Germany commemorates the destructive bombing during the last months of the Second World War on the city of Dresden 75 years ago.

Due to the bombing by the British and American air forces in February 1945, an estimated 25,000 people died.

The commemoration began on Thursday with a wreath-laying at the Heidelberg Cemetery in the north of the city. Many of the victims of the bombing are buried here.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will give a speech at the culture palace in Dresden. He will commemorate the victims but also recall Germany’s responsibility for the war. Later, thousands of residents are expected to form a human chain of peace and tolerance.

The first bombs fell on February 13, 1945, just after 10 p.m. The bombing ended on February 15. The British and Americans completely abandoned the city known as Florence on the Elbe. The explosions caused a firestorm that killed thousands of people.

The bombing of Dresden was one of many during the war but has become a symbol of the devastation during the Second World War.