'Unity Day': How October 3rd became Germany's national holiday

"Compared to those national holidays, Germany's October 3rd is fairly recent, having only been around since 1990. October 3rd -or Tag der Deutschen Einheit - marks the date that the former West and East Germany officially became one country again, after being divided since the end of WWII. In 2025, it's celebrated on a Friday, meaning most people will get a three-day weekend."

"Between 1945 and 1949, the country was split into four occupation zones - held by the Americans, British, French, and the then Soviets. In 1949 the Soviet zone became the communist East Germany -or Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), while the rest of the country became the West German Bundesrepublik Deutschland (BRD). The Bundesrepublik continues today, but now with the five eastern federal states, plus East Berlin, that were formerly in the DDR."

October 3rd commemorates the formal reunification of West and East Germany in 1990 and serves as the national holiday Tag der Deutschen Einheit. The holiday is relatively new compared with other national celebrations such as US Independence Day (1776), Canada Day (1867), and France's Bastille Day (1789). After World War II Germany was divided into four occupation zones; the Soviet zone became the DDR in 1949 while the remainder became the BRD. The modern Bundesrepublik now includes five eastern federal states and East Berlin formerly part of the DDR. The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, but reunification was finalized on October 3, 1990.

Read at The Local Germany