Originally, Germany was formed in 1648 when a group of small kingdoms came together and merged to form the “Peace of West Phalia.” In 1701 the name changed to Prussia, then renamed to Germanic confederation in 1815 and later changed to German confederation in 1871. Germany is the fifth largest country in Europe, with its capital city in Berlin.
Germany has 16 federal states and 403 districts. Germany has the biggest national economy in Europe and is the most populated country in the European Union. Over the years, Germany has been ranked one the best travel destinations in the world.
Interesting Facts
1. Second Most Powerful Person in the world was a German
The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, was ranked the second most powerful globally and had her own Barbie doll.
2. Economy
The largest economy in the European Union is Germany, and it’s also the fourth-largest economy in the world after China, the US, and Japan.
3. Castles
Germany has more than 20,000 castles.
4. Education
Higher education in Germany is free, and this is inclusive of foreigners, and this was made effective in 2014.
5. Book Nation
The first-ever printed book was the bible by Johannes Gutenburg in German. Germany publishes around 94,000 books annually, making it a world-leading book nation, and hosts the most important book publishing event in the world known as “The International Frankfurt Book Fair.”
6. Capital City
It is important to note that Germany has changed its capital city seven times, with the most recent capital city being Berlin. The previous capital cities were moved between Aachen, Regensburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremberg, Berlin, Weimar, Bonn, and Berlin.
7. Beer
In Europe, Germans are the second largest consumers of beer after the Czech Republic, and this is evident by statics carried out where, on average, a German can consume up to 140 liters of beer in a year. There around 1,300 beer breweries in Germany and makeover 5000 variations of beer. This can take an individual 15 years to taste each kind of beer.
8. Car Export
German is the second largest car exporter in the world after Japan.
9. Name
The German constitution allows picking a name or declining the name of your child. You are not allowed to give a child a name that doesn’t belong to its gender, neither is it acceptable to use a family name as a first name.
10. Airline
In 1909, Germany founded the world’s first airline, and currently, Lufthansa is the largest airline Worldwide.
11. Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall, officially named the Anti-Fascist Protection wall, was to protect East Germans from West Germans and fell in 1989
12. Daylight Saving Time
German was the first country to introduce Daylight saving time (DST) in the year 1916. Its main purpose was to preserve energy.
13. Cuckoo Clocks
Germany has the largest cuckoo clocks invented in the 17th Century and is located in Schonach and Schonachbach in the Black forest.
14. Cultural Places
Germans value and take pride in their culture, and for this reason, they end up having the most museums, art galleries, and exhibition halls than any other country in the world.
15. Population
Within the European Union, German is the most populous country with about 81 million people.
16. Employment rate
Germany has one of the highest employment rates in the world, with its unemployment rate standing at only 5%.
17. Running out of Fuel
Though it may seem unusual, running out of Fuel in the German Autobahn is considered a criminal offense and can attract a fine or your license being suspended for a period of 6 months.65% of the German Autobahn has no general speed limit, and it is recognized as the longest with a network of 8,026 mils and the oldest motorway road network in the world.
18. Largest Train station
The largest train station in Europe is located in Berlin, Germany.
19. Surname
The most commonly used and popular surname in Germany is Muller.
20. Renewable Energy
One-third of Germany has embraced renewable energy ranging from windmills to solar panels to produce electricity.
21. Bread
Germany has over 300 kinds of bread, and also bread museums are common.
22. Water Network
Germany boasts of the largest water network in Europe. Moreover, the capital city of Germany, Berlin, has around 1,700 bridges.
23. World’s Tallest Cathedral
Ulm Minster is on record as the world’s tallest Cathedral at 530 ft and is located in Ulm in the South of Germany.
24. Munich Oktoberfest
In the last week of September, Germans celebrate the biggest folk festival in the world where beer never runs out, and almost 1.8 million gallons of beer are drunk. The festival celebrations started in 1810, the 12th of October, when the Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Terese.
25. Football
Football is considered Germany’s number one sport and Germany have the most football clubs in the world.
26. Jail Break
According to German laws, it is not illegal or a punishable offense to escape jail because they believe it’s a natural human instinct for an individual to be free.
27. Motor Vehicles
The first-ever motor-driven vehicles were created by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, who were German.
28. Zoo
Germany prides itself on having the largest zoo globally named Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten and hosts 1,300 animal species more than any other zoo worldwide. Additionally, Germany has also the most zoos in the world at 400 zoos.
29. Longest Word in German
Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft is the longest word published in German and contains 79 letters.
30.Currywurst
Currywurst is a special kind of sausage and is a traditional meal in Germany. The love for Currywurst in Germany has led to the development of a museum for it. Germans consume over 800 million Currywurst annually.
31. Fanta
The soft drink, currently known as Fanta, was introduced by the head of Coca-Cola in Germany when they faced a trade embargo during the Second World War and stopped the importation of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company used leftover materials such as whey and apple pomade to come up with Fanta.
32. Bordering Countries
German has nine bordering countries which include Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Luxemburg, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Czech Republic, and France.
33. Holocaust
Denial of the existence of the holocaust amounts to a crime in Germany.
34. Sausages
Germans have over one thousand different types of sausages.
35. Oldest Brewery
Weihenstephaner is the oldest brewery globally located in Freising, Bavaria, and has been operational since 1040.
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