Facts about German Unity Day

In return for Moscow accepting German reunification, West German Chancellor Kohl is said to have agreed to pay the costs of withdrawing Soviet troops and resettling them at home. He is also alleged to have promised up to $50 billion to "help stabilise Soviet finances". German Unity Day Facts

Recent data indicates that 3.3 million 'East Germans' have migrated west since reunification, and 2.1 million 'West Germans' have moved east. German Unity Day Facts

One of the stipulations of the Unification Treaty was that Berlin would regain its status as the capital of Germany. In June 1991, government departments began the 375 mile move from the previous Federal capital, Bonn, to Berlin. The process was complete by 1999, although around 8,000 of the 18,000 federal bureaucrats still work in the old West German capital. German Unity Day Facts

East Germany had established its own currency, commonly known as the Ostmark, in 1948, but the western Deutsche Mark was adopted in the east from July 1, 1990. German Unity Day Facts

While the Berlin wall was up, about 5,000 people escaped into West Germany, sneaking through checkpoints, walking through an underground tunnel and even landing in a hot air balloon. German Unity Day Facts

At least 171 people died trying to cross over the Berlin Wall from East Germany to West Germany German Unity Day Facts

People who chipped away at the wall after the reunification were called "mauerspecht" or wallpeckers. German Unity Day Facts