Lighted balloons to mark path of Berlin Wall for 25th anniversary

BERLIN , July 11 (UPI) -- Eight thousand illuminated balloons will trace the route of the Berlin Wall in observance of the 25th anniversary of its fall.

The design of the 15-kilometer (nine mile) art installation, called "Lichtgrenze" or "light border," was unveiled Thursday by the Berlin Senate. The balloons will be lit as part of ceremonies November 8 and 9.

"On this day, Berlin will stand once more at the center of worldwide attention. The anniversary now gives occasion to remember this incisive historical event," organizers said in a statement.

"We place ourselves in solidarity with those who have raised their voices for freedom, democracy, and human rights back then as well as now," Belin Mayor Klaus Wowereit added. "We take a look at the contemporary world in which Berlin, after 25 years, has become a place of creativity, openness to the future, and internationality."

The Berlin Wall was a barrier of concrete, barbed wire and guard towers that separated West and East Berlin from 1961 to its demolition in 1989.

The balloon project will cost about two million Euros ($2.72 million) and is underwritten by German Lotto, the national lottery.