Germany is marking the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall, a pivotal moment in the events that brought down Communism in eastern Europe.
Leaders from Germany and other European nations are attending ceremonies Saturday in Berlin recalling the peaceful protests that piled pressure on East Germany's government to allow its citizens free passage to the west on Nov. 9, 1989 .
The main commemoration is being held at Bernauer Strasse, where one of the last parts of the Berlin Wall that divided the city for 28 years still stands.
Light installations, concerts and public debates are also being held throughout the city and other parts of Germany to mark the anniversary.
Yesterday, the U-S Embassy in Berlin unveiled a statue of Ronald Reagan at a site overlooking the location of the former president's iconic speech imploring the Soviet Union to remove the Berlin Wall.
Reagan asked Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to go further with the reforms he was instituting, famously saying -- quote -- ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.''