Reformation Day Brings Store Closures Across Several German States

Stores across nine German states will remain closed on Saturday, October 31, as the country observes Reformation Day. Major supermarket chains such as Aldi, Rewe, Lidl, Edeka, and Kaufland will keep their standard locations shut for the statutory holiday, prompting officials to advise shoppers to complete their grocery and weekend shopping in advance.

The holiday affects Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein. In these regions, the holiday carries Sunday-like business restrictions, meaning weekly markets and regular retailers will not operate. Meanwhile, the remaining seven states—including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia—will maintain normal Saturday operating hours.

Reformation Day commemorates the historic events of October 31, 1517, when Protestant theologian Martin Luther reportedly nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. His criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church and the practice of selling indulgences sparked a religious movement that permanently changed Christianity and established the Protestant church. Because the holiday falls on a Saturday, standard Monday-to-Friday workers will not receive an extra weekday off.

Despite the widespread closures, consumers retain some limited purchasing options. Gas stations under legal requirements, airport and train station shops, and select bakeries are permitted to maintain special holiday hours. In Leipzig, for instance, specific drugstores and convenience shops inside the central railway station will welcome customers during limited hours. Additionally, several districts in Bremen have authorized a permitted open-Sunday on November 1 to ease shopping constraints.

Alongside retail adjustments, transportation officials have warned drivers to expect heightened congestion on German and neighboring alpine transit routes. The ADAC projected increased travel volumes over the weekend due to the conclusion of autumn school vacations in several states, combined with the start of vacation periods in Bavaria. However, traffic experts noted that the regional holiday itself would cause minimal additional strain on national transit corridors.

Drivers traversing routes toward northern destinations and the Alps should anticipate delays, particularly along major autobahns including the A1, A3, A7, and A8. In the Alpine region, traffic restrictions remain in place, such as regulations on the A7 near Füssen prohibiting drivers from bypassing customs tunnel congestion through local residential side streets.