2026 in Germany
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| See also: | Other events of 2026 History of Germany • Timeline • Years | ||||
Events in the year 2026 in Germany.
Incumbents
[edit]Events
[edit]January
[edit]- 1 January – Two people are killed in fireworks-related incidents during New Year's celebrations in Bielefeld.[1]
- 3 January – An arson attack on cables in Berlin causes a blackout affecting 40,000 households.[2] Left-wing Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claims responsibility and calls it a protest against fossil fuel usage and AI data centers.[3]
- 6 January – The governing coalition between the SPD and the BSW in Brandenburg is replaced by a new coalition between the SPD and the CDU.[4]
- 7 January – The government formally recognizes and establishes diplomatic relations with Niue, coordinating ties from the embassy in Wellington, New Zealand.[5]
- 8–11 January – 2026 Men's EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Heidelberg.[6][7]
- 20 January – Thousands of people protest across Dortmund, Frankfurt, and Bremen, in support of Kurdish forces against the Syrian Armed Forces in clashes in northeastern Syria.[8]
- 21 January – A dual German-Ukrainian citizen is arrested in Berlin on suspicion of spying for Russia.[9] The incident results in the expulsion of a Russian diplomat from Germany the next day.[10]
- 23 January – A Lebanese national is arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on suspicion of membership in Hamas and plotting a terrorist attack in Europe.[11]
- 28 January – Sven Schulze is elected as minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt.[12]
February
[edit]- 2 February –
- 3 February – Two people are arrested on suspicion of plotting to sabotage several corvettes destined for the German Navy at a shipyard in Hamburg in 2025.[15]
- 5 February – The Federal Cartel Office orders Amazon, Inc. to return 59 million euros ($70 million) in profits from unfair trading practices.[16]
- 9 February – Authorities seize eight metric tons of cocaine valued at 500 million euros ($582 million) from a container in Wilhelmshaven that originated from West Africa and supposedly contained cacao beans, resulting in two arrests in Spain.[17]
- 25 February – A suspect in the 2025 murder of Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov is arrested in Heinsberg.[18]
- 26 February – A court in Cologne issues an injunction against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's designation of the AfD as an extremist organization pending a judicial review.[19]
March
[edit]- 5 March – A court in Berlin convicts a Syrian national for carrying out a antisemitic knife attack at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe that injured one person in 2025 and sentences him to 13 years' imprisonment.[20]
- 8 March
- 2026 Baden-Württemberg state election: The Greens win a plurality of 30.2% in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg, the CDU win 29,7% and the AfD win 18.8% in the Landtag.[21]
- A meteorite strikes a roof of a house in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate. No one is injured.[22]
- 12 March – German economic crisis: Lufthansa pilots organize a 48-hour strike over ongoing pension dispute, causing major delays at all German airports.[23]
- 19 March – Germany drops out of defending Israel in the International Court of Justice's genocide case against Israel, citing their need to defend themselves in a separate case launched against them by Nicaragua.[24]
- 22 March – 2026 Rhineland-Palatinate state election
- 29 March – A nightclub burns down in Kehl, Baden-Württemberg. All 750 people inside are evacuated, three of whom are treated for shock.[25]
April
[edit]- 5 April – Three people, including two children, are killed and another is seriously injured after high winds cause a tree to fall onto an Easter egg hunt in Mittelangeln, Schleswig-Holstein.[26]
- 13 April – A wooden structure containing anti-semitic symbols is found outside the Eggenfelden tax office.[27]
- 28 April – A Kazakh national is arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia.[28]
May
[edit]- 4 May – A car plows into a crowd in Grimmaische Strasse in Leipzig, killing two people and injuring 22 others.[29]
- 7 May – A 17-year old male is arrested on suspicion of plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Hamburg on behalf of Islamic State.[30]
- 16 May – Germany finishes 23rd at Eurovision 2026 in Austria.[31]
- 20 May – The Public Prosecutor General arrests a Chinese couple in Munich on suspicion of spying for Chinese intelligence.[32]
- 27 May – 2026 UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig.[33]
June
[edit]- 3 June – Hotel Zum Hirschen in Lam, Bavaria responds to an Israeli family attempting to make a reservation through Booking.com with: "Sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel." Booking.com removes the hotel from its platform following backlash, and the hotel subsequently apologizes for the message.[34][35]
Predicted and scheduled
[edit]- 11–23 August – 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen.[36][37]
- 4–13 September – 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin.[38]
- 6 September – 2026 Saxony-Anhalt state election
- 20 September – 2026 Berlin state election
- 20 September – 2026 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election
- 31 December – The television channels One, Tagesschau24 and Alpha will close.[39]
Holidays
[edit]Source:[40]
- 1 January – New Year's Day
- 6 January – Epiphany
- 8 March – International Women's Day
- 2 April – Maundy Thursday
- 3 April – Good Friday
- 5 April – Easter Sunday
- 6 April – Easter Monday
- 1 May – International Workers' Day
- 9 May – Ascension Day
- 24 May – Whit Sunday
- 25 May – Whit Monday
- 4 June – Corpus Christi
- 15 August – Assumption Day
- 20 September – Children's Day
- 3 October – German Unity Day
- 31 October – Reformation Day
- 1 November – All Saints' Day
- 18 November – Repentance Day
- 25 December – Christmas Day
- 26 December – Saint Stephen's Day
Art and entertainment
[edit]Deaths
[edit]January
[edit]- 1 January – Hubertus von Pilgrim, 94, sculptor[41]
- 2 January – Lajos Rovátkay, 92, harpsichordist and musicologist[42]
- 4 January – Klaus Keitel, 87, politician[43]
- 6 January – Kathleen Muxel, 54, member of the Landtag of Brandenburg (since 2019)[44]
- 7 January – Dietrich Stratmann, 89, physicist and politician[45]
- 8 January – Jürgen Plagemann, 90, rower
- 9 January – Hans Herrmann , 98, racing driver[46]
- 12 January – Martin Willich, 80, politician[47]
- 13 January – Peter Duesberg, 89, molecular biologist[48]
- 19 January – Peter Radunski, 86, politician
- 20 January – Wolfgang Heichel, 75, singer (Dschingskhan)[49]
- 21 January – Rüdiger Erben, 58, member of the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt (2006, since 2011)[50]
- 22 January – Francis Buchholz, 71, musician and bass guitarist[51]
- 29 January – Stefan Gossler, 71, actor
- 31 January – Gisela Engeln-Müllges, 85, mathematician
February
[edit]- 1 February – Rita Süssmuth, 88, president of the Bundestag (1988–1998) and federal minister for youth, family and health (1985–1988)[52]
- 3 February – Herbert Sukopp, 95, ecologist[53]
- 11 February –
- Christoph Luitpold Frommel, 92, art historian[54]
- Helmuth Rilling, 92, choral conductor[55]
- Peter Meyer, 85, footballer
March
[edit]- 1 March – Käthe Menzel-Jordan, 109, architect[56]
- 14 March – Jürgen Habermas, 96, philosopher and sociologist (The Theory of Communicative Action)[57]
- 14 March – Jochen Bachfeld, 73, boxer[58]
- 21 March – Carsten Träger, 52, politician (SPD)[59]
- 25 March – Alexander Kluge, 94, author, philosopher and film director[60]
- 28 March – Werner Asam, 81, actor[61]
April
[edit]- 5 April – Eberhard Riedel, 88, skier[62]
- 6 April – Christian Schwarz-Schilling, politician (CDU)[63]
- 8 April – Mario Adorf, 95, actor[64]
- 12 April – Leo Nowak, 97, Roman Catholic bishop[65]
- 30 April – Georg Baselitz, 88, painter[66]
May
[edit]- 9 May – Harald Mothes, 69, footballer (Wismut Aue, TSV Ampfing, East Germany national team)[67]
- 10 May – Günther Maria Halmer, 83, actor[68]
- 11 May – Albrecht Weinberg, 101, Holocaust survivor[69] (death announced on this date)
- 15 May – Angelica Domröse, 85, actress[70]
- 29 May – Bruno Kant, 110, supercentenarian and Roman Catholic priest.[71]
- Hugo Broch, 104, World War II flying ace, last living recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (exact date undisclosed).[72]
June
[edit]- 3 June - Herbert Möller, 103, politician
- 5 June - Jürgen Kesting, 86, journalist, music critic and author
- 6 June - Dieter Wunderlich, 85, linguist
- 6 June - Ute Walther, 83, mezzo-soprano
- 8 June - Hans Maier, 95, politician
- 9 June - Wolfgang Gust, 91, journalist
- 9 June - Alexander Licht, 74, politician
- 10 June - Hüseyin Kenan Aydin, 63, politician
- 10 June - Dieter Glemser, 92, touring car racing driver
- 11 June - Hans Gerd Klais, 96, organ builder
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Leigh, Suzanne (1 January 2026). "Netherlands police face 'unprecedented' New Year's violence". BBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ "Berlin power outage hits 45,000 homes after suspected arson attack". The Guardian. AFP. 3 January 2026. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ "Leftwing militants claim responsibility for arson attack on Berlin power grid". The Guardian.
- ^ n-tv: Basus für Koalition ist nicht mehr gegeben, January 6, 2026
- ^ "Germany to recognize Niue, a Pacific island linked to New Zealand". Yahoo! News. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Fünftes Turnier in drei Jahren an den Deutschen Hockey-Bund vergeben - Hockey Hallen-EM findet 2026 in Heidelberg statt". hockey.de (in German). German Hockey Federation. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Hockey: Hallen-EM 2026 in Heidelberg". freenet.de (in German). 22 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ Hairsine, Kate (20 January 2026). "Germany sees thousands join pro-Kurdish protests". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Germany arrests woman accused of supplying war-related information to Russian agent". AP News. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Germany expels a Russian diplomat after a suspect is arrested in an espionage case". AP News. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Germany arrests suspected Hamas member over alleged attack plot". BBC. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "Lawmakers in German state elect new governor to counter far-right rise". AP News. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ "Germany hit by nationwide public transport strike". France 24. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "Germany detains 5 men accused of illegally exporting goods to Russian defense companies". AP News. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ "2 arrested in investigation of attempted sabotage against ships built for German navy". AP News. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Germany claws back 59 mn euros from Amazon over price controls". France 24. 5 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ "Germany seizes tons of cocaine and suspects are arrested in Spain". AP News. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ^ "Suspect in murder of top Ukrainian ex-official arrested in Germany". The Kyiv Independent. 25 February 2026.
- ^ "German court says intelligence agency can't designate the AfD party an extremist group for now". AP News. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "A Syrian man is convicted of stabbing a Spanish tourist at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial". AP News. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ "Merz's party stumbles into a year of German state elections with a narrow defeat". AP News. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ^ Connor, Richard (9 March 2026). "Germany: Meteorite punches through a house in Koblenz". DW. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ Wilson, Natalie (12 March 2026). "Lufthansa faces huge flight disruption as pilot union announces strike". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ "Germany U-turns, Won't Intervene on Israel's Behalf in ICJ Gaza Genocide Case".
- ^ "Hundreds of revellers flee after fire breaks out at a dance club in Germany". AP News. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
- ^ "3 killed as high winds topple a tree on an Easter egg hunt in Germany". CTVNews. The Associated Press. 5 April 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ^ "Unbekannte stellen Holz-Kamin mit Nazi-Parolen auf". ntv.de (in German). Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ^ "German police arrest Kazakh national suspected of ties to Russian intelligence". AP News. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- ^ "Two killed and many injured after car driven into crowd in German city of Leipzig". BBC. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ "German authorities arrest 17-year-old suspected of planning extremist-inspired attack". AP News. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ^ "Bulgaria's Dara wins Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna". DW. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ^ Hallam, Mark (20 May 2026). "German authorities arrest 2 on China espionage allegations". DW. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ^ "Invitation to bid to host the UEFA Champions League Finals 2026 & 2027, UEFA Europa League Finals 2026 & 2027, UEFA Europa Conference League Finals 2026 & 2027 and UEFA Women's Champions League Finals 2026 & 2027". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 24/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Müller, Franziska (3 June 2026). "No hotel room for Jews? Antisemitism incident in Bavaria". euronews. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ^ Sinico, Sean (3 June 2026). "German hotel apologizes for 'no Jews allowed' message". DW. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ^ "FEI confirms bidders for FEI World Championships 2026". 24 August 2023.
- ^ "The FEI World Championships 2026 to be held in Aachen". CHIO Aachen. 19 November 2023.
- ^ "FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026: Deutschland erhält Zuschlag!". German Basketball Federation. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Welt.de: ARD stellt „Tagesschau24“ ein – zwei weitere TV-Kanäle werden gestrichen, 2026
- ^ "Germany Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ "Skulpteur der Erinnerung". Suddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ "Rovátkay Lajostól búcsúzunk". Magyar Régizenei Központ (in Hungarian). Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Bock, Michael (7 January 2026). "Erster Landtagspräsident von Sachsen-Anhalt ist verstorben". Volksstimme (in German). Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "AfD-Landtagsabgeordnete Muxel gestorben". n-tv (in German). 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ "Dietrich Stratmann". Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine (in German).
- ^ Böttinger, Astrid (9 January 2026). "Porsche mourns the loss of Hans Herrmann". Porsche Newsroom. Porsche AG. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ^ Rybarczyk, Christoph; Gall, Insa; Drechsler, Jakob (14 January 2026). "„Einer der besten Debattenredner": Martin Willich ist tot". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved 14 January 2026.
- ^ Flam, Faye (27 January 2026). "Peter H. Duesberg, 89, Renowned Biologist Turned H.I.V. Denialist, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ "Moskau hit singer Wolfgang Heichel has died at the age of 75". Izvestia. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "SPD-Politiker Rüdiger Erben ist tot – Weggefährten tief betroffen". Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
- ^ Brannigan, Paul (23 January 2026). "Former Scorpions/Michael Schenker Bassist Francis Buchholz Dead at 71". Louder Sound. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Ex-Bundestagspräsidentin Rita Süssmuth gestorben". BR24 (in German). 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ "Herbert Sukopp" (in German). der Tagesspiegel. 7 February 2026. Archived from the original on 8 February 2026.
- ^ Satzinger, Georg (13 February 2026). "Nachruf für Christoph Luitpold Frommel (25.9.1933-11.2.2026)". Bibliothek des Kunsthistorischen Instituts der Universität Bonn (in German). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Helmuth Rilling ist tot: Gründer der Bachakademie Stuttgart starb mit 92 Jahren". SWR (in German). 12 February 2026. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ "Älteste Erfurterin gestorben: Im Stadtbild finden sich ihre Spuren". Thuringer Allgemeine (in German). 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ Moulson, Gier (14 March 2026). "Jürgen Habermas, influential German philosopher, dies at 96". AP News. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ Voigt, Hannes (16 March 2026). "Olympiasieger aus MV: Boxer Jochen Bachfeld gestorben". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ^ "SPD-Umweltstaatssekretär Carsten Träger mit 52 Jahren gestorben". Die Zeit. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ "Filmemacher und Autor Alexander Kluge ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ^ "Bekannt aus „Forsthaus Falkenau": Schauspieler Werner Asam (81) ist tot". Pnp.de (in German). 8 April 2026. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ^ "GDR ski racer Eberhard Riedel dies". Oberwiesenthal: DieSachsen News. 7 April 2026.
- ^ "Former High Representative Christian Schwarz-Schilling passed away". Sarajevo Times. 7 April 2026. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ^ "Mario Adorf ist tot: Deutsche Schauspiel-Legende starb im Alter von 95 Jahren". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 9 April 2026. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ^ "Erster katholischer Bischof von Magdeburg: Leo Nowak mit 97 Jahren gestorben". MDR (in German). 12 April 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ "Georg Baselitz ist tot: Künstler mit 88 Jahren gestorben". Der Spiegel (in German). 30 April 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "Auer Fußballlegende Harald Mothes gestorben" (in German). MDR. 9 May 2026.
- ^ "Schauspieler Günther Maria Halmer ist tot". T-Online (in German). 15 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ^ "Albrecht Weinberg, a Holocaust survivor who moved back to Germany in his 80s, dies at 101". CNN. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ^ "Berliner Schauspielerin Angelica Domröse gestorben". rbb24. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026. (in German)
- ^ "Geistlicher Rat Bruno Kant im Alter von 110 Jahren gestorben". Osthessen Zeitung (in German). 31 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ^ "Weltkriegs-Jagdflieger Hugo Broch im Alter von 104 Jahren verstorben" [World War II fighter pilot Hugo Broch dies at the age of 104]. Austrian Wings (in Austrian German). 11 June 2026.
External links
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