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At Least 1 Million to Celebrate 25 Years Since Berlin Wall Fell
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Nolan Feeney
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Updated: Jan 17, 2024 5:18 PM CUT
Published: Nov 8, 2014 8:27 PM CUT
Balloons which were part of the installation 'Lichtgrenze' (Border of Light) are released in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, November 9, 2014.
Balloons which were part of the installation 'Lichtgrenze' (Border of Light) are released in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, November 9, 2014.Fabrizio Bensch—Reuters
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Updated: Jan 17, 2024 5:18 PM CUT
Published: Nov 8, 2014 8:27 PM CUT
More than 1 million people are expected to visit Berlin this weekend as the German city celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to tourist organization Visit Berlin.
Some visitors from Germany and around the world on Saturday took pictures in front of the graffiti-covered remnants of the wall, Agence France-Presse reports. Others observed the 7,000 white balloons that are tethered along the wall’s path and will be released Sunday to conclude three days of festivities.
“I think you never forget how you felt that day — at least I will never forget it,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in the East Germany, in one of her podcasts. “I had to wait 35 years for that feeling of liberty. It changed my life.”
The wall, which was established by East Germany in 1961 and was roughly 96 miles long, split the already divided country’s capital into West Berlin and East Berlin. After weeks of civil protests, the government of Eastern Germany opened up the partition on Nov. 9, 1989, allowing residents to travel to the west side. The chipping away of the wall followed, but its actual demolition didn’t truly begin until the following year, just a few months before Germany would officially reunite.
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, whose glasnost and perestroika reforms helped usher in the end of the Cold War and the fall of the wall, is one many former political leaders attending a Sunday celebration featuring fireworks and a rock concert at the Brandenburg Gate, one of Germany’s most famous landmarks.
[AFP]
See the 25th Anniversary of the Berlin Wall's Fall
German Chancellor Angela Merkel walks along a section of the former Berlin Wall at the memorial in Bernauer Strasse, during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, in Berlin on November 9, 2014. Hannibal Hanschke—Reuters
Crowds gather on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Sean Gallup—Getty Images
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Guests attend a ceremony organised by the Berlin Senate to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, on November 9, 2014 at the Gendarmenmarkt Konzerthaus in Berlin. Robert Michael—AFP/Getty Images
People gather on the Bösebrücke Bridge in Bornholmer Strasse on November 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Carsten Koall—Getty Images
Balloons which were part of the installation 'Lichtgrenze' (Border of Light) are released in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, November 9, 2014. Fabrizio Bensch—Reuters
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Crowds gather in front of the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Sean Gallup—Getty Images
An acrobatic artist performs in front of the Quadriga on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, November 9, 2014. Fabrizio Bensch—Reuters
Spectators celebrate at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 9, 2014. Markus Schreiber—AP
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