Germany is marking the 50th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall on Saturday, August 13.

German leaders are gathering in Berlin to observe a minute of silence in memory of those who died trying to cross to the West, Deutsche Welle reported.

On August 13, 1961, the East German communist regime closed its border and began building the Wall, dividing the city for more than 28 years. The Wall, in some cases, ran straight through streets, neighborhoods and public spaces.

The Wall, which was sold in the East as the "anti-fascist protection wall," became a symbol for the geographical, ideological and political divide between Europe's democratic West and the communist East.