Bornholmer Straße

Bornholmer Straße S-Bahn station sits in Prenzlauer Berg at the junction of the Nordbahn and Stettiner Bahn lines, handling around 60,000 passengers daily — yet its commuter role is dwarfed by its historical significance. On the night of 9 November 1989, the adjacent Bösebrücke became the first East-West Berlin border crossing to open. Lieutenant Colonel Harald Jäger, faced with swelling crowds and contradictory orders from East Berlin, made an unsanctioned decision just before midnight to raise the barriers — a spontaneous act that triggered the night's wider events and effectively set the Wall's fall in motion. A memorial stele on the listed iron railway bridge now marks the precise spot. The station is fully wheelchair accessible.