Day of German Unity

The Day of German Unity is a national holiday celebrated on 3 October in Germany. The celebration first started in 1990 after the Treaty of Unification was signed. In 2026, Day of German Unity falls on Saturday 3 October. The holiday will be on Sunday 3 October in 2027. After World War II, the entire country of Germany was divided into sections. France, Great Britain and the United States each received a section and the Soviet Union also received one section. The city of Berlin itself was also divided into four sections, one for each of the previously mentioned countries. Soon tension began to develop between the Soviet Union and the other three countries. France, the United States and Great Britain soon formed the Federal Republic of Germany while the Soviet Union formed the Democratic Republic of Germany. The Soviet Union occupied East Germany while the other three countries occupied the West. Economically, West Germany began to thrive while the Soviet occupied East Germany declined. East Germany became an oppressive, communist society and many people fled to West Germany. To try to prevent this flood of people leaving East Germany, the Democratic Republic of Germany built the Berlin Wall. This wall was erected quickly, in one night. Still people continued to travel to East Germany so the Wall continued to become thicker and longer and more security measures were put into place. Finally, in 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. People from all over the world had protested against the harsh separation between East and West Germany, so as the wall came down, the celebrating began. The following year the Treaty of Unification was signed and Germany became one again.