186. In 1953 there was an uprising in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) that, for a long time, was commemorated in the Federal Republic of Germany by a public holiday. When was it?
Official German wording
Im Jahr 1953 gab es in der DDR einen Aufstand, an den lange Zeit in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ein Feiertag erinnerte. Wann war das?
Answer options
Correct answer
17 June
Explanation
The East German uprising of 17 June 1953—a nationwide wave of strikes and protests suppressed by Soviet forces—was commemorated in the Federal Republic from 1953 onward as the “Day of German Unity.” Its legal basis was the 1953 Act on the Day of German Unity (Gesetz über den Tag der Deutschen Einheit, Federal Law Gazette I 1953, p. 778), which established 17 June as a federal public holiday and symbolized the Basic Law’s constitutional commitment to unity (Preamble and former Article 23). After reunification in 1990, this commemoration was replaced by 3 October under the Act on the National Holiday of German Unity (Federal Law Gazette I 1990, p. 2052).
Official sources
The German questions come from the original BAMF catalog for the Einbürgerungstest and Leben in Deutschland. Translations and explanations are study aids; verify legal details in the official sources.