MAINZ, Germany — A quarter century after the fall of the Berlin Wall, artists have retraced the former border in Germany's capital using 8,000 luminous balloons that will be turned on to mark this weekend's anniversary. "We wanted to counter this ominous, heavy structure with something light," said Marc Bauder, who designed the art installation with his brother, Christopher Bauder. The "Lichtgrenze," or "Light Border," will stretch for nearly 10 miles through the city, passing landmarks such as Checkpoint Charlie or the Brandenburg Gate.
Bauder urged people to walk along the former border once again and discover the movie screens and information panels describing the city's division and those who died along the wall. According to the Berlin Wall Memorial, 138 people were killed along the Berlin Wall from 1961 until 1989 as they tried to flee, some just months before peaceful protests opened the border. "Remembrance belongs to the people," he said. "We want to offer an individual access instead of a central commemoration." On Sunday evening, the balloons will be released up in the air, exactly 25 years after the opening of the border was announced.
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