Berlin - Security was tight Saturday as Germany marked its national day, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. German Unity Day marks October 3, 1990, when communist East Germany ceased to exist and the German states became a single nation, culminating an 11-month process where the Wall opened, democratic parties formed in the East and unity terms were negotiated.
Messages of congratulation poured in.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow and Berlin were on a path to "deepening their cooperation in many sectors" and that "partner relations" would continue under Merkel's next government.
In Berlin, thousands of people watched the spectacle of a 15-metre-tall puppet, which had been placed underwater beforehand, being raised out of the Spree river by crane and paraded through the city.
The procession was to meet near the landmark Brandenburg Gate with a second parade bearing a similar, but smaller puppet. The event was intended to symbolize the November 9, 1989 opening of the Wall, which used to run past the Gate.
The principal official celebrations Saturday were in the western city of Saarbruecken, beginning with an ecumenical church service attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Horst Koehler.
A festival was held in the streets of Saarbruecken. After threats which began two weeks ago by Islamists against Germany, armed police have kept a close eye on rail stations, airports and festivals.
"It's all perfectly peaceful," said a police spokesman in Saarbruecken as cheerful crowds listened to music and snacked. Police declared maximum security and deployed 1,000 to 1,500 personnel at the event.
The police minister of the city-state of Berlin, Ehrhart Koerting, confirmed extra police had been called in there too.
