GERMANY food and drinks in Germany religion in

GERMANY ü food and drinks in Germany religion in Germany sightseeing in Germany tradition in Germany

FOODS AND DRINKS IN GERMANY • In Germany there is a wide variety of seafood, poultry, vegetable and meat and of course cakes in all styles. Beside the traditional way of cooking, which is mostly very substantial, healthy and balanced diet is capturing German kitchens. From the Baltic Sea to the Alps you get the taste of 300 kinds of bread, a wide assortment of specialty cheeses and other dairy products. But big happenings like the Oktoberfest or Christmas markets let forget all about it. Here are Bratwurst (fried sausage), Hahn (pork hocks), Leberkäs (liver cheese) or Lebkuchen (gingerbread) and many other tidbits a must. Beer loving Nation. Being number one of German beer gardens it has worldwide a great reputation regarding quality and taste. There also delicious wines in Germany. Wine making has got an old tradition in Germany.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN GERMANY • It is a surcharge amounting to between 8 or 9 % of the income tax. The status mainly applies to the Roman Catholic Church, the mainline Protestant EKD, and Jewish communities. There have been numerous discussions of allowing other religious groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Muslims into this system as well. But, there are well-organized, Christian churches in mind. • Christianity is the largest religion in Germany with 54, 765, 265 (67. 07%) adherents. The second largest religion is Islam with 3. 3 million adherents (4%) followed by Buddhism and Judaism. During the last few decades, the two largest churches in Germany (the Protestant Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Roman Catholic Church), have lost significant number of adherents. • Other churches in Germany are all rather small. As a result of reunification the number of Germans without a religion has grown, especially owing to the addition of the eastern states with their large nonreligious majority.

SIGHTSEEING IN GERMANY • THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE The Cathedral of Cologne is one of Germany's most important architectural monuments and the third tallest cathedral in the world. It took over 600 years to construct this gothic masterpiece, and when it was finished in 1880, it was still true to the original plans from 1248. When Cologne was levelled by bombings in World War II, the Cathedral was the only building that survived. Standing tall in an otherwise flattened city, some said it was divine intervention. A more matter-of-fact explanation is that cathedral was a point of orientation for the pilots.

• THE BANK OF THE MOSELLE RIVER There is bank of the Moselle River lies Trier, Germany's oldest city. It was founded as a Roman colony in 16 B. C. and became the favoured residence of several Roman emperors.

• THE DRESDEN FRAUENKIRCHE The Dresden Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady, has a moving history: In World War II, when air-raids wiped out the city centre of Dresden, the grand Frauenkirche collapsed into a 42 feet high pile of rubble. The ruins were left untouched for over 40 years as a reminder of the destructive powers of war. In 1994, the painstaking reconstruction of the church began, almost completely financed by private donations; in 2005, the people of Dresden celebrated the resurrection of their Frauenkirche.

• NEUSCHWANSTEIN The world's most famous castle, Neuschwanstein, is nestled in the Alps, and it seems to come straight out of a fairy tale; Walt Disney drew inspiration from it for his classic, Sleeping Beauty. Neuschwanstein (new-swan-stone) is the most photographed building in Germany. King Ludwig II designed his dream castle in 1869, and instead of an architect he hired a theatrical set designer to realize his vision. Take a tour through the flamboyant castle's interior. Highlights include a gaudy artificial grotto, the Throne Room with its giant crown-shaped chandelier, and the lavish Minstrels' Hall.

• Brandenburg Gate Built in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate has become a symbol of Berlin’s past and is one of the top places to see in the world. Prussian parades and German armies marched through its threshold. Napoleon marched his troops through its columns before his defeat in Russia. Barricades were erected around the gates when the Berlin Wall was constructed. , but in 1989 the Brandenburg Gate was reopened and traffic now passes through it every day. Over the years, it has become a proud monument to German history. It is crowned with the winged goddess of victory, riding a four-horsed chariot.

TRADITION IN GERMANY • Popular Christmas Traditions: A common belief proclaims that on Christmas Eve wine can be tasted through the river waters, the animals start speaking, precious gems can be found from the mountains and the church bells can be heard only by those who have the purest of hearts. The Weihnachten as Christmas is known in Germany is celebrated with much gusto and enthusiasm. The first of December to the twentyfourth is known as the Adventszeit or the Advent Season and the Germans observe some of the ancient traditions including children writing letters to Christkindl or the Christ Child, enacting the nativity scenes and visiting the Christkindlmarkt or Christmas Markets. The St. Nicholas's Feats Day celebrates the generosity of the warm saint who gifted the most desired things to all. Following the religious mediaeval plays, the live pine or the fir tree is set up as the Christmas Tree to symbolize the Tree of Paradise. Christmas Eve is known as the "Dickbauch" or "fat stomach" following the custom that those who will not eat properly on Christmas Eve will be haunted by demons and nightmares. Another interesting tradition that is followed in some regions is that of Christmas Pickle. A glass pickle is hidden in the tree and the first child to find out the glass piece will receive an extra gift.

CULTURE OF GERMANY • From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Historically Germany has been called Das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers). • The federated states are in charge of the cultural institutions. There are 240 subsidized theatres, hundreds of symphonic orchestras, thousands of museums and over 25, 000 libraries spread in Germany. These cultural opportunities are enjoyed by many: there are over 91 million German museum visits every year; annually, 20 million go to theatres and operas; 3. 6 million per year listen to the symphonic orchestras.

TRADITIONAL GERMAN CLOTHING • Dirndl A dirndl is a traditional dress, which was worn in the Southern area of Germany. Originally, the dirndl is a simplified version of the folk costume. The dirndl was actually the uniform of the Austrian servants. This was during the 19 th century. In the ancient days, every village even had its own particular style of this dress. • Tracht Traditional German clothing cannot be complete without the mention of tracht. The style of the traditional tracht has even resulted in the creation of the Landhausmode sees its influences from the costumes that were worn by the farmers and the peasants. For this outfit, there is major use of linen and loden material.