Germany marks the 62nd anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall

 Today, Sunday, the German capital, Berlin, commemorates the 62nd anniversary of the construction of its wall by honoring the victims of the former East German regime who died as a result of the wall that divided Berlin into East and West and tore apart German society.

The tribute ceremony aims to remember people who died or were killed trying to escape the communist regime in East Germany, during the many events that took place along the former border that divided the city into East and West on August 13, 1961.

A memorial service is expected to be held at the Church of Reconciliation in Berlin for the 18-year-old Peter Fechter, who was shot and bled to death by East German border guards on the eastern side of the wall a year after it was built, without the crowds gathered on the western side being able to help him.

And the Berlin Wall was built to stop the migration of East Germans to West Germany, as the flight of labor caused a slowdown in its economy, according to East German leaders who considered that the wall protected its citizens from capitalism.

The wall is about 155 kilometers long and has been separating the entire German community for more than 28 years.

The wall fell on November 9, 1989, after anti-government demonstrations prompted the East German government to open the borders, and Germany was finally reunified.

At least 140 people are reported to have been killed at the wall while trying to flee East Germany, according to the Berlin Wall Foundation.

Source: German