The Day of the founding of the German Empire (german: link=no, Reichsgründungstag) was an annual celebration on the anniversary of the

proclamation of the German Empire The proclamation of the German Empire, also known as the ''Deutsche Reichsgründung'', took place in January 1871 after the joint victory of the German states in the Franco-Prussian War. As a result of the November Treaties of 1870, the southe ...

on 18 January 1871 in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

. The

North German Confederation The North German Confederation (german: Norddeutscher Bund) was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated st ...

had already officially adopted the name "

German Reich German ''Reich'' (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from german: Deutsches Reich, ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty ...

" in its

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

by 1 January 1871, so

constitutionally A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

speaking, 18 January was not the day of the founding. Germania66

Celebrations

Celebrations were held annually on 18 January. At centralised and local events, patriotic speeches were held and songs such as ''

Heil dir im Siegerkranz "" (; German for "Hail to Thee in the Victor's Crown", literally: "Hail to Thee in the Victor's Wreath") was the official national anthem of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 and royal anthem of Prussia from 1795 to 1918. Before the foundatio ...

'', the unofficial

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

of the empire were sung. Celebrations also took place publicly during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

(1919–1933) and with the participation of high dignitaries.

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

only celebrated the

founding of the German Empire The proclamation of the German Empire, also known as the ''Deutsche Reichsgründung'', took place in January 1871 after the joint victory of the German states in the Franco-Prussian War. As a result of the November Treaties of 1870, the southe ...

in 1871.

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 ...

completely abolished this custom. On 18 January 1971,

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 ...

issued a motif of special stamps for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Empire on 30

Pfennig The 'pfennig' (; . 'pfennigs' or ; symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former German coin or note, which was the official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valuable coin during the Middle Ages, i ...

stamps (

Michel catalog The Michel catalog (''MICHEL-Briefmarken-Katalog'') is the largest and best-known stamp catalog in the German-speaking world. First published in 1910, it has become an important reference work for philately, with information not available in t ...

ue 658 and 385) designed by the ''

Deutsche Bundespost Berlin The Deutsche Bundespost Berlin (German Federal Mail of Berlin) was the name used on the stamps of West Berlin. It sounds similar to the name of the Western German postal services Deutsche Bundespost and was ''de facto'' a dependency of it. ''De ju ...

''. This corresponded to the rate for a standard letter at the time. On 24 November 1971, a commemorative coin was struck with a nominal value of five Deutsche Marks which paid tribute to the same event. Some adherents of the

political right Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...

continued this tradition. Also, some student connections celebrated ''Reichsgründungskneipen'' (Imperial Founding Pubs). File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-11061, Berlin, Reichsgründungsfeier, Festgottesdienst.jpg, Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg leaving the Berlin Cathedral after the celebrations in 1931. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-14231, Berlin, Reichsgründungsfeier der Universität.jpg, Rudolf Smend speaking in 1933 at the celebrations in the auditorium of Berlin's Humboldt University. File:DBP 1971 658 100 Jahre Reichsgründung.jpg, Deutsche Bundespost (1971) issued this stamp on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Empire - an imperial eagle with the imperial crown.

Celebrations

See also

Further reading