On October 3, 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany once again became a single unified republic. Therefore, German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) is annually celebrated to mark the anniversary of the nation's unification. Most similar to the 4th of July in the US, October 3rd is a national holiday and celebrations are held all across Germany.
Each year, the capital city of one of the 16 German States is host to the national celebrations, and this year it was in Hannover. Since the separation of the East and the West was extremely politically charged, coming together under the “Treaty of Unification” was a political milestone, therefore the celebrations are quite politically centered.
Each year, the capital city of one of the 16 German States is host to the national celebrations, and this year it was in Hannover. Since the separation of the East and the West was extremely politically charged, coming together under the “Treaty of Unification” was a political milestone, therefore the celebrations are quite politically centered.
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Since Hannover was the host, a large area of the festival was focused only on the state of Lower Saxony (mainly known as Niedersachsen), and was known as the Niedersachsenmeile (Niedersachsen Mile). Over 70 booths / tents contained information about the people and life in Niedersachsen, with topics such as politics, children activities / schools, travelers information, environmental innovations, and everything in between. Niedersachsen is the second largest state in Germany (in area, next to Bavaria), so there is definitely a lot of information to cover.
The main stretch of the Maschsee (and the highlight of the festival) was the Ländermeile (Land Mile), which held a large tent for each of the 16 German states. Inside the tents were information about each state, trip planning information for visitors, and local entertainment in some. Outside each tent was a food area where people could get a taste of the local food and/or drink that was famous to that area. We tried a delicious rabbit stew, as well as an (interesting sounding but actually quite tasty) onion cake.
The main stretch of the Maschsee (and the highlight of the festival) was the Ländermeile (Land Mile), which held a large tent for each of the 16 German states. Inside the tents were information about each state, trip planning information for visitors, and local entertainment in some. Outside each tent was a food area where people could get a taste of the local food and/or drink that was famous to that area. We tried a delicious rabbit stew, as well as an (interesting sounding but actually quite tasty) onion cake.
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It was definitely a fun and interesting experience to be able to take part in this celebration, and we learned a lot about Germany as a whole. Usually when learning about Germany, everything is so focused on the world wars and the cold war; there isn’t much focus on anything else. Instead, this celebration focused on life as it is today, so it was a refreshing break to see the positive aspects of each area, and what living there would be like. We also got some great information and ideas for upcoming trips! :-)
