German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier were in the northern city of Kiel on Thursday for commemorations marking the country’s reunification 29 years ago.

They were joined by the president of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schaeuble, and the prime minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Guenther, in signing the city’s Golden Book.

They are then set to attend an ecumenical service, followed by an official ceremony in which Merkel and Guenther will give speeches.

The national celebrations for German Unity Day are traditionally hosted by the state that holds the Bundesrat presidency, which is currently Schleswig-Holstein.

The fall of the Berlin Wall gave impetus to a process that eventually led to the reunification of the former states of East and West Germany on October 3, 1990. (dpa/NAN)