The popular uprising in the GDR on June 17, 1953 was commemorated on Friday with numerous events.
Parallels were drawn with the struggle for freedom in Ukraine.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) said the anniversary was a reminder that human rights and the rule of law had to be fought for again and again.
"The pictures of Russian tanks in Ukraine make us painfully aware of how vulnerable these values are even in the 21st century."
Markus Wehner
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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Berlin's governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) said it was the first time "that a freedom movement challenged the communist government in the states of the Eastern bloc".
One answer to this was the construction of the Wall in 1961.
Against the background of your own history, think of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
"There, too, today is about the values of June 17," said Giffey.
Around June 17, 1953, around a million people in 700 towns and communities in the GDR took to the streets for democratic freedoms and against tougher working conditions.
The uprising was crushed by Soviet troops.
More than 50 people were killed and up to 15,000 arrested.