Celebrating the "Day of German Unity" (October 3, 1990) The accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic took effect at midnight on October 3, 1990. The photograph below shows hundreds of thousands of people celebrating in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, where, at midnight, the national anthem was played and the federal flag was raised in the presence of representatives of both the Federal Government and the last government of the German Democratic Republic. The previous day, the three military governors of the Western Allies in Berlin had already declared their work done; the occupation statute was thus lifted and the city of Berlin was also reunited. Photo: Engelbert Reineke.