Germany is a land of extraordinary visionaries, renowned classics, marvelous museums, theatres, fairytale castles, attractive villages, clear lakes, frosty mountains, exquisite wine and typical wine-lovers. The arresting beauty of the Black Forest, the sparkling river Rhine criss-crossing the landscape, the elegant cities, the vibrant markets and the world-famous Oktoberfest make it every traveller’s paradise who love to take a flight to Germany. Its cultural as well as state capital of Berlin is a city brimming with life and activity and houses some of the best hotels in Germany. The country is also associated with names like the famous playwright, Goethe, prolific composers like Beethoven and Bach, and not to forget, the famous German scientist, Albert Einstein.
Germany, or officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) as the name suggests is a federation of 16 significant states. It is Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation. Besides being a member of the UN, NATO, the G4 and the G8 nations, it is also one of the key establishers of the European Union. After witnessing two World Wars, Cold War and other revolutionary cataclysms, Germany underwent a complete transformation in its desire for cohesion and integration. Its need for political dynamism, recognition, peace and above all, democracy, culminated in its reunification in 1990. 17 years hence, it is known as a modern cosmopolitan country with ethnic plurality and cultural diversity. The various Germany maps will broaden the horizon of your information on political boundaries and physical divisions of Germany, Germany cities, Germany shopping locales, Germany restaurants, etc.
Germany GeographyAcquiring a pivotal position in West Central Europe, Germany lies on 51?00 N latitude and 9º00 E longitude. While it shares its northern frontiers with Denmark, North Sea and the Baltic sea, it has Poland and Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands in the west. It can be divided into four distinct topographic regions-the North German Lowland, the Central German Uplands, Southern Germany, and the Alpine Foreland and the Alps. The country has a cool, continental climate with abundant rainfall. Lower temperatures with considerable snowfall are found in the east and the south. Block mountains, intermediate plateaus, lowland basins, pastures, woodlands, etc. cover the entire landscape.
German HistoryThe tribes of Germany are believed to have a mixed origin from amongst the people inhabiting the Baltic Sea coast. By 100 B.C. these tribes had advanced into the central and southern areas of the present day Germany. There were three major tribal groups, the eastern Germanic tribes inhabiting the Oder and Vistula rivers, the northern Germanic tribes inhabiting the southern part of Scandinavia and the western Germanic tribes inhabiting the extreme south of Jutland and the area between the North Sea and the Elbe, Rhine and Main rivers. Rhine formed a boundary between the Germanic and Roman territory, which were in continuous struggle with each other. It were the Franks who may be regarded as the real founders of a civilized German state.
Later, Clovis, a Salian Frank believed to have descended from a mythical hero named Merovech, became the absolute ruler of a Germanic kingdom of mixed Roman-Germanic population. He established his rule over the Gallo-Romans and all the Frankish tribes and established the Merovingian Dynasty (ca 500-751).
The Protestant Reformation and Martin LutherMartin Luther, a renowned German figure and a professor of theology at Wittenberg University in Saxony initiated the Protestant Reformation movement. He opposed the sale of indulgences, which were papal grants for reduced punishment in the next life, including releases from purgatory. On All Saints' Day in 1517, he pasted 95 theses regarding his objection to the incorrect practice, on a church door. First written in Latin, the theses were soon translated into German and widely distributed. His writings criticised the papacy and exposed church corruption. He accepted the validity of only two of the seven sacraments and believed in the supremacy of faith. He was later summoned before Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms where he refused to change his writings. He was banned under the Edict of Worms. His opposition to the policy of the Roman Catholic Church sparked a big turmoil, which soon destroyed Germany's religious unity. His writings became very popular and proved to be influential. Due to the novelty and the power of his views and the influence they produced, he is regarded as the Father of the Protestant Reformation.
World War IInexperienced Emperor William II of Germany got the country into trouble due to his immature foreign policies. He alienated Germany from its neighbours and ultimately led the country to World War I in 1914. The United States of America joined the war in 1917 turning the whole sequence of events. The War ended in 1919 after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany suffered the scars of defeat and was forced by the victors to accept responsibility for the war. It had to pay huge wars indemnities and was economically crippled.
World War IIAdolf Hitler rose to the position of Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. He soon became popular by protecting the masses from exploitation and other hardships, reducing unemployment, etc. The Nazi Party of Germany began the cession of those territories that had earlier belonged to Germany. With the invasion of Poland in 1939, the world was thrust into a second World War. The war ended in 1945 when Soviet Union captured Berlin forcing Germany to surrender. Germany was split into East Germany (eastablished in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany) and West Germany. To minimise the chances of future conflicts, the allied nations, led by the United States of America, formed the United Nations in 1945.
Re-Unification Of GermanyOn November 9, 1989, the dreadful Berlin Wall, which for twenty-eight years had stood as the symbol of partition between East Germany and West Germany, was opened up. Germans from both sides climbed on top of the wall in extreme excitement on the fall of a structure that was considered as "the ugliest edifice in the world." After a lot of political formalities and negotiations, finally at midnight on October 3, 1990, the German Democratic Republic (then East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (then West Germany). Unification was celebrated all over Germany, especially in Berlin, which became the capital of united Germany, now known as the Federal Republic of Germany.
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