We are Germany

How to celebrate our National Day

• We don‘t like big torchlight processions

• We had too much in German History

–January 31st, 1933 Berlin

We don‘t like big bonfires.

May, 10th, 1933

Reichstag fireFebruary, 27th,1933

Book burning

Two German Countries - separated for more than 40 years, by the cold war, a wall and political interests of different political systems - have to learn to be one nation, one

country. Have to learn to speak one language.

We have to learn to be a new generation of proud and self-confident people in a beautiful and peaceful country.

The end of World War 2 opens a new gate for a democratic Germany

WHEN?, WHAT?, WHY?

You may think:" What's the problem, guys?”Follow us! Let’s jump into the time machine to get a brief overview of German National Day History.

May, 8th

May, 23rd

October, 7th

June, 17thNovember, 9th

August, 13th

October, 3rd? Let‘s run…Let‘s run…

Between 1945 and 1949 Germany and also Berlin were divided in 4 sectors. The economic, political, and cultural development in the British, American and French zones of occupation were totally different from the development in the

Soviet sector. The result were two German states with two different political and economic systems.

German Democratic Republic

Federal Republic of Germany

May, 23rd 1949

October, 7th 1949

Life went on, until August 13th, 1961 changed everything.

The Government of the GDR began to build a wall in Berlin, both German states should be disconnected for decades

and an iron curtain went through Europe.

Summer of 1989• The wall separated Germany, families, • a whole nation for 40 years. All that

changed, as in the summer of 1989 the small GDR got into the general public interest.

• Peaceful GDR citizens gathered in churches to discuss and reflect the future of their country.

• The protest got louder and louder. The so called “Monday demonstration” became a big movement.

• Thousands of GDR citizens tried to leave the GDR with the help of the German Embassies in Prague and in Hungaria. They tried to enforce their free departure to the Federal Republic of Germany.

• The GDR government got under big pressure and they had to allow these thousands to leave the GDR.

•More and more Monday civil rights activists met in Leipzig and protested in silence, with candles against the GDR Government policy

Impressions of an unforgettable Year 1989

Monday in Leipzig

Embassy of the FRG in Prague

Happy days

The Berlin Wall is History

My own wall-pecker pictures - handmade

”I was so enthusiastic that I came directly to Berlin and I saw how a legion of wall-peckerstried to tear down the wall.“

Brandenburg Gate, from the east November, 13th 1989

A new Nation is born October, 3rd 1990