German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and heads of Visegrad Group's member states Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic along with other officials laid flowers at the Berlin Wall memorial as part of the ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the "Peaceful Revolution" in Germany
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2019) German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and heads of Visegrad Group's member states Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic along with other officials laid flowers at the Berlin Wall memorial as part of the ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the "Peaceful Revolution" in Germany.
The ceremony began at the memorial with a speech by human rights defenders and youth delegations from the Visegrad Group countries. Young activists, in native and German languages, urged those present to fight against the construction of new walls in Europe and to deepen cooperation within the European Union.
Then the presidents, Merkel and Bundestag President Wolfgang Schauble headed to the section of the Berlin Wall which was preserved at the memorial, and put roses between the concrete slabs. Then the delegations went to the chapel, located on the territory of the complex.
The construction of the Berlin Wall, which stretched 155 kilometers (96.3 miles) and divided the city into East and West, began in 1961 on the territory of the German Democratic Republic.
The wall, a symbol of the Cold War, was demolished on November 9, 1989.
