Germany Tourism Shines with Unity Day Celebrations

German Unity Day is annually held on October 3 to mark the anniversary of the nation’s unification. The celebrations’ atmosphere is festive, welcoming and safe. Each year a different city hosts the national celebrations. Many mosques in Germany are open to the general public on October 3. This is an initiative to stimulate contact between Muslims and non-Muslims and to emphasize the role that Muslims played in forming modern Germany. German Unity Day is the only national holiday in Germany, as all other holidays are administered by the individual states. The Day of German Unity is celebrated each year with a ceremonial act and a citizens’ festival (Bürgerfest).

The territory of Germany can be subdivided into two ecoregions: European-Mediterranean montane mixed forests and Northeast-Atlantic shelf marine. As of 2008 the majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (34%) or forest and woodland (30.1%); only 13.4% of the area consists of permanent pastures, 11.8% is covered by settlements and streets. Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at 2,962 metres or 9,718 feet) in the south to the shores of the North Sea (Nordsee) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) in the northeast.

Germany attracts millions of visitors throughout the year and is a popular tourist destination.