Germany is at the center of Europe, not only geographically, but also in terms of politics and economy.
The country is the second most populous in Europe after Russia, with more than 80 million inhabitants, according to World Factbook. The German economy is the largest on the continent and the fifth in the world.
While German exerts its influence in neighboring countries -Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Poland-, all these cultures have contributed, to a greater or lesser extent, to the configuration of the current Germany.
The population is 91.5 percent German, and the second largest ethnic group is Turkish, at 2.4 percent, according to World Factbook.
The remaining 6.1% is made up primarily of Greek, Russian, Italian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, and Spanish descent. About 75.7% of the population is urban.
The people, the language and the traditions are what make the German culture unique. It has played a key role in the history of Europe, and not only in it.
German Culture: Facts, customs and traditions
English speakers call it Germany, Germans call it Deutschland. Germany is known as the country of poets and thinkers.
German culture has been influenced and shaped throughout Germany’s rich history, once as an important part of the Holy Roman Empire, and later as one of the world’s most stable economies.
Today, Germany is home to 82.2 million people, including Germans and minorities of other nationalities who respect each other, and together make Germany a country of values, unique celebrations, and customs.
In this article, we have given some facts about German culture, which has its roots in the beginning of the first millennium, although through time it has lost and acquired different features from the historical events that have shaped not only Germany, but also the whole of Germany. the entire old continent of Europe.
First of all, here are some facts about Germany today. Although English-speaking countries call it Germany, the Germans themselves call it Deutschland. It is Germania in Latin, l’Allemagne in French, and Almanya in Turkish.
Berlin is its capital, but Hamburg, Munich and Cologne are also among the major cities in Germany.
It is estimated that the average woman in Germany lives around 83 years, while the average man lives 79 years. The main language is German and the main religion is Christianity.
There are many stereotypes about Germans, such as that they drink a lot of beer (which is true), that they are hard-working and punctual (which is also true), and that the unemployment rate in Germany is very low (also true).
Values
Germans prioritize structure, privacy and punctuality. The German people embrace the values of thrift, hard work and industriousness, and great emphasis is placed on ensuring that «the trains run on time».
Germans are a stoic people who strive for perfectionism and precision in all aspects of their lives.
They admit no fault, even jokingly, and they rarely pay compliments. At first their attitude may seem unfriendly, but there is a keen sense of community and social awareness and a desire to belong.
Languages
It is not surprising that the official language of the country is German. More than 95 percent of the population speaks German as their first language, according to Angelo State University’s Center for International Studies.
Other languages spoken include Serbian in eastern Germany, North and West Frisian, which is spoken around the Rhine estuary, and Danish, which is spoken mainly in the Danish border area. Romani, which is an indigenous language, is also spoken in Turkish and Kurdish.
More than 95% of the residents of Germany speak the German language, either Standard German or any of its dialects.
However, the German state has recognized four minority languages, which are Upper and Lower Sorbian, Romany, Danish, as well as North Frisian and Saterlandic.
Due to the high number of immigrants, there are also languages spoken by a considerable number of communities, such as Turkish, Kurdish, Russian and Greek. Albanian, Polish, etc.
Clothes
Today the average German dress is typically Western. Both men and women wear simple, dark suits and shirts in a business context. However, each region of the country has its own traditional costumes, which differ somewhat from each other.
For example, in the state of Bavaria, the traditional costume for men is leather pants that end just above the knee, while for women it is a dress that incorporates a bodice, blouse, long skirt, and apron. .
You can see people wearing these costumes especially during carnivals or festivals.
Religion
Christianity is the dominant religion, with 65 to 70 percent of the population identifying as Christian.
That number is 29 percent Catholic. Muslims make up 4.4 percent of the population, while 36 percent are unaffiliated or have a religion other than Christianity or Muslim.
German food and drink
Germans love rich and hearty cuisine, although each area of Germany has its own definition of what a traditional meal is.
Pork is the most consumed, according to the German Food Guide. Schweinshaxe (braised pork hock) and Saumagen (pork stomach) are a couple of traditional pork dishes.
Bratwurst, a form of sausage, is closely related to German food.
Cabbage, beets and turnips are commonly incorporated into meals as they are indigenous to the region, and potatoes and sauerkraut are also stars of German cuisine.
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage, and the country is known as the birthplace of a number of beer varieties, including Pilsner, Weizenbier (wheat beer), and Alt.
These beers were brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot, or «Law of Purity,» a 16th-century Bavarian law that decreed that beer could only be brewed from barley, hops, and water, according to NPR.
The brewers used the yeast available in the air. Brandy and schnapps are also favorite German alcoholic beverages.
The arts
Culture doesn’t just refer to the way people interact and look. «Culture also means refined intellectual, artistic and creative achievement, for example in cultural knowledge, or a cultured person,» Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College London, told Live Science.
Germans have made great contributions to classical music, and the traditions of famous German or Austrian composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler continue today.
With their penchant for precision and engineering, it’s no surprise that the Germans have a strong tradition of woodblock engraving and etching.
There is also a strong representation of all phases of architecture – including Romanesque, Gothic, Classicist, Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance – represented in cathedrals, castles and public buildings.
A well-known example of classical German art is the Brandenburg Gate, a former city gate now used to symbolize the unity of Berlin.
Corporate culture
The desire for order extends to the commercial life of the Germans. Surprises and humor are not welcome.
Everything is carefully planned and decided, with changes rarely occurring after agreement, according to the German Business Culture Guide.
Engineers are highly regarded in Germany, as evidenced by the country’s success in the automobile industry. Because of this high level of respect for practical experience, companies tend to be run by technical experts rather than lawyers or people with financial backgrounds.
Workers at all levels are judged largely on their competence and diligence, rather than their interpersonal skills. Communication with coworkers, as well as outsiders, tends to be direct and not always diplomatic.
Parties and celebrations
Germany celebrates many of the traditional Christian holidays, including Christmas and Easter. German Unification Day, October 3, marks the reunification of East and West Germany and is the only federal holiday.
While the country’s biggest beer festival is called «Oktoberfest», it starts every year on a Saturday in September and ends 16-18 days later on the first Sunday in October.
The tradition began in 1810, with the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen, according to the city of Munich.
Symbolism
German symbols have changed throughout the different phases of history along with the events that have shaped their culture and traditions.
The eagle was part of the Holy Roman Empire, which after Prussia’s victory over Austria in 1886 has been shared by two different states.
Martin Luther King and personalities such as Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottfried von Herder and Johann Wolfgang Goethe are also important figures and highly controversial symbols. Today the best known symbol of the country is its black, red and gold flag.
Literature
Germany is one of the leading nations in the field of reading. German publishers publish about 94,000 new books each year, and the Frankfurt International Book Fair, which is the world’s largest book event, is held in Germany.
Many don’t know it, but the first known book was printed in German, as was the first known magazine.
According to a study carried out by the Allensbach Media Market Analysis, 44.6% of the German population read a book at least once a week, while 58.3% of Germans buy at least one book a year.
Philosophy
Some of the most famous philosophers were born and lived in Germany, such as Immanuel Kant, who played a central role in the history of philosophy, drawing inspiration from the German philosopher Schopenhauer and Nietzsche who spent their entire lives in Germany. On the other hand, the developers of communist theory Marx and Engels were also German.
Kitchen
Germans drink a lot of beer, eat sausages, and make bread of different flavors. This is not just a stereotype, but a real fact. It is estimated that the average German consumes around 140 liters of beer per year.
In 2012 alone, Germans drank 2.25 gallons of beer, which is actually the lowest level since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. They are the second-biggest beer consumers in Europe, after the Czechs.
Salami, which means sausage in German, is an important part of German cuisine, which is made from pork, veal, or veal and has different flavors.
As for bread, there is a long tradition of bakery from which…