BERLIN, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Subdued observations were held in Berlin Tuesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the tearing down of the Cold War-era Berlin Wall.
Official ceremonies included a trip by President Horst Koehler to the former east-west border, where the city's mayor laid a commemorative wreath. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also issued a statement praising east Germans for overthrowing communist rule peacefully.
The barrier was constructed by the East German communist authorities in 1961. But by 1989, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was pursuing "glasnost," or openness, and along with pressure from U.S. President Ronald Reagan the wall came down Nov. 9, 1989, amid public euphoria.
However, the reunification is not seamless 15 years later, with the east still lagging far behind economically, as told by various headlines, the BBC reported.
The Scotsman's headline was "Germans Subdued as They Remember Berlin Wall's Fall," while the Washington Post said "In Berlin Wall's Dust, Germany Flounders."
