MADRID -- Berlin, reunited as one city after decades of division during the Cold War, won Spain's prestigious Prince of Asturias prize on Thursday for its contribution to promoting peace and harmony.
Organizers said the German capital had earned the "concord" prize for improving world relations following the fall of the Berlin Wall some 20 years ago.
"The peaceful revolution, which on Nov. 9, 1989, led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequently to the reunification of Germany, has captivated millions of people worldwide, contributing significantly toward the reestablishment of the balance between the East and the West," the prize foundation said.
The award is one of eight Asturias prizes bestowed each year in areas such as the arts, the sciences, international cooperation and communication. Last year's concord winner was former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
Berlin was divided after World War II into four sectors under the allied forces and the Soviet Union and thus came to symbolize the ideological confrontation between East and West.
The former German Democratic Republic _ East Germany _ began building the Berlin Wall on Aug. 13, 1961 to isolate the western sector and avoid a massive emigration of citizens from the east.
Prize organizers said the Wall created a border between not just ideologies, but also between families, neighbors and friends.
"Berlin was in the past a symbol and a reality of the Cold War. Today it is a symbol and a reality for an open society," said Italian author Claudio Magris, a past Asturias prize winner.
The award includes a euro50,000 ($72,000) stipend and a sculpture by artist Joan Miro.
The prizes are named after Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, whose formal title is Prince of Asturias, a region in northern Spain.
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