• Associated Press

Germany marked the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Saturday, a pivotal moment in the collapse of communism in Europe.

BERLIN โ€” 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: Nov. 9, 1989.

People attend a flower-placing ceremony Saturday on the grounds of theย Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin, Germany.

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.

The Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961. It fell on November 9, 1989. What remains of this iconic structure today? We set out to investigate.

It carved a 97.2-mile swath through Berlin's heart and the surrounding countryside, and through the hearts of many of its people.

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.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, center, attends a ceremony Saturday on the grounds of the Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin, Germany.

For the anniversary celebrations Saturday, event organizers created a temporary wall of 5,000 posters designed by children and adults under the motto "We uphold freedom," which attracted a steady flow of visitors, including many foreign tourists. It stands along a 2.5-mile stretch of the former wall in downtown Berlin.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, right, and Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya talk to each other Saturday in the Chapel of Reconciliation at the Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin, Germany,ย before a prayer to mark 35 years of peaceful revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The posters combine the demands of East German protesters against the communist authorities in autumn 1989, such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom to travel, with current day wishes and were created as part of workshops in schools, church parishes, local art groups and cultural projects.

"Uphold freedom, because without freedom everything else is nothing," Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said at an official anniversary event with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Berlin Wall Memorial.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, right, and Berlin Mayor Kai Werner attend a church serviceย Saturday in the Chapel of Reconciliation in Berlin, Germany.

"Freedom and democracy have never been a matter of course," the mayor said, warning that both are currently under attack from many sides.

For Saturday night, 700 professional and amateur musicians were expected to synchronously play songs on different stages along the path of the former wall.

Musicians play on a stage Saturday during the concert for freedom for the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.

Among other songs, they planned to perform "Heroes" by David Bowie and "Freiheit," or freedom, by German rockstar Marius Mรผller-Westernhagen. The lyrics will be shown on screens so the audience can sing along.

Musicians play on a stage Saturday during the concert for freedom for the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.

The Russian dissident band Pussy Riot was expected to perform Sunday as the highlight and conclusion of the anniversary celebrations.

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