What do you think of this fact?
You’d think the national government decides when Germans get a day off. Almost. In Germany, that is actually a job for the 16 states. But there is exactly one exception: October 3.
A holiday written into a treaty
The German Federal Ministry of the Interior puts it plainly: setting public holidays is, in principle, a matter for the states. And right after that: the only holiday set by federal law is German Unity Day.
Where does this special status come from? From the Unification Treaty between West Germany and East Germany. Article 2 contains two sentences back to back: Berlin is the capital of Germany. And: October 3, as the Day of German Unity, is a public holiday. New Year’s Day, Easter or May 1, on the other hand, are set in the holiday laws of the individual states.
Why October 3?
The date doesn’t mark a famous speech or a party. It is a legal deadline. On October 3, 1990, East Germany joined the area covered by West Germany’s constitution, the Basic Law. According to the Baden-Württemberg State Agency for Civic Education, the East German parliament, the Volkskammer, voted for this in the night of August 22 to 23, 1990.
October 3 replaced two older holidays at once. In the West, June 17 had been called “Day of German Unity” until 1990. In the East, October 7 was celebrated as “Republic Day”. Since 1990, both sides have shared one date.
The big official celebration moves around every year: the host is the capital of whichever state currently chairs the Bundesrat, Germany’s chamber of the states. In 2026, that is Bremen.
So the one holiday everyone in Germany shares is also the one the states don’t get a say in.