German parliament celebrates 75th anniversary of first session

The German parliament, known as the Bundestag, commemorated the 75th anniversary of it first session in 1949 with a special ceremony on Tuesday.

"Despite all the problems, we should not forget what we have proven time and again in 75 years of the Bundestag: We can overcome crises - despite tough controversies," said Bundestag President Bärbel Bas.

"Our democracy is strong and resilient against all those who want to harm it," she added.

In his speech in parliament, former interior minister Gerhart Baum recalled that foreign observers had questioned whether Germans were capable of democracy following the Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler which was defeated by Allied Forces in World War II.

"Yes, they have proven it. They can do democracy," Baum said. "Now they have to prove that they also actively defend democracy."

The Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, met for its first constituent sitting in the western German city of Bonn on September 7, 1949, four years after the end of World War II.

The upper house, the Bundesrat, convened for a constituent meeting on the same day.

At the time, the Bundestag was the democratically elected parliament for West Germany, a country created from the occupation zones of the three Western Allied powers, the United States, Britain and France.

The Soviet Union established a communist government in East Germany with its own parliament and other institutions. The country remained divided until 1990.

Following German reunification, voters in the former East Germany also began electing representatives to the Bundestag, which finally moved back to Berlin from Bonn in 1999.

The recent rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has sent shockwaves through the country, challenging the self-belief of many Germans that the horrors of the Nazi dictatorship will make impossible the return to power of far-right forces in the future.

The AfD came out on top in regional elections in the eastern state of Thuringia earlier this month, marking the first time since World War II that a far-right party won state elections in Germany.

Tuesday's ceremony began with a recording of the opening of the first Bundestag session.

"There was a mood of celebration in a country that otherwise knew hardship above all else," said Bas.

In her speech, historian Christina Morina warned against anti-democratic tendencies. The logic of populist and extremist anti-parliamentarianism had gained a greater reach through social media than it would have in terms of votes, she said.

"Those who declare migration to be the mother of all problems fall into this logic. Those who stylize proximity to the people as the measure of all politics, those who try to justify demands with reference to 'the people'," said Morina, through repeated heckling from the AfD parliamentary group.

The ceremony was also attended by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former president Christian Wulff. The President of the Federal Constitutional Court, Stephan Harbarth, was also present.