Feature: Berlin stages reading marathon to mark 70th anniversary of end of WWII

A reading marathon known as End of the War 1945 kicked off a range of commemorative events to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII here on Sunday.

On May 3 in front of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg gate, young students from Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts read from diaries and letters from times before the war's end, marking the end of World War II.

"The war is now at boiling point. The American is so close to Berlin that the bomb threat increases immeasurably....I am very confident to stay alive. It would make no sense to die at the last minute and no longer to experience the so long-awaited end of the war," as one read from a note of April 13, 1945.

In the first part of the reading marathon, diary entries, letters and eyewitness reports by Berliners would give audience an intimate insight into the brutal reality of war in the spring of 1945.

The second part of the reading marathon, however, presented audience with reactions and thoughts the war has caused in the world, including impressions of foreign correspondents by the end of the war in Europe, as well as comments from emigration in Germany.

"The Germans who were born in 80s have no direct memory of the Nazi period, especially of the crimes," said Klaus Staeck, president of Academy of the Arts Berlin. "The most witnesses now are also dying away."

After 70 years, there are again right-wing extremists in Germany, he said. "This is our problem. Reflecting on the past is an urgent need, in my conviction," he added.

The reading marathon, organized by the European Commission Representation in Germany in cooperation with the Information Office of the European Parliament in Germany, Academy of the Arts Berlin and so on, is part of the project "May' 45 - Spring in Berlin".

Besides the reading marathon, the core of the project is open-air exhibitions in Berlin, which will become everyday life between war and peace from April 21 to May 26 2015. Enditem