Modern Life

Germany – a country at the heart of Europe, which was reinvented in 1945 and redefined in 1990 with the unification of the two German states, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. A country which stands for economic might, for cars and beer, for poets and philosophers, for composers and designers, for book fairs and the Oktoberfest, but also for the perpetual search for its own identity. Germany – a country full of contrasts, between the Alps and the sea, between the former Eastern bloc and the Atlantic Alliance, between the Oder and the Rhine.

Extending 876 km at most from north to south and 640 km from west to east, Germany is not especially large in terms of area – and that means that the contrasts are never far apart: pulsating cities and rural idylls, 1000-year-old monuments and high-tech industries, lowlands and mountains, culture and commerce, science and folklore.

Facts and figures (2003): Population: 82.5 million (12th in the world) Area: 357,023 km² (61st) Population density: 231 inhabitants per km² Urban population: 88 % Major cities (in order of population size): Berlin: 3,392,425 Hamburg: 1,728,806 Munich: 1,227,958 Cologne: 967,940 Frankfurt: 641,076 Essen: 591,889 Dortmund: 589,240

Germany’s geographical and political structure

Geographically, Germany is divided into three regions: the North German plain (from the North and Baltic Sea coast to the edge of the southern uplands); the uplands (from the Harz Mountains to the Danube); and the high Alpine mountains and their foothills (south of the Danube and extending along the border with Switzerland and Austria).

Politically, Germany is divided into sixteen federal states (Bundesländer). The federal states are endowed with their own powers and spheres of responsibility. The federation is responsible for matters which must be regulated on a uniform basis in the public interest – such as foreign affairs and defence.

Germany and its influences

17.9 million people visit Germany every year. Mostly, it is personal preference which determines the destination of their voyage of discovery: museums and theatres, churches, castles and palaces, the chance to follow in the footsteps of poets, musicians and artists, festivals and events, or German cuisine, wine or beer. You will discover a colourful blend of highly diverse influences, with customs, languages, architecture and ways of life even varying from village to village.

Even today, the traces of Europe’s historical development since its conquest by the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar (54 B.C.) and the empire of Charlemagne (ca. 800 A.D.) can still be discerned. In the west of Germany in particular, the influence of the Roman conquests is still clearly visible – as in Trier, Germany’s oldest city, where visitors can still admire the 2000-year-old remains of Roman architecture. The annual Carnival in the Rhineland can also be traced back to the Roman influence.

The shifts in Europe’s borders, migrations and even local developments have influenced the land and people of today’s Federal Republic in many different ways over the centuries.

Alongside German, which is the official language, numerous dialects are spoken in Germany’s regions. There are also three languages which have major regional significance and are taught in schools: Danish, Frisian and Sorbian. In the north of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein is home to a Danish minority which continues to cultivate its language and culture. Along the North Sea coast and into The Netherlands, Frisian is spoken, while Sorbian thrives in the Lausitz (Lusatia) region in very east of Germany. The Sorbs – a Slavic minority – settled around Bautzen (Budysin) in the 7th century and maintain their own culture even today.

There has been always been a strong multicultural influence in the North German cities of Lübeck, Hamburg, Wismar and Rostock too. In 1161, they formed the Hanseatic League – a commercial association for trade which, at its peak, had as many as 200 European member towns. The Hanseatic cities exerted a great influence over Europe’s development for some 500 years.

So there is nowhere in Germany that can really be described as “typically German”. Every region, city and municipality has its own unique profile, and it is this diversity which appeals to visitors embarking on a voyage of discovery.

A short tour of some German cities

Our journey begins in North Germany – in Schwerin, the city of lakes. Lakes cover a quarter of the area of the capital city of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The city, which has a population of just over 100,000, is surrounded by seven large and small lakes, some of which extend into the city itself. Even the famous Schwerin Castle with its glittering golden towers stands on an island in Lake Schwerin. From the Old Garden (Alter Garten), one of the most beautiful spots in Germany, you can enjoy the stunning view of the government buildings, Mecklenburg State Theatre, the Art Gallery of the State Museum, and of course the lake with its island and castle.

Our journey then takes us to the city state of Bremen, the smallest of Germany’s sixteen Länder. Here, it is the local tradition of building in brick which lends this Free Hanseatic City on the Weser its distinctive charm. Bremen is Germany’s second port after Hamburg, as well as its “coffee capital”: Bremen's coffee roasters process the beans for one in every two cups of coffee drunk each day in Germany. Since the closure of the AG Weser and Bremer Vulkan shipyards, Bremen has succeeded in attracting new industries, and is now a key player in the aerospace sector.

Our route continues to Wolfsburg, a city designed by the National Socialists as an automobile production centre – but the Second World War left their model city in ruins. Instead, the success achieved by the Volkwagen factory after the war – especially with the production of the VW Beetle – made Wolfsburg a by-word for Germany’s economic miracle in the 1950s and 1960s. Wolfsburg is still the headquarters of Volkswagen AG. The Group’s new Autostadt theme park is a centre of excellence and adventure which focusses on cars and mobility, with a 25-hectare site with parks and lakes where visitors can embark on a thrilling voyage of discovery. Of course, the Volkswagen AutoMuseum is located in Wolfsburg too. Its 1140 exhibits – from vintage cars to prototypes – appeal especially to auto-enthusiasts.

Our next stop is in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt’s third city where in the 18th century, Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz, having assimilated the ideas of English rationalism, created a harmonious composition of parks, palaces and gardens, now known as Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom. An outstanding example of landscaping in the English style, the gardens were probably the first of their kind to be created on the European continent, and were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2001. Dessau gained a worldwide reputation after the relocation of the Bauhaus – the world-famous University of Art and Architecture – to the city in 1925, and has had a lasting impact on architecture, art and design. The World Heritage List of pioneering architectural achievements in the 20th century also includes the Bauhaus building in Dessau (based on designs by Walter Gropius) and the Masters’ Houses.

The next stop on our tour is the Ruhr, Germany’s largest industrial conurbation and one of Europe’s most densely populated regions. Some 5.4 million people live here in 25 cities which merge into each other seamlessly. One of these cities is Essen, Germany’s sixth city in terms of its population size. Once Europe’s largest mining town, visitors to Essen can now follow the structural changes the Ruhr is undergoing today. What was once a coal-mining centre is now a centre for art and design. A case in point is the Zollverein colliery in Essen – an example of Bauhaus architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site – which now houses the Choreographic Centre and the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre.

Our journey continues eastwards towards Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. The city – with a population of 200 000 – once attracted many eminent visitors, among them Bach, Goethe and Schiller. Martin Luther studied at the University, which was founded in the 14th century. Today, Erfurt’s well-preserved medieval city centre, with its beautiful half-timbered and Baroque buildings, is a great attraction for visitors. Erfurt’s emblem depicts St. Mary's Cathedral and the Church of St. Severus, an ecclesiastical Gothic ensemble which towers majestically above the city and is unique in Europe. The stone-built Krämer Bridge, erected in 1325, is Erfurt’s most interesting secular construction. It was once traversed by the major trade route, the Via regia. The bridge is inhabited, with houses spanning the full length of the bridge, and is the only one of its kind north of the Alps.

Our next destination, Darmstadt, lies at the heart of the Rhine-Main region at the gateway to the Odenwald. In 1997, this city in Hesse was formally awarded the title “City of Science” in recognition of its national and international significance in the field of science and research. The city has the innovative achievements of the Technical University and two institutes of higher education, as well as the academic reputation of numerous public and private research institutes, to thank for this honour. But Darmstadt has even more to offer – including a district full of architectural delights from the Art Nouveau period. At Mathildenhöhe, it becomes apparent to visitors that Darmstadt was once a major centre for art nouveau. The artists’ colony which was founded and supported by Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse in 1899 around the Viennese architect Joseph Maria Olbrich had as many as 23 members.

We now journey south-westwards towards the triangle bounded by France, Switzerland and Germany. Here, we visit Freiburg, the “eco-capital” of Germany. The only city in Germany whose lord mayor is a member of the ecological party Alliance 90/The Greens, Freiburg has established a reputation as Germany’s “greenest” city, with numerous environmental organisations (such as the Eco-Institute and the European Secretariat of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) based here. This Black Forest metropolis is also the sunniest city in Germany – so it is no surprise that the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) have their headquarters here. Even the floodlights at SC Freiburg’s football stadium are powered by solar energy.

From the south-west, we continue our ourney to the south-east tip of Germany. Here, in the triangle bounded by the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany, lies Passau, the final destination on our tour. Passau’s emblem is its cathedral with its Baroque towers and the largest church organ in the world. The cathedral was built in 1680 after fire swept the city. It was this “baptism of fire” which gave the city its Mediterranean élan and its nickname, the “Bavarian Venice”, for after the disaster, the prince-bishops commissioned Italian artists and architects to rebuild the city. Conveniently located at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers, Passau was an important trading centre in the Middle Ages, but the Iron Curtain cruelly ended Passau’s cosmopolitan existence. With the forthcoming enlargement of the EU, however, Passau’s position at the heart of Europe will be restored. The close cultural links in this Bavarian, Austrian and Bohemian triangle are reinforced by Passau’s annual festival, the European Weeks.

The sixteen federal states: Baden-Württemberg (capital: Stuttgart) – http://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de Population: 10,661,000, area: 35,751.64 km² Bavaria (Munich) – http://www.bayern.de Population: 12,387,000, area: 70,549.32 km² Berlin (city state) – http://www.berlin.de Population: 3,392,000, area: 891.75 km² Brandenburg (Potsdam) – http://www.brandenburg.de/ Population: 2,582,000, area: 29,476.67 km² Bremen (city state) – http://www.bremen.de/ Population: 662,000, area: 404.28 km² Hamburg (city state) – http://www.hamburg.de/ Population: 1,729,000, area: 755.26 km² Hesse (Wiesbaden) – http://www.hessen.de/ Population: 6,092,000, area: 21,114.88 km² Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Schwerin) – http://www.m-v.de/ Population: 1,745,000, area: 23,173.46 km² Lower Saxony (Hanover) – http://www.niedersachsen.de/ Population: 7,980,000, area: 47,617.97 km² North Rhine-Westphalia (Düsseldorf) – http://www.nrw.de/ Population: 18,076,000, area: 34,082.76 km² Rhineland-Palatinate (Mainz) – http://www.rheinland-pfalz.de/ Population: 4.058.000, area: 19,846.91 km² Saarland (Saarbrücken) – http://www.saarland.de/ Population: 1,065,000, area: 2,568.53 km² Saxony (Dresden) – http://www.sachsen.de/ Population: 4,349,000, area: 18,413.29 km² Saxony-Anhalt (Magdeburg) – http://www.sachsen-anhalt.de/ Population: 2,549,000, area: 20,444.72 km² Schleswig-Holstein (Kiel) – http://www.schleswig-holstein.de/ Population: 2,817,000, area: 15,762.90 km² Thuringia (Erfurt) – http://www.thueringen.de/ Population: 2,392,000, area: 16,172.21 km²