Now it's getting dark earlier again: Summer time came to an end that night, and the clocks were put back from 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Normal time, also known as winter time, applies again for half a year. At the end of March the clock will be turned again.

The signal for the automatic time change comes from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig. The authority's experts ensure that radio-controlled clocks, station clocks and many industrial clocks are supplied with the signal via a long-wave transmitter called DCF77. The transmitter is located in Mainflingen, Hesse.

The time change was reintroduced in Germany in 1980 with the aim of making better use of daylight. However, critics repeatedly question the energy-saving effect.

Daylight saving time information