Thousands of people formed a human chain in Dresden on Tuesday evening to commemorate the destruction of the eastern German city in World War II 79 years ago.
People joined hands at 6 pm (1700 GMT) and stood in silence as the city's church bells rang out.
Participants were remembering the victims of the allied attack on Dresden on February 13, 1945, but also the victims of German bombs in 1940 in its English twin city Coventry.
The human chain, which has been a tradition on this day of remembrance for over a decade, also commemorated the millions of victims of Nazi tyranny.
Politicians and civil society wanted the traditional human chain through the city's historic centre and across the river Elbe to send a particularly strong signal for peace and democracy this year.
The rector of Dresden's Technical University (TU), Ursula M Staudinger, called the human chain a "guardian of democracy."
Contempt for humanity, anti-Semitism and racism seem to be becoming socially acceptable again, said Staudinger, referring to what is being expressed and tolerated in the public sphere, both digitally and in analogue. This threat to democracy should not be tolerated, Staudinger asserted.
Dresden Mayor Dirk Hilbert condemned violent attacks and racism in everyday life: "Racism and inhumane world views are on the rise in our society. Anti-Semitism is being openly flaunted again. Houses are also being set on fire in our city to prevent people who have a right to a fair asylum procedure from moving in."
Police say they are prepared for protests against the appropriation of the anniversary by right-wing extremists.
The main focus of the police operation is events organized by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and groups from across the right-wing spectrum as well as counter-protests planned for the landmark Old Market Square, the Altmarkt. Both right-wing and left-wing extremists were expected to attend.
The city, a major cultural centre where the king of Saxony once resided, and many of its baroque landmarks were destroyed by Allied bombs on February 13, 1945, and in the days that followed. According to research by historians, up to 25,000 people lost their lives.
