Flag for Germany

Time Change 2024 in Germany

Next change:
Mar
31
1 hour Forward

Mar 31, 2024, 2:00 am

Country: Germany
Long Name: Federal Republic of Germany
Abbreviations: DE, DEU
Capital: Berlin
Time Zones: 1
Dial Code: +49

Mar 31

Forward 1 hour

Mar 31, 2024 - Daylight Saving Time Starts

When local standard time is about to reach
Sunday, March 31, 2024, 2:00:00 am clocks are turned forward 1 hour to
Sunday, March 31, 2024, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Mar 31, 2024 than the day before. There will be more light in the evening.

Also called Spring Forward, Summer Time, and Daylight Savings Time.

More info:
DST Start in Europe 2024

Oct 27

Back 1 hour

Oct 27, 2024 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

When local daylight time is about to reach
Sunday, October 27, 2024, 3:00:00 am clocks are turned backward 1 hour to
Sunday, October 27, 2024, 2:00:00 am local standard time instead.

Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour earlier on Oct 27, 2024 than the day before. There will be more light in the morning.

Also called Fall Back and Winter Time.

Other years: 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027

When Does DST Start and End in Germany?

All of Germany uses Daylight Saving Time (DST) during part of the year. The DST period starts on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October, together with most other European countries.

Central European Time (CET) is used as standard time, while Central European Summer Time (CEST) is observed when DST is in force.

Daylight Saving Time History in Germany

First Country to Use DST

Although a small town in Canada had experimented with seasonal clock changes as early as 1908, Germany was the first country to use nationwide DST. On April 30, 1916, at the height of World War I, the German Empire turned its clocks forward for the 1st time. Many European countries followed suit just weeks later.

The measure was abolished after the war, only to be re-introduced during World War II. From 1940 to 1942, Germany observed year-round DST.

After World War II, parts of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union followed doppelte Sommerzeit, double DST, advancing their clocks by 2 hours instead of 1. The rationale was to synchronize German clocks with the local time in Moscow.

DST was discontinued in 1950. In 1980, following an initiative by East Germany, the country re-introduced the measure. Though controversial, DST has been used in Germany ever since.

Since Switzerland did not introduce DST until 1981, the German exclave of Büsingen, which is situated within Swiss territory, did not observe DST together with the rest of Germany in 1980.