After World War II, the Allied powers divided Germany into four occupation zones. In 1949, the country became separate nations - the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), known as West and East Germany, respectively.

In a dramatic turn of events in the late 1980s, the Soviet stranglehold on Eastern Europe was loosened. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized this new world order.  Germany was reunified into one nation on October 3, 1990.

 *See Medals for East and West Germany all-time medal records

Germany competed as a unified team until 1968. From 1968 through 1988, East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG) competed separately (East Germans participated as part of the combined German team from 1956-64). All told, German athletes have won 328 medals in the Olympic Winter Games. Germany hosted the IV Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936.