October 3, facts about the day of German unification

2025-10-03 09:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

On October 3rd, Germany celebrates the reunification of East and West. But how was this achieved? How is this day celebrated? And what do Germans think about the reunification today?

After the end of World War II in 1945, Germany, defeated by the victorious powers of the USA, France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, was initially divided into four occupation zones. In 1949, two states were created: the Federal Democratic Republic of Germany (FDR) in the West and the Socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) under the control of the Soviet Union in the East. From this period on, Germany was divided, and GDR citizens were only allowed to travel to the GDR under strict conditions. The GDR border was strictly controlled, and a massive wall was built in West Berlin, which belonged to the GDR, so that GDR citizens could not leave their country.

How was the unification of Germany achieved?

October 3, facts about the day of German unification

People in the GDR lived in a state of surveillance and lacked freedom of expression. Anyone who did not adhere to the socialist regime was threatened with persecution and imprisonment. In the late 1980s, the people increasingly began to oppose the regime; citizens wanted freedom and democracy like their neighbors in the FRG. At the same time, the reform policy in the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev favored this process. Unlike his predecessors, Gorbachev renounced military intervention against reform movements in the GDR and other countries of the Eastern Bloc. In 1989, a wave of demonstrations in East German cities finally led to the opening of the Berlin Wall - which paved the way for the reunification of the two Germanys, the FRG and the GDR.

Why is unification celebrated on October 3?

The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, was the decisive event on the road to reunification, so it would be understandable that reunification would be celebrated on November 9. But this very date is historically more charged than any other day of the year in Germany: On November 9, 1938, the Nazis burned down synagogues throughout Germany, destroyed Jewish shops and homes, and killed and arrested Jews. This was the night of the pogrom that marked the beginning of the systematic persecution and mass murder of millions of Jews.

For this reason, it was not appropriate for the reunification holiday to coincide with a dark day in German history. On October 3, 1990, a year after the fall of the wall, the reunification of the GDR with the FRG was officially achieved, so this was designated as the new day of the reunification holiday.

October 3, facts about the day of German unification

How do Germans celebrate German Reunification Day?

Not at all. Anyone expecting to see fireworks and crowded streets everywhere will be disappointed: Although almost all cities organize various events, such as open days or small celebrations. Also, every year one of the federal states organizes the central ceremony on the occasion of October 3. Usually the big celebration takes place in the capital of the organizing state, and this is the state that holds the rotating presidency of the Federal Council (Bundesrat).

This year, the solemn celebration takes place in Saarland. In the capital Saarbrücken, cultural and tourist activities, culinary events and activities with the exchange of democratic experiences are organized from October 2 to 4. Most Germans are happy that this is a day off.

Why is there no memorial monument for reunification?

In fact, there should have been a memorial to the unification for a long time. But after discussions that lasted almost a decade, on November 9, 2007, the Bundestag decided to create a "Memorial to Freedom and Unity". The idea was to install a 50-meter-long hemisphere in front of the Humboldt Forum in the middle of Berlin - as an interactive metaphor for democracy: When people enter it, it tilts in one direction - exactly in the direction that people are going. But even today, in 2025, this has not yet been realized. This is due to a dispute between the commissioned firms and the responsible government institutions. Whether and when a solution will be reached is unclear. In the meantime, only the foundation of the hemisphere has been laid.

Is Germany really unified now?

Despite all the political efforts, according to a recent survey by the Demoskopie Institute, Forsa, Germany has not yet completely overcome the division: Meanwhile, only 35 percent of respondents say that East and West have "developed deeply together." The perception in the two parts of the country is very different: In the East, 23 percent believe that Germans have become one people since 1990, in the West, 37 percent think so. In 2019, the feeling of unification was at its highest level, with 51 percent of respondents saying so. When asked in the survey by Infratest dimap what is missing for unification to be achieved, 50 percent answered that equality of wages, pensions and wealth is missing./ DW