East German Figure Skating Championships

The East German Figure Skating Championships were an annual figure skating competition organized by the German Ice Skating Association (German: Deutscher Eislauf Verband) to crown the national champions of East Germany. Skaters competed in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior, junior, and novice levels, although not every discipline is held every year due to a lack of participants.

Jan Hoffmann holds the record for winning the most East German Championship titles in men's singles (with eight), while Gabriele Seyfert holds the record in women's singles (with ten). Heinz-Ulrich Walther holds the record in pair skating (with six), although those were not won with the same partner. Annerose Baier and Eberhard Rüger hold the record in ice dance (with seven).

Following the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945 and its defeat in World War II, Germany was divided between the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union. Two separate German countries emerged: the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), also known as West Germany; and the German Democratic Republic (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik), also known as East Germany.^[1]

The first figure skating championships held in the east after the division of Germany took place in 1949 in Oberhof and was called the East Zone Championship (German: Ostzonenmeisterschaft). The East German Figure Skating Championships (German: DDR Eiskunstlauf Meisterschaften) were held annually from 1949 to 1990, except for 1957. Ice dance was added as an event in 1954.^[2] During this same period, the German Figure Skating Championships were held in West Germany.

The dissolution of East Germany occurred on 3 October 1990, leading to its reintegration into the Federal Republic of Germany to form present-day Germany. Following the reunification of Germany, East German skaters began competing at the German Championships, and many former East German skaters became champions of the newly reunified Germany: Mirko Eichhorn, Alexander König, René Lohse, Axel Rauschenbach, Peggy Schwarz, Ingo Steuer, Kati Winkler, and Ronny Winkler.^[3]

Kati Winkler and René Lohse originally trained in single skating, but switched to ice dance after an injury prevented Winkler from executing the necessary jumps. In an interview, Lohse stated: "It was a hard time, because for 18 years, there was no ice dancing in East Germany and we were the first who started it again."^[6]

• The Deutscher Eissport-Verband and the Berlin Wall at Skate Guard