The National Championships of the German Democratic Republic in Figure Skating were the figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of the German Democratic Republic, often referred to as East Germany. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.
They were held annually between 1949 and 1990, the years of the existence of the German Democratic Republic, and were organized by the DELV, the national figure skating association of the GDR. During the same period, the German Figure Skating Championships were held in the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly known as West Germany.
Following the reunification of Germany, East German skaters competed at the German Championships, and the East German championships were no longer held.
Famous quotes containing the words east, german, figure and/or skating:
“Though all the East did quake to hear
Of Alexander’s dreadful name,
And all the West likewise did fear
To hear of Julius Caesar’s fame,”
—Robert Southwell (1561?–1595)
“The German language “speaks Being,” while all the others merely “speak of Being.””
—Martin Heidegger (1889–1976)
“True maturity is only reached when a man realizes he has become a father figure to his girlfriends’ boyfriends—and he accepts it.”
—Larry McMurtry (b. 1936)
“In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)