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Historical Timeline for Germany - A chronology of key events

Interesting Facts about Germany[edit | edit source]

Country : GERMANY 🇩🇪
Capital: Berlin
Continent: Europe
Currency: Euro
Official Language: German

1. Germany is the fifth-largest economy in the world.

2. The ritual of the Christmas tree originated here.

3. Education in German Universities is tuition-free

4. The largest train station in Europe is in Berlin.

5. Germany is one of the largest car-producing countries in the world.

6. The city of Reutlingen, Germany is home to the world’s narrowest street.

7. Country hosts some of the largest music festivals in the world.

8. Octoberfest is the world's largest beer festival that takes place in September.

9. They use Fanta as a star ingredient in their dessert.

10. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is the most popular tourist attraction in Germany.

11. Country is known for its historic Roman, and medieval buildings & churches.

12. Neuschwanstein Castle, Hellabrunn Zoo, and The Rhine Falls are some of the well-known places to visit.

13. Berlin has a museum dedicated to currywurst( sausages).

14. Cologne Cathedral in Germany is the world’s largest cathedral.

15. There are a whopping 2100 castles.

The best time to visit Germany is from July to September

Source[edit source]

Content Research - Ms Harshali Dhatavkar

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Germany Timeline[edit | edit source]

Date	Event
Between 100 and 50 BC	The Germanic peoples, settled in Scandinavia and in the north of present-day Germany, gradually settled in the space of what was to be German territory.
58 BC	Conquest of western Germania by the troops of Julius Caesar.
3rd-4th centuries	Incursions of the Germanic peoples into Gaul, accompanied by devastating raids.
728	The Franks, Germanic people, established their power in the north-west of Europe. Charles Martel subdues Bavaria during his campaign against the Saxons, then reconquers Friesland (733).
740	Foundation of several bishoprics in Bavaria.
774	Evangelization of the Alamans and foundation on Lake Constance of the first monastery in Germanic territory (Reichenau).
771-814	Charlemagne, King of the Franks then Emperor of the West (see Aix-la-Chapelle). Founding act of the Empire.
835	Viking raids on Hamburg.
843	Treaty of Verdun and partition of the Western Empire between Charles II the Bald (west of the Rhône and the Meuse), Louis the Germanic (east of the Rhine) and Lothaire I (Italy, Provence and east of the Rhône).
911	Death of Louis IV, the last Carolingian king of Germany. Looting of Swabia and Franconia by the Hungarians.
912	Conrad, Duke of Franconia, King of Germania.
962	Coronation of Otto I, the Great Germanic Roman Emperor, by Pope John XII who grants him the right to intervene in the affairs of the Holy See.
1070-1075	Saxons revolt crushed by the Germanic Emperor Henry IV.
1076	Beginning of the Investitures quarrel: election of antipopes opposing Henri IV.
1084	Henri IV is crowned emperor by Antipope Clement III whom he had appointed in 1080.
1122	Concordat de Worms between Pope Calixte II and Henri V putting an end to the quarrel over the Investitures.
1134	Evangelization and colonization of the Slavic territories east of the Elbe, base of the future Prussia.
1152	Frederick I Barbarossa succeeds Conrad III as emperor.
1254-1273	Grand Interregnum, period of anarchy and dispute over the crown between several emperors until the election of Rudolph I of Habsburg.
1281	Foundation of the Hanseatic business organization around the city of Lübeck.
1356	Charles IV of Luxembourg promulgates the Golden Bull which will rule the imperial elections until 1806.
1415-1436	Hussite civil war triggered by the condemnation to the stake of Jan Hus, a Czech priest and reformer who raised up artisans and peasants.
1437	Gutenberg invents movable type.
15th century	The Habsburgs establish their dynasty, they will dominate the Germanic world for more than four centuries.
1517	Luther, in his Ninety-Five Theses, denounces the sale of indulgences and initiates the reform.
1555	The Peace of Augsburg grants freedom of conscience to the Lutherans.
1648	Treaties of Westphalia ending the Thirty Years' War between Sweden, Denmark (Protestants), France (Catholic) and Germany, Protestant princes and Catholic princes.
18th century	The Hohenzollerns, both prince-electors in Brandenburg and kings in Prussia, develop into a dominant power in the Germanic world, challenging the imperial Habsburgs for supremacy.
1806	Crushing of Prussia in Jena by Napoleon, then defeat of the Empire. End of the 1st Reich.
1813	End of the French occupation of Germany.
1815	Treaty of Vienna which confirms the French defeat and the constitution of a Europe dominated by Austria.
1833	Creation of the Zollverein (customs union), the first German "unification", around Prussia and leaving Austria aside.
1866	Battle of Sadowa, military victory of Prussia over Austria, mark of the total domination of the Hohenzollerns over the German world.
July 19, 1870	France declares war against Prussia.
January 18, 1871	William I, King of Prussia, is proclaimed Emperor of Germany. Foundation of the Second Reich.
May 10, 1871	The Treaty of Frankfurt confirms the cession of Alsace and Lorraine to the German Empire.
August 3, 1914	Beginning of the First World War.
November 9, 1918	Revolt of the sailors from Kiel leading to the abdication of William II.
November 11, 1918	Armistice and end of the First World War.
January 1919	Crushing of the Spartacist revolt (extremist socialists).
June 22, 1919	Ratification of the Treaty of Versailles which confirms the defeat of Germany.
August 11, 1919	Vote on the Weimar Constitution.
1929	Briand-Kellog Pact outlawing war.
	Hitler appointed chancellor, fire in the Reichstag on February 27.
September 1, 1939	Invasion of Poland by Germany, start of World War II.
September 3, 1939	Franco-British declaration of war against Germany.
May 7, 1945	German surrender (Hitler's suicide on April 30).
August 1945	The Potsdam conference divides Germany intofour zones.
From November 1945 to October 1946	Nuremberg trial.
June 1948	Beginning of the Soviet blockade of Berlin and American airlift.
May 23, 1949	Creation of the FRG, Federal Republic of Germany.
October 7, 1949	Creation of the GDR, German democratic republic.
1950	GDR joins Comecon. First official Franco-German twinning between Montbéliard and Ludwigsburg. Since then, there have been over 1,800.
June 17, 1953	Workers' uprising in the GDR. Adhesion of the FRG to the Common Market.
May 1955	FRG joins NATO.
August 13, 1961	Construction of the Berlin Wall.
1963	Signature of the "treaty between the French Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany on Franco-German collaboration" (Elysée Treaty, which confirms the reconciliation between France and the FRG).
October 21, 1969	The Social Democrats came to power. Willy Brandt is elected Chancellor.
September 3, 1971	Quadripartite agreement guaranteeing the passage of FRG nationals to the GDR.
1973	Admission of the two Germanies to the UN.
1982	Return to the chancellery of the Christian Democrats after the victory of Helmut Kohl.
1984	Ceremonies in Verdun in honor of French and German soldiers killed during the two world wars. Chancellor Kohl and President Mitterrand attend, hand in hand.
November 1989	Fall of the Berlin Wall.
August 31, 1990	Signature of the unification treaty. On October 3, signing of the "2 + 4" agreement, which restores the sovereignty of reunified Germany.
1991	Helmut Kohl is re-elected Chancellor. Transfer of the main ministries and administrations from Bonn to Berlin.
April 1993	Verdict of the Karlsruhe Constitutional Court: German soldiers can join UN forces protecting Bosnia.
1996	Demonstrations in all major German cities against the 50 billion mark austerity plan following reunification.
1997	Intervention of German troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is the first involvement of the German army outside its territory since World War II.
1998	Gerhard Schröder is elected Chancellor.
May 23, 1999	Johannes Rau (SPD) is elected President of the Federal Republic.
June 25, 1999	The Bundestag votes to build a Holocaust memorial in Berlin.
2001	Implementation of the revolutionary tax reform of Gerhard Schröder, including a tax reduction plan until 2005 and to come into force in 2002. Pension reform in the pipeline.
November 17, 2001 Sending of German troops to Afghanistan after obtaining 336 votes out of the Bundestag.
2002 (January 1)	Like 11 other European Union countries, Germany puts into circulation a new currency, the euro, which replaces the Deutsche Mark.
September 2002	Legislative elections. Gerhard Schröder remains Chancellor of Germany. It initiates major reforms of the health system and pensions.
January 22, 2003	Date of the 40th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty. This friendship treaty, concluded in 1963 by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer, sealed reconciliation between the two countries. January 22 becomes the "Franco-German Day".
Spring 2003	The German chancellor is the first statesman to oppose the United States on the intervention in Iraq. The vast majority of Germans support him.
June 6, 2004	Gerhard Schröder is the first German Chancellor to participate in the "D-Day" commemoration days, D-Day, anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy.
October 10, 2005	After long and laborious negotiations, the SPD, the CDU / CSU reach an agreement which will make Angela Merkel the country's first chancellor.
June 9, 2006	Launch of the FIFA World Cup in Germany. The Germans finished in third place.
2008	The financial crisis affects Germany like all Western economies.
September 27, 2009	New victory for the CDU, allied with the Liberals of the FDP, in the Bundestag. Angela Merkel begins her second term as Chancellor.
July 2010	Fall of the automotive markets in Europe, which puts Germany in difficulty. The subsequent recovery puts Germany in a dominant position in Europe.
2011	The recovery is confirmed, and Germany creates 70,000 industrial jobs during the year. Its economic success in times of crisis gives it an unprecedented ascendancy within the EU.
February 2012	After Christian Wulf's resignation, Joachim Gauck (non-party) is elected 11th President of Federal Germany. Germany, seat of the European bank (in Frankfurt) is at the head of European negotiations to save the Euro zone threatened after the Greek crisis. It signs the European fiscal pact and is the first donor to the European Financial Stability Fund.
September 22, 2013	At the end of the legislative elections which again give victory to the CDU-CSU, but sanctions the liberals of the FDP, Angela MerkeShe was elected for her third term as Chancellor, at the head of a CDU-CSU-SPD (socialist) coalition.
July 13, 2014	The Mannschaft wins its fourth FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
March 2015	The crash of the A320 Barcelona-Düsseldorf of Germanwings over the French Alps, killing 150 people, is a disaster for all of Germany, calling into question in particular the prestigious status of Lufthansa, one of the last major national institutions enjoying international prestige, as well as pilot training.
2015	In the midst of the migratory crisis, Angela Merkel decides that Germany will welcome 800,000 migrants. But the expected wave is much larger, more than a million refugees arrive in Germany so that the government is forced to re-establish its border with Austria in September order to better control the flow of arrivals.
December 19, 2016	In the middle of the Christmas market at Breidscheidplatz, a ram truck rushes into the crowd, leaving 12 dead and more than 50 injured. The attack is claimed by the Islamic State. The terrorist manages to escape but is killed in Milan, Italy, after a four-day run.
February 2017	While Joachim Gauk, President of the Federal Republic, gives up running for a second term, Frank-Walter Steinmeier is directly announced as favorite. On February 12, 2017, he was widely elected with 831 votes. On March 17, 2017, he was invested 12th President of the Federal Republic.
October 2018	Following heavy defeats in the elections in Bavaria and in the Land of Hesse by the conservatives and the social democrats, Angela Merkel announces that she is stepping down as president of her party, the CDU, and that she is would not run for a fifth term in 2021.