On 20 July 1944, German army officer Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Hitler inside his Wolf's Lair headquarters in East Prussia by placing an explosive-filled briefcase in a meeting room.
The briefcase was moved shortly before exploding, reducing the impact of the explosion of Hitler, and only lightly injuring him. Shortly afterwards von Stauffenberg and other leaders of the plot were rounded up and executed.
More than 7,000 people were arrested in the aftermath and 4,980 were executed.
At a military ceremony in Berlin to commemorate the anniversary, Merkel said, "Following their conscience, they proved themselves to be true patriots. They urge us to be vigilant and to confront racism and nationalism in all its facets."
Speaking on the German Chancellery's official video blog, Merkel also said, "Only by understanding our past can we build a good future...Those who acted on July 20 are role models."
"The number of those who belong to the right-wing extremist camp unfortunately increases," the Chancellor said, before referencing the murder of German politician Walter Lübcke in June 2019 by a neo-Nazi extremist.
She also called on citizens to join Federal programs such as 'Live Democracy!" to help combat the fight against right-wing extremism.