In the eve of the
Revolutions of 1989, the palais became the resort of numerous
East German refugees who had reached Prague, climbed over the fence and camped out in the grounds. While there were small groups hiding there occasionally since the embassy was opened in 1974, the number rose to several thousands in September, causing serious problems of supply and hygiene. Behind the scenes the West German government negotiated with East German authorities and the
Soviet Union how to solve these worsening conditions. When Foreign Minister
Hans-Dietrich Genscher in the evening of 30 September stepped on the balcony to announce an agreement on the refugees' voyage to West Germany, the crowd cheered on the keyword
Ausreise (departure). This event marked an emotional and significant moment in German history. Until 3 November when the East German authorities closed the border with Czechoslovakia, many more GDR citizens fled to the embassy in the following weeks, wearing down the patience of the Czechoslovak authorities which gave in eventually, letting all East Germans travel directly to West Germany. Thus, they broke their part of the
Iron Curtain, the
Czechoslovak border fortifications during the Cold War. On 9 November 1989, the
Berlin Wall fell, and the Czechs would succeed in the
Velvet Revolution.'s sculpture commemorating East German refugees' stay in the embassy grounds These events are commemorated by a golden statue of a
Trabant car on four legs in the garden of the embassy. The sculpture is the work of the Czech sculptor
David Černý. ==See also==