German Unity Day — Tag der Deutschen Einheit — is Germany's national day, marked every 3 October. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday. It celebrates the moment East and West Germany became one country again. Here's the history, and why the date isn't the more famous fall of the Berlin Wall.
See the German Unity Day holiday page or Germany's holiday calendar.
Why is German Unity Day on October 3?
It marks 3 October 1990 — the day the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) formally acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), ending 41 years of division and reuniting the country into a single state.
It became Germany's official national holiday that same year, replacing previous national days used by East and West separately.
Why not November 9 (the fall of the Wall)?
The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989 — a more emotionally famous moment. So why isn't that the national day?
Because 9 November is a deeply ambivalent date in German history. It's also the anniversary of Kristallnacht (1938), the Nazi pogrom against Jewish communities. German leaders chose the calmer, formal date of reunification — 3 October 1990 — to avoid commemorating national unity on a day also marked by one of the darkest events in the country's past.
How German Unity Day is celebrated
- A central Bürgerfest (citizens' festival), hosted each year by a different German state capital.
- Concerts, speeches, and open-door events at government buildings.
- It's a nationwide public holiday — the only one observed uniformly across all 16 German states.
Quick answers
Why is German Unity Day on October 3? It marks German reunification on 3 October 1990, when East Germany joined West Germany to form one country.
When is German Unity Day 2026? Saturday, 3 October 2026 — it is always 3 October.
Why isn't German Unity Day on November 9? Although the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989, that date is also the anniversary of Kristallnacht (1938), so the formal reunification date of 3 October was chosen instead.
What is German Unity Day called in German? Tag der Deutschen Einheit ("Day of German Unity").