Llke every oLher counLry Cermany ls more Lhan [usL Lhe sum of Lhe cllches whlch have evolved

over
Llme of hlsLorlcal experlences or sub[ecLlve lmpresslons ln many respecLs Cermany ls a rlch and varled
counLry lL ls dlverse wlLh many reglonal characLerlsLlcs lnconslsLencles layers and wounds a counLry
worLh engaglng wlLh wherever you llve ueuLchsland fur Anfanger Cermany 101" you Lo do [usL LhaL
1he exhlblLlon Lakes an unconvenLlonal look aL Lhls counLry and lLs people unpreLenLlous research
based buL also Longuelncheek and wlLh genLle selfcrlLlclsm 1he exhlblLlon ls sLrucLured parLly ln
sculpLural form around Lhe 26 leLLers of Lhe alphabeL from A for ArbelL (work) all Lhe way Lo Z for
ZukunfL (luLure) Lvery leLLer represenLs an lndlvldual Lheme LeLLer by leLLer a plcLure of Cermany ls
puL LogeLher [usL llke a [lgsaw puzzle and ln Lhls way Lhe complexlLy of Cermany's lmage ls broken up
lnLo fasclnaLlng lndlvldual aspecLs WlLh 100 addlLlonal pleces of lnformaLlon Lhe vlslLor can assemble a
plcLure of Cermany all Lhe way from A Lo Z
CeschlchLe PlsLory
Cermany became a unlfled counLry ln Lhe 19
Lh
cenLury rlor Lo Lhls Lhere were many small lndependenL
prlnclpallLles lollowlng Lhe unlLy and freedom movemenL of 1848 Lhe Lmplre was founded ln 1871
1he russlandomlnaLed emplre exlsLed unLll Lhe end of Lhe llrsL World War (19141918) 1hls was
followed by Lhe democracy of Lhe Welmar 8epubllc whlch ended as a dlcLaLorshlp wlLh Lhe
appolnLmenL of Adolf PlLler as Chancellor ln 1933
naLlonal Soclallsm led Lhe counLry Lo genoclde and war PlLler's reglme was only ended wlLh Lhe defeaL
of Cermany by Lhe Allles ln 1943
A consequence of Lhls was Lhe dlvlslon of Cermany Whereas Lhe lederal 8epubllc a llberal democracy
was founded ln Lhe WesL Lhe Cerman uemocraLlc 8epubllc was creaLed ln Lhe LasL a dlcLaLorshlp
modelled on Lhe SovleL unlon
Cermany remalned a dlvlded counLry for 30 years lollowlng Lhe soclal and pollLlcal changes whlch
began ln Lhe SovleL unlon ln 1986 Lhe clvllrlghLs movemenL ln Lhe uemocraLlc 8epubllc grew 1hls
broughL abouL Lhe collapse of Lhe LasL Cerman reglme ln 1989 unlflcaLlon of dlvlded Cermany Look
place ln 1990
kulLur CulLure
As ls lald down ln Lhe Cerman ConsLlLuLlon responslblllLy for culLural pollcy lles wlLh Lhe 16 lederal
sLaLes lor Lhls reason even small communlLles are able Lo offer culLural evenLs of Lhe hlghesL sLandard
1he Cerman LheaLre scene ls a close neLwork of around 300 LheaLres 1he muslc scene ls also well
provldedfor 80 publlclyflnanced concerL halls 130 professlonal orchesLras and numerous muslc
fesLlvals offer performances ln all genres
ln Lhe 'land of poeLs and Lhlnkers' around 93000 new books come onLo Lhe markeL every year A
growlng number of Cerman fllm producLlons also reach an lnLernaLlonal audlence 1he arLs are well
represenLed ln Lhe exhlblLlons held by Lhe 300 museums ln Cermany WlLh around 200 mllllon vlslLors
each year arL gallerles are Lhe mosL popular culLural venues
And yeL Lhe Cerman culLural secLor ls always Lhe flrsL Lo suffer from flnanclal cuLbacks 1he socalled
'alLernaLlve scene' ln parLlcular musL flghL for lLs exlsLence ln Llmes of flnanclal crlsls
ArbelL ahblLe Work
ArbelL lsL das halbe Leben" Work ls a ma[or parL of your llfe" accordlng Lo a wellknown Cerman
saylng MosL Cermans conslder dlllgence efflclency and rellablllLy Lo be deslrable quallLles so coplng
wlLh unemploymenL ls all Lhe more dlfflculL for many people
Cf Lhe forLy mllllon Cermans ln pald employmenL almosL Lhree quarLers work ln Lhe servlce secLor
199 work ln lndusLry and a mere 21 ln agrlculLure and foresLry
1he average worklng week ls 40 hours Cermany has Lhe secondhlghesL number of annual leave days
wlLh an average of 30 days
Work plays an lmporLanL role ln people's selflmage meanlng LhaL unemploymenL can lead Lo personal
crlsls CloballsaLlon mergers and compeLlLlon from lowwage counLrles all conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe loss of
[obs
1here are currenLly (2011) 3 mllllon (7) unemployed people ln Cermany A publlc soclal securlLy sysLem
ls ln place Lo mlnlmlse Lhe consequences of Lhls unemploymenL beneflLs and work placemenLs help
Lhose affecLed Lo bulld a new llfe for Lhemselves buL desplLe Lhese measures Lhere are sLlll many older
people who are longLerm unemployed
8rauchLum brow ch (as ln loch) Loom CusLoms and 1radlLlons
ChrlsLmas karneval and SchuLzenfesLe are some of Lhe many annual fesLlvals whlch break up Lhe
rouLlne of everyday llfe and creaLe communlLy splrlL 1he ceremonles cosLumes decoraLlons and muslc
are LradlLlonal and vary from reglon Lo reglon LasLer may be Lhe mosL lmporLanL fesLlval ln Lhe ChrlsLlan
calendar yeL for Cermans ChrlsLmas ls Lhe mosL beauLlful hollday of Lhe year and uecember 24
Lh

Pelllgabend ls celebraLed as a famlly hollday wlLh presenLs a ChrlsLmas Lree and dellclous food
karneval on Lhe oLher hand ls all abouL havlng fun and leLLlng your halr down dresslng up ln cosLumes
masks and speclal unlform Lhus allowlng Lhe socalled narren" or fools" Lo Lake on a dlfferenL
persona
SchuLzenfesLe Lhe LradlLlonal celebraLlons of shooLlng clubs compleLe wlLh marchlng muslc medals and
unlforms are remlnlscenL of mlllLary ceremonles uurlng Lhese compeLlLlons a klng" ls crowned wlLh
hls vlcLory celebraLed ln Lhe beer LenL
Calnlng ln slgnlflcance are LradlLlons lmporLed by Lhe medla such as Palloween and ChrlsLopher SLreeL
uay
CurrywursL kur ee voorsL Currled Sausage
8y addlng LomaLo keLchup and curry powder Lhe ordlnary Cerman sausage has been Lransformed lnLo a
legendary Lakeaway snack ln devasLaLed posLwar 8erlln an lmaglnaLlve sLallholder lnvenLed whaL
remalns Lo Lhls day one of Cermany's mosL popular sausage dlshes PerLa Peuwer paLenLed her Chlll
up" curry sauce ln 1939 and ls commemoraLed wlLh a memorlal plaque ln 8erlln Per Pamburg
counLerparL Lena 8rucker ln uwe 1lmm's novel '1he lnvenLlon of Currled Sausage' ls however
flcLlonal
1he orlgln of Lhe currled sausage ls unlmporLanL Lo Lhe counLless number of Cerman currled sausage
consumers Crlglnally popular wlLh Lhe worklngclass Lhe splcy sausage has now even been found on
Lhe menus of Lop resLauranLs Powever Lhe vW canLeen ln Wolfsburg ls sLlll Lhe place Lo eaL CurrywursL
wlLh several mllllon served up every year
ueuLsch sprechen dolch sh pre h (as ln Pugh) en Speaklng Cerman
A shared language connecLs people 1he Cerman language ls an lnLegral parL of Lhe culLure and culLural
dlverslLy of Cermany lndlvldual sLyles of speech are deflned by one's orlgln and peer group
Ask Cermans whaL Lhey are mosL proud of and Lhe ma[orlLy wlll say poeLs and phllosophers" CoeLhe
Schlller LuLher kanL and nleLzsche all skllfully used Lhe Cerman language ln Lhelr work Cerman
llLeraLure phllosophy and sclence form Lhe culLural basls of socleLy 1he words spoken by lrankfurLborn
CoeLhe would have sounded very dlfferenL Lo Lhose of Schlller born furLher souLh ln Swabla Wldely
varylng dlalecLs conLlnue Lo characLerlse Lhe Cerman language even now
1here are currenLly over 120 mllllon Cerman speakers 17 mllllon people are learnlng Cerman desplLe
lLs noLorlous repuLaLlon of belng LhoughL Lo have complex grammar Cne of lLs mosL humorous crlLlcs
was Amerlcan wrlLer Mark 1waln who wroLe 1he Awful Cerman Language"
LxporLwelLmelsLer ex porL velL my sLer LxporL World Champlon
Made ln Cermany" ls a hallmark of preclslon and rellablllLy all over Lhe world Wellknown brands are
Lraded globally ln a varleLy of flelds lL ls noL only Lhe wellknown brands such as Mercedes volkswagen
or 8ASl whlch are responslble for Lhls success
Cver 300 small Lo medlum slzed buslnesses are global markeL leaders ln Lhelr respecLlve lndusLrles noL
so much for Lhelr reasonable prlces buL because of Lhe quallLy of Lhelr producLs up unLll 2008 Cermany
exporLed goods worLh over 900 bllllon Luros per year Cermany's mosL lmporLanL Lradlng parLners are
lLs nelghbours Cnly around 13 of Cerman exporLs leave Lhe Luropean unlon wlLh Lhe maln non
Luropean Lradlng parLners belng Lhe uSA Chlna and 8ussla
luball foos bul looLball
looLball ls Cermany's no 1 sporL Around slx mllllon people play ln over 27000 fooLball clubs wlLh even
more fans supporLlng Lhelr Leams every week
1hls enLhuslasm for Lhelr parLlcular club glves fans a sense of ldenLlLy and Leam splrlL AL Llmes emoLlons
can run hlgh and Lurn lnLo exLreme aggresslon 1o counLer Lhls clubs organlse pro[ecLs Lo promoLe
Lolerance and Lo flghL agalnsL raclsm and vlolence
1hanks Lo Lhe naLlonal Leam and Lhe 8undesllga clubs Cerman fooLball has a worldclass repuLaLlon and
players such as 8eckenbauer 8allack and kllnsmann are known Lhe world over Women's fooLball ls
galnlng ln popularlLy 1he Cerman women's naLlonal Leam has been Luropean champlons slx Llmes slnce
1989 and world champlons Lwlce ouLdolng Lhe men's squad 1he 2011 Women's looLball World Cup
has [usL Laken place ln Cermany
CemuLllchkelL ger mooL ll h(as ln Pugh) klLe an unLranslaLable buL very poslLlve Cerman word
1he coslness of a warm room a happy and Lroublefree aLmosphere a shorL break away from Lhe dally
grlnd deflnlLlons of Lhe Lerm CemuLllchkelL are as varled as Lhey are vague
1he word CemuLllchkelL ls used Lo descrlbe rooms slLuaLlons or Lhlngs whlch Lrlgger a sense of well
belng and lL ls surprlslngly dlfflculL Lo LranslaLe lnLo oLher languages Lven ln Lngllsh where we have a
word for everyLhlng we have adopLed Lhe word 'gemuLllch' Lo descrlbe a pleasanL slLuaLlon
ln Cermany Lhere are Lwo sldes Lo Lhe word CemuLllchkelL ?ou can experlence lL ln publlc aL a
celebraLlon such as CkLoberfesL and ln prlvaLe ln Lhe comforL of your own llvlng room When you make
yourself comforLable or 'gemuLllch' all Lhe sLress of our hecLlc world dlsappears
CemuLllchkelL can however lndlcaLe Lhe lack of drlve and moLlvaLlon ConLroversy and confllcLs are
lgnored 1he presenLaLlon of CemuLllchkelL ofLen appears Lo be senLlmenLal and lndlcaLlve of
unrellablllLy
Pumor hoo moor Pumour
lL ls ofLen sald LhaL Cermans have no sense of humour WrlLers such as Lhe 19
Lh
cenLury Wllhelm 8usch
have always been popular however and hls saLlrlcal lllusLraLed sLorles feaLurlng Lhe mlschlevous boys
Max and MorlLz are seen as Lhe precursor of modern comlc sLrlps opular comedy shows Lhese days
may be modelled on Lhose of Lhe uk or Amerlca buL Lhey are parL of Lhe long LradlLlon of Cerman
cabareL
Schadenfreude a Cerman word whlch has become parL of Lhe Lngllsh language ls also a key facLor ln
Cerman humour vlcco von 8ulow oLherwlse known as LorloL uses Lhe mlsforLunaLe of oLhers ln hls
comedy skeLches 1he observer recognlses hlmself ln Lhe humour
SLandard sLereoLypes ln comedy around Lhe world are Cermans who lack a sense of humour and sLlll
prefer Lo explaln Lhe punchllne of Lhelr [okes ln comparlson wlLh Lngllsh humour Cermany's
correspondenL for Lhe 1lmes" polnLs ouL Cerman humour ls dlfferenL less lronlc slower buL also
warmer more hearLfelL and (desplLe Lhe 8usch LradlLlon) less cruel
ldole ee dole uh ldols
ALhleLes muslclans supermodels
Cenulne role models or slmply Lhe sLars of popular culLure? Anyone wlLh a sLrong medla presence soon
becomes an ldol ln Lhe eyes of young Cermans 1hls klnd of popularlLy can lead Lo culL sLaLus and
generaLes a collecLlve sense of ldenLlLy
Whlch quallLles are held up as examples depends on educaLlon and peers osLers cloLhes perfume and
bed llnen a whole hosL of accessorles show Lhe exLenL Lo whlch people ldenLlfy Lhemselves wlLh Lhelr
ldols
Powever noL [usL celebrlLles buL also prlvaLe lndlvlduals can be role models lor over 30 of young
people Lhelr parenLs are Lhelr ma[or role models 1he llfeLlme achlevemenLs of flgures ln hlsLory can
llkewlse be recognlsed as example Lo us all
!ugend ?oo guenL ?ouLh
?oung people ln Cermany llve ln a free and open socleLy wlLh many opporLunlLles ?ouLh culLure varles
wldely ln muslc cloLhlng and llfesLyles 1he mosL popular youLh evenLs offer exLreme conLrasLs from
church convenLlons Lo Lhe Love arade"
?oung people are noL compleLely wlLhouL angsL 69 of young people ln Cermany worry abouL noL
flndlng work or loslng Lhelr [obs
?oung people frequenLly use expresslons Lo dlsLlngulsh Lhemselves from Lhelr parenLs 1hese orlglnaLe
from hlphop Lhe lnLerneL or even kanak Sprak" a Lype of Cerman1urklsh slang whlch aLLalned culL
sLaLus followlng Lhe publlcaLlon of Lhe book of Lhe same name by lerldum Zalmoglus
lor a long Llme youLh culLure Lended Lo be maleorlenLed 1hese days Lhe lnfluence of young women ls
much more farreachlng
Many young people ln Cermany have Lhelr own rooms wlLh a desk compuLer and Lelevlslon
Cerman parenLs are someLlmes consldered uncommunlcaLlve ln a survey over half of Lhe young people
quesLloned sald Lhelr parenLs have hardly any Llme Lo Lalk Lo Lhem
klndergarLen
Many Cerman chlldren geL Lhelr flrsL LasLe of soclal llfe aL klndergarLen dlscoverlng Lhe world learnlng
Lo llve as parL of a communlLy all whllsL playlng ln Lhe chlldren's garden" 1he world's flrsL klndergarLen
was founded ln Cermany ln 1821 by Lhe Leacher lrledrlch lrobel and Lhls qulckly spawned lmlLaLors
Lven Lhe word klndergarLen became parL of Lhe Lngllsh language
1hese days Lhe role of klndergarLens ls Lo ralse educaLe and look afLer chlldren offerlng opporLunlLles
for educaLlon and llfe experlence ouLslde Lhelr famlly upbrlnglng
ln Cermany every chlld ls enLlLled Lo begln klndergarLen aL Lhe age of Lhree Lo caLer for Lhe growlng
numbers of parenLs who boLh work 1hls sLems from socleLy's need Lo resolve Lhe everpresenL clash
beLween famllles and careers neverLheless klndergarLens sLlll generally close aL mldday and so worklng
parenLs have Lo rely on allday care faclllLles even for younger chlldren 1he former WesL Cerman sLaLes
ln parLlcular have a long way Lo go Lo achleve Lhe alm of sufflclenL places for chlldren
Loreley law rely Lorelel
lch wel nlchL was soll es bedeuLen" Lhe myLh of Lhe Pelnrlch Pelne's poem abouL Lhe Lorelel has
made Lhe myLh of Lhe murderous goldenhalred slren known Lhe world over Lvery year 300000 LourlsLs
vlslL Lhe Lorelel rock on Lhe 8hlne ln search of Cerman romanLlclsm
8omanLlclsm evolved ln Lhe 19
Lh
cenLury as a reacLlon Lo early modern Lrends of lndusLrlal herlLage and
cold raLlonallLy 1he plcLuresque mld8hlne valley provldes an ldeal backdrop for Lhe romanLlclsed
nosLalgla for a losL world full of harmony and mysLery
1he ballad Lells Lhe sLory of Lhe lovely Lorelel whose beauLy and bewlLchlng song are sald Lo have
dlsLracLed sallors aL Lhe dangerous polnL of Lhe rlver Lhus causlng Lhelr boaLs Lo smash lnLo Lhe rock one
afLer anoLher
Mauer mou (as ln ouch!) er 1he 8erlln Wall
ShooLLoklll orders survelllance and bans on leavlng Lhe counLry were parL of everyday llfe for over 40
years ln LasL Cermany A symbol of Lhls represslon was Lhe 8erlln Wall bullL ln 1961 1he fall of Lhe
8erlln Wall ln 1989 marked Lhe breakdown of Lhe LasL Cerman dlcLaLorshlp and Lhe end of Lhe Cold War
across Lhe world
ln 1949 followlng Lhe Second World War Lhe dlvlslon of Cermany lnLo Allledoccupled zones led Lo Lhe
foundaLlon of Lhe lederal 8epubllc of Cermany (88u) ln Lhe WesL and Lhe Cerman uemocraLlc 8epubllc
(uu8) ln Lhe LasL A CommunlsL dlcLaLorshlp evolved ln Lhe SovleL conLrolled Cu8
8y 1961 Lhe lack of freedom and flnanclal desLlLuLlon had prompLed over 23 mllllon people Lo flee from
LasL Lo WesL WlLh all oLher borders sealed off 8erlln remalned Lhe flnal means of enLry lnLo Lhe WesL
ln 1961 Lhls lasL access rouLe Lo Lhe WesL was closed for LasL Cermans by Lhe bulldlng of Lhe 8erlln Wall
8order pollce ln Lhe LasL were ordered Lo shooL anyone Lrylng Lo escape lollowlng pollLlcal reform ln
Lhe SovleL unlon Lhe proLesL movemenL ln Lhe LasL forced Lhe borders Lo be opened ln 1989 A few
monLhs laLer Lhls led Lo Lhe dlssoluLlon of Lhe Cu8 and Lhe creaLlon of a unlfled lederal 8epubllc of
Cermany 8undesrepubllk ueuLschland
nazls raus!" nazls rous (as ln ouch!) neonazls CeL CuL!
Lven before Lhe 1990s Lhere have been ongolng acLs of vlolence carrled ouL by rlghLwlng exLremlsLs ln
Cermany ALLacks lnvolvlng humlllaLlon severe ln[ury or even deaLh are mosLly agalnsL forelgnborn
fellow clLlzens AcLlon groups and naLlonal measures are faclng up Lo Lhese neonazl Lendencles
vlolenL rlghLwlng exLremlsm ls an ongolng problem ln many parLs of Lhe world as well as ln Cermany
where lL ls a parLlcularly senslLlve lssue ?oung people ofLen become lnvolved ln rlghLwlng radlcallsm
Lhrough muslc wlLh raclsL and naLlonallsLlc lyrlcs 1helr deslre Lo harm and provoke oLhers ls fuelled by
lncreased selfesLeem wlLhln Lhe group
1here are wellesLabllshed counLer movemenLs and naLlonal pollcles opposlng rlghLwlng exLremlsm
numerous anLlxenophobla lnlLlaLlves have been seL up Lo lnLerrupL publlc demonsLraLlons held by neo
nazls and Lo organlse counLer demonsLraLlons 1he sLaLe ls also flghLlng back Slnce 1992 26 rlghLwlng
exLremlsL organlsaLlons have been banned
Crdnung Cr d noong Crder
Crdnung muss seln! We musL have order!" 1hls common expresslon hlghllghLs Lhe lmporLance of order
ln everyday llfe ln Cermany 1he deslre for perfecL order ls a consLanL loslng baLLle so lL's ofLen meL wlLh
lrony and selfmockery
Surveys show LhaL around Lhree quarLers of all Cermans over 14 years of age do acLually raLe order as a
deslrable quallLy alLhough Lhey Lhemselves llke Lo Lurn a bllnd eye Lo lL 1here are endless sLandards
guldellnes and regulaLlons and Lhe uln lndusLry sLandards used all over Lhe world are a Cerman
lnvenLlon
1he number of Lrafflc slgns on Cerman roads ls a popular example of an excesslve deslre for order yeL
Lhey ofLen creaLe less order and more confuslon
Lven everyday llvlng ls governed by a mulLlLude of rules and regulaLlons house guldellnes are provlded
Lo all LenanLs chlldren are asked Lo respecL Lhe rules of Lhe playground and even naLure ls regulaLed ln
fronL gardens and alloLmenLs wlLh meLlculous guldellnes on flowerbed planLlng and rules sLlpulaLlng Lhe
helghL of hedges
ass pus assporL
1he Cerman SLaLe guaranLees lLs people baslc clvll rlghLs and a soclal securlLy sysLem As a general rule
holders of a valld Cerman passporL are enLlLled Lo Cerman clLlzenshlp lorelgn naLlonals have Lhe
opporLunlLy Lo become Cerman clLlzens 1o achleve Lhls Lhey need Lo llve ln Lhe counLry legally for elghL
years and musL be proflclenL ln Lhe Cerman language AddlLlonal prerequlslLes are sufflclenL lncome and
commlLmenL Lo Lhe Cerman CrundgeseLz Lhe consLlLuLlonal law of Cermany
Slnce 2008 as parL of Lhe naLurallsaLlon process forelgn naLlonals have had Lo demonsLraLe Lhelr
knowledge of Cermany ln a LesL 33 ouL of a posslble 310 quesLlons are asked on hlsLory pollLlcs and
culLure and aL leasL 17 of Lhese musL be answered correcLly WlLh lLs decllnlng blrLh raLe Cermany
relles on lmmlgraLlon ln 2008 over 100000 people aLLended language and culLure courses ln order Lo
acqulre a Cerman passporL
Cuerdenker kv alr denker LaLeral Lhlnkers
LaLeral Lhlnkers quesLlon exlsLlng paLLerns of LhoughL 1hey make Lhelr ldeas known desplLe belng faced
wlLh hosLlllLy ln a counLry whlch values rules and regulaLlons so hlghly laLeral Lhlnkers have a Lough
Llme 1here ls neverLheless a long LradlLlon of people who Lhlnk ouLslde Lhe box" ln Cermany
ConLlnulng ln Lhe fooLsLeps of MarLln LuLher and karl Marx Lhere are many conLemporary Lhlnkers who
revoluLlonlse pollLlcs culLure and sclence wlLh Lhelr new and unusual ldeas
LaLeral Lhlnkers whose ldeas wln recognlLlon are ofLen held ln hlgh esLeem 1he greaLer Lhe reslsLance
Lhey overcome Lhe more fame Lhey recelve even lf someLlmes only around llkemlnded people ln
conLrasL Lhe unsuccessful laLeral Lhlnkers wlll aL besL be remembered as lrrlLaLlng Lroublemakers
8ellglon ruh llgg y own
Cermany ls a counLry shaped by ChrlsLlanlLy Accordlng Lo sLaLlsLlcs Lhere are 30 mllllon ChrlsLlans ln
Cermany Powever Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhese are nonpracLlslng 30 mllllon Cermans are non
denomlnaLlonal 1he rlghL Lo freely choose and pracLlse a speclflc rellglon (or none aL all) ls guaranLeed
ln Lhe Cerman CrundgeseLz (consLlLuLlon) ChrlsLlans are equally dlvlded beLween CaLhollcs and
roLesLanLs wlLh around 23 mllllon of each
uesplLe hlgh numbers of people leavlng Lhe church rellglous acLlvlLles such as Lhe World ?ouLh lesLlval
and church convenLlons are sLlll popular especlally amongsL young people Lven Lhe splrlLual ldeas of
esoLerlclsm are en[oylng a growlng number of followers
1he Lhlrd largesL rellglon ln Cermany ls lslam wlLh 33 mllllon Musllms and an lncreaslng number of
mosques lmmlgraLlon from LasLern Lurope has also conLrlbuLed Lo a growlng number of !ews who
were declmaLed Lo a few Lhousand followlng Lhe persecuLlon and murder of !ews ln Lhe Cermany of Lhe
naLlonal SoclallsLs
SlLLen und unslLLen zlLLen oond oon zlLLen uo's and uon'Ls of LLlqueLLe
1he Cerman language has more Lhan one word for you" and learners of Lhe language face Lhe dllemma
of decldlng whom Lo address wlLh du" and whom wlLh Sle"? Whom should you greeL wlLh klsses and
whom wlLh a handshake? ls lL rude Lo be [usL a few mlnuLes laLe? 1hese dllemmas LogeLher wlLh oLher
complex lssues are whaL vlslLors from oLher counLrles have Lo face
Cermans are ofLen vlewed as formal and dlrecL Servlces are aL Llmes performed wlLhouL a smlle and
yeL even ln llfLs people greeL sLrangers When meeLlng someone lL ls normal pracLlce Lo shake hands Cn
roads or when sLandlng ln queues however lL seems Lo be more a maLLer of survlval of Lhe flLLesL
lL's dlfflculL Lo undersLand Cerman behavlour parLlcularly when lL seems overly asserLlve 1ake for
example Lhe almosL sLereoLyplcal cusLom of reservlng all Lhe sun beds wlLh Lowels ls LhaL Lyplcally
Cerman" or slmply bad manners?
ln Cermany Lhe concepL of proper behavlour" ls closely llnked Lo 8aron knlgge whose 1788 book
uber den umgang mlL Menschen" was Lhe qulnLessenLlal gulde Lo good manners 1he large number of
modern knlgges shows us LhaL eLlqueLLe has come back lnLo fashlon
1agesschau Lar guess shou (as ln ouch) 1v news
1he 8 o'clock news programme 1agesschau" has been an evenlng rlLual for mllllons of people ln
Cermany for almosL 60 years 1he programme broadcasLs 13 mlnuLes of naLlonal and lnLernaLlonal
currenL affalrs 1he end of Lhe programme marks Lhe sLarL of prlmeLlme Lelevlslon
ln Lhe laLe 1990s new 1v sLaLlons Lrled Lo begln Lhelr prlmeLlme schedule aL 8 pm buL Lhls plan falled as
vlewers were all so used Lo prlmeLlme vlewlng sLarLlng flfLeen mlnuLes laLer
1he ma[orlLy of Cermans obLaln Lhelr news from Lelevlslon wlLh radlo and newspapers ln second place
1he lnLerneL has of course emerged as Lhe mosL lmporLanL compeLlLor Lo LradlLlonal medla Cn average
people ln Cermany currenLly spend abouL Lhree hours waLchlng Lelevlslon every day compared Lo Lwo
andahalf for Lhe radlo and one for Lhe lnLerneL
AlLhough neuLral pollLlcal oplnlons are presenLed on Lhe 1agesschau" programme dally newspapers
are ofLen read speclflcally because of Lhelr respecLlve pollLlcal orlenLaLlon 1he lrankfurLer Allgemelne
ZelLung ls conservaLlve llberal whllsL Lhe SuddeuLsche ZelLung ls lefL of cenLre
umwelL oom velL LnvlronmenL
WaldsLerben Lhe Loplc of dylng foresLs sparked off lnLensely emoLlonal reacLlons ln Cermany ln Lhe
1980s 1he Cerman word WaldsLerben" was even used ln oLher languages Lo hlghllghL envlronmenLal
desLrucLlon and lL was one of Lhe facLors whlch Lrlggered Lhe envlronmenLal movemenL ln boLh Lhe
WesL and LasLern halves of dlvlded Cermany
LnvlronmenLal awareness conLlnues Lo be wldespread among Cermans wlLh 91 of Lhe populaLlon
Lhlnklng lL ls lmporLanL Lo proLecL Lhe envlronmenL 1oday Lhe mosL hoLly debaLed lssues are Lhose
relaLlng Lo cllmaLe change healLh and susLalnablllLy Cermany has sLrlcL envlronmenLal laws whlch has
led Lo Lhe developmenL of new Lechnology and a growlng secLor wlLhln Lhe Cerman economy Cermany
ls Lhe global markeL leader ln envlronmenLal Lechnology 1he use of wlnd energy ln parLlcular ls belng
furLher promoLed
LnvlronmenLal awareness has however Lwo sldes Cn one hand Lhere are sLrlcL rules for example
meLlculously separaLlng wasLe for recycllng and Lhe lssue of energy cerLlflcaLes for houses 8uL when lL
comes Lo cars oplnlons dlffer wldely you are sLlll permlLLed Lo drlve down Lhe moLorway aL hlgh speeds
and someLlmes wlLh no speed llmlL
vereln falr eye n Clubs and AssoclaLlons
Cver 30 of all Cermans belonglng Lo a club 1hls enLhuslasm has become legendary and ls ofLen a
sub[ecL for saLlrlcal parody Clubs are found all over Cermany and Lhe rlghL Lo form one ls even lald
down ln Lhe Cerman CrundgeseLz Lhe consLlLuLlon
ln many places soclal llves revolve around Lhese organlsaLlons and Lhelr values and Lhey serve Lo
sLrengLhen communlLy splrlL ln more rural areas especlally Lhey play a cruclal role wlLhln Lhe culLural
and pollLlcal llfe of communlLles 8eglsLered clubs (e v) musL noL pursue flnanclal goals lnvolvemenL ls
on a volunLary basls 1hls club culLure ls cenLred around sporLs sklLLles slnglng and shooLlng Cermany
has around 330000 such organlsaLlons Lven ln a small Lown such as nlederdorla famous as Lhe
geographlcal cenLre of Cermany and wlLh only 1300 resldenLs Lhere are 13 clubs
Wlssen vlssen knowledge
Wlssen lsL MachL" or knowledge ls power" as Lhe saylng goes As a counLry wlLh llmlLed raw
maLerlals Cermany needs knowledge as a producLlve force A prerequlslLe for Lhls ls a good educaLlon
accesslble Lo all 1he ma[orlLy of schools and unlverslLles are run by Lhe sLaLe
AfLer aLLendlng compulsory prlmary school chlldren may opL for dlfferenL educaLlonal paLhs 1he
PaupLschule" 8ealschule" and Cymnaslum" form Lhe Lhree maln Lypes of secondary educaLlon 1he
Cymnaslum" prepares sLudenLs for Lhe AblLur" Lhe schoolleavlng dlploma whlch enLlLles Lhem Lo
sLudy aL unlverslLy
Cerman unlverslLles en[oy a good lnLernaLlonal repuLaLlon LducaLlon ln Cermany ls however frequenLly
aL Lhe cenLre of heaLed debaLes lnLernaLlonal comparlsons such as Lhe lSA sLudles for example have
noL placed Cermany ln Lhe Lop brackeL 1o counLer Lhls Lhere are many lnlLlaLlves such as Lhe !ugend
forschL" compeLlLlon whlch ls lnLended Lo make sclence more fun
x fur u lks fewr oo ldloms
ln Cerman Lhe phrase 8arendlensL erwelsen" (Lo do Lhe servlce of a bear") means Lo do someone a
dlsservlce whlch does more harm Lhan good 1he Cerman language ls full of expresslons whlch leave
nonnaLlve speakers compleLely baffled Many Cermans also do noL know Lhe orlglns of commonly used
phrases elLher Lln x fur eln u vormachen" (Lo show an x for an u") means Lo pull Lhe wool over
someone's eyes whllsL someone who smells a fuse" (LunLe rlechen") ls ln facL smelllng a raL
CfLen Lhe orlglns of Lhese sLrange meLaphorlcal expresslons daLe back hundreds of years whlle oLhers
are more modern ule ArschkarLe zlehen" (Lo pull Lhe buLL card") means Lo be Lhe unlucky one or Lo
draw Lhe shorL sLraw lf Lhe referee ln a fooLball game pulled Lhe buLL card" everyone knew even lf
Lhey were waLchlng Lhe game on a black and whlLe 1v LhaL Lhe player would geL a red card locaLed ln
Lhe referee's back pockeL
?abancl lscl" lorelgn workers
1he largesL number of lmmlgranLs ln Cermany are from 1urkey around 23 mllllon MlgranLs came over
ln Lhe slxLles as ?abancl lscl" lmmlgranL workers" 1hese days 1urklsh famllles llve ln Cermany on a
permanenL basls ln some cases already as 3
rd
and 4
Lh
generaLlons
CulLural lnLegraLlon ls however ofLen dlfflculL A 1urklsh parallel socleLy has developed wlLh lLs own
clubs pubs clnemas and banks
oslLlve lnLegraLlon does noL exlsL noneLheless 72000 1urklsh buslnesses employ around 330000
workers wlLh a Lurnover of 36 bllllon Luros
1urklsh creaLlve arLlsLs brlng lmporLanL new ldeas Lo Cerman culLure 1helr examlnaLlon of Lhelr own
ldenLlLy can lnsplre lnslghLful changes ln perspecLlve on llfe ln Cermany
ZukunfL Lsoo koonfL 1he luLure
WhaL does Lhe fuLure hold for Cermany? CllmaLe change an agelng populaLlon and Lhe envlronmenL
Lhese are Lhree ma[or lssues for Cermany's fuLure Wlll Lhe sea have reached 8remen by 2100? Wlll
Lhere be deserL sand coverlng Lhe Alps ln SouLhern Cermany? WhaL wlll new houses look llke? WhaL
klnd of cars wlll sLlll be envlronmenLally accepLable? Cermans Lend Lo have a raLher pesslmlsLlc vlew of
Lhe fuLure 1he Cerman word AngsL ls used ln Lhe Lngllsh language Lo descrlbe Lhls wldespread aLLlLude
Cne of Lhe ma[or challenges Lo be faced ls demographlc change Cermany ls growlng older all Lhe Llme
and an evershrlnklng worklng populaLlon needs Lo supporL Lhe ever lncreaslng number of pensloners
Cermany's susLalnablllLy depends on many facLors whlch can no longer be resolved on a naLlonal level
CloballsaLlon urbanlsaLlon cllmaLe change healLh and new securlLy LhreaLs Lhese are [usL a few
keywords deflnlng fuLure developmenLs
Many experLs vlew closer Luropean lnLegraLlon as a promlslng model for Lhe fuLure