Berlin  - At the landmark Brandenburg Gate in the centre of Berlin, 1 million people braved sub-zero temperatures early Thursday to celebrate the start of the New Year in Germany.

All over the country, Germans ignited firecrackers and skyrockets and clinked glasses as they toasted 2009 with sparkling wine.

Security was tight at the central Berlin event, the 20th New Year celebrations since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall reunited the once-divided city.

A broad avenue ending at the Brandenburg Gate, a triumphal arch built by the Kings of Prussia, was cordoned off and the revellers were barred from bringing their own bottles of wine or fireworks.

Instead they were treated to a 10-minute-long public fireworks show with rockets and flares filling the sky, while musicians who had earlier warmed up the crowd in the freezing cold gathered on stage to lead the cheers.

Police said the evening in Berlin had been "remarkably free" of violence or accidents. (dpa)