Landmark day as Berlin Wall now down as long as it was up - but what happened the first day?

  • Watch Sir Trevor McDonald's historic report on the first day of freedom

A landmark day is being marked in Germany with the Berlin Wall now down for as many days as it once stood.

Monday is the 10,316th day since the concrete was iconically breached by hammers and demolition crews on 9 November 1989.

It's equal to the number of days the Wall held strong following its construction on 13 August 1961 by the German Democratic Republic, who titled it the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart.

The footage of the night-time destruction of the first slabs became one of the most celebrated images of the 20th Century and a symbol of the overthrow of physical and ideological oppression.

But what happened when East met West on the first day of freedom?

Watch Sir Trevor McDonald's reporting of history on no ordinary Sunday in Berlin.

  • 13 August 1961: The day the Berlin Wall was constructed

Young children caught a first glimpse of the new reality. Credit: AP

  • 9 November 1989: The day the Berlin Wall fell

Sparks flew at four o'clock in the morning in Potsdamer Platz, the former site of Adolf Hitler's bunker. Credit: ITV News
Crowds soon rushed to move legally from East to West for the first time in 28 years. Credit: ITV News
A young child experienced the flush of freedom as he was taken through Checkpoint Charlie. Credit: ITV News
The fall of the Berlin Wall became one of the most celebrated images of the 20th Century. Credit: ITV News

  • 5 February 2018: Another landmark day

Lights now mark the former route of the Wall. Credit: AP
Graffitied stretches of the Wall still remain. Credit: AP