Tens of thousands of people celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall 35 years ago in Germany's capital on Saturday with open-air concerts, art installations and official events commemorating one of the country's most historic days on Nov. 9, 1989 .
It was "a lucky day for which we Germans are still grateful today," Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Built in 1961, the Berlin Wall stood for 28 years at the front line of the Cold War between the Americans and the Soviets. It was built by communists to cut off East Germans from the supposed ideological contamination of the West and to stem the tide of people fleeing East Germany.
It had carved a 156.4-kilometer 97.2-mile swath through Berlin's heart and the surrounding countryside, and through the hearts of many of its people. However, when the border was opened 35 years ago, it took less than a year until the country's reunification on Oct. 3, 1990.
Today only a few stretches of the wall remain, mostly as a tourist attraction.
