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May 8, 1945 was a day of liberation, as the then Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker described it in his historic speech in the Bundestag in 1985. However, May 8 was also a day of remembrance, Wegner said at a joint commemorative event organized by the Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ× Senate and House of Representatives in the Rotes Rathaus.

History must never be forgotten, the memory of atrocities and the Holocaust must be kept alive. "It is our responsibility that we never forget. It is our responsibility to ensure that history does not repeat itself," emphasized Wegner. "It is our responsibility to stand up for democracy and defend it against enemies from within and without." After all, peace and democracy cannot be taken for granted and democracy is also coming under pressure in Germany.

The Second World War in Europe ended in 1945 with the surrender of the German Wehrmacht. On the night of May 8-9, 1945, representatives of the Wehrmacht signed a document to this effect in front of the victorious powers of the USA, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union in the building of today's Museum Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×-Karlshorst.