The capital decision (German: Hauptstadtbeschluss) was the decision made by the German Bundestag on 20 June 1991, as a result of German reunification, to move its headquarters from Bonn to Berlin. The term is misleading, since Berlin had already become the federal capital of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 as one of the stipulations of the Unification Treaty.[1]
Sticker of the Bonn-based initiative "pro Bonn e.V." with an inscription promoting Bonn to remain seat government, it says: "Bonn got it! Berlin remains Berlin and Bonn remains the seat of government. Stop the billion-dollar madness. Stop the relocation madness."
With the reunification of Germany, the newly reunified Berlin became Germany's capital once again, a status it had held from 1871 to 1945. However, the seat of government remained in Bonn, which had been the "provisional" capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990. There was some sentiment in favour of keeping the seat of government in Bonn, which would have created a situation analogous to that of the Netherlands, where Amsterdam is the capital but The Hague is the seat of government. Not only were there concerns about Berlin's past connection to Nazi Germany, but Bonn was closer to Brussels, headquarters of the European Communities. Bonn was also located in Germany's wealthiest and most densely-populated region, while the former East German states surrounding Berlin were economically depressed and relatively sparsely populated.
After more than ten hours of discussion, the Bundestag voted 338 to 320 to pass the bill "Vollendung der Einheit Deutschlands" (English: completion of the unification of Germany). Due to an initial error, the initial count stood at 337 to 320, but the number of yes votes was later determined to be 338. The vote broke largely along regional lines, with legislators from the south and west favouring Bonn and legislators from the north and east voting for Berlin.[2][3] Of the 328 directly elected deputies, 169 voted for Bonn and 153 for Berlin. Of the deputies elected via the regional lists, 185 were for Berlin and 151 for Bonn. The vote also broke along generational lines; older legislators with memories of Berlin's past glory favoured Berlin, while younger legislators favoured Bonn. Ultimately, the votes of the eastern German legislators tipped the balance in favour of Berlin.[4]
Voting behaviour of the members of parliament elected in the constituencies in the Bundestag elections on 20 June 1991: for Berlin (153) for Bonn (169) no participation or replacement by successors (6)
As a result of this decision, many subsequent motions were passed at different levels of government to ease the transition of the German capital to Berlin. To guarantee "fair division of labour" between the cities, it was decided to move the following government offices to Berlin, whilst retaining a secondary, smaller office in Bonn:
Federal Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (dissolved 1998)
The Berlin-Bonn Act was passed in 1994. Originally, the federal ministries' move to Berlin was planned for 1995, however this deadline was not adhered to. Instead a Cabinet decision was made that the move should be completed by 2000, on a budget of no more than 20 billion DM (10.2 billion EUR).
During this period other fundamental decisions were made, including:
the Reichstag building is the permanent seat of the Bundestag
the majority of the federal ministries will move to Berlin
the majority of ministerial jobs will remain in Bonn
each federal minister in Bonn and Berlin have a second seat in the other city
^"Nationalatlas aktuell", "Hauptstadtbeschluss" by Sebastian Lentz, "Published 17 Juni 2011". Retrieved 9-20-12.
^Laux, Hans-Dieter, "Berlin oder Bonn? Geographische Aspekte eine Parlamentsentscheidung", "Geographische Rundschau", 43:12, 740–743, 1991.
^Thompson, Wayne C. (2008). The World Today Series: Nordic, Central and Southeastern Europe 2008. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Stryker-Post Publications. ISBN978-1-887985-95-6.
Andreas Salz: Bonn-Berlin. Die Debatte um Parlaments- und Regierungssitz im Deutschen Bundestag und die Folgen. Monsenstein und Vannerdat, Münster 2006, ISBN3-86582-342-4 (zugleich: Bonn, Univ., Magisterarbeit).
December 18, 2023
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The capital decision German Hauptstadtbeschluss was the decision made by the German Bundestag on 20 June 1991 as a result of German reunification to move its headquarters from Bonn to Berlin The term is misleading since Berlin had already become the federal capital of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 as one of the stipulations of the Unification Treaty 1 Contents 1 Decision and implementation 1 1 Background and vote 1 2 Implementation 2 See also 3 References 4 LiteratureDecision and implementation editBackground and vote edit nbsp Sticker of the Bonn based initiative pro Bonn e V with an inscription promoting Bonn to remain seat government it says Bonn got it Berlin remains Berlin and Bonn remains the seat of government Stop the billion dollar madness Stop the relocation madness With the reunification of Germany the newly reunified Berlin became Germany s capital once again a status it had held from 1871 to 1945 However the seat of government remained in Bonn which had been the provisional capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 There was some sentiment in favour of keeping the seat of government in Bonn which would have created a situation analogous to that of the Netherlands where Amsterdam is the capital but The Hague is the seat of government Not only were there concerns about Berlin s past connection to Nazi Germany but Bonn was closer to Brussels headquarters of the European Communities Bonn was also located in Germany s wealthiest and most densely populated region while the former East German states surrounding Berlin were economically depressed and relatively sparsely populated The proposal Completion of the Unity of Germany with the content of establishing the future seat of government in Berlin had been formulated and introduced by prominent members of parliament across party lines These included members of the SPD Willy Brandt Hans Jochen Vogel Wolfgang Thierse the FDP Burkhard Hirsch Hermann Otto Solms Rainer Ortleb the CDU CSU Gunther Krause Wolfgang Schauble Oscar Schneider and Alliance 90 Wolfgang Ullmann After more than ten hours of discussion the Bundestag voted 338 to 320 to pass the bill Vollendung der Einheit Deutschlands English completion of the unification of Germany Due to an initial error the initial count stood at 337 to 320 but the number of yes votes was later determined to be 338 The vote broke largely along regional lines with legislators from the south and west favouring Bonn and legislators from the north and east voting for Berlin 2 3 Of the 328 directly elected deputies 169 voted for Bonn and 153 for Berlin Of the deputies elected via the regional lists 185 were for Berlin and 151 for Bonn The vote also broke along generational lines older legislators with memories of Berlin s past glory favoured Berlin while younger legislators favoured Bonn Ultimately the votes of the eastern German legislators tipped the balance in favour of Berlin 4 nbsp Voting behaviour of the members of parliament elected in the constituencies in the Bundestag elections on 20 June 1991 for Berlin 153 for Bonn 169 no participation or replacement by successors 6 Voting behaviour by party affiliation 5 Party for Berlin for BonnVotes Percent Votes PercentCDU 146 54 1 124 45 9CSU 8 16 7 40 83 3SPD 110 46 6 126 53 4FDP 53 67 1 26 32 9Bu90 4 66 7 2 33 3PDS 17 94 5 1 5 5Independent 0 0 1 100Sum 338 51 5 320 48 5Implementation edit As a result of this decision many subsequent motions were passed at different levels of government to ease the transition of the German capital to Berlin To guarantee fair division of labour between the cities it was decided to move the following government offices to Berlin whilst retaining a secondary smaller office in Bonn Chancellor s Office Federal Press Office Foreign Office Federal Ministry of the Interior Federal Ministry of Finance Federal Ministry of Justice Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Federal Ministry of Transport Building and Urban Development Federal Ministry of Family Affairs Senior Citizens Women and YouthThe following federal ministries were to remain in Bonn each with a second office in Berlin Federal Ministry of Food Agriculture and Consumer Protection Federal Ministry of Defence Federal Ministry of Health Federal Ministry for Environment Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Federal Ministry for Education and Research Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Federal Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications dissolved 1998 The Berlin Bonn Act was passed in 1994 Originally the federal ministries move to Berlin was planned for 1995 however this deadline was not adhered to Instead a Cabinet decision was made that the move should be completed by 2000 on a budget of no more than 20 billion DM 10 2 billion EUR During this period other fundamental decisions were made including the Reichstag building is the permanent seat of the Bundestag the majority of the federal ministries will move to Berlin the majority of ministerial jobs will remain in Bonn each federal minister in Bonn and Berlin have a second seat in the other city the Federal President has his office in BerlinBerlin officially adopted its full role as the home of the parliament and government of the Federal Republic of Germany in July 1999 See also editBerlin Bonn Act Bonn 20th century and the Bonn Republic History of BerlinReferences edit Art 2 Abs 1 EV Nationalatlas aktuell Hauptstadtbeschluss by Sebastian Lentz Published 17 Juni 2011 Retrieved 9 20 12 Laux Hans Dieter Berlin oder Bonn Geographische Aspekte eine Parlamentsentscheidung Geographische Rundschau 43 12 740 743 1991 Thompson Wayne C 2008 The World Today Series Nordic Central and Southeastern Europe 2008 Harpers Ferry West Virginia Stryker Post Publications ISBN 978 1 887985 95 6 Lehmann Hans Georg 11 May 2011 Infografik Abstimmung vom 20 Juni 1991 Bundeszentrale fur politische Bildung Retrieved 6 May 2017 Literature editAndreas Salz Bonn Berlin Die Debatte um Parlaments und Regierungssitz im Deutschen Bundestag und die Folgen Monsenstein und Vannerdat Munster 2006 ISBN 3 86582 342 4 zugleich Bonn Univ Magisterarbeit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Decision on the Capital of Germany amp oldid 1189145127, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
