Sedantag

Sedantag (pronounced [ˈzeːdanˌtaːk], meaning "Day of Sedan") was a semi-official memorial day in the German Empire, observed on September 2. It marked the victory at the Battle of Sedan in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. In that battle, French Emperor Napoleon III and his army were captured by Prussian forces at the fortress of Sedan, a decisive moment that paved the way for Germany’s overall victory.

After German unification in 1871, there was no agreement on a single national holiday. January 18, the date of the proclamation of the German Emperor and Empire, was also the anniversary of the first Prussian king’s coronation in 1701, which Prussians valued more. The Treaty of Frankfurt, signed on May 10, 1871, was not universally popular either. Southern states like Bavaria, Baden, and Württemberg preferred to celebrate battles where their own troops had played a key role, such as the Battle of Wörth on August 6, 1870.

Although Sedantag was never officially declared a holiday, and both participation and government backing fluctuated over time—with working-class leaders largely rejecting it—it became a de facto national celebration. The last Sedantag was held in 1918. Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in mid-1919, the Weimar Republic’s Ministry of the Interior ordered on August 27, 1919, that no further Sedantag events should take place.