In autumn, the clocks are changed to standard time (colloquially known as winter time) – one hour. While this means we can sleep an hour longer, it also means it gets dark earlier. In March it’s just the other way around: one hour less sleep, but longer days again.
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
Time change in October: Here’s how the clock changes
- The change will take place for the second time in October. On the last weekend in October, summer time switches to winter time.
- Specifically, this means: Ar Sunday, October 27, 2024, the clock is over 3 o’clock set back an hour in the morning, so 3 am becomes 2 am
- By changing to standard time we get free hour. But at the same time it is dark an hour before.
Back to winter mode: the time change is coming up this weekend. An hour back or forward – what’s that again?
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
DST 2024: Does the time on a mobile phone clock work automatically?
If you use a radio-controlled clock, you don’t need to change your clock manually. This is normally adjusted automatically with a signal from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig. The time change also happens automatically on most smartphones, unless the corresponding function is deactivated.
In some cases, digital displays, such as in home appliances or cars, also need to be changed manually.
Shouldn’t the time change be stopped?
The time change has stopped for a while; a majority of EU citizens voted in favor of abolishing it in a survey. 84 percent of those surveyed, most from Germany and Austria, said they wanted to avoid the time change permanently.
However, the implementation is yet to come. As EU citizens have already declared their will, most member states have not yet taken a clear position. For the change to take effect, the responsible EU ministers of state must agree by a majority. So far nothing has come of the EU Parliament’s plan to end the time change by 2021;
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
The history of time change in Germany and Europe
Standard time in Germany between 1950 and 1980 was what is now known as winter time. After the oil crisis in the 1970s, France decided to introduce summer time in 1976 for reasons of energy policy. Many member states of the European Community, the forerunner of today’s EU, followed suit, mainly for economic reasons.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the time change was discussed controversially because of the East-West divide. After the GDR introduced summer time in 1979, the Federal Republic followed suit a year later. They wanted to avoid a divided time in an already divided country at all costs.
The history of time change is long and varied – from the sun on the church tower to the invention of the railway to the European Union.
Quelle: Maximilian Arnhold/Marc Mensing
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
Within the EU, clocks have been changed according to uniform rules in all Member States since 1996. On the last Sunday in March and October, the time is moved forward one hour or back one hour.
Are there any health effects of changing to winter time?
The seasonal change of time is more difficult for some people than for others. This is especially true for the time change to daylight saving time. When the day is suddenly “shorter” by an hour, some people’s biorhythms are thrown out of sync. For example, fatigue and depression are common in the first few days after the time change.
The way humans and animals respond to the change in time varies from person to person. While the change seems to go smoothly for some people, it can take several weeks for others.
What brings the time change?
This issue has been much debated since the change was introduced. One of the main reasons that was initially given as an argument for the time change for a long time. Due to more daylight in the summer, less energy is used in these months, but in the winter this minimal saving effect is canceled out again, as heating occurs earlier in the morning.
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
The time change to winter is considered less of a problem, after all it brings with it a 25-hour Sunday, which many consider very relaxing. Here, too, the biorhythm is a bit confused, but the “very willing hour” is still felt more positively than negatively.