Update: 02/2009

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Carnival – Especially the western part of Germany is famous for "Karneval" celebrations such as parades and costume balls. In parts of East and South Germany and Austria the carnival is called "Fasching" and especially Munich developed a special kind of celebration. In Franconia and the southwest-parts and also some other parts of Germany a carnival is called "Fastnacht" or "Fasnet". But most popular is carnival in Mainz, Düsseldorf and Cologne. Street carnival, a week-long street festival, also called "the crazy days", takes places between the Thursday (Women’s Carnival Day) before Rose Monday and ends on Ash Wednesday, when the time of Lent starts (40-day-long liturgical season of fasting before Easter)...
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© anton scher / PIXELIO

Castles – Germany is the land of castles and palaces, both meaning a residence of a monarch or noble. A Castle ("Burg") is a defensive structure, built in the Middle Ages. Palaces ("Schloss") were built for representative purposes and not for defense, as of 16th century. Most popular is "Schloss Neuschwanstein" (see foto), a 19th-century Palace in the south of Germany. It was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner, the King's inspiring muse. It is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.
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A.Merkel © Marcus Walter / PIXELIO

Chancellor – The Chancellor of Germany ("Bundeskanzler" or "Kanzler" for short) is the head of government of Germany. In german politics the position is equivalent to that of a Prime Minister in other countries with a parliamentary system. The latter term is not used, since its direct German equivalent, "Ministerpräsident", is used exclusively for the heads of government of the states of Germany ("Bundesländer"). The current Chancellor of Germany is Angela Merkel (see foto), who was elected in 2005. She is the first female Chancellor and thus known in German as "Bundeskanzlerin".
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© Bettina Stolze / PIXELIO

Climate – Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate. Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) for prolonged periods. In the east, the climate is more continental; winters can be very cold, summers can be very warm, and long dry periods are often recorded. Central and southern Germany are transition regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental.
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© Sven L. / PIXELIO

Cologne – Cologne ("Köln") is germany's fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westfalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC. Cologne is famous for it's Cathedral (see foto), a vibrant arts scene and for its annual celebration of Cologne Carnival and the CSD, the gay/lesbian pride festival.
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© Ulrich E. K. Schmidt / PIXELIO

Cologne Cathedral – Cologne Cathedral ("Kölner Dom", 1248 - 1880) is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne, under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church and is renowned as a monument of Christianity, of Gothic architecture and of the faith and perseverance of the people of the city in which it stands. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cathedral is a World Heritage Site, being one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany, and Colognes's most famous landmark, described by UNESCO as an "exceptional work of human creative genius". Cologne Cathedral is one of the world's largest churches, being the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe.
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© Sybille Daden / PIXELIO

Cuckoo Clock – A cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum driven, that strikes the hours using small bellows and pipes that imitate the call of the common cuckoo in addition to striking a wire gong. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call was installed in almost every kind of cuckoo clock since the middle of the eighteenth century and has remained almost without variation until the present. Famous for their cockoo clocks is the Black Forest, a region in the far southwest of Germany.
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© Rainer Kregovski / PIXELIO

Culture – Germany is often known as the land of poets and thinkers ("Land der Dichter und Denker). German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire german speaking world. Well known classical poets and authors are e.g. the Grimm brothers, Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist and Heine. German philosophs are e.g. Leibniz, Kant, Schopenhauer, Marx, Engels and Nietzsche. In the field of music, Germany claims some of the most renowned classical composers of the world including Bach, Beethoven, Händel, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner, Strauss and Orff. In fine arts popular german painters are e.g. Dürer, Friedrich, Runge, Ernst, Beuys and Baselitz. Germany is although well known for its theaters and opera houses, architecture and design, theologians and cuisine.
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© Betty / PIXELIO

Currywurst – is a german national dish consisting of hot pork or (rarely) beef sausage ("Wurst") cut into slices and seasoned with curry sauce ketchup or tomato paste blended with curry) and generous amounts of curry powder, or a ready-made ketchup-based sauce seasoned with curry and other spices. Currywurst is often sold as a take-away food. Currywurst is usually served with French fries or bread rolls.
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