Skaters compete 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.

The event is organized by the German Ice Skating Union, the sport's national governing body.

The first German Nationals in pair skating were held in 1907 in Altona, for women in Olmütz in 1911, and for ice dance in Cologne in 1950.

In East Germany, the winners were called GDR Champions (German: DDR-Meister).

After the Anschluss – the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich in March 1938 – Austrian skaters competed in the German Championships until World War II ended and Austria regained its independence.