Overview

• The central state ceremony in Saarbrücken featured Bundesratspräsidentin Anke Rehlinger, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
• Observers highlighted that no East German speakers appeared on the main stage, and Angela Merkel suggested an East German or Eastern European guest would have been more fitting.
• Merz called for a "new start" for the country, urging confidence and a shared effort 35 years after reunification.
• Nationwide events included church services, concerts and the "Deutschland singt" initiative at more than 250 locations, with cities such as Frankfurt and Dresden hosting local festivals.
• In Erfurt, police reported about 950 participants at a counter-demonstration against an AfD rally and about 320 attendees at the AfD event, noting the Thuringian AfD is officially monitored as right-wing extremist.