| German Unity Day | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Official name | The Day of German Unity |
| Observed by | Germany |
| Type | National |
| Significance | Commemorates German reunification in 1990 |
| Date | 3 October |
The Day of German Unity (German: Tag der Deutschen Einheit) is the national day of Germany, celebrated on 3 October as a public holiday. It commemorates the anniversary of German reunification in 1990.
An alternative choice would have been the day the Berlin Wall came down—9 November 1989, which coincided with the anniversary of the proclamation of the German Republic in 1918 and the defeat of Hitler's first coup in 1923. However, 9 November was also the anniversary of the first large-scale Nazi-led pogroms against Jews in 1938 (Kristallnacht), so the day was considered inappropriate as a national holiday. Therefore, 3 October 1990, the day of formal reunification, was chosen instead.
Before reunification, in West Germany the "Day of German Unity" was 17 June, remembering the failed Uprising of 1953 in East Germany against the Stalinist government. The revolt was crushed with Soviet aid; the exact number of fatalities is unknown, but estimated at somewhere above 100. In East Germany, the national holiday was 7 October, the "Day of the Republic" (Tag der Republik), commemorating the founding of the German Democratic Republic in 1949.
Celebrations
The Day of German Unity is celebrated each year with an ceremonial act and a citizens' festival (Bürgerfest) in a certain city. The celebrations are traditionally hosted by the German state which presides over the Bundesrat in the respective year:
- 1990 in Berlin, Capital of Germany
- 1991 in Hamburg, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
- 1992 in Schwerin, State Capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- 1993 in Saarbrücken, State Capital of Saarland
- 1994 in Bremen, State Capital of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
- 1995 in Düsseldorf, State Capital of North Rhine-Westphalia
- 1996 in Munich, State Capital of Bavaria
- 1997 in Stuttgart, State Capital of Baden-Württemberg
- 1998 in Hannover, State Capital of Lower Saxony
- 1999 in Wiesbaden, State Capital of Hesse
- 2000 in Dresden, State Capital of Saxony
- 2001 in Mainz, State Capital of Rhineland-Palatinate
- 2002 in Berlin, Capital of Germany
- 2003 in Magdeburg, State Capital of Saxony-Anhalt
- 2004 in Erfurt, State Capital of Thuringia
- 2005 in Potsdam, State Capital of Brandenburg
- 2006 in Kiel, State Capital of Schleswig-Holstein
- 2007 in Schwerin, State Capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- 2008 in Hamburg, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg[1]
- 2009 in Saarbrücken, State Capital of Saarland[2]
In addition, various celebrations are held in the federal capital Berlin, mainly based at Straße des 17. Juni. Furthermore, the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, which traditionally runs until the first Sunday in October, now runs until 3 October if the Sunday in question falls on the first or second day of October.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: German Unity Day |
- German Embassy Publication, Infocus:German Unity Day
- Website of the state organizing Unity Day (changes annually, often in German only)
References
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