Tens of thousands celebrate fall of the Berlin Wall 35 years ago with concerts and art installations

Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Tens of thousands have celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall 35 years ago in Germany’s capital. There were open-air concerts, art installations and official events on Saturday commemorating one of the country’s most historic days on Nov. 9, 1989. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it was “a lucky day for which we Germans are still grateful today.” The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and it stood for 28 years at the front line of the Cold War between the Americans and the Soviets. It was built by communist authorities to cut off East Germans from the supposed ideological contamination of the West and to stem the tide of people fleeing East Germany. Today only a few stretches of the wall remain, mostly as a tourist attraction.