
On 7 October 1989, the fortieth anniversary of the foundation of the GDR, four thousand people protested in Leipzig city centre. The security forces used truncheons, dogs and water cannons, resulting in numerous injuries and arrests.
Quelle: Martin Jehnichen
On 12 January 1989, the Action Group for Democratic Revival of our Society called upon citizens to participate in the Luxemburg-Liebknecht demonstration. The initiators distributed leaflets by night. The state security service arrested some of the authors in the run-up to the protest rally but could not prevent it from taking place.
Quelle: Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig
The Information Group for the Release of the Prisoners, active in Leipzig and Berlin, drew international attention immediately after the arrests of 15 January 1989. This resulted in far-reaching solidarity for those detained. Collection of signatures by the Green Party in Hanover, West Germany.
Quelle: Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig
In East Berlin, there were special prayers for those detained in Leipzig on 11 September 1989. Throughout the country, many similar actions were organised in solidarity. A vigil took place in the Gethsemane Church in East Berlin from the beginning of October 1989 in support of all political prisoners.
Quelle: Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Collection of signatures from Rostock dated 12 October 1989 for demonstrators arrested on 11 September 1989 after the peace prayers in Leipzig, who had not yet been released around a month later.
Quelle: Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig
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