Germany wears its riches well: elegant big-city charm, picture-postcard
small towns, pagan-inspired harvest festivals, a wealth of art
and culture and the perennial pleasures of huge tracts of forest,
delightful castles and fine wine and beer are all there for the
enjoying. Germany's reunification in 1990 was the beginning of
yet another chapter in Germany's complex history. No visitor will
remain untouched by this country's past and the way it affects
the nation today.
Full country name: Federal Republic of Germany
Area: 357,030 sq km
Population: 82 million
Capital city: Berlin (pop: 3.45 million)
People: Predominantly Caucasian, with significant Turkish minority.
Germany has absorbed most of the refugees from the former Yugoslavia.
Language: German
Religion: 90% Christian. There are 1.7 million Muslims and about
74,000 Jews (the pre-Holocaust figure was over half a million).
When to Go
The German climate is variable so it's best to be prepared
for all types of weather throughout the year. That said, the most
reliable weather is from May to October. This coincides, naturally
enough, with the standard tourist season (except for skiing).
The shoulder periods can bring fewer tourists and surprisingly
pleasant weather. There is no special rainy season.
Events
From pagan harvest romps to black tie opera galas, Germans
are keen to party. The Winter Carnival (Fasching) season occurs
throughout Germany, with big cities such as Cologne (Köln),
Munich and Mainz erupting into commotion just before Ash Wednesday.
Germany's rich musical heritage is showcased in a plethora of
festivals. Some towns concentrate on a particular composer, such
as the Thuringian Bach Festival in March or the Richard Wagner
Festival in Bayreuth each July, whereas others focus on a particular
style. The jazz festivals in Stuttgart (April) and Berlin (November)
are lively and popular. Autumn is a great time for harvest-inspired
mayhem, especially in the Rhineland, where the Rhine in Flames
frolics feature barges laden with fireworks. Mention must be made
of Oktoberfest, Munich's annual lager frenzy, but it's a bit like
being stuck in a nightmarish soccer crowd and is more an example
of tourism at its lowest ebb than a display of German culture.
Most towns in Bavaria have festivals devoted to beer and they're
much nicer than Oktoberfest. Christmas fairs are embraced wholeheartedly
by German families, including those in Munich, Nuremberg, Lübeck,
Berlin, Münster and Heidelberg. |
