Wherever you venture in
Germany, there is something interesting to see or do. It is a goldmine for the
adventurous tourist in search of something different to the norm.
The country has now firmly shaken off the shadows of its 20th century past, regained a sense of national pride, and breathed a sigh of relief at its new-found ability to express its
distinctive national character again.
Modern Germany has come of age, and while it is still suffering the economic consequences of reunification in October 1990, Europe’s most populous country is clearly
a nation coming to terms with itself. Massive investment in the long-neglected infrastructure of the former East is paying off, as cities like Dresden once more begin to shine like the jewels they were in the past.
The country is the product of a
long history of division, first as a loose collection of independent (and often warring) states before original unification during the 19th century, and latterly as West and communist East Germany following WWII.
For this reason alone, it is a country of
remarkable diversity, with cultural differences clearly evident as one travels around the various states that make up the modern Federal Republic.
Germany boasts a heady mix of
history and nature,
fine arts and youthful rebellion. Its capital,
Berlin, has a reputation gained from its decades as a divided city, as a hedonistic, ‘on the edge’ community where almost anything goes. In contrast, the quiet academic surroundings of
historic university cities like Heidelberg, convey a peacefulness quite at odds with the atmosphere of the capital.
GeographyThe Federal Republic of Germany shares frontiers with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. The northwest of the country has a coastline on the North Sea with islands known for their health resorts, while the Baltic coastline in the northeast stretches from the Danish to the Polish border.
The country is divided into 16 states (
Bundesländer), including the formerly divided city of Berlin. The landscape is exceedingly varied, with the Rhine, Bavaria and the Black Forest being the three most famous features of western Germany. In eastern Germany, the country is lake-studded with undulating lowlands which give way to the hills and mountains of the Lausitzer Bergland, the Saxon Hills in the Elbe Valley and the Erzgebirge, while the once divided areas of the Thuringian and Harz ranges in the central part of the country are now whole regions again. River basins extend over a large percentage of the eastern part of Germany, the most important being the Elbe, Saale, Havel, Spree and Oder.
The western area of the country consists of the Rhineland, the industrial sprawl of the Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Hessen, the Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and the Saarland. In the southern area of the country are the two largest states, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria (Bayern), which contain the Black Forest (Schwarzwald), Lake Constance (Bodensee) and the Bavarian Alps.
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