Story-book charm, cultural clout and a whole lot of gravitas.
Germany's hill-and-trough history kicked in early: from the time that everyone's favourite fossils, the Neanderthals, left their jaw-jutting remains in the Neander Valley near Düsseldorf, this joint has been in the thick of it. All of Europe's great empires got their paws into Germany, but none was ever able to count all its inhabitants as faithful subjects. Different pockets of fierce resistance met the Roman legions (50 BC to the 5th century AD), the Frankish conqueror, Charlemagne (up to the early 9th century), and Otto the Great's Holy Roman Empire (from late in the 10th century). By the time the house of Habsburg, ruling from Vienna, took control in the 13th century it was little more than a conglomerate of German-speaking states run by parochial princes.
The Habsburgs muddled on until the devastating Thirty Years War (1618-48), sparked by ongoing religious and nationalist conflicts. Europe had been simmering ever since 1517 when Martin Luther tacked 95 suggestions for improved service to his local church door in Wittenberg. It took a bloody good stoush to settle everyone down and secure the rights of both Protestants and Catholics. Germany lost a third of its population in the process. Local princes assumed complete sovereignty over a patchwork of some 300 states, which made it all too easy for Napoleon to come along in the early 19th century and start adding them to his scrapbook. The French never quite managed to subdue Prussia, which became the centre of German resistance. It was Prussia that led the 1813 war that put an end to Napoleon's German aspirations in a decisive battle at Leipzig. In 1866 Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of Prussia, annexed most of Germany, consolidating his position as the biggest wig in Europe with a resounding victory over France in 1871. The Prussian king, Wilhelm I, was instated as Kaiser and a united Germany hit the world stage for the first time.
Wilhelm II dismissed Bismarck in 1890, lingered long enough to lead Germany into WWI, then snuck off to Holland in 1918 when he realised the war wasn't going to end in a ticker-tape parade. Germany struggled with civil unrest and a disastrous peace, uniting only in dislike of the reigning Weimar Republic. Then came Adolf Hitler, an Austrian drifter and German army veteran who was able to turn general disaffection into a focused lunacy. In 1933 his National Socialist German Worker's (or Nazi) Party assumed brutal and absolute authority over Germany. Extravagant military spending and blasé border bending gave way to outright aggression, WWII, and the unrivalled horror of the Holocaust. Even the Germans were surprised by the success of their initial invasions, but by 1943 a litany of heavy losses set the tone for the sluggish march to 1945's unconditional surrender.
Postwar Germany, its cities largely rubble, was divided up between the Allies, with Britain, France and the USA consolidating the western portion into the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Soviet zone transmogrifying into the communist German Democratic Republic. This formula for division was repeated in Berlin. West Germany received massive injections of US capital, attracting many workers from the miserable economic conditions in the East until some bright Communist spark had the idea of building a wall around West Berlin and sealing the rest of the border. The Cold War's icy eye focused on Berlin. Over the next 25 years West Germany became one of the world's most prosperous nations while its communist Siamese sibling suffered. The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe has no more potent symbol than the opening of the Berlin frontier in 1989 - one of world history's better parties.
Helmut Kohl's era as chancellor, marked by the reunification of Germany, came to an end in 1998 when a 'red-green' coalition of Social Democrats and Greens took office under Gerhard Schroeder. In 2005 Angela Merkel, a Christian Democrat at the head of a 'grand coalition' with the Social Democrats, became the first woman, the first East German and the first scientist to serve as chancellor.
Although the euphoria of reunification has subsided and there is some resentment and disaffection from both sides, Germany is working towards true unity in typically sedulous fashion. In the 1900s Germany absorbed the majority of refugees from the former Yugoslavia, and these and other immigrants have recently been the targets of racist attacks. However, the extreme right wing, although insidious and occasionally violent, is politically weak. Germany suffers from high unemployment, structural problems in the economy and fierce competition in world markets but at least so far social dislocation has been minimal. In recent years, the economic and social integration of Germany's large Turkish minority has been the subject of public debate.
For most Germans the highlight of 2006 was the FIFA Football World Cup held throughout the country, with the final (won by Italy's Azzurri)held in Berlin. Although the home side failed to win the trophy the event was hugely successful and almost totally trouble-free.
The lowlands in the north of Germany stretch from the Netherlands eastward to Poland, touching southern Denmark midway up the peninsula that separates the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. The industrialised central belt cinches Belgium and Luxembourg to the Czech Republic's western prong. The Rhine and Main Rivers, long crucial for inland shipping, power through the troughs and gorges which cut through the Central Uplands. To the south, the Danube River drains the Bavarian highlands from the Black Forest, near the French and Swiss borders, to Munich. The southern reaches of the Bavarian Alps give way to Austria.
| Area Sq Km | 357,021 |
| Population | 82,398,000 |
With reunification, eastern Germany's original (pre-1952) states (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia) were reestablished. These are often called neue Bundesländer(new states). Berlin became a separate city-state. The alte Bundesländer(old states), established in the late 1940s, are Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, the Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.
German forests - studded with beech, oak, birch, chestnut (mostly the nonedible horse-chestnut variety), lime, maple and ash trees - are beautiful places to escape the madding crowds and relax. Mixed deciduous forest carpets river valleys at lower altitudes, and coniferous species grow thicker as you ascend. Waldfrüchte (berries) are particularly colourful and, in some cases, poisonous. The same applies to mushrooms, which are essential for the development of healthy root systems in trees, especially in deciduous forests. Chanterelle ( Pfifferlinge) mushrooms are one of the seasonal culinary delights.
Alpine regions burst with wildflowers - orchids, cyclamen, gentians, pulsatilla, alpine roses, edelweiss and buttercups. Meadow species colour spring and summer, and great care is taken these days not to cut pastures until plants have seeded. Visitors should stick to paths, especially in alpine areas and coastal dunes where ecosystems are fragile. In late August, heather blossom is the particular lure of Lüneburg Heath, northeast of Hanover.
The pesky but sociable racoon, a common non-native, scoots about eastern Germany, and soon lets hikers know if it has been disturbed with its shrill whistle-like sound. Beavers can be found beavering around wetlands near the Elbe River.
In the Alps, the alpine marmot inhabits the area below the tree line, while the wild goat lives in the area above. The snow hare, whose fur is white in winter, is fairly common in this neck of the woods, as is the chamois, which also populates pockets of the Black Forest, the Swabian Alps and Elbsandsteingebirge (south of Dresden). A rare but wonderful Alpine treat for birdwatchers with patience is the sighting of a golden eagle - Berchtesgaden National Park staff might be able to help you spot one. The jay, with its darting flight patterns and calls imitating other species, is easy to sight in the foothills; look for flashes of blue on its wings.
Lynx died out in Germany in the 19th century. They were reintroduced in the 1980s, only to be illegally hunted to extinction again. Today, a few populate the Bavarian Forest national park, although chances of seeing one in the wild are virtually zero. They have also been sighted in upland regions of eastern Germany. The wild cat, another indigenous feline, has returned to forest regions, including the Harz Mountains. Wild cats often breed with domestic cats, making it hard for the untrained eye to distinguish between the two. In 2006 a brown bear wandered into Bavaria from Austria, creating a media sensation. Although he was the first member of his species to be seen on German soil since the 1830s, officials deemed him a risk to public safety and he was shot.
Seals on the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts are common, especially on sandbanks in northern Germany's Wattenmeer. The Wattenmeer also lures migratory birdlife, particularly from March to May and from August to October when several species stopover to feed on the region's rich marine life. Summertime sandpipers can be identified by their rust-brown back and dark stripes on a white breast, while the shelduck has a green head, a broad white stripe around the neck and a red beak. Marsh geese and eider are other frequent visitors.
Sea eagles, practically extinct in western Germany, are becoming more plentiful in eastern Germany, as are falcons, white storks and cranes. The east of the country also sees wolves, which regularly cross the Oder River from Poland, and European moose, which occasionally appear on moors and in mixed forests. Forests everywhere provide a habitat for a wide variety of songbirds, as well as woodpeckers.
Predominantly Caucasian, with a significant Turkish minority. Germany has also absorbed many refugees from the former Yugoslavia.
34% Protestant, 34% Catholic, 4% Muslim, 28% unaffiliated or other. There are at least 105,000 Jews, most of them post-1990 immigrants from the former Soviet Union (the pre-Holocaust figure was over half a million).
Overall, Germany caters well for the needs of people with disabilities ( Behinderte), especially people who use wheelchairs. You'll find access ramps and/or lifts in many public buildings, including train stations, museums, theatres and cinemas. Newer hotels have rooms for mobility-impaired guests with extra-wide doors and spacious bathrooms. However, other disabilities (such as blindness or deafness) are not as well catered for, and German organisations representing people with disabilities continue to lobby for improvements.
The web page of the German National Tourism Office (www.germany-tourism.de) has an entire section dedicated to information about vacationing in Germany with a disability (under Travel Tips) with helpful links. Many local and regional tourism offices also have special brochures for people with disabilities. The Deutsche Bahn operates a Mobility Service Centre (tel 01805-512 512) whose operators can answer questions about station and train access, and can help you plan a route requiring minimal train changes. With one day's notice, they can also arrange for someone to meet you at the station and assist you in any way necessary. Generally, all ICE trains and most IC/EC, IR and S-Bahn trains can accommodate people in wheelchairs. Guide dogs are allowed on all trains. In cities, U-Bahns and buses are becoming increasingly wheelchair-friendly as well.
In Germany, discounts for children and families are widely available for everything from museum admissions to bus and train fares and hotel accommodation. The definition of 'child' varies, though. Some places consider anyone under 18 eligible for discounts, while others put the cut-off at age six, 12 or 15. Most car-hire firms have children's safety seats for hire from about EUR 5.00 per day, but it is essential that you book them in advance. Highchairs are standard in most restaurants and cots (cribs) in most hotels, but numbers are limited.
Childcare and babysitters are widely available. Check the Yellow Pages under Babysittervermittlung or, better yet, ask your hotel's reception staff for a referral. The choice of baby food, infant formulas, soy and cow's milk, disposable nappies and the like is great in German supermarkets, but keep in mind their restricted opening hours. Run out of nappies on Saturday afternoon and you're facing a very long and messy weekend.
Bringing your kids, even toddlers, along to casual restaurants is perfectly acceptable, though you might raise eyebrows at upmarket ones, especially at dinner time. Breastfeeding in public is practised, especially in the cities, although most women are discreet about it.
Germans are fairly tolerant of homosexuality, but gays ( Schwule) and lesbians ( Lesben) still don't enjoy quite the same social acceptance as in certain other northern European countries. As elsewhere, cities are more liberal than rural areas, and younger people more tolerant than older generations.
Berlin is by far the gayest city in Germany, if not in all of Europe, but Cologne also has a lively scene and there are smaller but still vibrant ones in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich. In those cities gay couples holding hands or kissing in public is becoming more common and raises fewer eyebrows. Discrimination is more likely in eastern Germany and in the conservative south where gays and lesbians tend to keep a low profile. Germany's gay movement took a huge step forward in 2001 with the passing of the Life Partnership Act, sometimes called the 'gay marriage'. It gives homosexual couples the right to register their partnership at the registry office and to enjoy many of the same rights, duties and protections as married couples.
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