Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit commemorate fall of Berlin Wall

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway have commemorated the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were in Berlin as part of their official visit to Germany. The commemoration took place at the Berlin Wall Memorial in the Bernauer Strasse.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit spoke during the commemoration about the impact of the wall’s fall. She said, “We will never forget the TV footage of thousands of people streaming across the border between what until then had been two separate worlds. People laughed, cried and hugged each other. There were strong feelings. And we, young people in Norway – and around the world – shared these feelings and this profound moment in history with them, with you. Freedom had triumphed, democracy had triumphed. We felt a strong sense of hope, of optimism. Fortunately, the Berlin Wall is now history. Following a peaceful revolution, Germany was slowly reunified as one country. Today, Germany is a guarantor of peace and freedom on behalf of the whole of Europe.”

She added, “Once again, unfortunately, we have wars going on in our neighbourhood. We are devastated by the human suffering in Ukraine and in the Middle East. But we must not give up our hope in the power of the human will to resolve conflicts and tear down barriers. Standing here by the wall memorial today, we are reminded that the German people did just that. That gives us hope.”

The couple also met with Norwegian participants of Aktive Fredsreiser/Travel for Peace. Around 20,000 Norwegian students go on so-called peace trips to Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic every year.

Following the ceremony, the event continued with a service in the nearby Reconciliation Chapel. Later on, they met with the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at his office in Schloss Bellevue. They also met Chancellor Olaf Scholz at his office in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Jan Christian Vestre and Ambassador Laila Stenseng were also present.