Wolf Biermann's Expulsion from East Germany to Be Marked at 50th Anniversary Event with Angela Merkel

On November 13, 1976, singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann gave a concert in Cologne and was subsequently barred by East Germany from returning — a defining moment in GDR history that provoked protests. Fifty years on, the Federal Foundation for Processing the SED Dictatorship is organising a commemorative evening in Berlin under the title 'Stimme. Protest. Freiheit' (Voice. Protest. Freedom). Former German chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, is expected at the event and plans to speak about her personal thoughts and memories of the expulsion. Biermann himself is set to perform songs and take part in a conversation about life between East and West. The occasion also coincides with an approaching personal milestone: Biermann turns 90 on November 15. He had originally moved from Hamburg to the GDR as a 16-year-old, but his critical songs and public statements brought him into conflict with the authorities, earning him a performance ban before his eventual expulsion from the country.