{"id":6614,"date":"2015-10-08T14:21:56","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T14:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=6614"},"modified":"2017-11-22T14:27:57","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T14:27:57","slug":"deutsche-wiedervereinigung-25-jahre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/deutsche-wiedervereinigung-25-jahre\/","title":{"rendered":"Deutsche Wiedervereinigung – 25 Jahre"},"content":{"rendered":"

On October 3, also known as the\u00a0Tag der Deutschen Einheit\u00a0<\/em>(Day of German unity), the Germans celebrate the\u00a0unity of the former\u00a0Deutsche Demokratische Republik<\/em>\u00a0(DDR)\u00a0<\/em>(German Democratic Republic – East Germany) and the\u00a0Bundesrepublik Deutschland <\/em>(BRD)\u00a0(Federal German Republic – West Germany). This unity as one state was a fact on October 3, 1990, just 328 days after the Berliner<\/em>\u00a0Mauerfall\u00a0<\/em>(fall of the Berlin wall), which was on November 9, 1989.<\/p>\n

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The base of the Flag Pole a the German Reichtsag building (Image by George Nell at Flickr.com under CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Just like the\u00a0Mauerfall<\/em>, the\u00a0Wiedervereinigung<\/em>\u00a0(Reunionification)\u00a0<\/em>was a very emotional, important moment in German history. Armin Himmelrath, a German journalist, wrote about his experience<\/a>\u00a0on October 2 in Berlin. The\u00a0Wiedervereinigung\u00a0<\/em>would be official on Midnight from October 2 on October 3, and thus the people of Berlin already celebrated on the day before –\u00a0reinfeiern!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Mauerfall\u00a0<\/em>was so significant, because Germans that had been separated for decades could finally see each other again and the long awaited German unity came much closer. However, the\u00a0DDR\u00a0<\/em>still existed, and there was still no real unity. There was a different currency, the\u00a0Ostmark<\/em>, a different political and economic system, a different focus and mentality, a LOT was different. These differences came to an end, when more and more people moved to West Germany and, finally and officially, on October 3, 1990, with the\u00a0Wiedervereinigung<\/em>. It was a sign of freedom – the East Germans wanted freedom, and a united country, just like the West Germans. At that moment in time, that was all that counted. And last week, 25 years of this deutsche Einheit\u00a0<\/i>were celebrated, the victory of the people (Wir sind das Volk!\u00a0<\/em>– We are the people!) over the hostile regimes, and even the Cold War at large.<\/p>\n

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Wir sind das Volk! (Image by Wilhelm Rosenkranz at Flickr.com under CC BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Celebrations<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Frankfurt and Berlin, the\u00a0Wiedervereinigung\u00a0<\/em>was celebrated. In Frankfurt, because it is in Hessen, the Bundesland\u00a0<\/i>(federal state) that chairs the\u00a0Bundesrat\u00a0<\/em>(Federal Council) at the moment. And in Berlin for obvious reasons! In Berlin, the\u00a0Bundespr\u00e4sident\u00a0<\/em>(Federal President) Joachim Gauck made an appearance and gave\u00a0a speech <\/a>(also available in English<\/a>!), and focused on the refugee crisis that keeps Germany busy at the moment.<\/p>\n