Photo taken on Nov. 17, 2020 shows a statue of Friedrich Engels in Manchester, Britain. (Photo by Jon Super/Xinhua)

Lars Bluma, a scholar at the Historic Center of Wuppertal, said the city, which labeled 2020 as "the Year of Engels," had planned over 100 activities. Posters featuring a young spirited Engels, renowned as "a thinker, a doer and a Wuppertaler," are seen across the city.

Calling Engels as "the most famous son of the city," Bluma said Engels is still remembered because his thoughts are "beyond its time."

LONDON/BERLIN, Nov. 29  -- Despite the raging coronavirus pandemic, Friedrich Engels' 200th birth anniversary, which fell on Saturday, was celebrated mostly online in various countries in Europe.

In the western German town of Wuppertal, Engels' birthplace, a community festival, as well as concerts, exhibitions, tours and discussions had been planned in what was known as "The Year of Engels." Due to the extended restrictive measures amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, most public events commemorating the birth of Engels have been moved online.

Wuppertal's central library has launched an exhibition named "Mensch Engels" (Human Engels) on its main webpage, displaying Engels' personality and his achievements.

The online exhibition also showcases the legacies of Engels, including pictures, sketches and manuscripts, to commemorate the great thinker.

A new documentary "Friedrich Engels -- The Underestimated" has been aired on local televisions a week before Engels' birthday.

The film referred to Engels and Karl Marx as "one of the most famous duos in world history," focusing on their lives and their efforts to develop Marxist theories.