June 4th is not a holiday everywhereThese opening hours apply to shops on Corpus Christi

In which federal states is Corpus Christi a public holiday?

Public holidays are a matter for the states, unless it is regulated at the federal level that a specific holiday applies to the whole of Germany. This means that in many cases the federal states can decide for themselves whether their residents have time off or whether they work. This is the case with, for example Corpus Christi.

The word Corpus Christi means something like “holy body of the Lord”. This shows that Corpus Christi has a highly Catholic meaning. On that day – the second Thursday after Pentecost – the presence of Christ is celebrated in bread and wine, i.e. in the Eucharist.

Corpus Christi is therefore only a holiday in the federal states that are considered Catholic, namely Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Also in some communities in Saxony and Thuringia. In all other federal states, June 4, 2026 is a normal working day.

For the federal states where Corpus Christi is a public holiday, this means that most shops will remain closed. Excluded are those in which so-called “special product groups” can be purchased. These include bakeries, flower shops or farm shops.

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Corpus Christi in Baden-Württemberg: How are bakeries and flower shops open?

Section 9 of the Baden-Württemberg Shop Opening Act regulates how shops with special product groups can be open on which holidays.

• Bakeries or pastry shops are allowed to open for a maximum of three hours on Corpus Christi.

• Flower shops are also allowed to open for a period of three hours.

• Farm shops Agricultural areas where self-produced agricultural products are sold may even be open for a period of six hours.

The law does not specify the exact period during which the shops mentioned are allowed to open. However, the time of the main service must be taken into account.

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Corpus Christi in Bavaria: What are the opening times for the shops?

As the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labor and Social Affairs explains on its website, the federal shop closing law applies in the state. This describes the following opening times for special product groups on Corpus Christi:

• Bakeries or pastry shops are allowed to open for three hours.

• Flower shops are allowed to open for two hours.

• Points of sale for the distribution of fresh milk may be open for two hours.

Corpus Christi in Hesse: The bakery is open at these times!

The Hessian Shop Opening Act (HLöG) states that certain sales outlets are allowed to open for a certain period of time on Corpus Christi.

• Bakeries or pastry shops are allowed to open for six hours.

• Flower shops are allowed to open for six hours.

• Also Farm shops Agricultural areas where self-produced agricultural products are sold may be open for six hours.

Corpus Christi: When and where you can shop in North Rhine-Westphalia

The law for shop opening times in North Rhine-Westphalia (LÖG NRW) states that flower shops, bakeries and farm shops are allowed to open for a certain period of time on public holidays.

• Bakeries or pastry shops are allowed to open for five hours.

• Flower shops are allowed to open for five hours.

• Also Farm shops Agricultural areas where self-produced agricultural products are sold may be open for five hours.

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Corpus Christi in Rhineland-Palatinate: Which shops are open when?

In Rhineland-Palatinate, points of sale for certain goods are allowed to open for a limited period between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.:

• Bakeries or pastry shops are allowed to open for five hours.

• Flower shops are allowed to open for five hours.

• Sales points for self-produced agricultural products in Rhineland-Palatinate are allowed to be open “on all days without a time limit” between midnight and midnight.

Corpus Christi: When are flower shops and bakeries closed in Saarland?

The Saarland Shop Opening Act (LÖG) allows the following opening times on Corpus Christi:

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Since the federal states specify a maximum of specific opening times on Corpus Christi, the exact opening times of a bakery, flower shop or farm shop must be found out locally.

Shopping on Corpus Christi: Exceptions for airports and train stations

Have you forgotten that June 4th is a public holiday in your state? Then, if your refrigerator is empty, you could still go to airports or train stations. There are often supermarkets or drugstores here for which exceptions apply and are therefore open even on public holidays.

Sources used: own RTL research