Sources: Westdeutsche Zeitung (Düsseldorf) and Germany bank holidays and public holidays (qppstudio.net). The Premier (Ministerpräsident) of Germany's state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hannelore Kraft, has announced in Parliament that she was in favor of Germany's state of Nordrhein-Westfalen also declaring October 31, 2017, as a one-off public holiday (gesetzlichen Feiertag) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his ninety-five theses on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg. [full story]