German Unification Day or German Day of Unity

German Unification Day or German Day of Unity is a national holiday in Germany and is celebrated on October 3rd.   It commemorates the German Unification in 1990 when the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was unified with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) were united.   This is the first time since 1945 when Germany was split into two.  October 3rd was the day of the formal reunification.

Some think that this is the day the Wall was removed (and it certainly was a day to celebrate unity), but that occurred on November 9, 1989.  This date was not used because it is also the date the Nazi’s sanctioned pogroms against the Jews with one of the most famous being Kristallnacht in 1938.

The event is celebrated every year in Germany in almost every major city.  Every year there is one large celebration hosted in one of the 16 state capitals. This began in 1990 with Berlin and will be held this year in Hamburg, the state capital of the Hamburg state.   This is also usually the closing day of the Oktoberfest in Munich. 

There is a great YouTube video that not only has a great prelude showing this beautiful county, but at the 4 minute mark explains the tearing apart of the country as well as the reunification.  It goes on to tout the many positive attributes of Germany.  See more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=032Tu1pNT_k.   For information on this year’s festivities see https://www.tag-der-deutschen-einheit.de/.

November 9th is a very important day to those living in Germany and those of German descent.  This historical evening reunited families separated when a wall was built to separate East and West Berlin.   In fact, this evening reunited Germany. 

The building of the ‘Wall” began in August of 1962.  This is when the Communist government of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) used barbed wire and concrete to separate the East and the West in Berlin.  The Wall was 11.81 feet high.  At the time, the purpose was stated as a way to keep the Westerners from entering the East, when in fact it was built to keep the East in…to curb those defecting to the West.  Prior to the Wall, the citizens of both East and West could move about freely.  It wasn’t until citizens began to leave by the thousands (From June 1961 to August 12 1961-67,400), the order to build the wall from Premier Khrushchev was given.  It only took two weeks for the first block wall to be built. At this time three checkpoints were the clearance areas and the only way you could cross….’Checkpoint Charlie’ being the one in the center of Berlin. 

The Wall curbed but did not stop persons from leaving.  Take some time to read the stories of those that lost their life attempting to escape and the ingenious way that many succeeded.  You may also want to read about President John F. Kennedy’s Berlin speech, the famous ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’.

The ‘Wall’ stood until November 9, 1989.  It was actually a slip of the tongue that led to the reunification.  That day the new government spokesperson, Günter Schabowski, for the Communist party was to announce relaxed travel guidelines for passage, but when asked when the relaxed travel would take effect, he declared, “Absofort” or right away.  It was then thousands of citizens gathered to assist in the removal of the wall and from that moment could move freely between the East and the West.  That was the end of the ‘Wall’ and one of the many symbols of the ‘Cold War’. 

Many of the ‘Greatest Stories Ever Told’ came from this time.  The United States and the Humanitarian efforts to supply West Berlin in the Berlin Airlift, lasted for over a year.  Due to their tenacity and perseverance, the communist lifted their blockade, which attempted to starve the Westerners out of the city.  (1949)

Want to read more?   See https://www.germany.info/us-en/welcome/berlinwall.