03:44Citizens gathered at the East Side Gallery to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Saturday, with the German capital once again divided and the country's government rudderless.
The anniversary arrived amid acute political turmoil in Germany following the collapse of the coalition government and strikes over a cost-of-living crisis in Europe's largest yet troubled economy compounded by uncertainty stemming from Donald Trump's election victory.
Footage shows citizens walking along and viewing the images graffitied onto the remaining sections of the wall, including Dmitri Vrubel's painting 'My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love' depicting Soviet and GDR General Secretaries Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker sharing Socialist fraternal kiss.
Artwork made by children and young people can also seen hanging on the wall as a part of the exhibition to mark the anniversary.
One visitor described the anniversary as a 'moment of reflection' on German and European history, adding that it's 'neither about celebrating nor being negative,' but about 'reflecting on the past to move forward.'
Another said the chance of impending snap elections in the country is a chance to assess the state of Germany's democracy and to consider measures to ensure a brighter future.
"At the same time, it is also an opportunity to reflect and exchange ideas of how are we doing today in our democracy, how are we doing today in Germany, how we look back on the past 35 years and what we perhaps need to do on a small and large scale, to be active and to ensure that democracy is preserved," she explained.
On Thursday, Germany's coalition government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD fired his FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, accusing him of putting party before country in ongoing budget rows during what Scholz had earlier warned would be 'an autumn of decisions'.
Scholz announced a confidence vote will be held in January which, without a coalition majority, would trigger elections in March - although opposition leaders have demanded earlier action.
One visitor from the US discussed the potential impact of Trump's election victory on Germany, noting Americans see the president-elect as 'a strong man in terms of international relations', while Biden was 'weak in terms of dealing with Netanyahu, Zelensky and Putin'.
"What's going to happen with Ukraine, or we are going to pull funding for Ukraine? And Trump is also been very adamant about his support in Israel ending a war in Gaza. What does it look like for the Palestinian people? I don't know, I'm quite fearful for them," she noted.
A symbol of the Cold War and the division of Europe, the Berlin Wall stood for 28 years until it was brought down on November 9, 1989, 44 years after the end of World War II.
The wall was synonymous with the Iron Curtain, a political metaphor coined by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, with its collapse ushering in the reunification of Germany the following year and signalling the end of the Cold War.
The wall was constructed in 1961 to prevent Germans from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from fleeing to the Federal Republic of Germany in the West.
It stretched for 155 kilometres (96 miles) around the city, dividing Berlin, Germany and Europe into two halves with competing political ideologies - the Communist Eastern bloc and the capitalist West.
'Reflecting on the past to move forward' - Citizens mark 35th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall as divided Germany faces political chaos
Citizens gathered at the East Side Gallery to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Saturday, with the German capital once again divided and the country's government rudderless.
The anniversary arrived amid acute political turmoil in Germany following the collapse of the coalition government and strikes over a cost-of-living crisis in Europe's largest yet troubled economy compounded by uncertainty stemming from Donald Trump's election victory.
Footage shows citizens walking along and viewing the images graffitied onto the remaining sections of the wall, including Dmitri Vrubel's painting 'My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love' depicting Soviet and GDR General Secretaries Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker sharing Socialist fraternal kiss.
Artwork made by children and young people can also seen hanging on the wall as a part of the exhibition to mark the anniversary.
One visitor described the anniversary as a 'moment of reflection' on German and European history, adding that it's 'neither about celebrating nor being negative,' but about 'reflecting on the past to move forward.'
Another said the chance of impending snap elections in the country is a chance to assess the state of Germany's democracy and to consider measures to ensure a brighter future.
"At the same time, it is also an opportunity to reflect and exchange ideas of how are we doing today in our democracy, how are we doing today in Germany, how we look back on the past 35 years and what we perhaps need to do on a small and large scale, to be active and to ensure that democracy is preserved," she explained.
On Thursday, Germany's coalition government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD fired his FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, accusing him of putting party before country in ongoing budget rows during what Scholz had earlier warned would be 'an autumn of decisions'.
Scholz announced a confidence vote will be held in January which, without a coalition majority, would trigger elections in March - although opposition leaders have demanded earlier action.
One visitor from the US discussed the potential impact of Trump's election victory on Germany, noting Americans see the president-elect as 'a strong man in terms of international relations', while Biden was 'weak in terms of dealing with Netanyahu, Zelensky and Putin'.
"What's going to happen with Ukraine, or we are going to pull funding for Ukraine? And Trump is also been very adamant about his support in Israel ending a war in Gaza. What does it look like for the Palestinian people? I don't know, I'm quite fearful for them," she noted.
A symbol of the Cold War and the division of Europe, the Berlin Wall stood for 28 years until it was brought down on November 9, 1989, 44 years after the end of World War II.
The wall was synonymous with the Iron Curtain, a political metaphor coined by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, with its collapse ushering in the reunification of Germany the following year and signalling the end of the Cold War.
The wall was constructed in 1961 to prevent Germans from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from fleeing to the Federal Republic of Germany in the West.
It stretched for 155 kilometres (96 miles) around the city, dividing Berlin, Germany and Europe into two halves with competing political ideologies - the Communist Eastern bloc and the capitalist West.
Citizens gathered at the East Side Gallery to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Saturday, with the German capital once again divided and the country's government rudderless.
The anniversary arrived amid acute political turmoil in Germany following the collapse of the coalition government and strikes over a cost-of-living crisis in Europe's largest yet troubled economy compounded by uncertainty stemming from Donald Trump's election victory.
Footage shows citizens walking along and viewing the images graffitied onto the remaining sections of the wall, including Dmitri Vrubel's painting 'My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love' depicting Soviet and GDR General Secretaries Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker sharing Socialist fraternal kiss.
Artwork made by children and young people can also seen hanging on the wall as a part of the exhibition to mark the anniversary.
One visitor described the anniversary as a 'moment of reflection' on German and European history, adding that it's 'neither about celebrating nor being negative,' but about 'reflecting on the past to move forward.'
Another said the chance of impending snap elections in the country is a chance to assess the state of Germany's democracy and to consider measures to ensure a brighter future.
"At the same time, it is also an opportunity to reflect and exchange ideas of how are we doing today in our democracy, how are we doing today in Germany, how we look back on the past 35 years and what we perhaps need to do on a small and large scale, to be active and to ensure that democracy is preserved," she explained.
On Thursday, Germany's coalition government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD fired his FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, accusing him of putting party before country in ongoing budget rows during what Scholz had earlier warned would be 'an autumn of decisions'.
Scholz announced a confidence vote will be held in January which, without a coalition majority, would trigger elections in March - although opposition leaders have demanded earlier action.
One visitor from the US discussed the potential impact of Trump's election victory on Germany, noting Americans see the president-elect as 'a strong man in terms of international relations', while Biden was 'weak in terms of dealing with Netanyahu, Zelensky and Putin'.
"What's going to happen with Ukraine, or we are going to pull funding for Ukraine? And Trump is also been very adamant about his support in Israel ending a war in Gaza. What does it look like for the Palestinian people? I don't know, I'm quite fearful for them," she noted.
A symbol of the Cold War and the division of Europe, the Berlin Wall stood for 28 years until it was brought down on November 9, 1989, 44 years after the end of World War II.
The wall was synonymous with the Iron Curtain, a political metaphor coined by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, with its collapse ushering in the reunification of Germany the following year and signalling the end of the Cold War.
The wall was constructed in 1961 to prevent Germans from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from fleeing to the Federal Republic of Germany in the West.
It stretched for 155 kilometres (96 miles) around the city, dividing Berlin, Germany and Europe into two halves with competing political ideologies - the Communist Eastern bloc and the capitalist West.