German Chancellor Angela Merkel marks 25 years since the fall of the Berlin wall as a sign that 'dreams can come true' She lauded protestors who stood up to regime in twilight of East German regime that suppressed freedom Speaking in Berlin, Ms Merkel added: 'Nothing has to stay the way it is, however big the hurdles are' She also honoured those who suffered under communism, including the 138 people who died attempting to cross Wall German Chancellor Angela Merkel led celebrations today marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, calling it an example of the human yearning for freedom. Ms Merkel said the celebrations also honoured those who helped bring down the barrier that for 28 years symbolised the Cold War. On the night of November 9, 1989, thousands of East Berliners streamed through the once-closed border crossings after communist authorities caved in to mounting pressure and relaxed travel restrictions that had prevented their citizens from going to the west for decades. The divide: German Chancellor Angela Merkel led celebrations today marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, calling it an example of the human yearning for freedom Ms Merkel said the celebrations also honoured those who helped bring down the barrier that for 28 years symbolised the Cold War Poignant: Three-year-old Hulda adds to the myriad of flowers placed in cracks of the former Berlin Wall In 1989 communist authorities caved in to mounting pressure and relaxed travel restrictions that had prevented their citizens from going to the west for decades Floral tribute: German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a rose during a ceremony at the Berlin Wall memorial site at Bernauer Strasse in Berlin, Germany, today Accompanied by Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit (right) Ms Merkel places a flower in a joint of concrete segments of a remaining part of the Berlin Wall at the Berlin Wall Memorial 'The fall of the Wall has shown us that dreams can come true,' Ms Merkel said at the main memorial site for the Wall on Bernauer Strasse. Nothing has to stay the way it is, however big the hurdles are. She also placed a flower in a crack in the wall, along with Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit. The fall of the Wall was the climax of weeks of popular protests spurred by changes that had already taken place elsewhere in eastern Europe. Ms Merkel noted the important examples set by the democracy movements in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, and praised East Germans who were inspired by them to stand up to the dictatorship. The fall of the Wall was the climax of weeks of popular protests spurred by changes that had already taken place elsewhere in the Soviet bloc Learning from the past: Many young people who never experienced life under the repressive East German regime also paid their respects German Chancellor Angela Merkel shakes hands with children symbolising the so-called 'Mauerspechte' ('wall peckers', people who chipped the wall with hammers) during the ceremony Light in the darkness: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit (right) light candles at the National Memorial for the Victims of the Berlin Wall She also honoured the many who suffered under the communist regime, including the 138 people who died attempting to cross the Wall. Ms Merkel noted that November 9 is a significant date in Germany history also for being the day when, in 1938, Nazi paramilitaries launched a pogrom against the country's Jewish population in what became known as Reichskristallnacht - the 'Night of Broken Glass'. 'That was the opening note for the murder of millions,' said Ms Merkel, adding that on November 9 each year 'I feel not just joy, but the responsibility that German history burdens us with'.