Official celebrations to mark German Unity Day kicked off on Thursday with an ecumenical service in the northern city of Schwerin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other dignitaries in attendance. The service traditionally takes place immediately before the official ceremony for the day, which has been marked since the unification in 1990 of the two Germanies at the end of the Cold War. Almost 500 people are expected to attend the ceremony in the Mecklenburg State Theatre in the city, which is the capital of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Scholz and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Premier Manuela S…