1984 East German Military "Wachaufzug" Ceremony

The complete footage of the October 7, 1984 "Großer Wachaufzug" ceremony held on the 35th anniversary of the GDR in East Berlin.

The "Wachaufzug" was a historic German military ritual held in Berlin every Wednesday at 2:30 pm in front of the Neue Wache, a neo-classical building designed by famous architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel as a guard house and as a memorial to the those who perished during the 1813 "Wars of Liberation" against Napoleon. The literal translation of the German word "Wachaufzug" means "Guard Mounting."

The first guard mounting ceremony was held on September 18, 1818, during an official visit by Tsar Alexander I of Russia during his stay in Berlin. The changing of the guard originally had roots in Russian military tradition and was adopted by the Prussian Army specifically for this event. The Neue Wache also served a guard house for the Royal Prussian monarchy up until the 1918 November Revolution, which put an end to the 100 year long tradition. In June of 1931, the government of the Weimar Republic decided to repurpose the Neue Wache by converting it into a memorial for those who fell during WWI. The interior was completely gutted and redesigned by architect Heinrich Tessenow and it became Germany's official cenotaph to remember all of the lives lost in the great war.

In 1945, the Neue Wache was seriously damaged and it was nearly demolished by the Soviet military administration only until a last minute decision was made to restore it. Following long debates on what to do with the building, the GDR authorities decided to repurpose the building as a "Memorial to the victims of Fascism and Militarism." In 1956, restoration work on the building was completed. On May 8, 1960, the memorial was officially opened to the public. On May 1, 1962, the "Wachaufzug" or "Guard mounting" ceremony was revived and a permanent guard post was established. For nearly 3 decades, the guard changing ceremony attracted millions of tourists from all over the world. The last Wachaufzug ceremony took place on September 26, 1990, while the last sentries left their post during the eve of German unification on October 3, 1990.

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Soundtrack:
0:00 Bodensteiner Marsch
2:18 Paradefanfare
3:06 Präsentiermarsch der Nationalen Volksarmee
4:38 Brüder, zur Sonne, zur Freiheit
6:12 Yorckscher Marsch
7:12 Parademarsch der Spielleute
8:38 Preußischer Locksmarsch
8:48 Parademarsch № 1 der Nationalen Volksarmee