| Full Name: Federal Republic of Germany Capital: Berlin Language: German Currency: Euro The Celts were the first people to inhabit the area now known as Germany. Between 1000, and 100 B.C. Scandinavian tribes migrated south and conquered them. They then settled mainly between the Elbe and Oder rivers to lead agrarian lives. By the 1st century B.C. the land was overcrowded and the various groups began to spread out. The Visigoths went to Spain, Vandals to North Africa, and the Angles and Saxons to England. A few of the other tribes were destroyed. 12 B.C. to 16 A.D. brought the Romans. However their attempts to overtake the Germanic tribes failed. Only a small part of southwestern Germany succumbed to the Roman armies. This allowed those tribes to hang on to their traditions with little Roman influence. In the 3rd century A.D. the Franks rose above the other tribes. In 358 they expanded their empire into present day Belgium. Clovis, the 1st great king of the Franks, established the Merovingian dynasty around 500. The area expanded further. Clovis also became a Christian and sponsored missionaries around his kingdom. As with all other continental countries Charlemagne stepped into the pictures as the new line of Frankish kings. He quickly dominated central Europe and moved onto parts of Italy and Spain. In 800 he was crowned emperor by the Pope. After his death the empire fell apart. What emerged were the east and west Franks, France and Germany. The central government fell apart with the many attacks from the Vikings and the Magyars. Most people fell into alliances with local nobility and the feudal system began to take shape. In 876, Charles II, king of Eastern Franks, began to inherit large bits of land. This included: Southwest Germany, Italy, Saxony, and France. The reunification did not last long and was followed by the growing strength of the Saxon kings. Central authority was reestablished in 962. The Holy Roman Empire was born under the idea of all Christians being united with one leader. After a century of power struggles the Hohenstaufen family took over the throne. This lasted about one hundred years. It fell apart only at the end of the family line. In 1338 there was a push for German princes to elect an emperor without consent from the Pope. With the Golden Bull document in 1356 a constitution for the Holy Roman Empire was born. An advisor from each region would act as advisors to the emperor. From 1438 until it was dissolved in 1806 the Austrian Hapsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire. The Reformation of the 16th century brought about new ideas. At Wittenberg in 1517 Martin Luther, a theologian, nailed his 95 Thesis to the cathedral door. These ideas concentrated on the abuses of the Catholic Church, and called for change. The Protestant Reformation had begun. This quickly spread throughout Europe. However, people didn�t convert due to beliefs, but rather to weaken the powerful Catholic church and so that they could keep the taxes that had previously been given to the church. 1555 the Peace of Augsburg recognized the Protestant religion and stopped much of the fighting. Despite this the rift expanded and in 1618 the 30 years war began. Part of this was lead by the Hapsburgs who wanted to unify Germany. After the war Germany was still divided in about 300 separate sovereign states. Napoleon Bonaparte and France in general dominated much of Europe during the late 18th and early 18th centuries. Germany was conquered by the French in the Napoleonic Wars, 1803-15. The Holy Romany Empire was dissolved. It was this outside aggression that bred a desire for German unity. In 1813 there was a new arrangement by the Congress of Vienna after the successful Wars of Liberation had forced back Napoleon. It resorted many of the major princes and established a loose confederation of about twelve principalities. January 18, 1871 Prussian king William was crowned emperor of a new German Reich. The Reichstag was to be the elected parliament. It mostly only had the power of debate. The real power was with the king, or Kaiser. Under William I and Bismarck, his chancellor, many changes took place. However, they were not all for the better. Bismarck had more power than he should have when it came to swaying the king. He practically ran the country. William II (1888-1918) forced Bismarck to retire. He tried to consolidate workers but would not rewrite the archaic constitution to give the Reichstag more power. This produced the ingredients for a constitutional overhaul on the eve of WWI. Despite all the cultural and economic advances that Germany had made its foreign policy was a mess. Their only real ally was Austro-Hungary. Because of the alliance Germany was pulled into WWI. In 1914 the country declared war on Russia and France. In 1918, with food shortages and a general dislike of William II the people rose up and forced him into exile. The social democrats took the lead in government. Known as the Weimar Republic it was Germany�s first democratic government. Things didn�t go very well. The people were afraid of excessive power and therefore limited what Weimar was capable of doing. For the power that it did have, the government worked hard. After the war Germany was told to sign the Versailles Treaty. This stated that WWI was the fault of Germany. The country was also forced to give up land, people, and resources, along with reparations� that were much more than the country could afford. This pushed Germany into great economic hardships. Inflation spiraled out of control. It wasn�t until 1923 when Gustav Stressman was able to introduce a new currency and improve relations with western countries. That allowed Germany to borrow money and work out a more reasonable reparations schedule. Towards the end of the 1920�s the economy had a small revival period. Also during this time the avant garde and Bauhaus design movements thrived. Good times didn�t last long as the depression of the 1930�s set in. This led to more radical politics, and is when the Nazi party�s following began to grow. By 1932 it was the largest party represented in the Reichstag, and in 1933 President Paul van Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as chancellor. Hitler founded a totalitarian state known as the Third Reich. Many people followed him out of desperation and had no real idea of what was in store. Hitler�s racism gave way to a cruel system of anti-Semitism. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 deprived Jews of most civil rights. He wanted to rid Germany, and the world of them. He was driven by the idea that Germany was overpopulated and needed to expand. With blitzkrieg style warfare he had managed to take over most of Europe by 1942. The United States joined the allies and changed the course of the war. When defeat was eminent Hitler committed suicide in April 1945. At the end of the war Germany was in ruins. The allies split up the country as they saw fit. The U.S.S.R. got the east, and France, the U.S., and Britain the west. During this time the west flourished and at one point would not even recognize that there was an East Germany, or GDR. In 1961 to stop the mass exodus from the east the Berlin wall was created, covering about 100 miles around Berlin. In 1989 reforms were taking place in many of the Soviet satellite countries. The government collapsed and the wall was torn down. The two Germany�s were unified officially on October 3, 1990. Today Germany is a leader in the EU and one of my favorite countries to visit. |
| History |
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| Germany |
| What I Did |
| Dresden Deutches Hygiene Museum: This museum concentrates on the how the human works. From within the body and without. I worked there, so I am a bit biased, but I think that it is excellent. Zwinger: This is an old castle that now holds four museums. I went to the Old Masters Art Gallery. It wasn't big but nice. The art is mostly renaissance and was luckily saved in the war. This was the personal collections of the Saxon kings. It�s amazing to think that just a few peoples good taste put this together. Verkehrs Museum: This is a transportation museum. It had lots of old cars, bikes, trains, planes, and boats. It was all in German, but did seem to be well documented. Dresden Schloss: This castle was heavily bombed and still quite damaged, although they are redoing it. It's very beautiful. There was art work and a history of the fire bombing. There were also artifacts that had been found during excavations. What did bother me was that it was all in German. At the exit of the museum there was a big sign in English asking for donations. It seems to me that it would be much better to only expect those if people were able to read the exhibit. Albertinum: There was a lot to see there. The part I really liked was the New Masters collection. This ranged from trash art to Degas. It was strange, but the Monet was nice. There was also a nice outdoor sculpture area. Perhaps the best part was the Brunes Gewolbe. This was the treasures of the Saxon Kings. Berlin Unfortunately I cut my visit to Berlin short by having a massive hangover. I also spend one full day on a walking tour. I definitely recommend the tour, not the hangover! Check-Point Charlie Museum: There is almost too much here to take it all in. A lot of the museum, and really the best part, concentrated on creative ways that people used to escape the GDR. It was interesting. They had stories of all sorts of daring escapes. Film Museum: If you have thing for a German movie star, past or present, they have something here about him. Even Lola�s outfit was there. Small Soviet Memorial: This is the first two tanks that entered Berlin. Jewish Museum: This was terrible. There were all sorts of artifacts from the Jewish religion and history. That was all very interesting, however the building was terrible. It was very harsh and modern, removing the history further away from the present. I think that makes a museum less interesting. Who wants to know about something that doesn't relate to them? Allied Museum: It was very good. There were signs and memorabilia from pre-unification. The real check point Charlie building is there. Munich Dachau: It's really hard to talk about or to even comprehend. I took the audio tour, and found that quite helpful. I was there right at the opening, so it was very much empty; I think that added to the impact of the area. Much of it is gone, the barracks, and some other buildings. The original part is the prison within the prison. I was all alone and I know now just how silence can be defining. In some of the cells there were stories about the people who had been there. This included some of the people who tried to assassinate Hitler. There are also crematoriums. There were some flowers on the ovens. There was a path in the woods that had monuments along it. There were two mass graves, a marker for a shooting range, and a marker for where some Russians had been killed. Neuschwanstein: This was the castle of Mad King Ludwig. It was also the castle that Disney used for Cinderella's Castle. The castle itself was up on a mountain and breathtaking. The castle was sold to the state before it was completed or really even used. All the furniture was original, which was really fascinating. His throne was never completed but the throne room was amazing. The floor was a mosaic. His bedroom was very ornate, but somehow not gaudy. The top of his bed had different church spires in Germany carved in it. I wonder if any from Dresden are there, probably not. Museum of Unusual Collections: This place was weird. There was a collection of chamber pots, perfume bottles, and Easter Bunnies among others. If you need a break from serious traveling this is a good place for a bit of a chuckle. Glyptothek: This housed Greek and Roman statues. It was very small. Statues aren�t really my thing so I don�t have much to say about it. Old and New Pinakothek's: The old one housed renaissance art and that's about it. I enjoyed it, but not for long periods of time. The new one had Monet's and Van Gogh�s, much more to my liking. Siemans Forum: This was a bit boring and only lasted about 20 minutes. It's like a science museum, but I didn't understand most of it, and it was not very interactive. Nymphenburg Palace: I rented an audio guide so that I could learn more. It was beautiful. The first room was the best. I bought the see-it-all ticket so I really saw it all. I went to all the outbuildings and even the carriage museum. The grounds were amazing. This was one of my first imperial palaces. The paintings alone make it worth the expense. Deutches Museum: This is said to be the larges museum in the world. It had mainly technical things, chemistry, boats, and cells. I think to the right person a this could be an amazing experience, however, I was not the right person. Leipzig This one I am cheating on a bit. I only spent some time in the Holiday Inn reception area sleeping after I got on the wrong train! Nuremburg The train station seemed nice! Hamburg Hamburg Kunst Halle: I found this museum to be very disappointing. The art just wasn't good. It was like they were given all the rejects from other museums. There was a Monet and two Picasso's. Still, they were like no other work I had seen by those artists before. The other half of the museum was modern art. Usually I just laugh at it, but this was scary! There were dark rooms with odd shows and sounds, some were very haunting. I was scared. There were some Andy Worhals, they were the highlight. Museum Fur Volkerkunde: This is the ethnology museum. It was really very well done. They had a huge section on Indians, China, and Africa. I liked the European section best though. There were more things to play with! Oh, I should describe what was there; it was the beginnings and different aspects of the cultures. For example, there was a room full of only African Masks, anther had a tee-pee. The special exhibit was on the Israli-Palistinian conflict, it was very well done. Neuengamme: This was a concentration camp. I didn't have much time so I basically ran through it. They had a museum with several artifacts, including a piece from the original barracks. There were some well done memorials. You basically walk from one end to the other. This is a good way to see what a work camp looks like. Erotic Art Museum: It was actually quite tasteful and well done. I was shocked! Fish market: This was possibly the best part of Hamburg. It was so crowded. People were selling anything you could want, including fish! The venders were yelling and negotiating bargains with music in the background. It was fabulous. Altona Museum: This is about the history of northern Germany. It wasn't great but still ok. They had lots of ships and paintings mostly. Museum of Hamburg History: This one was very well done. Anyone could walk out an expert. There was even an example of an old pub inside, and they served beer! St. Nikolai: This church collapsed during the WWII fire bombing. It only has a spire now and a small museum in the basement. I felt like the people running the museum were blaming me for what had happened. They were very rude and kept giving me funny looks. Frankfurt Another nice German train station. Lubeck This was a beautiful city. It was very old. I found it easily because the altstaadt is on an island. The town gate was amazing, although a bit crooked! I guess the tower in Pisa is not the only thing that leans! Every year there is a vote to demolish it because the upkeep is so expensive. However, it is a symbol of the city and they will not let it be destroyed. I walked around for a few hours looking in churches and taking pictures. The church I wanted to see most was closed, the bells had fallen during the bombing and been left on the floor of the alter. Spreewald This is a small area that is very interesting. Spreewald literally means river forest. A river snakes through a pretty thick tree growth. There were small islands where people lived. The river was amazing. It was shallow and not very wide. And it was very calm. At the places where there were some rocks that changed the speed or height of the water a dam type thing with doors was built in the water. The boat would go in and they would close the doors. The water would then be let in or let out slowly, bringing the boat to the correct level. It was really pretty cool. Along the river the trees and the nature were unbelievable. It was also very clean. |
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