Friday 13 September 2013

Looking For Freedom: David Hasselhoff returns to Berlin nearly 25 years after he believes he helped bring about the fall of the Berlin Wall

Whilst David Hasselhoff has only ever had limited success as a musician in the UK or his native United States, he has had a great deal of commercial success in Germany.
And whilst he may be somewhat of a joke persona in the English speaking world, his reputation in Germany is far more serious.
For in 1989 the former Baywatch star played a bizarre part in one of the most defining moments of the 20th century, the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Iconic: David poses Berlin which has changed immeasurably since the Cold War days
Iconic: David poses Berlin which has changed immeasurably since the Cold War days

During the summer of that pivotal year, his hit Looking For Freedom topped the
German charts and is said to have helped inspire the resistance and spirit that eventually lead to the wall being toppled.
On New Year's Eve 1989 he performed the song a top of the rubble of the wall to a newly unified Germany.
And this week the 61-year-old paid a visit to the sight of that iconic performance.
Classic moment: Hasslehoff performed in Berlin on New Years Eve 1989- just months after the wall had fallen
Classic moment: Hasslehoff performed in Berlin on New Years Eve 1989- just months after the wall had fallen

The Britain's Got Talent judge tweeted a picture of himself stood by his hotel window with The Brandenberg Gate in the background.
Though its never quite clear how seriously the Baywatch star believes he had a hand in the fall of the wall, he has never forgotten his German fans.
After posting the imagine, the star later tweeted: 'I love Berlin! My heart is here!'
And the 61-year-old looked happy to be back on German soil as he touched down at Berlin's Tegel Airport on Thursday.
Happy to be here: The Hoff was in good spirits as he arrived in Germany
Happy to be here: The Hoff was in good spirits as he arrived in Germany

The Hoff Berlin
The Hoff Berlin
Write caption here

The Berlin Wall was erected in the 1950s as the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West intensified.
It was a symbol of division and oppression for a generation until its shock fall in 1989, which heralded the end of the cold-war era.
David campaigned earlier this year to make sure the remains of the wall are preserved as a history lesson to future generations.

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