October 3: Day of German Unity

German postage stamp of 1990, ceelebrating the reunification

October 3 is Tag der deutschen Einheit, Germany's national holiday, a rather young one. It has only been celebrated since 1990 when the DDR officially joined the Federal Repzublic of Germany.

After the peaceful revolution in autumn 1989 and the first and only democratic elections in the DDR in spring 1990, the DDR government under Lothar de Maizière declared that the DDR will join the Federal republic of Germany on October 3, 1990. Negotiations with the four allied powers and the Two-plus-Four Treaty, actually the peace treaty that finally ended the cold war, preceded.

October 3 is a public holiday. Important for travelers: shops remain closed and public transport runs on Sunday schedule. The flags are up. The day is marked with some political events and speeches. The average citizen just enjoys a day off (and secretly grieves the diasppearance of June 17 because in June the weather is likely to be better and warmer than in October).