German reunification
News, analysis and features to help readers understand the reunification of Germany.
Is the energy crisis causing new divide between eastern and western Germany?
Thirty-two years after German reunification, dissatisfaction with German democracy is on the rise in the former East, while leaders of eastern German states warn that the energy crisis is jeopardizing the successes achieved in rebuilding since then.
IN NUMBERS: How life in Germany has changed since reunification
As Germany marked 31 years of reunification on October 3rd, we looked at what has changed in the past three decades, from life expectancy to religion.
How big is the divide between eastern and western German states?
Lots of progress has been made since German reunification - but there are still differences and division between east and west, according to a new report.
Berlin Wall fall: The unbelievable moment that changed the world forever
The Berlin Wall fell 31 years ago on November 9th 1989. We looked back at the moment the unbelievable happened – and how it changed the world.
How October 3rd became German Unity Day
On October 3rd, Germany celebrates 30 years of reunification. But by that date in 1990, the cogs of reform had already been turning for quite some time. The Local looks at just what happened during this momentous year - from the night the Wall fell to the day two countries truly became one.
30 years on: German government hails success of reunification
Almost 30 years on from German reunification, the former East Germany has largely caught up with the west economically but still has a lower level of trust in democracy, according to an annual report presented Wednesday.
'Freedom is the most precious possession': How Berlin Wall's fall sparked joy and upended lives
Three citizens of former East Germany recount how they experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall, from the joy of November 9th 1989 when the barriers opened, to the three decades of economic hardship and rebuilding that followed.
'There was a human tide moving': Berliner remembers crossing the Wall
November 9th is 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Here's how one of the first Berliners to cross the East German border remembers the historic time.
Zeitzeugen: Meet the Scottish artist who left her mark on the Berlin Wall
Artist Margaret Hunter's life changed forever when she moved to Berlin in 1985. Now her experiences of German reunification are being shown as part of events to mark 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
'Spirit of optimism is gone': Sombre mood as Germany marks 30 years of Berlin Wall fall
Germany marks three decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall this week, but a hint of a return of the Cold War and the rise of nationalism is dampening the mood.
Talkin' 'bout my generation: What unity means to eastern Germans
To mark German Reunification Day on Thursday The Local spoke to two eastern Germans from different generations to find out what unity means to them and what they think the country can learn from its past.
Is Germany really united 30 years after the fall of the Wall?
A new study has highlighted major concerns of eastern Germans, 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Interior Ministry begs for more cash after 'forgetting' landmark reunification celebration
Next year marks 30 years since East and West Germany came together. But the Interior Ministry appeared to overlook the special anniversary – and was forced to ask for €61 million to pay for reunification celebrations.
Berlin hails Bush as 'architect' of German unity
German leaders paid tribute to former US president George H.W. Bush on Saturday for his role in their country's reunification, calling him a "true friend".
5 GDR monuments which still have a part to play in today's Berlin
With German unification celebrations just around the corner, we have been discovering the German Democratic Republic (GDR) monuments which have become a part of the cityscape of the new Berlin and reunified Germany.
Merkel’s Union reaches agreement with SPD on refugee family reunions
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives agreed with the Social Democrats on Tuesday to allow refugee family reunions to bring up to 1,000 people a month to the country, removing a key hurdle in their talks to form a government.
Germany considers student exchanges to heal East-West divide
A suggestion that schools send students on exchange between Germany's former East and West to heal persistent divides sparked debate on Monday, almost 30 years after the country's reunification.
How united is Germany 28 years after the Berlin Wall's fall?
On November 9th, 1989, the wall that divided east and west Berlin came down. At the time, there was exuberant joy over the border being opened. But are old divisions still being felt? And how different is the east from the west today?
November 9th: the day German history keeps being made
It is widely known that the Berlin Wall came down on November 9th, 1989. But the "Day of Fate" is a date on which several momentous events in German history have happened.
Half of Germans think the country has grown to become one nation: study
Germany celebrates 27 years of reunification on Tuesday. But after almost three decades, only one in every two citizens thinks unity exists between the east and the west, a new survey shows.
German Unity 'seesaw' monument to be resurrected in Berlin
A planned monument commemorating German reunification had to be scrapped last year due to funding concerns - and after the discovery of a rare bat colony. But now it looks like the 'seesaw' project is being picked back up.
German Unity Day in pics: protests, parties and Pegida
Nearly half a million people gathered in Dresden on Monday, most to celebrate the reunification of Germany in 1990 - and others to protest Chancellor Angela Merkel.
German Unity 'seesaw' monument cut due to costs
Germany said on Wednesday it was abandoning plans for a monument to the country's 1990 reunification because of budget overruns caused partly by the discovery of a colony of bats at the Berlin memorial site.