Commemorations to mark German Unity Day on October 3, 2020 have been underway in the city of Potsdam, about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) southwest of Berlin. Such a momentous anniversary would usually be met with fervor, but this year’s festivities have been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We look back with gratitude at the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era,” Steinmeier said in a keynote speech at the official ceremony. “Today we live in the best Germany that has ever existed.”