Ich bin ein Berliner

You're standing here on Rudolph-Wilde-Platz, in front of the old West Berlin city hall. It was on this spot that U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous words: “Ich bin ein Berliner” on June 26, 1963. Tens of thousands of people filled the square as he stood on the balcony of Rathaus Schöneberg to give his speech. The city was surrounded by the Berlin Wall, and Kennedy’s visit was a powerful show of solidarity with West Berliners. By saying this, he meant: “I am one of you.”

He referenced the Roman phrase “civis Romanus sum” — I am a Roman — suggesting that “Ich bin ein Berliner” carried the same message of freedom and unity in a divided world. The speech was aimed at Moscow and at those who questioned the strength of the Western alliance. The words struck a chord. People cheered, many cried. The atmosphere was intense, hopeful. Three days after Kennedy’s death, the square where you now stand was renamed John-F.-Kennedy-Platz. His plaque still hangs on the city hall, a lasting memory of that June afternoon in 1963.