The main events which take place on this day are the Prayer for Peace and the Speech for Democracy in the St. Nicholas Church as well as the Leipzig Festival of Light in Augustusplatz. Residents of Leipzig and guests of the city gather at the original sites to remember the historical events which unfolded 26 years ago. Every year, an extensive programme of events featuring exhibitions, podium discussions, film screenings, readings and many other formats attracts thousands of visitors of all ages.
Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung says: "This year's slogan 'Liberty - Equality - Fraternity' is more than 200 years old, and yet it has lost none of its significance. Of course, 'Liberty' is the centrepoint of <link buergerservice-und-verwaltung unsere-stadt herbst-89 western>Autumn '89. However, if we look beyond the frontiers of Europe and open our eyes to the plight of tens of thousands of refugees, it is clear that 'fraternity' is now more relevant than ever. Our efforts this autumn will focus on seeing these refugees as our brothers and sisters."
Prayers for Peace and Speech on Democracy
Since 1982, peace, environmental and human rights groups have regularly been invited to attend Prayers for Peace in the St. Nicholas Church. The Monday Demonstrations originated here in September 1989. Following the Prayers for Peace on October 9th, more than 70,000 people gathered in the city centre of Leipzig to demonstrate – a watershed moment for the Peaceful Revolution. The slogan for this year's Prayer for Peace in the St. Nicholas Church is "Bond of Peace". The sermon will be presented by Pastor Bernhard Stief and musical accompaniment will be provided by church organist Jürgen Wolf.
This will be followed by the "Speech on Democracy" in the St. Nicholas Church – one of the highlights of the "Autumn of 89" series since 2001. Every year a representative of a constitutional body of the Federal Republic of Germany has addressed the church on October 9th.
For a number of years now, the various commemorative events have been coordinated by the initiative "Day of the Peaceful Revolution - Leipzig October 9, 1989". This initiative comprises residents, organisations, institutions, museums and other institutions with direct links to autumn 1989. It is also supported by Leipzig City Council. The Festival of Light is organised by Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH.
Leipzig Festival of Lights - emotional highlight on 9 October
Following the big anniversary event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution along the entire inner-city ring road, the Leipzig Festival of Lights 2015 will be returning to Augustusplatz and will feature a new theme. Where the focus in recent years has been on our neighbours in Eastern Europe and their pro-democracy movements, the emphasis this year will be on social aspects according to the slogan "Liberty - Equality - Fraternity?" The event will take a critical look at these aspects, which explains the question mark. The main theme of the evening will be the identity of the individual in Germany – a country once divided, and now reunited for 26 years.
Throughout the evening, as in previous years, visitors to the Festival of Light are, of course, cordially invited to form a brightly illuminated "89" from thousands of candles.
Festival of Light with a new thematic focus: Florian Lukas and Pinar Atalay examine the role of the individual between the opposing poles of society
Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH and the Artistic Director of the Festival of Light, Jürgen Meier, have enlisted the help of prominent personalities: the actor Florian Lukas (who has starred among other things in "Weissensee" and "Grand Budapest Hotel") will play a retrospective role. He will read literary passages against the backdrop of historical audio and video footage. A newscast presented by journalist and TV presenter Pinar Atalay will establish a link to current events of topical relevance. A television studio will be set up on the stage for this purpose. In this case, too, the theme of not belonging and isolation, vis-a-vis security and acceptance, will play a central role. The choir of the Leipzig Opera under the direction of Alessandro Zuppardo will provide the third element of the evening. The choir will represent society as a musical "we" collective and create a counterpoint to the personal retrospective and the fast moving news items.
The speakers and the choir will appear in front of screens onto which will be projected historical scenes, live images from Augustusplatz and current news. The interplay between text, images and music will build a fascinating panorama.