GERMAN

German is one of around 15 Germanic languages, a branch of the Indo-Germanic family of languages. It is the most frequently spoken mother tongue in the European Union (EU) and one of the ten most widely spoken languages in the world: Around 120 million people speak German as their mother tongue. After English German comes second in terms of foreign languages in Europe. There are currently some 17 million people worldwide learning German as a foreign language at institutions and schools. The teaching of the German language abroad is promoted by the Federal Foreign Office and entrusted to organizations: The Goethe Institute offers German language courses in 127 cities in 80 countries. 440 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) lecturers work on behalf of the DAAD at universities in 102 countries. The Zentralstelle fr das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) manages 135 German schools outside the country, as well as some 1,900 German staff teaching abroad. "Schulen: Partner der Zukunft" (Schools: Partners for the Future), a Federal Foreign Office Initiative aims to establish German as a foreign language more strongly abroad. The goal is for a network of 1,500 partner schools.

SPORTS

Twenty-seven million Germans are members of a sports club and an additional twelve million pursue sports individually. Association football is the most popular sport. With more than 6.3 million official members, the German Football Association (Deutscher Fuball-Bund) is the largest sports organisation of its kind worldwide. The Bundesliga attracts the second highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world. The German national football team won the FIFA World Cup in 1954, 1974 and 1990 and the UEFA European Football Championship in 1972, 1980 and 1996. Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup in

1974 and 2006 and the UEFA European Football Championship in 1988. Among the most wellknown footballers are Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mller, Jrgen Klinsmann, Lothar Matthus, and Oliver Kahn. Other popular spectator sports include handball, volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, and tennis. Germany is one of the leading motor sports countries in the world. Constructors like BMW and Mercedes are prominent manufacturers in motor sport. Additionally, Porsche has won the24 Hours of Le Mans, an annual endurance race held in France, 16 times, and Audi has won it 9 times. Formula One driver Michael Schumacher has set many motor sport records during his career, having won more Formula One World Drivers' Championships and more Formula One races than any other driver; he is one of the highest paid sportsmen in history.

GERMAN CARS

Audi (1909-1939; 1965-present)- It has been more than 100 years since its upbringing

and Audi cars continue to dazzle the public with its innovative and flashy style. On November 14, 1899 August Horch established the company in the district of Cologne.

BMW (1916-present) - There are a number of acronyms that stick out in peoples minds, and BMW is the most recognizable in the car industry. Although the designs and models of cars built in the last two decades have created the ideal image for BMW, the history dating 90+ years ago set up the tone for today with numerous marquee vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz (1926-present) - When you think of automobiles and luxury, you think

of Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes- Benz has had an impact on every era in automotive history with its constant modernity and impeccable innovativeness. Over the past 120 years, Mercedes-Benz has presented the public with some of the finest.

Opel (1898-present) - It has been this style of business that as kept Opel and GM going

over the past several years. The need to meet their consumers desires and satisfy them has helped them produce quality vehicles and stay ahead of their competitors from the beginning to modern day.

Porsche (1931-present) With almost 60 years of production, Porsche continues to awe the public with remarkable class

and style and incredible features. It is certainly a car that you have to fork over some money for, but every model is worth every little penny.

Volkswagen (1937-present) In a time when people didnt have the most money to spend, cars were being offered at outrageous prices. Many car manufacturers wanted to offer reasonable priced cars, but found themselves increasing the price to make up for losses.

Then came Volkswagen, who offered simple cars at affordable prices.

CULTURE

Ludwig van Beethoven(17701827), composer From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Historically Germany has been called Das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers). The federated states are in charge of the cultural institutions. There are 240 subsidised theatres, hundreds of symphonic orchestras, thousands of museums and over 25,000 libraries spread in Germany. These cultural opportunities are enjoyed by many: there are over 91 million German museum visits every year; annually, 20 million go to theatres and operas; 3.6 million per year listen to the symphonic orchestras. The UNESCO inscribed 33 properties in Germany on the World Heritage List. Germany has established a high level of gender equality, promotes disability rights, and is legally and socially tolerant towards homosexuals. Gays and lesbians can legally adopt their partner's biological children, and civil unions have been permitted since 2001. Arts Numerous German painters have enjoyed international prestige through their work in diverse artistic styles. Hans Holbein the Younger, Matthias Grnewald, and Albrecht Drer were important artists of the Renaissance, Caspar David Friedrich of Romanticism, and Max Ernst of Surrealism. Architectural contributions from Germany include the Carolingian andOttonian styles, which were precursors of Romanesque. German music includes works by some of the world's most well-known classical music composers, including Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, andRichard Wagner. As of 2008, Germany is the fourth largest music market in the world and has influenced popular music through artists such as Kraftwerk, Boney M., Nico, Nina Hagen,Scorpions, Toten Hosen, Tokio Hotel, Rammstein and Paul van Dyk. Music

Germanys reputation as an important musical nation is still based on names like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel and Richard Strauss. Students from around the world flock to its music academies, music lovers attend the festivals from the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth to the Donaueschingen Festival of Contemporary Music. There are 80 publicly financed concert halls in Germany, the most important being in Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden and Munich as well as Frankfurt/Main, Stuttgart, and Leipzig. The Berlin Philharmonic, under the star British conductor Sir Simon Rattle, is considered to be the best of around 130 symphony orchestras in Germany. Literature and philosophy German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the works of writers such as Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach. Well-known German authors include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. The collections of folk tales published by the Brothers Grimm popularised German folklore on an international level. Influential authors of the 20th century include Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Bll, and Gnter Grass. German philosophy is historically significant. Gottfried Leibniz's contributions to rationalism; the establishment of classical German idealism by Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte,Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling; Arthur Schopenhauer's composition of metaphysical pessimism; the formulation of communist theory by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels; Friedrich Nietzsche's development of perspectivism; Gottlob Frege's contributions to the dawn of analytic philosophy; Martin Heidegger's works on Being; and the development of the Frankfurt school by Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse and Jrgen Habermas have been particularly influential. In the 21st century Germany has contributed to the development of contemporary analytic philosophy in continental Europe, along with France, Austria, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries.

EATABLES

A Schwarzwlder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake) German cuisine varies from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia, for instance, share a culinary culture with Switzerland and Austria. In all regions, meat is often eaten in sausage form. Organic food has gained a market share of around 2 percent, and is expected to

increase further. Although wine is becoming more popular in many parts of Germany, the national alcoholic drink is beer.

Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. It has a population of 3.4 million people, and is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of theBerlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, comprising 4,4 million people from over 190 nations. Geographically embedded in theEuropean Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's territory is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was successively the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (17011918), the German Empire (18711918), the Weimar Republic (19191933) and the Third Reich (19331945). Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world. After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (19611989). Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany hosting 147 foreign embassies.

Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, congress and convention venues. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the EU. Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, optoelectronics, traffic engineering, and renewable energy.

The metropolis is home to renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. The urban and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for international film productions. The city is recognized for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, public transportation networks and a high quality of living. Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist.

Inside the glass dome of the Reichstag.

PLACES
Germany has numerous cities of interest to tourists; these are nine of the most famous travel destinations. Berlin the reunified and reinvigorated capital of Germany; known for its division during the Cold War, the Berlin Wall. Today a metropolis of diversity with elegant clubs, shops galleries and restaurants.

Brandenburg gate in Berlin.

Hamburg Germany's second-largest city, famous for its harbour as well as its liberal and tolerant culture. Don't miss the Reeperbahn with its night clubs and casinos Munich (Mnchen) Bavaria's beautiful capital city, the site of the famous Oktoberfest and the gateway to the Alps. Cologne (Kln) this city was founded by the Romans 2000 years ago with its huge cathedral, Romanesque churches, and archaeological sites

Dresden Once called 'Florence on the Elbe', world-famous for its Frauenkirche and historic center that was destroyed during the war.

Semperoper in Dresden.

Dsseldorf Germany's capital of fashion that also offers a wide scale of fascinating new architecture. The "Altstadt" and the "Medienhafen" have a vibrant nightlife Frankfurt Germany's metropolis with a magnificent skyline due to its role as leading financial center, transportation hub and the seat of the European Central Bank (ECB). It is also known for its multicultural population, world-class museums and theaters Bremen one of the most important cities in northern Germany, its old town will be of interest to travellers who want a slice of history Nuremberg (Nrnberg) its old town has been reconstructed, including the Gothic Kaiserburg Castle, and you can visit the. You can also visit the Nazi party rally grounds, the Documentation Centre and Courtroom 600 (the venue of the Nuremberg Trials)

Nuremberg old town, view from west