Events in the year 1989 in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

Incumbents

West Germany

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Richard von Weizsäcker Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker (; 15 April 1920 – 31 January 2015) was a German politician ( CDU), who served as President of Germany from 1984 to 1994. Born into the aristocratic Weizsäcker family, who were part of the German nobilit ...

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

– Helmut Kohl

East Germany

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

– Erich Honecker (until 18 October),

Egon Krenz Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (; born 19 March 1937) is a German former politician who was the last Communist leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during the Revolutions of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the General Secretary ...

(starting 18 October; until 6 December),

Manfred Gerlach Manfred Gerlach (8 May 1928 – 17 October 2011) was a German jurist and politician, and the longtime leader of the East German Liberal Democratic Party. He served as ''Chairman of the Council of State'' and was thus head of state of East ...

(starting 6 December) *

Head of Government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

– Willi Stoph (until 13 November),

Hans Modrow Hans Modrow (; born 27 January 1928) is a German politician best known as the last communist premier of East Germany. Taking office in the middle of the Peaceful Revolution, he was the ''de facto'' leader of the country for much of the winter ...

(starting 13 November)

Events

* Monday demonstrations in East Germany * Die Wende and

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...

* 10 - 21 February -

39th Berlin International Film Festival The 39th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1989. The Golden Bear was awarded to American film ''Rain Man'' directed by Barry Levinson. The retrospective was dedicated to German film producer Erich Pommer ...

* 23 March -

Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 West Germany (performing under the banner Germany) was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1989, held in Lausanne, Switzerland. This year marked the last Contest in which participation and televoting were only open to residents of West Germa ...

* 20 - 30 July - The

World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...

take place in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

. * 19 August - Pan-European Picnic * 7 October -

East German Republic Day Parade of 1989 The East German Republic Day Parade of 1989 (''Ehrenparade der Nationalen Volksarmee zum 40. Jahrestag der DDR 1989'') was a parade on Karl-Marx-Allee (between Strausberger Platz and Alexanderplatz) in East Berlin on 7 October 1989 commemorati ...

* 9 November - Fall of the Berlin Wall * 4 December - First citizens' occupation of a Stasi building

Births

* January 9 - Stefan Reinartz, footballer * January 20 -

Kim Bui Kim Bui (born 20 January 1989) is a retired German artistic gymnast. She represented Germany at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympic Games. She is the 2009 and 2014 German National Champion and the 2011 European bronze medalist on the uneven bar ...

, German artistic gymnast * March 9 -

Patrick Hausding Patrick Hausding (born 9 March 1989) is a German diver. At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, with his teammate Lars Rüdiger, Hausding won a bronze medal in the men's synchronized 3 metre springboard competition. However, he did not repeat hi ...

, German swimmer * April 27 ** Lars Bender, German footballer ** Sven Bender, German footballer * September 1 ** Bill Kaulitz, German singer, band

Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...

Tom Kaulitz Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...

, German musician, band

* August 4 -

Daniel Jasinski Daniel Jasinski (born 5 August 1989 in Bochum) is a male discus thrower from Germany. He won the Olympic bronze medal in 2016. It was an unexpected first medal in a major championship. Career He competed at the 2015 World Championships in Bei ...

, German discus thrower * August 21 - Cindy Roleder, German athlete * September 13 - Thomas Müller, German football player * September 28 - Raphael Holzdeppe, German pole vaulter * December 10 - Maria Kurjo, German swimmer

Deaths

*February 13 -

Hans Hellmut Kirst Hans Hellmut Kirst (5 December 1914 – 13 February 1989) was a German novelist and the author of 46 books, many of which were translated into English. Kirst is best remembered as the creator of the "Gunner Asch" series which detailed the ongoin ...

, German novelist (born

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

) *February 26 -

Alexander Golling Alexander Golling (August 2, 1905 – February 26, 1989) was a German actor. Golling was a member of the Nazi Party.Hervé Dumont, ''Robert Siodmak: le maître du film noir'', L'Age D'Homme, 1981, p. 294 Selected filmography * ''Der stählerne ...

, German actor (born

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

) *April 18 - Hilde Benjamin, German judge and politician (born

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

) *May 18 - Hermann Höcherl, German politician (born

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

) *May 23 - Karl Koch, German hacker (born

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

) *June 9 -

Wolfdietrich Schnurre Wolfdietrich Schnurre (22 August 19209 June 1989) was a German writer. Best known for his short stories, he also wrote tales, diaries, poems, radio plays, and children's books. Born in Frankfurt am Main, and later raised in Berlin-Weißensee, ...

, German writer (born

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

) *July 20 -

Erwin Sietas Erwin Sietas (24 July 1910 – 20 July 1989) was a German swimmer who specialized in the 200 m breaststroke. He competed at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and finished in fourth, fourth and second place, respectively. Sietas was known for his f ...

, German swimmer (born

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

) *September 14 -

Hans Georg Rupp Hans Georg Rupp (30 August 1907 in Stuttgart – 14 September 1989 in Münsingen) was a West German judge. He was a justice of the Federal Constitutional Court The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ...

, German judge (born

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

) *October 24 -

Alex Seidel Alex Seidel (4 July 1909 – 24 October 1989) was a German weapons manufacturer and the co-founder of Heckler & Koch along with Theodor Koch and Edmund Heckler Edmund Heckler (2 February 1906 – 2 July 1960) was a German engineer & weapo ...

, German weapons manufacturer (born

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

) *November 1 - Hoimar von Ditfurth, German physician and scientific journalist (born

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

) *November 30 -

Alfred Herrhausen Alfred Herrhausen (30 January 1930 in Essen – 30 November 1989 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe) was a German banker and the Chairman of Deutsche Bank, who was assassinated in 1989. He was a member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group a ...

, German banker (born

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

) *December 8 - Max Grundig, German entrepreneur (born

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

) *December 31 -

Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ...

, politician (born

)

References

Years of the 20th century in Germany 1980s in Germany

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

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