Across more than 90 locations, over 90 partners hosted around 170 events, attracting a wide range of visitors, Visit Berlin said.

The programme ranged from conferences and dialogue sessions to exhibitions, guided tours, readings, film screenings, theatre, art projects, and even culinary events.

At its core, the inaugural Berlin Freedom Week served as a forum for engagement with dissidents and democracy advocates from around the world.

“Paris has Fashion Week – Berlin now has Freedom Week,” said Iranian women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad, co-founder of the World Liberty Congress.

Kai Wegner, Berlin’s Governing Mayor and patron of the festival week, said that Berlin Freedom Week will now be held every year around the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Freedom Conference at the Gasometer. Photo: Visit Berlin/Mo Wüstenhagen

The initiative and its varied programme drew praise from both media and visitors, in line with The Independent’s description of Berlin as the “capital of liberty.”

On social media, people shared their thoughts on the week, noting the bravery of freedom fighters and why the initiative mattered.

Berlin Freedom Week brought together a variety of events at some of the city’s most intriguing locations.

Visitors could explore the former Stasi headquarters at the Campus for Democracy in Berlin-Lichtenberg, the former field station Berlin on Teufelsberg, Markthalle Neun, Berlin’s escape tunnels, the Berlin House of Representatives, the German Bundestag, the Foundation New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum, as well as several embassies, cinemas, and the visitor centre of the Federal Intelligence Service, offering unique experiences at each venue.

Frank Ebert, Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship, said: “With Berlin Freedom Week, we wanted to highlight the efforts of all those—past and present—who have fought for a life in freedom.”

Delegates at the event. Photo: Visit Berlin/Mo Wüstenhagen

Main Focus: The Berlin Freedom Conference

According to Visit Berlin, one of the standout moments of Berlin Freedom Week was the Berlin Freedom Conference on Nov 10 at the Gasometer on the EUREF Campus in Schöneberg, which welcomed around 1,000 participants.

Among the speakers were Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad, former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Venezuelan opposition leaders Edmundo González, María Corina Machado, and Leopoldo López, Russian dissident Garry Kasparov, Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, and many other defenders of democracy from around the world.

Later that evening, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation presented its annual Award for Courage to Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Berlin’s partner city Istanbul, and his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, at a ceremony held at Berlin City Hall.

Symbol of the Week: The Berlin Freedom Mobile

Rolling through the city, the Berlin Freedom Mobile, exhibiting a replica of the historic Freedom Bell and a daily live programme, brought the spirit of freedom to Berlin’s streets, blending voices from history and the present.

It visited key locations across Berlin, including the Campus for Democracy in Lichtenberg, the Berlin Wall Memorial, Bebelplatz, the East Side Gallery, and Berlin-Schöneberg City Hall.

Burkhard Kieker, CEO of Visit Berlin. Photo: Visit Berlin/Mo Wüstenhagen

Around 600 Berliners and visitors took part, chatting with international speakers, sharing their own stories, or taking photos with the Freedom Bell.

A memorable highlight was the performance of a Ukrainian women’s choir at Bebelplatz.

The mobile format brought the week’s themes straight to the people, reflecting Berlin’s enduring commitment to freedom and democracy.

Burkhard Kieker, CEO of Visit Berlin, concluded: “Berlin Freedom Week sent a strong signal for democracy and freedom from Berlin. We are proud and deeply moved. Freedom is the most beautiful trademark of our city.”