Capital City: Berlin
Population: 82 million (Largest population in the EU, however its fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world)
Religion: Christianity, split pretty much evenly between Protestantism and Roman Catholic (64%); Germany has Western Europe’s third-largest Jewish population (in 2004, twice as many Jews from former Soviet countries settled in Germany than in Israel)
Currency: Euro
Languages: German
Part of EU?: Yes, Germany was a founding member. Also part of the G8.
-France and Germany have historically been very closely allied, presently forming what is known as the ‘core’ countries against greater integration of the European Union .
Chancellor: Angela Merkel - first female Chancellor of Germany, second chairwoman of the G-8 (after Margaret Thatcher) - she won the 2008 Charlemagne Prize for her work to reform the EU
Borders: Germany shares borders with the most European countries on the continent; to the North by the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and Denmark; to the East by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the South by Austria and Switzerland; and to the West by France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
-Germany is divided into 16 states
Rivers: Rhine; Elbe; Danube
QUICK HISTORY
The Germans, for better or worse, basically shaped Europe as we know it. Germany has always been a driving force; occasionially, that was a bad thing (the two World Wars and the Holocaust), but often, it was a good thing. Germany was the driving force of the EU and encouraged open confrontation of past crimes. Perhaps it is the latter that propelled Germany to become the moneybags of the continent for the past decade, giving money to places like Ireland in the 80s and Eastern Europe. German taxpayers have also spent a fortune building up and integrating East Germany since 1989
Here are a few of the key points in history in which Germany played a key role.
CHARLEMAGNE and the FRANKS
In the 700s, the barbarian Frankish tribe (from north Germany and the Netherlands) decided to team up with the Popes in Italy (this had been their winning strategy all along, and helped them to conquer many lands). The Franks were a strong tribe, and able to offer protection to the Popes, and because they had willingly converted to Catholicism (even if only for strategic purposes), the Popes were happy to work with them.
Charlemagne was the son of the first King to be officially knighted by the Pope (Pepin the Short). He was well-educated, he believed in a union of church and state, and wanted to reconvert everyone back to Christianity. Ruling from his court in Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), Charlemagne and his army invaded Spain to try to reconquest the Moors, he invaded Italy, and other parts of Germany. When the Pope in Rome was attacked by some of his enemies who tried to cut out his eyes and his tongue, he ran to Charlemagne for help. Charlemagne restored him to his position; to show his gratitude, the Pope crowned Charlemagne Roman Emperor. Not everyone was happy about it, but it cemented Charlemagne’s authority over his territories.
Today Charlemagne is regarded not only as the founding father of both French and German monarchies, but also as the father of Europe: his empire united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Romans, and the Carolingian renaissance encouraged the formation of a common European identity. He was the first ruler to mention a unified “Europe”. Today, the Charlemagne Prize is still given out to people who have promoted European friendship and unity.
HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
Charlemagne, crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800 AD was the forerunner of the Holy Roman Empire, largely because he had inaugurated the tradition of imperial coronation by the Pope, which continued as a significant institution in the Holy Roman Empire until the 16th century. Charlemagne's policy of "renovatio Romanorum imperii" (reviving the Roman Empire) remained at least in theory as the official position of the Empire until its end in 1806, when the Empire was claimed by Napoleon.
In 936, Otto became King, and basically united the Germans into a single empire. He had himself crowned Emperor at Aachen. Otto wanted a proper coronation by the Pope in Rome, and took the title Holy Roman Emperor. The Emperor and the Pope had many clashes over power. This eventually lead to the Kings of France getting fed up with the Popes wanting so much power, that the French Pope at the time decided to move to Avignon.
The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories that lasted from 962 1806. It did not actually include Rome for most of its time, and it was not religious, but it was widespread; it included most of Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, northern Italy, Poland, France, etc. It was divided into hundreds of individual areas, ruled by Kings, Dukes, Bishops, Princes, etc. At no time could the Emperor simply issue decrees and govern autonomously over the Empire. His power was severely restricted by the various local leaders. They mostly called it the Holy Roman Empire to assert their equality with the Popes, to make sure everyone knew they were on par (even if they weren't). THE BLACK DEATH
The Germans set up the Hanseatic League, a trading federation of towns (including Bruges, Bergen, and London) that linked Europe with the far East. This was profitable for the cities involved, but all of this contact with far-off lands (especially with Mongols from China) resulted in the Bubonic Plague, The Black Death, being carried into Europe. It probably came via the Silk Route (possibly the fault of Marko Polo). Another hypothesis is that during a siege in Crimea, Mongols (who were already suffering from the disease) started to throw the infected corpses over their city walls at the European invaders (the Genoese), who fled too late. It was carried around by rats who roamed the streets, and came off cargo ships. The persecution of cats in those years (due to their association with satanism and witches) is often overlooked as a contributor to the spread of the disease, because it allowed the rats to flourish.
The Black Death was the greatest disaster in European history, and caused around 50 million deaths from 1347-1350 (between a third and half of the population of Europe, worst in Italy and Spain and only around 20% of the pop in Germany). In crowded cities, like Paris or Vienna, it was common for 50% of the population to die. Doctors had no idea how to deal with it, thought that it was something in the air, some even blamed it on the Jews which resulted in attacks on Jewish communities (because they figured only God's wrath could produce such horrifying results).
Despite all of the tragedy, the Black Death actually caused working and living conditions to get better for the people who survived; they had more work opportunities, more money, and the Renaissance stemmed from this renewed zest for life.
Milan was one city that was able to escape the Plague; once it infected the first three people in the city, they were walled up in their house and left to die (a harsh, but successful, solution). And strangely enough the port city of Bruges was spared the extremes that other cities on the trade routes suffered, possibly due to a recent drop-off in trade activity resulting from the early stage of the Hundred Years War.
It was in Spain that the only ruling monarch to die of the disease met his end. The advisors of King Alfonse XI of Castile begged him to isolate himself, but he refused to leave his troops.
Also, some studies suggests that as Europeans evolved after surviving the Black Death, 10% of them grew immunity to certain types of disease (including HIV). There were other outbreaks of the disease in subsequent years; the latest cases of Plague were confirmed in 1995 in the US.
THE REFORMATION
The Germans set up the Hanseatic League, a trading federation of towns (including Bruges, Bergen, and London) that linked Europe with the far East. This was profitable for the cities involved, but all of this contact with far-off lands (especially with Mongols from China) resulted in the Bubonic Plague, The Black Death, being carried into Europe. It probably came via the Silk Route (possibly the fault of Marko Polo). Another hypothesis is that during a siege in Crimea, Mongols (who were already suffering from the disease) started to throw the infected corpses over their city walls at the European invaders (the Genoese), who fled too late. It was carried around by rats who roamed the streets, and came off cargo ships. The persecution of cats in those years (due to their association with satanism and witches) is often overlooked as a contributor to the spread of the disease, because it allowed the rats to flourish.
The Black Death was the greatest disaster in European history, and caused around 50 million deaths from 1347-1350 (between a third and half of the population of Europe, worst in Italy and Spain and only around 20% of the pop in Germany). In crowded cities, like Paris or Vienna, it was common for 50% of the population to die. Doctors had no idea how to deal with it, thought that it was something in the air, some even blamed it on the Jews which resulted in attacks on Jewish communities (because they figured only God's wrath could produce such horrifying results).
Despite all of the tragedy, the Black Death actually caused working and living conditions to get better for the people who survived; they had more work opportunities, more money, and the Renaissance stemmed from this renewed zest for life.
Milan was one city that was able to escape the Plague; once it infected the first three people in the city, they were walled up in their house and left to die (a harsh, but successful, solution). And strangely enough the port city of Bruges was spared the extremes that other cities on the trade routes suffered, possibly due to a recent drop-off in trade activity resulting from the early stage of the Hundred Years War.
It was in Spain that the only ruling monarch to die of the disease met his end. The advisors of King Alfonse XI of Castile begged him to isolate himself, but he refused to leave his troops.
Also, some studies suggests that as Europeans evolved after surviving the Black Death, 10% of them grew immunity to certain types of disease (including HIV). There were other outbreaks of the disease in subsequent years; the latest cases of Plague were confirmed in 1995 in the US.
THE REFORMATION
In 1517, Martin Luther, a German Monk and theology teacher, was fed up with Catholics trying to bribe people to pay them in order to get into Heaven (among other things, they were selling indulgences, basically passes into Heaven). Luther wrote a set of 95 theses, speaking out against these teachings, and it was posted on the door of the university of Wittenberg church where he taught.
His colleagues and students rallied to his side. One of his colleagues wrote to the Pope, and Luther was excommunicated, but it was too late to stop him. His local prince, Frederick the Wise, had a word with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V (who he’d just helped to elect). They met at the Diet of Worms (a meeting of the Holy Roman Empire), where Luther presented his findings. Charles didn’t agree with him, and basically gave the whole of Germany permission to hunt him down. Luther went into exile, where he rewrote the New Testament and a series of pamphlets, with the following beliefs:
-The Pope has no authority over the Church
-You don’t need sacraments, because only God - not priests - can forgive sins
-You don’t need priests
Luther’s followers protested against his exile (hence became known as Protestants). Thanks to the Printing Press (which was invented in 1450 by Johannes Gutenberg - incidentally, a German), Luther’s ideas spread around Europe and influenced other countries, such as England, where King Henry VIII particularly took it onboard because it quite suited his own needs.
John Calvin, a Frenchman living in Switzerland, later took over as the biggest Protestant Reformer
COMMUNISM
Karl Marx was a German intellectual who studied why rich people were rich and poor people were poor. He was surrounded by the 19th century Industrial Revolution, lived in Dickensian England where there were slums and extreme divisions between rich and poor. He came to the conclusion that the working classes remained poor because they worked hard for factory owners who made all the money. He thought the working classes should rise up and work for themselves, sharing profits equally. This idea was called Communism, and he hoped it would start a workers' revolution. Communism started in Russia (under Lenin), when all industry, banking and business was taken out of private hands and private property abolished. It spread through the Eastern European countries.
WORLD WARS
After WWII, Germany was occupied by the Allied powers of the US, UK, France and the Soviet Union in 1945. Two separate German states were formed in 1949 - West Germany (which involved itself in Western organizations, such as the European Coal and Steal Community and NATO); and Communist East Germany, which joined the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The two halves weren’t re-united until 1990, after the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War.
EUROPEAN UNION
The EU was conceived in order to avoid the nationalist tendencies that had culminated in the World Wars. In 1950, the European Coal and Steel Community began to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace. The six founders were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The EU now comprises 27 countries.
Well-Known Companies: 37 of the Fortune 500 Companies are headquartered in Germany; Daimler, Volkswagon, Allianz, Deutsche Bank, Mercedes, BMW, Adidas, Nivea
-Germany has the largest economy in Europe, the world’s fifth-largest economy.
-Germany is the largest exporter and the second-largest importer of goods
GERMAN CARS
AUTOBAHN
German highway, where the advised speed is 130km/h but there is no official speed limit. Construction began in the 1930s, was halted during WWII (stretches that had already been built were used as runways for bomber planes). Today, the autobahn stretches 12,000 km, the third-longest highway in the world after the U.S. and China. The Autobahn is not a complete free-for-all: there are certain restrictions placed on overtaking, etc, and speed restrictions in certain areas.
GERMAN FOOD
Sauerkraut, bratwurst, dumplings, black-forest cake, bread (German bakeries produce about 6,000 types of breads, like rye bread, pumpernickel, pumpkin or sunflower seed, wheat) and approximately 1,200 different types of pastry
GERMAN BEER
German beer consumption per person is declining but—at 116 litres annually—it is still among the highest in the world.
When it comes to German beer, it’s more about quantity than quality. With 1300 around the country, including the world’s oldest, Germany is second only to the U.S. in number of breweries, despite having just a quarter of their population. Germans trail the Czechs and Irish for most beer-drinkers per capita, but they make up for it during Oktoberfest, when nearly 7 million litres are consumed in 16 days. Thankfully for those taking part in all that guzzling, German beer itself is no slouch. Since 1516, the Germans have adhered to the Reinheitsgebot, the German Purity Law, which states that beer can only be made with water, hops, yeast and barley. The law, which originated in Bavaria and applies to all 5000 varieties of beer brewed around the country, goes a long way towards keeping beer clean and preventing hangovers; in a country that downs their beer by the stein-full, you’ll need all the help you can get!
LAND OF IDEAS:
Germany calls itself the Land of Ideas: Albert Einstein; the inventor of X-Rays, Immanuel Kant, Hegel, Marx and Engel’s Communist theory; Nietzsche, Heidegger, Schopenhauer; composers Beethoven, Bach, Wagner and Brahms.
OTHER FAMOUS GERMANS-Rammstein; The Scorpions
-The current Pope, Benedict XVI, was born in Bavaria
-The Brothers Grimm and Goethe are German
-Marlene Dietrich, Claudia Schiffer
-Ampelman
With more than 6.3 million official members, the German Football Association is the largest sports organisation of its kind worldwide, and has won the World Cup several times (and hosted the last one).
Germany is one of the leading motorsports countries in the world. Many race winning cars, teams and drivers have come from Germany. The most successful Formula One driver in history, Michael Schumacher has won more championships and races than any other driver since Formula One's debut season in 1946. He is one of the highest paid sportsmen in history. Constructors like BMW and Mercedes are among the leading teams in motorsport sponsorship.
Germany ranks third in overall Olympic medals
Since the 2006 World Cup celebrations the internal and external perception of Germany's national image has changed; the BBC revealed that Germany is recognized for the most positive influence in the world in 2009, leading 16 investigated countries. A majority of 61% have a positive view of the country, while 15% have a negative view.
TRIVIA:
-It is criminally illegal in Germany to deny the holocaust (it illegal in many other European countries too) - a person can be jailed - and there have been around 10 such cases, right up to 2009 - for holocaust denial. It is also illegal to use hateful symbols, such as the Swastika.
-More than 400 registered zoos and animal parks operate in Germany, which is believed to be the largest number in any single country of the world. The Zoologischer Garten Berlin is the oldest zoo in Germany and presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world
-Germany is the third-largest producer of books worldwide (the Frankfurt Book Fair dates back 500 years and is considered the most important book fair in the world)
-Germany is a legally and socially tolerant country towards homosexuals; the mayors of the two largest German cities, Berlin and Hamburg, are openly gay
LANGUAGE
Hello: Hallo
Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen
Please: Bitte
Thank You: Danke
Excuse Me/Sorry: Entschuldigung Me
Yes: Ja
No: Nein
Do you speak English?: Sprechen Sie Englisch
Where is?: Wo? ist
How much? Wieviel?
One: Ein
Two: Zwei
Three: Drei
Four: Vier
Five: Funf
Water: Wasser
Beer: Bier
Wine: Wein
Cheers!: Beifall! Prost!
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