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Culture of Germany

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Germany is a place with a very rich and diverse culture.

Printing3 Walk of Ideas Berlin
Printing3 Walk of Ideas Berlin

Many people call it the "Land of Poets and Thinkers." This name honors the many great writers and philosophers from its history. The country has many different regional customs and traditions. These grew because Germany was not always one single nation. It has been shaped by its central spot in Europe for over a thousand years.

This long history makes the culture very influential around the world.

Language is a big part of how people connect in Germany.

Martin Luther, 1529
Martin Luther, 1529

Most people, about 90 percent, speak German at home. Standard German is a West Germanic language related to English and Dutch. It uses the Latin alphabet to write words. You might see three special vowels called umlauts: ä, ö, and ü. There is also a special letter called the Eszett, written as "ß."

Gutenberg
Gutenberg

Martin Luther helped create the basis for modern High German when he translated the Bible.

Music and art have also left a huge mark on the world.

Joseph Karl Stieler's Beethoven mit dem Manuskript der Missa solemnis
Joseph Karl Stieler's Beethoven mit dem Manuskript der Missa solemnis

Germany is the largest music market in Europe. Famous classical composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven lived there. These men helped move music from the Classical era to the Romantic era.

Dürer Melancholia I
Dürer Melancholia I

Today, Germany is also famous for electronic music and rock festivals. The Wacken Open Air festival is the biggest heavy metal festival in the world. Some music events, like Wave-Gotik-Treffen, attract up to 30,000 people.

German thinkers and filmmakers have also changed how we see the world.

Immanuel Kant portrait c1790
Immanuel Kant portrait c1790

Philosophers like Immanuel Kant and Karl Marx studied big ideas about life. In the world of movies, Germany has a very old history.

Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang
Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang

The Babelsberg Film Studio was founded in 1912. It is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. The movie Metropolis, made in 1927, helped start the science fiction genre. Many German directors have even influenced the way movies are made in Hollywood.

Learning about Germany helps us understand many things we already know.

Frankfurt book fair 20161021
Frankfurt book fair 20161021

For example, many famous fairy tales come from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. If you like science or technology, you might see German influence there too. Even the way modern universities work was shaped by the University of Berlin.

6265 Dessau
6265 Dessau

Today, about 15.5 million people are learning German as a second language. This shows how much people around the globe value German culture.

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🖼️ Images & Media (17)
File:Wodan heilt Balders Pferd by Emil Doepler.jpg
Wodan heilt Balders Pferd by Emil Doepler.jpg
File:Printing3 Walk of Ideas Berlin.JPG
Printing3 Walk of Ideas Berlin.JPG
File:Immanuel Kant portrait c1790.jpg
Immanuel Kant portrait c1790.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-05066, München, Ehrung der Gefallenen des Weltkrieges.jpg
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-05066, München,...
File:Joseph Karl Stieler's Beethoven mit dem Manuskript der Missa solemnis.jpg
Joseph Karl Stieler's Beethoven mit dem...
File:Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang.jpg
Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang.jpg
File:Frankfurt book fair 20161021.jpg
Frankfurt book fair 20161021.jpg
File:6265 Dessau.JPG
6265 Dessau.JPG
File:Dürer Melancholia I.jpg
Dürer Melancholia I.jpg
File:Martin Luther, 1529.jpg
Martin Luther, 1529.jpg
File:Gutenberg.jpg
Gutenberg.jpg
File:Black Forest gateau.jpg
Black Forest gateau.jpg

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