Germany - Niemcy

Germany
Deutschland
Flag
Flag of Germany.svg
location
EU-Germany.svg
Information
Capital cityBerlin
Systemfederal republic
Currencyeuro (EUR, €)
€ 1 = 100 cents
Time zoneUTC 1 - winter
UTC 2 - summer
Surface357 121.41 km²
Population83 149 300
Official languageGerman
Dominant religionCatholicism, Protestantism
Telephone code 49
Electric voltage230 V / 50 Hz
Socket typeC, F
Car codeD
Car trafficright hand
Internet domain.de

Germany (not M. Deutschland) - a federal state located in Europe with the capital w Berlin, a member of the European Union. The capital of Germany is Berlin (before unification with the GDR it was Bonn, currently bearing the title federal city). The official language is German.

Characteristic

Geography

Germany lies between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the north, the Alps in the south, the Rhine River in the west and the Oder in the east. They border in the north with Denmark, in the east with Poland and Czechs, in the south of Austria and Switzerlandand in the west with France, Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherlands. The German state is a federation of 16 federal states (Länder).

Climate

Germany has a temperate climate with cool, cloudy and wet winters and summers, while the south is affected by phen. Most of Germany is located in the warm temperate zone, where humid westerly winds prevail. In the north, there is an oceanic climate with year-round rainfall. The winters are relatively mild and the summers quite warm. In the east, manifestations of a continental climate can be seen. Winters can be very cold and summers very warm. In the central part of the country, as well as in the south, the climate shows both oceanic and continental features. The winters here are mild and the summers cool, although temperatures can exceed 30 ° C. The warmest region of Germany is the southwest corner of the country: Deutsche Weinstraße and the Upper Rhine Lowlands. The summers here can be very warm for long periods. Sometimes the minimum temperature does not drop below 20 ° C, which is rare in the rest of the country. Western and southwestern winds prevail. In the spring and autumn months, warm and dry fens blow in the Bavarian Highlands. From extreme phenomena, similarly to Poland, there are summer and spring storms.

fauna and Flora

The natural vegetation has been largely destroyed, and has been replaced by arable crops and artificial tree stands.

The lowlands are covered with pine monocultures, and the mountain areas are covered with spruces. Forests cover 29% of the country's area, which is relatively large if we take into account the high level of economic development of the country, industrialization, urbanization and a large population (the population density is twice as high as in Poland).

In the western part of the German Plain, birch-oak forests and moors have been preserved. There are complexes of beech, mixed (mainly oak and pine) and pine forests in the lake districts, uplands and in the lower levels of the mountains.

In the upper reaches of the mountains (especially in Bavarian Forest, Black Forest, Smreczany, Harz, Ore Mountains and in Thuringian Forest/Franconian Forest) there are spruce forests. IN Alps there is a multi-storey arrangement of vegetation, up to about 1500 m above sea level. mixed forests predominate. At an altitude of 1,500 to 1,700 meters above sea level. there are only coniferous forests, and above them mountain areas are covered with mountain pine and alpine meadows, which are over 1900 m above sea level.

The fauna in Germany is characteristic of forests in Central Europe. The species composition of German forests is practically the same as in Poland.

The large mammals living in forests are deer, roe deer and wild boar, while chamois are found in the Alps. To smaller mammals, foxes and hares live in forests, while marmots live in the Alps in southern Germany.

Before the expansion of agriculture (drainage of wetlands), various species of waterfowl and marsh birds were abundant in Germany. Currently, the population of this type of bird is very small. Apart from that, storks are rare in Germany, even though Germany, like Poland, is a country where these birds occur in the spring and summer period.

Culture and art

Society

Länder

Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany is divided into federal states (lands):

Cities

Bamberg, Old Town
Heidelberg, Bridge
Munich, Panorama
Nuremberg, Castle
Regensburg, Panorama
Würzburg, Old Town

Interesting places

Objects from the UNESCO World Heritage List

  • Cathedral of St. Aachen with the Chapel of Charlemagne
  • Romanesque cathedral in Speyer
  • The baroque archbishop's palace (residence) of St. Würzburg, palace gardens and the Residence Square
  • Pilgrimage Church of St. Village
  • Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces in Brühl
  • St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael in Hildesheim
  • Roman monuments (Porta Nigra, Roman bridge, Imperial Baths, Roman amphitheater, Barbarathermen, Constantine Basilica), St. Peter and St. Mary's Church Trier
  • Lübeck - Hanseatic city
  • Borders of the Roman Empire - Hadrian's Wall and the Roman Limes in Germany (jointly with Great Britain)
  • Palaces and park complexes in Potsdam and Berlin
  • Altenmünster Abbey and Monastery Lorsch
  • Goslar - monuments of medieval and renaissance architecture as well as copper and silver ore mines in Rammelsberg
  • Bamberg - medieval old town
  • Maulbronn - a medieval Cistercian monastery complex from the 12th-14th centuries
  • Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town Quedlinburg
  • Ironworks from the 19th-20th century Völklingen
  • Tertiary fauna and flora fossil mine from the Eocene epoch at Messel near Darmstadt
  • Bauhaus buildings in Dessau and Weimar
  • Cathedral of St. Cologne
  • Monuments commemorating Luther's stay in Eisleben and Wittenberg
  • Weimar - a group of classicist architecture from the era of Johann Wolfgang Goethe
  • Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in Berlin
  • Wartburg castle near Eisenach
  • Gardens Dessau-Wörlitz
  • Monastery island Reichenau on Lake Constance
  • The coal and industrial complex of the German Customs Union in Essen
  • Sights of the middle Rhine valley
  • Stralsund and Wismar - medieval Hanseatic cities
  • Park Mużakowski / Muskauer Park (together with Poland)
  • Cultural landscape of the Elbe valley in the vicinity Dresden
  • Town Hall and the statue of Roland St. Bremen
  • Old Town in Regensburg

Drive

By plane

There are 164 airports in the country, 14 of which are international. The largest of these is the Frankfurt airport.

By train

There are 48,215 km (2006 data) of railway lines in Germany. An important role in passenger traffic is played by the ICE high-speed trains, which have been in operation since 1991, and their speed reaches 300 km / h. The dominant railway company is Deutsche Bahn.

By car

On German roads with a total length of 644.5 thousand km. km (data from 2006), including over 12 thous. km of motorways, there are over 46 million passenger cars and 8 million trucks. Nationals of the Member States European Union, including Polish visas do not apply. Intra-EU customs rules apply. They impose certain restrictions on the transport of excise goods - alcohol and tobacco products. It is forbidden to transport drugs, weapons and explosives across the border. Customs services can carry out checks throughout the country.

By bus

Bus journeys between Poland and Germany are operated by private carriers. Timetables are available on the Internet, in addition, connections can be found by searching in search engines.

By ship

The main seaports are: Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, Bremen, Rostock and Lübeck.

Transport

Due to environmental restrictions, since 2008, vehicles moving around the city center must have a sticker on the windshield, stating that the vehicle meets the emission standards. The sticker - environmental badge - (for a fee) is obtained at one of the 800 vehicle inspection stations and is valid in all cities in Germany that have introduced such restrictions. It can also be ordered via the website, in Polish: [1].

Communication

German belongs to a large group of Germanic languages ​​and is related to Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch and English. There are many dialects throughout the country. It is the dialect in most Germans that reveals which region they come from: if the Mecklenburger and the Bavarian tried to talk to each other using only the dialect, it would most likely be very difficult for them to understand each other. German is the second most widely spoken language in Europe (after English) and is the mother tongue of some 110 million people.

Shopping

The currency in Germany is the euro, which is divided into 100 cents. Until 2002, it was a German brand.

Food and cuisine

Typically German cuisine is disappearing and the influence of other countries' cuisines is growing. The first to win the German palate was Italian cuisine, which arrived there at the beginning of the 1960s together with the Italian "Gastarbeiters". Dishes such as pizza and pasta are more popular today than the usual set before: potatoes, sauerkraut, marinated roast. Greek cuisine, Chinese cuisine and Turkish cuisine are also popular, the latter is represented by thousands of small bars called "fast food" called in Germany Imbiss and dishes such as Dönerin addition, you can find almost all exotic restaurants in German cities, including Russian, Thai, Polish and Japanese, including sushi bars. Traditional German cuisine has retained its strongest position in small towns and villages.

Bread plays an important role in the nutrition of the Germans. Germany is believed to be the country with the most different types of bread. German cuisine is very nutritious, potatoes and pork dominate it. Pork meat is used to make sausages (Wurst), which is not only a popular snack, but also a basic element of the kitchen. In Bavaria, for example, there are special ones Wurstküchen (sausage kitchens).

Meat in German cuisine is offered in a wide variety of forms - corned and smoked roast pork (Kassler), roast (Schweinebraten). The meat addition is usually fried, boiled or, for example, potatoes in the form of potato salad (Kartoffelsalat).

In northern Germany, you can find a wide selection of fresh fish on the menu, the most popular of which is cod. Cabbage is another popular ingredient - the green variety is pickled as Sauerkrautwhile the red one is cooked with apples, which makes it Apfelrotkohl.

Noodles called Spätzle and Maultaschen are typical ingredients of Swabian cuisine. Knuckle (Schweinehaxe) is also a German delicacy, especially at the Bavarian beer festival, because beer is the national drink of the Germans and an addition to many dishes. German Rhine and Moselle wines are also popular. German soups are heavy and thick (Eintopf), most often with the addition of beans or peas.

There are over 300 kinds of bread and over 6,000 kinds of beer in Germany. During Oktoberfest "beer records" are set - in Europe only the Czechs drink more beer per capita. Coffee in Germany enjoys much more recognition than tea.

Entertainment

Accommodation

Accommodation can be booked via the websites listed in the article: Hotel booking portals.

Science

work

Security

There is no high crime risk in Germany, with the exception of pickpocketing at airports, train and bus stations, mass events and the like.

Health

State citizens European Union are treated on the basis of reciprocity. This means that visitors and even tourists have the same rights and obligations as a German citizen. The basis for obtaining help is the card EHIC.

Attention! Always show your EHIC. Request a print release Erklärung.

  • Medical advice: and a dentist - the first visit in the quarter EUR 10. Specialist, visit without a referral - EUR 10.
  • Anxieties: for pink prescriptions, the fee is 10% of the value.
  • Emergency: a fee of 10% of the cost. Tel. no 112.
  • Hospital: EUR 10 per day of stay, not more than EUR 280.

It is recommended to have a separate, private insurance of medical costs, including transport to Poland. When concluding insurance, you should choose a company that does not require us to put up cash and return it after returning to the country, because we may not have such an amount.

Cultural aspects

contact

In 2002, Germany had 56 million mobile phone users and 32 million Internet users. There are over 800 radio and 300 TV broadcasters in the country. The German company Deutsche Telekom is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world.

Diplomatic representations

Diplomatic missions accredited in Germany

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the Federal Republic of Germany

Lassenstraße 19-21,

14193 Berlin, Germany

Phone: 49 30 22 31 30

Web page: https://berlin.msz.gov.pl/pl/

E-mail: Secretariat of the Ambassador - [email protected], Inquiries about consular matters (passports, visas, legal and civic matters): [email protected]

Diplomatic representations accredited in Poland

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw

ul. Jazdów 12

00-467 Warsaw

Phone: 48 22 584 17 00

Fax: 48 22 584 19 79

Web page: https://polen.diplo.de/pl-pl

E-mail: [email protected]

This website uses content from the website: Germany published on Wikitravel; authors: w editing history; Copyright: under license CC-BY-SA 1.0