The city of freedom celebrates the first Berlin Freedom Week
- More than 70 events in eight days
- Panels, workshops, cultural events and encounters with freedom fighters
- Central event: Berlin Freedom Conference on 10 November
Start of Berlin Freedom Week
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Berlin, 9 October 2025 More than 35 years after the fall of the SED dictatorship and the collapse of Soviet communism, autocrats and dictatorships are once again dominating the global headlines. Berlin, the city of freedom, is taking a stand against this with Berlin Freedom Week and giving freedom fighters and prominent democrats from all over the world a stage: Berlin Freedom Week is taking place in the capital for the first time from 8 to 15 November - with more than 70 events at over 30 locations throughout Berlin. The Berlin Freedom Conference on 10 November in the Gasometer on the EUREF campus will be the centrepiece of the event. Numerous international guests are expected to attend, including civil rights activists, researchers, media professionals and politicians.
Berlin Freedom Week is an offer and an invitation to all Berliners and interested visitors to the city. Museums, embassies, theatres and historical sites offer a variety of formats. The focus is on the special significance of freedom for Berlin as well as the topic in the current global context.
The patron of the event is the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner. The entire programme of events for Berlin Freedom Week is available at berlin-freedom-week.com.
Central highlight: the Berlin Freedom Conference
A highlight of Freedom Week is the Berlin Freedom Conference on 10 November. Stakeholders from politics, business, civil society and the media will come together at the Schöneberger Gasometer. In keynote speeches and panels, they will discuss how freedom and democracy can be protected and strengthened in times of strengthening autocracies.
Guests include the Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Russian journalist and civil rights activist Vladimir Kara-Mursa, Ben Hodges, former Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces in Europe, and the Director of the German Economic Institute, Professor Dr Michael Hüther. Speakers from the World Liberty Congress include the President and renowned Iranian journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad and the Venezuelan politician and freedom activist Leopoldo López. Tickets for the Berlin Freedom Conference can be booked via this link.
Travelling throughout Berlin: the Berlin Freedom Mobil
The speakers of Berlin Freedom Week will be on a Berlin Freedom Week Mobil in public spaces. Between 8 and 15 November, the mobile stage will stop for around five hours a day at central and symbolic locations. Guests can expect a varied programme with stage performances, film screenings, audio installations and interactive elements. The centrepiece is the 1:1 replica of the Freedom Bell, which was donated to West Berlin by 16 million US citizens in 1950 and ceremoniously hung in Schöneberg Town Hall. The project is curated and designed by Beier+Wellach, in co-operation with the Ernst Reuter Archive, the Airlift Donation Foundation and the American Jewish Committee. It is sponsored by the German Postcode Lottery. All stations and speakers will be published on the website in good time.
From book to film
The programme ranges from film and literature, theatre and art to workshops and dialogues: Stories of Freedom" at the Colosseum film theatre will feature ten films and panels with international dissidents. The focus here is on "Women as the voice of freedom". "Who, if not us?" is the screening of a documentary about three women who are fighting tirelessly for a democratic Belarus after the protests of 2020. At the Future Freedom Lab at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, young people will find workshops, dialogues and creative formats that make it possible to experience and shape democracy. The book presentation "Two, Three Blue Eyes" by Victor Schefé at the Tränenpalast provides a literary reference to freedom. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk will read from his book "Freedom Shock" in the conference room of the DDR Museum. The Chinese exile artist Badiucao and the American journalist Melissa Chan talk about art, activism and censorship at the Literaturhaus at "You Must Take Part in the Revolution". Theatre also plays a role in Freedom Week, including at Pfefferberg with the historical drama "The Trial of Hans Litten" about freedom, justice and dictatorship.
Berlin and its history can be experienced first-hand during Berlin Freedom Week, for example on a multimedia tour of the former border strip. At "Autumn '89", the German Historical Museum invites visitors to share their personal experiences during the fall of the Wall.
Messages in embassies
Several embassies are hosting information and dialogue events: At the French embassy, leaders from politics and the tech industry will meet at the "Freedom & Defence Tech Forum". At the Polish embassy, the panel discussion "Security is Freedom" will focus on the role of women as security policy actors. "Nordic Freedom": Guided tours in the Nordic embassies and through an interactive exhibition show how democracy is lived in Danish community culture.
The letter workshop at Libereco in Mitte aims to send out messages of hope and solidarity: Participants write postcards together with former political prisoners from Belarus to people who are currently imprisoned there.
Especially for journalists
Aspen Germany's International Press Roundtable brings together journalists from all over the world with diverse perspectives to discuss press freedom and journalistic work in times of dwindling democracy.
Media representatives and members of parliament are invited to a roundtable discussion by the SED Victims' Commissioner of the German Bundestag. Former members of the opposition from the GDR and international dissidents will enter into a dialogue about the (health) consequences of political repression.
Globally recognised congress as the starting point for Freedom Week
The two-day general assembly of the World Liberty Congress begins on 8 November. The initiative for Berlin Free-dom Week came from this congress; some of the congress participants will also be guests at the Berlin Freedom Conference. The congress will bring together around 200 dissidents and democracy activists from over 60 autocratically governed countries in the Berlin House of Representatives. In doing so, the city is sending a strong signal to the world: those who are oppressed and persecuted elsewhere will have a parliament in Berlin.
Initiators, media partners and sponsors
The patron of Berlin Freedom Week is Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner. The first Berlin Freedom Week is being initiated by visitBerlin, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation and the World Liberty Congress, the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship and the Robert Havemann Society. Media partners are POLITICO, DIE ZEIT, WELT, Tagesspiegel, Radio3 and WALL; sponsors of the first Berlin Freedom Week are the Deutsche Postcode Lottery, Airbnb, Berliner Sparkasse and Jacob Waitz Industrie GmbH. >
The Berlin Freedom Conference is a joint initiative of visitBerlin, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation and the World Liberty Congress. It is supported by the LOTTO Foundation Berlin and sponsored by Airbnb and Berliner Sparkasse.
Details and the programme at berlin-freedom-week.com and berlin-freedom-conference.com;
Instagram: @berlinfreedomweek und @berlinfreedomconference.
Note for the press
We are already happy to coordinate your interview requests with the initiators involved. We cordially invite you to a reception open to the press on 8 November. You can now request accreditation for this and the Berlin Freedom Conference at presse@visitberlin.de. All other Berlin Freedom Week events are open to the public.
Media service: about.visitBerlin.de/en/media-service-berlin-freedom-week
About us
Berlin Freedom Week
The Berlin Freedom Week (8–15 November 2025) is an inaugural week-long event dedicated to the idea of freedom. Through a diverse program of conferences, art, culture, and public dialogue, it aims to inspire both Berliners and international guests and to promote exchange on the importance of democratic values in today’s world. berlin-freedom-week.com and visitberlin.de/en/berlin-freedom-week
Berlin Freedom Conference
The Berlin Freedom Conference will take place for the first time on 10 November 2025 at the Gasometer Schöneberg. It will bring together leading voices from politics, business, civil society, culture, and the media to launch new democratic alliances and powerfully advance the global commitment to freedom and democracy. More information and tickets at berlin-freedom-conference.com.
World Liberty Congress
The World Liberty Congress is the largest global pro-democracy alliance, uniting more than 200 dissidents from over 50 autocratically governed countries around the world and will take place on 8 and 9 November in the Berlin House of Representatives. Its mission is to support the fight for freedom within authoritarian regimes, foster international solidarity, and develop a shared strategy to advance democracy worldwide. worldlibertycongress.org
Axel Springer Freedom Foundation
The Axel Springer Freedom Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting human rights defenders living under authoritarian regimes. Defending freedom and democracy — and showing solidarity with those who suffer under autocratic rule — was a guiding principle for the company’s founder, Axel Springer. Today, the foundation carries this legacy forward with renewed determination. Backed by a strong advisory board of experienced human rights advocates, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation organizes events, installations, and publications. It also raises funds to directly support the work of dissidents and their organizations. freedom.axelspringer.com/en/
Robert Havemann Society e.V.
The Robert Havemann Society documents the history and experiences of opposition and resistance under the communist dictatorship and promotes the values of the Peaceful Revolution: democracy, freedom, and human rights. With its Archive of the GDR Opposition — the most comprehensive collection of materials on opposition and resistance to the communist dictatorship since 1945 — and its extensive expertise in curating exhibitions and events, publishing, and maintaining a strong digital presence, the Robert Havemann Society serves as a central point of reference in the field of historical reappraisal and research. havemann-gesellschaft.de
Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship
Since March 2023, Frank Ebert has served as the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship. He was nominated by the Berlin Senate and appointed by the Berlin House of Representatives. Ebert, a former member of the East German opposition, has long been committed to educating the public about the SED regime. The Commissioner operates independently, both professionally and politically. His three core responsibilities include: advising victims of the SED dictatorship and public institutions; supporting educational and memorial projects about the East German regime; and offering the public political and historical education programs. He is also a point of contact for individuals seeking rehabilitation or compensation for political imprisonment, applying for victim pensions, or accessing their Stasi files. In addition, he advises authorities on matters relating to GDR history and supports the work of the Stasi Records Archive. aufarbeitung-berlin.de
visitBerlin
“Inspiring the world for Berlin.” With this mission, Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH promotes Berlin’s destination management as well as the city’s tourism and congress marketing. Under the visitBerlin brand, the company is a partner, actor, source of creative ideas, and networker. Its remit is focused on sustainable product development and marketing city-compatible tourism services in all twelve Berlin boroughs with the aim of maintaining the life quality of local residents and harmoniously increasing experience value for visitors. As a tour operator, visitBerlin also issues the Berlin WelcomeCard, the city’s official tourist ticket. The company also operates the Berlin Tourist Info Centres. On visitBerlin.de, Berlin’s official tourism website, visitors can find all the information they need on every aspect of their trip to the city. Find out more about visitBerlin on about.visitBerlin.de.
