German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to give an address on Friday as the nation celebrates reunification, 35 years after the event.
On October 3, 1990, the states that made up East Germany were integrated into the Federal Republic of Germany – the formal name for West Germany – ending the long division of the German nation after World War II.
This year, Saarbrücken is hosting the main event and Merz said he does not plan to focus on the past so much as to address the issues he sees as urgent to solve the country’s problems.
As a guest of honour, French President Emmanuel Macron is also due to give a speech at the ceremony held in the south-western state which borders France.
The two halves of Germany were reunited after more than 40 years of division, about a year after the peaceful revolution in East Germany and the opening of the borders.
Living conditions differed significantly at the time but have since become much more similar, though disparities remain in terms of wages, wealth and productivity, all of which are lower in the East.
And as views on many political issues diverge, polls suggest many people presently see more differences than commonalities between the two parts of the country.
Merz is also heading to eastern Germany in the evening for a concert in Halle an der Saale. It is part of a series of choral events held simultaneously in villages and towns nationwide, recalling the prayers and peaceful revolution of 1989.
