Germany - Duitsland

Germany[1] (German: Germany) is a country in Central Europe and one of the founders of the European Union. It is bounded by Denmark in the north, Poland and Czech Republic in the East, Austria and Switzerland in the south, and in the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Netherlands.

Info

History

Before 1871, the few German states (for example, Prussia and Bavaria) were only loosely connected to each other. In that year, the southern German states joined the North German Confederation formed in 1867. Since then Austria has definitely no longer belonged to Germany. The German Empire was a modern federal state under the rule of law, but the national parliament, the Reichstag, was not yet allowed to determine the head of government. That was reserved for the German emperor, who was always and constitutionally the Prussian king. The Empire went along strongly with the Industrial Revolution and also had colonies. The First World War, to which this Empire owed much or even the greatest co-debt, was fatal for the country. On November 11, 1918, it had to capitulate against France, the British Empire and other countries. The victors imposed heavy fines on the country and took ten percent of the territory and colonies.

In 1918/19, Germany became a republic called the Weimar Republic. The heavy burdens imposed on the country from outside, the malfunctioning political system, the social unrest and the economic crisis paved the way in 1933 for the takeover of the country by the National Socialists led by Adolf Hitler.

The Second World War started by the Hitler Empire led to the occupation of the country in 1945 by the allied Russian, British, American and French forces. The areas in the east were assigned to Poland and the Soviet Union and the German population was expelled from these areas and the rest of Eastern Europe. The survivors of these more than 15 million people found refuge in the rest of Germany.

In the eastern occupation zone of Germany, the communists established a communist dictatorship in 1949, with the help of the Soviet Russian occupiers, called the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In the same year, the Federal Republic of Germany, a parliamentary democracy, was established in the West. The capital of this provisionally thought state was Bonn on the River Rhine.

Dismantling of the Berlin Wall, December 1989. The GDR had previously closed itself off due to border measures from the West. However, the border between West Berlin, which remained occupied by Western troops, and East Berlin remained open. After more than two million Germans had fled to the West from the GDR, the Communists built the Berlin Wall in 1961. The fall of the Communist bloc and the end of the Cold War also meant the fall of the Wall on November 9, 1989, the opening of the borders between the two Germanys, and finally reunification on October 3, 1990.

It has cost the Federal Republic of Germany a great deal of effort to unite the two parts of Germany also in social and economic terms. Economically speaking, the former East is still undergoing a less flourishing development than the former West Germany.

The Federal Republic was one of the first states to join the development leading to European unification in the 1950s. On 1 January 2002, the Federal Republic of Germany and eleven other European countries within the European Union adopted the euro as their national currency.

Art and culture

As in many other European countries, the culture of the Romans had a great influence, even though only part of present-day Germany was occupied by the Romans. Conversely, since the Middle Ages, new impulses sometimes came from Germany itself, for example from Albertus Magnus in philosophy.

German (written) literature has existed since the 8th century. Often, however, these were translations from Latin or French or short stories. The first important German novel is from 1668, Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus. The 1800s with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller are regarded as the classic era of German literature.

The 19th century saw the unification of Germany, but also a growth of scientific and cultural expressions. Around 1900, Germany was one of the leading countries in these fields. The many Nobel prizes awarded to Germans in the following years, for example, for Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (physics, 1901), Emil von Behring (medicine, 1901) and the historian Theodor Mommsen (literature, 1902). Many modern inventions have more than one inventor; important for the development of the car were Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, for the TV Paul Nipkow and Karl Ferdinand Braun and for the telephone Philipp Reis.

The isolation during the First World War, the emigration because of National Socialism since 1933 and the precarious situation after 1945 were major setbacks for German culture and science. Some of the effects can still be felt. Despite brain drain to the US, Germany's contribution to world culture and science is still significant.

Regions

The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal republic, which consists of 16 federal states ("Bundesländer", or abbreviated, "Länder" in German). Three of the federal states are actually city states: Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg.

The Lander can be classified roughly based on geography:

Towns

• Berlin — capital and symbol of the division between Western and Eastern Europe.
• Bremen
• Bonn
• Dortmund
• Duesseldorf
• Frankfurt am Main
• Hamburg
• Cologne
• Munich

Other destinations

Arrive

Passport and visa

Germany belongs to the Schengen zone.

There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented the Schengen Agreements. These are the member states of the European Union (except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In addition, a visa issued for a member state of the Schengen zone is valid for all member states that have signed the treaties and have implemented. But beware: not all EU Member States have signed the Schengen Agreements, and there are also Member States of the Schengen Area that are not members of the European Union. This means that there may be customs checks but no immigration checks (if you are traveling within Schengen but to/from a non-EU country) or there may be immigration checks but no customs checks (if you are traveling within the EU but to/from a non-EU country). -Schengen country).

Airports in Europe are divided between "Schengen" and "no Schengen" sections, which correspond to the "domestic" and "foreign" sections in other countries. If you fly from outside Europe to a Schengen country and then travel on to another Schengen country, you can complete the customs and immigration checks in the first country and then proceed directly to the second country without any further checks. Traveling between a Schengen country and a non-Schengen country will result in the usual border controls. Please note that whether or not you travel within the Schengen zone, many airlines require you to always present a passport or identity card. Nationals of Member States of the European Union or of the EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) only need to carry a valid passport or identity card to enter the Schengen zone — they never need a visa, no matter how long the visit takes. Nationals of other countries must carry a valid passport and, depending on nationality, need a visa.

Only nationals of the following non-EU/EFTA countries have no Visa required to enter the Schengen zone: Albania*, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chili, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Croatia, North Macedonia*, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia*/**, Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan*** (Republic of China), United States, Uruguay, Vatican CITY, Venezuela, South Korea, as well as persons with a British National (Overseas) passport, a Hong-Kong-SAR passport or a Macau-SAR passport.

Visitors to these visa-free countries are not allowed to stay longer than 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen zone as a whole, and in principle are not allowed to work during the stay (although there are some Schengen countries that allow nationals of certain nationalities to work — see below). The counter starts when you enter a member state of the Schengen zone and does not expire when you leave a certain Schengen country for another Schengen country or vice-versa. However, New Zealand nationals may stay longer than 90 days if they are only visiting certain Schengen countries - see [2] for an explanation from the New Zealand government (in English).

If you are a non-EU/EFTA national (even from a visa-free country, with the exception of Andorra, Monaco or San Marino), make sure that your passport is stamped when entering and leaving the Schengen zone. Without a stamp upon entry, you can be treated as having exceeded the length of stay on departure; without a stamp on departure, you can be denied entry to the Schengen zone the next time because of exceeding the length of stay in a previous trip. If you can't get a stamp, keep documents such as boarding passes, transport tickets and receipts from ATMs, as they can help convince border police that you have stayed legally in the Schengen zone.

Be aware that:

(*) Nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia require a biometric passport to benefit from visa-free travel;

(**) nationals of Serbia with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (residents of Kosovo with Serbian passports) must apply for a visa;

(***) Taiwanese nationals must have their ID number registered in their passport in order to enjoy visa-free travel.

By plane

Germany is a neighboring country of Belgium and the Netherlands, among others. As a result, in many cases it is not necessary to take the plane and this is rather a time-consuming inconvenience. From the east of Belgium and the Netherlands to nearby cities in the west of Germany there are certainly several alternatives, which are more obvious. However, there are direct flight connections from Schiphol and Zaventem to Berlin and Munich, which can certainly save a lot of travel time.

From airport Amsterdam, SchipholIn any case, airlines regularly fly to the capital.
And also from the airport of Brussels Airport different flights can be booked.

For flight information to other cities in the country, see the articles for that city.

By train

Despite the rise of budget airlines, train travel can still be a cheap, fast and certainly more convenient option for transportation. Because train stations are often located in the city centres, the train on the medium distance (for example Enschede - Paris or Bruges - Wolfsburg) can compete very well with the plane.

Currently in Belgium and at the Deutsche Bahn online only to order tickets for the neighboring countries of Belgium, resp. Germany and a number of easily accessible cities further on. Other tickets can only be purchased by telephone or at the counter, or of course in the relevant country. The latter is often much cheaper. Also keep an eye out for the many Sparpreis offers at the Deutsche Bahn, which can be very advantageous for a travel route to or via Germany.

However, it is quite possible to train journey map out from home. The two sites listed immediately below provide information not only about journeys from the Benelux, but also about all train connections throughout Europe and in the Russian part of Asia, e.g. between Moscow and Madrid. It is about this the site of the Belgian railways and the Dutch site of the Deutsche Bahn.

NS Hispeed only offers information about travel between the Netherlands and a few large foreign cities. As a rule, this information is also limited to trains that run directly to or from abroad (i.e. no connections between Utrecht and Paris or between Rotterdam and Germany, because there is always a transfer within the Netherlands). To plan trips within the Netherlands, it is best this website use.

NS Hispeed sells online a small range of journeys departing from the Netherlands to other countries (one-way and return journeys), and a very limited number of routes from abroad to (other) foreign countries (one-way and return journeys). You can book other trips by telephone via the Telesales department (0900-9296, €0.35 p.m.) and at the counters in the Tickets and Service shops at the (medium) large stations. This is the online International counter of the Dutch railways.

Smoking is prohibited on the train in all European countries.

Deutsche Bahn: Europe-Special Fare

By car

The Dutch and German motorway network is connected in a large number of places. The main border crossings are:

• New Schans/Bunderneuland (NL-A7/D-A28)
• De Lutte (NL-A1/D-A30)
• Berg Autoweg/Elten Autobahn (NL-A12/D-A3)
• Gennep/Goch (NL-A77/D-A57)
• Venlo (NL-A67/D-A40)
• Venlo-Keulse Barrière (Starting point of the German A61, in Venlo provincial road).
• Bocholtz (NL-A76/D-A4)
• Lichtenbusch (E40 BE-A3/D-A44)
• Lommersweiler/Eifel Autobahn (E42 BE-A27/D-A60)

The Belgian and German motorway network is connected in a limited number of places. The main border crossings are:

• St. Vith (BE-E42/D-A60)
• Aachen-Lichtenbusch (BE-E40/D-A44)

The other connections from Belgium to Germany run via Limburg (the Netherlands) and the Duchy of Luxembourg, or via national roads.

By bus

You can take luggage with you, but try not to take a folding bike with you, not even in a cover. All in all a tiring way to travel.

• BlaBlaBus (formerly Ouibus)
• Eurolines
• FlixBus
• Pink bus

By boat

Stena Line offers the following option:

• By Gothenburg, in the south of Sweden to Keel. Duration 13 hours (night boat).

Travel around

By plane

Despite the fact that there is considerable competition between train and plane, due to the emergence of low-cost carriers (also in Germany) it can be time-saving to take the plane (for example from Munich nasty Hamburg ). Domestic flights are mainly operated by Deutsche Lufthansa and prize fighter Air Berlin.

The main airports in Germany are:

• Frankfurt-Rhein Main
• Munich-Franz Josef Strauss
• Duesseldorf International
• Hamburg Fuhlsbuttel.

These airports are the transfer point between domestic flights and intercontinental flights. Other airports with many domestic and intra-European connections:

• Bremen-Neuland
• Hanover-Langenhagen
• Flughafen Münster/Osnabruck,
• Cologne/Bonn,
• Stuttgart-Echterdingen
• Nuremberg
• Dresden- Klötzsche
• Leipzig/Halle Airport
• Berlin-Tegel
• Berlin Schonefeld

By train

Germany has a well-developed railway network. Until the "wende" in 1989, rail traffic was mainly North-South oriented. After that, East-West traffic also started again. Just before the turn of the century, the construction of high-speed lines started. The long-distance trains run on many track sections with top speeds between 200 and 300 km/h. the German Railways, Deutsche Bahn distinguishes between so-called Ausbaustrecken, existing track sections that are adapted for speeds of up to 230 km/h and Neubaustrecken , completely newly built high-speed lines. Currently there are 4 Neubaustrecken in Germany:

• Hanover - Wurzburg − The first HSL line in Germany and also the longest if you add the piece of existing railway line Kassel disregard for a moment.
• Mannheim - Stuttgart − Inaugurated in parallel with the Hanover - Würzburg line. Nowadays the French TGV . also makes Paris - Stuttgart using this line.
• Cologne - Frankfurt am Main − This line is also used by the ICE trains Amsterdam - Frankfurt and Brussels - Frankfurt.
• Nuremberg - Ingolstadt − Part of the Nuremberg - Munich line.

The lion's share of the rail network is operated by the Deutsche Bahn. In addition, private railway companies are active on local lines in various regions. Their timetables are also included in the "Elektronisches Kursbuch" which can be consulted on the Deutsche Bahn website.

There are various cheap offers for tourists (e.g. spar trip (book 3 - 90 days) and regional subscriptions 1 day), all available via the Deutsche Bahn website.

Bahn card

By car

Germany has an excellent network of motorways (Autobahns). Where there are no Autobahnen, the so-called. Bundesstraen you deeper into the country.

Take the following things into account with regard to: traffic:

• Unless otherwise stated, no speed limit on the Autobahn, which is the case on almost two-thirds of all highways. However, the rule is that if you drive faster than 130 km/h and you are involved in an accident, it is by definition your fault.
• There is no for passenger cars toll levied on the Autobahn. Trucks do have to pay toll, which is levied via an electronic system.
• Speed ​​Cameras are also in Germany. If you are flashed, you will automatically receive the fine on your Dutch home address via the CJIB.
• Unlike the Netherlands and Belgium, the speed cameras are set up in such a way that you can forward being flashed. Braking for a speed camera is therefore not an option in Germany!
• In many cities, a so-called Environmental zone. You need a special vignette to enter this zone. This vignette is available at the ANWB shops in the Netherlands. You can also get further information there. using this vignette.
• Keep to the right lane on the Autobahn as much as possible: the fast German cars (Mercedes/Audi/BMW/Porsche) drive at an average speed of 200 km/h in the left lane => they are (past) your car before you enter it yourself. have the holes.
• Directions for Autobahnen are blue, those for Bundesstraßen and other roads are yellow.

Language

German is mainly spoken in Germany. This Germanic language is closely related to Dutch, English and the Northern European languages. German is also spoken in Austria, Switzerland and other countries bordering Germany, but nowhere does German have as many speakers as in Germany itself. In addition to standard German, also called Hochdeutsch, there are dialects. The most important boundary is that between the North and South German dialects. In the north, Low German (Platt) was originally spoken. The dialects of the Southwest (which linguistically also includes Swiss German) are different from the rest.

Almost all Germans speak German. The Danes, Frisians, Gypsies and Sorbs are the indigenous non-German speaking minorities.

Many Dutch speak some basic German, but if you are not sufficiently proficient in German for your trip to Germany, there are still a few options. For example, some Germans (especially at the Dutch border) can also reasonably understand Dutch, especially if you speak more slowly and more clearly and if necessary with the necessary hands and feet. If it doesn't work out with Dutch, it could also be an option to approach the Germans in English. This is also a bit of a stretch, since not all Germans speak this language equally well. About half of all Germans are reasonably proficient in English and if an employee is not proficient in English, there is usually someone present who is proficient in it or even in Dutch. Ask for this with: ist hier jemand der Niederländisch or Englisch spricht (is there someone who speaks Dutch or English)?.

To look at

• 

  Berlin TV Tower

• 

  Brandenburg Gate

• 

  German Alps

• 

  Hohenzollern Castle

To do

To buy

Cost

VAT is 19%.

Food

Germany is known for its sausages and schnitzels. In Germany, about 800 million currywursts are eaten every year. Germany also has many beer breweries, the country is known for its beer. There are also a number of wine regions in the country, including along the banks of the Rhine and Moselle.

Eating out in Germany is generally slightly cheaper than in the Netherlands or Belgium and the restaurants are generally of excellent quality.

Going out

stay overnight

There are hotels of all types and price ranges. Usually the smaller family hotels in the smaller villages/towns are of excellent quality. They are often combined with a restaurant and are real family businesses. Many winegrowers also have "Gästezimmer" or holiday homes at their farm. Here you will get to know the real rural Germany.Hostels BACKPACKERNETWORK GERMANY

Airbnb offers many accommodations in different price ranges.

To learn

To work

Germany has the world's third-strongest economy technologically after the US and Japan, but structural market demands, including the substantial gross cost of hiring new workers, have made unemployment a long-standing, persistent problem. An aging population, combined with high unemployment, complicates the enforcement of statutory social security: the burden on workers has become disproportionately high. The modernization and integration of the East German economy remains a costly long-term problem.

Since Germany is a so-called "Schengen" country, Dutch and Belgian citizens can work in Germany without a work permit.

Safety

Health

Healthcare in Germany is at a high level. Every village has a medical practice or local doctor. There is also a culture of Natural health medicine: Traditional herbs are available in many shops as medicines (don't confuse this with homeopathy). Spas by the sea or in the countryside are also popular: a city with bath in the name is a water spa (this can also be a lake), and some places are official Luftkurort, which means that the air is very healthy. German health insurance funds often reimburse such cures, which partly explains their popularity.

respect

Despite the difficult history that the Netherlands and Germany have with each other, Germans, especially outside the cities, are very friendly and pleasant to deal with. They are certainly accessible if you have a reasonable command of the language. It is true that Germans naturally want to do everything according to the rules and execute everything meticulously ("pünktlich"). If you don't have a feel for this, you probably won't feel at home in Germany. However, if you can get over this Pünktlichkeit, you will enjoy your stay in Germany. In a sense, however, this is also a cliché. The Germans in the Bavarian Alps, for example, see themselves as very flexible and informal and don't like to be compared with what they see as distant 'Prussia' from the north. The fact that the south of Germany has traditionally been Catholic, the north Protestant, also plays a role here.

Remember that within Germany there are big regional differences and also regional pride: a franke just don't like to be one Baier called, a Swabia is definitely not from Brandenburg. When someone you have just met asks: “Duzen wir uns gleich?”, you can immediately tutoyer and the formality is thrown overboard. It is a misconception that there is no mention of the Second World War. Germans learn a lot about that period at school, and the younger generations can certainly laugh about it. Since the late twentieth century, much satire has been published that ridicules the Nazis (Walter Moers, Timur Vermes). Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a great deal of satirical literature has also been published about the GDR (Thomas Brussig). Which immediately refutes another cliché: Germans do know what humor is.

Contact

This is a usable article. It contains information on how to get there, as well as the main attractions, nightlife and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but dive in and expand it!

Regions of Germany
Baden-Wurttemberg · Bavaria · Berlin · Brandenburg · Bremen · Hamburg · Hesse · Mecklenburg-West Pomerania · Lower Saxony · North Rhine-Westphalia · Rhineland-Palatinate · Saarland · Saxony · Saxony-Anhalt · Schleswig-Holstein · Thuringia

Countries in Europe

Balkans: Albania · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Kosovo · Croatia · Montenegro · North Macedonia · Romania · Slovenia · Serbia Baltic states: Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania Benelux: Belgium · Luxembourg · Netherlands British Isles: Ireland · United Kingdom Central Europe: Germany · Hungary · Liechtenstein · Austria · Poland · Slovenia · Slovakia · Czech Republic · Switzerland France and Monaco: France · Monaco Iberian Peninsula: Andorra · Gibraltar · Portugal · Spain Italian Peninsula: Italy · Malta · San Marino · Vatican CITY Caucasus: Armenia · Azerbaijan · Georgia East Mediterranean: Cyprus · Greece · Turkey Eastern Europe: Kazakhstan · Moldavia · Ukraine · Russia · Belarus Scandinavia: Denmark · Finland · Norway · Iceland · Sweden

Destinations
Continents: Africa · Asia · Europe · North America · Oceania · South America Oceans: Atlantic Ocean · Pacific · Indian Ocean · Arctic Ocean · Southern Ocean Polar regions: Antarctica · Arctic Also see: Room