Prime minister Gordon Brown will attend events commemorating the fall, and will be joined by French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
To mark the occasion over 1,000 giant dominos have been erected along the line which used to divide East and West Germany; they will be toppled to symbolise the fall of communist powers across eastern Europe in 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall that year paved the way for the collapse of the USSR and end of the Cold War.
Ms Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, will lead the celebrations. She began commemorations this morning with a church service in the former East Berlin with president Horst Koehler.
Events today will centre at the Brandenburg Gate, with a concert and fireworks display due later.
Mr Brown will say in a speech today: 'The wall that had imprisoned half a city, half a country, half a continent, half a world for nearly a third of a century was swept away by the greatest force of all - the unbreakable spirit of men and women who dared to dream in the darkness, who knew that while force has the temporary power to dictate, it can never ultimately decide.'
The wall was constructed in 1961 to encircle West Berlin and prevent citizens from fleeing the East. It is believed more than 100 people are believed to have been killed trying to escape through the wall, the last one believed to have been shot dead as late as February 1989.
Mrs Clinton will add: 'I am delighted to be here in Berlin, the city that meant so much, not only to the German people, but to the European and the American people and the world.'
To mark the occasion over 1,000 giant dominos have been erected along the line which used to divide East and West Germany; they will be toppled to symbolise the fall of communist powers across eastern Europe in 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall that year paved the way for the collapse of the USSR and end of the Cold War.
Ms Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, will lead the celebrations. She began commemorations this morning with a church service in the former East Berlin with president Horst Koehler.
Events today will centre at the Brandenburg Gate, with a concert and fireworks display due later.
Mr Brown will say in a speech today: 'The wall that had imprisoned half a city, half a country, half a continent, half a world for nearly a third of a century was swept away by the greatest force of all - the unbreakable spirit of men and women who dared to dream in the darkness, who knew that while force has the temporary power to dictate, it can never ultimately decide.'
The wall was constructed in 1961 to encircle West Berlin and prevent citizens from fleeing the East. It is believed more than 100 people are believed to have been killed trying to escape through the wall, the last one believed to have been shot dead as late as February 1989.
Mrs Clinton will add: 'I am delighted to be here in Berlin, the city that meant so much, not only to the German people, but to the European and the American people and the world.'
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