Germany: See the 25th Anniversary of the Berlin Wall's Fall

German Chancellor Angela Merkel walks along a section of the former Berlin Wall at the memorial in Bernauer Strasse, during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, in Berlin on November 9, 2014.

Hannibal Hanschke—Reuters

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Crowds gather on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.

Sean Gallup—Getty Images

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Guests attend a ceremony organised by the Berlin Senate to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, on November 9, 2014 at the Gendarmenmarkt Konzerthaus in Berlin.

Robert Michael—AFP/Getty Images

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People gather on the Bösebrücke Bridge in Bornholmer Strasse on November 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.

Carsten Koall—Getty Images

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Balloons which were part of the installation 'Lichtgrenze' (Border of Light) are released in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, November 9, 2014.

Fabrizio Bensch—Reuters

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Crowds gather in front of the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.

Sean Gallup—Getty Images

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An acrobatic artist performs in front of the Quadriga on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, November 9, 2014.

Fabrizio Bensch—Reuters

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Spectators celebrate at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Nov. 9, 2014.

Markus Schreiber—AP

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November 9, 2014 10:03 PM EST

The 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was marked by the release of 8,000 helium balloons over the German capital.

The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 to prevent people fleeing the Soviet-controlled East into the more free and affluent West.

Its fall in 1989 was a symbolic start to the process that would eventually end the Cold War.

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