Berlin became the capital of reunified Germany in 1990. The change followed the reunification of East and West Germany on 3 October 1990.
After World War II, Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly called West Germany, and the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. Berlin was also divided, although the city remained a powerful symbol of a single Germany. The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989, accelerating the political process that led to reunification.
The Unification Treaty made the newly reunified Berlin Germany’s capital. Bonn, which had served as West Germany’s provisional capital since 1949, initially retained much of the federal government. In a separate Bundestag decision on 20 June 1991, lawmakers voted narrowly to move the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin.
The move was implemented gradually, with the federal government relocating during the 1990s and largely completing the transfer in 2000. Bonn still hosts several federal ministries and remains an important government city, but Berlin is the constitutional capital and principal seat of Germany’s national institutions.