The rally from the central railway station to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was led by over 300 farming tractors. More than 30,000 people participated in the demonstration, the organiser added.

In 2001, former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the SPD-Green government had promised to phase out the use of nuclear energy within two decades, despite protests from the industry.

About 23 percent of Germany's energy supply comes from nuclear power, 42 percent from coal, 14 percent from natural gas and 15 percent from renewable energy sources -- wind, solar and thermal.