48% of Germans say former Chancellor Angela Merkel is more suited to deal with Germany's challenges than current Chancellor Friedrich Merz Meanwhile, Merz is visiting Kyiv as Ukraine faces a fifth winter of Russia's invasion Today marks the last Germany's famous Oktoberfest event in Munich On Saturday, Germany's leaders gathered in the northern city of Bremen for official festivities marking Unity Day German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that Germany's democracy is being challenged again, pointing to the threat from right-wing extremism The national holiday commemorates October 3, 1990, when the former East Germany joined the Federal Republic of Germany Nearly half of Germans think Merkel better suited than Merz to tackle Germany's challenges A new survey from YouGov which was commissioned by German news agency DPA found that 48% of Germans believe former Chancellor Angela Merkel is better suited to tackle Germany's challenges than current Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The poll also found that 29% of Germans believe the two leaders would be equally capable of confronting Germany's problems. Only 8% viewed Merkel less favorably than Merz; 15% didn't answer the survey or said they didn't know how to respond.

Both Merkel and Merz are members of the center-right Christian Democratic Union but have long been political rivals.

Merkel served as chancellor for a period of 16 years from 2005 to 2021. Merz, meanwhile, faces record low approval ratings since becoming chancellor in May last year. Germany's problems include a stagnant economy, rising energy prices, an aging population with fewer working to support social programs, illegal immigration and foreign policy challenges such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other issues. Welcome back! Welcome back to our coverage this Sunday on what's happening in Germany.

Nearly half of Germans feel that former who governed for 16 years, is better suited than incumbent Chancellor Friedrich Merz to tackle the country's current problems, according to a new survey. Both Merz and Merkel belong to the conservative Christian Democratic Union party.

The poll results come as Merz faces record low approval ratings as chancellor since he took the reigns in May last year.

German Chancellor Merz reels as far-right AfD makes gains To view this video, and Also on Sunday, the chancellor paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv to show solidarity with Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

And it's closing time! One last call for alcohol ― today's the last day of Oktoberfest in Munich. All this and more from the heart of Europe.

Stay tuned throughout the day. That's it for today German Unity Day's official celebrations have ended, and we're pausing our coverage. We'll be back Sunday morning with more of what's making news in Germany.

Thousands attend anti-war demonstrations in Berlin, Stuttgart Thousands of people protested against war, military buildup and possible conscription in Berlin and Stuttgart on Saturday. Among other things, the protesters called for a end to all economic sanctions and arms shipments, calling instead for increased social spending.

Protesters in Berlin marched from the Brandenburg Gate through the city center. Police estimated there were 5,800 attendees while organizers put the turnout at 20,000 people.

The organizers in Stuttgart estimated a turnout of around 15,000 people. However, dpa journalists who were present at the demonstration estimated the turnout to be in the low to mid thousands.

After Bremen, Düsseldorf next up to host German Unity Day Düsseldorf has been announced as the host city for next year's official commemoration of German Unity Day.

The annual event is hosted by whichever state holds the rotating presidency of the upper house of Germany's parliament, known as the Bundesrat. In 2027, it will be held by Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf is the second-largest city in North-Rhine Westphalia, after Cologne. The state is also home to the industrial cities of the Ruhr Valley including Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg and Bochum.

The mayor of Bremen Andreas Bovenschulte, symbolically handed the baton to North Rhine-Westphalia's premier Hendrik Wüst, who will take up his post as president of the Bundesrat on January 1. "Togetherness, connection, and unity are never a finished task," said Wüst.

"Continuing to work on this, maintaining one's interest, and keeping the conversation going — even with people whose outlook might be completely different from one's own," he added.

East German economy still trails west 36 years after reunification More than three decades after German reunification, the economy in the eastern states still lags beind the western states.

The five eastern German states reached just under 79% of western Germany's economic level in 2025, according to an analysis by the German Economic Institute (IW) released on German Unity Day.

The figure is based on an index designed to track eastern Germany's economic convergence with the west. It incorporates economic output per capita, productivity, investment, research and development, employment, unemployment and self-employment.

Although the east has made substantial progress since 1991, when the index stood at 51% of the west's economic development, this convergence has stalled over the past five years, hovering between between 78% and 79%.

The researchers pointed to large shortcomings in research and development (R&D) in particular. They found that the number of research and development personnel in the east was equivalent to just over 46% of the same workforce in the west. Can money transform a former coal-mining region in Germany?

The researchers also noted that demographic change could affect economic convergence between the east and the west.

Without immigration, eastern Germany's population will shrink by more than a fifth by 2045. This would make it particularly dependent on skilled migration But the German Economic Institute noted that support for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party recent state elections has called into question the region's openness to migration. Oktoberfest crowds surge toward 7 million mark Munich's Oktoberfest is on course for one of its busiest years, with 5.2 million visitors recorded through Wednesday.

That was around 700,000 more than at the same point last year, according to anonymized mobile phone data analyzed for the dpa news agency.

If the strong attendance continues through the final weekend, visitor numbers could approach 7 million. The record stands at 7.2 million in 2023, although that year's Oktoberfest ran for two days longer. Good weather is thought to have helped boost attendance this year.

International visitors now account for around 31% of the crowd, six percentage points more than two years ago. Americans are the largest group of foreign visitors, followed by Italians.

Around 58,000 Italians attended during the middle weekend alone, traditionally known in Munich as "Italian weekend." Visitors are also getting older. The average age this year is 46, with people aged 50 to 59 making up the largest group at around 23%. The share of 18- to 29-year-olds has fallen by 5.1 percentage points compared with two years ago to 21.5%. Visitors spend an average of just over five and a half hours at the festival.

More than three decades after German reunification many members of Gen Z say the divide between eastern and western Germany is fading, but not completely gone.

Young people interviewed in Bonn and Eberswalde point to ongoing economic differences, stereotypes and political contrasts, including voting patterns.

While some feel eastern Germans remain disadvantaged, others say their generation shares the same concerns about jobs, identity and the future.

For many, growing up long after the fall of the Berlin Wall means regional labels matter less than a shared German identity. Does Germany's Gen Z still feel the East-West divide?

Berlin parties move closer to coalition talks Berlin's Left Party Greens Social Democrats (SPD) have agreed on a "joint path forward" toward potentially forming a new state government.

The three parties issued a brief statement after their second round of preliminary talks, saying they would bring the current discussions "to a conclusion" next week.

They gave no further details. socialist Left Party emerged as the strongest party in Berlin's September 20 state election and is seeking to form a government with the Greens and the center-left SPD.

The Greens and SPD have demanded agreement on issues including antisemitism, racism and organized crime before they are prepared to begin formal exploratory coalition talks. Concerns over alleged antisemitism within parts of the Berlin Left have been a particular point of contention.

The parties have not said when they will meet again or whether the preliminary discussions will lead to formal exploratory talks.

Such talks would still fall short of formal coalition negotiations and are intended to establish whether the parties have enough common ground to negotiate a government agreement.

Why Germany's political center is losing ground German asylum applications rise but remain sharply lower The number of people filing first-time asylum applications in Germany rose in September compared with the previous month, but remained well below levels seen in recent years.

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) received 5,276 first-time applications, according to the Interior Ministry. That was 40% fewer than in September 2025 and 70% fewer than in September 2024.

First-time applications had fallen below 4,000 in both July and August, after around 5,550 were recorded in May.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union said the longer-term decline showed that measures taken by Germany and the European Union were working. "The significant decline in asylum numbers shows that our measures at national and European level are having an effect," Dobrindt said.

The number of subsequent asylum applications has meanwhile risen in recent months, partly following a 2024 European Court of Justice ruling concerning Afghan women The court found that the discriminatory measures imposed on women by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers could in themselves constitute persecution and justify refugee status.

Stranded cargo ship finally leaves Düsseldorf A cargo ship carrying Mercedes vans has finally left for Rotterdam, five days after becoming stranded amid unusually low water levels on the Rhine River The 135-meter (443-foot) vessel ran onto a sandbank at the end of a harbor basin on Monday. Attempts to free it using its anchor winch and by shifting its weight failed.

It was eventually pushed off the sandbank by another cargo ship the following day, but returned to the harbor basin and remained there while some of its cargo was unloaded. The vessel was initially carrying 160 Mercedes Sprinter vans produced at the automaker's Düsseldorf plant. After it was freed from the sandbank, 50 of the vans were unloaded to reduce its weight. It was later cleared to depart after water levels rose slightly.

The cause of the grounding is disputed. Harbor authorities suggested the captain had misjudged the vessel's weight and draft, while logistics company Mosolf blamed insufficient dredging and said the harbor was too shallow.

Mosolf said the original cargo weighed just 390 metric tons (430 US tons), compared with the ship's maximum payload of 3,500 metric tons.

Water levels on the Rhine remain unusually low following dry weather. The Düsseldorf gauge rose from minus 9 centimeters (minus 3.5 inches) on Monday to minus 1 centimeter on Saturday morning.

Forecasters expect largely dry conditions in the coming days, meaning a significant improvement in water levels is unlikely.

Visitors stranded on Berlin tower after lift breaks Around 20 people have been left stranded high up Berlin's landmark Funkturm after a lift broke down.

About 15 people were stuck in the tower's restaurant, while another four were trapped on the observation deck some 126 meters (413 feet) above the ground, according to the fire service.

Firefighters escorted the restaurant guests down the stairs, with one person with reduced mobility brought down using an evacuation chair.

The four people on the observation deck were unable to use the emergency staircase, which has several hundred steps. Firefighters considered several rescue options, including using a crane.

The lift's manufacturer eventually managed to restart it in emergency mode, allowing the remaining visitors to descend at a slower speed.

The fire service operation lasted around 90 minutes. It was unclear how long the visitors had already been stranded before making an emergency call at about 9:40 p.m. (1940 GMT/UTC).

Steinmeier warns German democracy faces renewed threats German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned that Germany's democracy is once again being challenged.

The 70-year-old used his final German Unity Day speech as president to reflect on more than three decades of political change.

"I thought everyone had learned the lesson from history, and now I see supporters of right-wing extremism seeking to erase the memory of the victims of the Holocaust," Steinmeier said at the official ceremony in Bremen.

"I believed our democracy was secure and now have to experience it being challenged anew." Steinmeier, whose second and final term as president ends in March, said his expectations after the changes that began in 1989 had been greater than what ultimately became reality.

Those expectations had included greater progress for liberal democracy and for "the undeniable reason of international cooperation," he said, acknowledging that there had been "bitter setbacks."

Looking ahead to his successor, Steinmeier warned that the presidency was "not an office to be taken lightly." He said promoting social cohesion and preserving the country's unity would become more demanding in the coming years.

The official German Unity Day celebrations began earlier Saturday with an ecumenical service at Bremen's St. Peter's Cathedral attended by Steinmeier, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other senior officials.

More than 550 events are being held in Bremen through Sunday to mark the 36th anniversary of German reunification. The celebrations rotate between Germany's 16 states and are hosted by the state currently holding the presidency of the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament.

Bremen currently holds the presidency. Germany marks 36 years since reunification in Bremen Germany is marking German Unity Day on Saturday with celebrations across the country, with the main national festivities taking place in Bremen. The national holiday commemorates October 3, 1990, when the five states of the former East Germany joined the Federal Republic of Germany, formally reunifying the country after more than four decades of division.

Following a service at Bremen Cathedral, political leaders and other guests are gathering at the Die Glocke concert hall for the official ceremony.

More than 400,000 people are expected to attend the public festival in Bremen, which runs through Sunday, with hundreds of events including free concerts, discussions, guided tours and exhibitions.

The festivities are being held under the motto "Many Strengths — One Country." Bremen is hosting the central celebrations because it currently holds the rotating presidency of the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament.

More than three decades after reunification, significant differences between eastern and western Germany remain including in income, wealth and representation in senior positions.

Eastern Germany in western hands East Germany commissioner wants eastern woman as president The German government's commissioner for eastern Germany has called for the country's next president to come from the east, saying eastern Germans remain underrepresented in positions of power.

Elisabeth Kaiser, a politician with the center-left Social Democratic Party, told the newspaper that none of Germany's current top political leaders comes from eastern Germany.

"That can quickly create the impression that eastern Germans play no role in leading our country and are only sitting at the children's table," Kaiser said.

"I think the time is right for an eastern German head of state again," she added. "Why shouldn't the next federal president be a smart woman from eastern Germany?"

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's second and final term ends in March 2027. Germany's Federal Convention is due to elect his successor on January 30.

Joachim Gauck, who was born in Rostock and served from 2012 to 2017, is the only president from eastern Germany since reunification.

Kaiser also said significant differences remained between eastern and western Germany in income, wealth and representation in leadership positions. "These differences must be overcome in order to truly complete German unity," she said.

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, led the country for 16 years but was never president. Welcome to our coverage from the DW newsroom in Bonn.

It's easy to forget these days, but this city on the Rhine River was once the capital of West Germany. Even after reunification on October 3, 1990, the government and parliament stayed here until the big move to Berlin in 1999. And here's something else that's sometimes easy to forget: Germany has a president.

The chancellor runs the government, while the president has a largely ceremonial role. That's one reason Frank-Walter Steinmeier may not be a familiar name outside Germany.

But the job comes with an important role as a national voice — especially on days like German Unity Day.

Steinmeier is due to deliver his final Unity Day speech as president today, where he is expected to raise concerns about democracy and cohesion.

Meanwhile, attention is already turning to who should succeed him when his term ends next year.

Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about today.