German Culture

All about Germany

January 21 in German History

January 21, 1521 Martin Luther excommunicated by Roman Catholic Church. January 21, 1794 Birth of Adolf Ludwig Follen (1794-1855) in Giessen, Germany. Follen was a romantic poet. Involved politically during his student years, he was expelled from the University of Giessen in 1815. In Heidelberg he became one of the founders of the … [Read more...]

German Shepherd – The Ultimate Service Dog

"The most striking features of the correctly bred German Shepherd are firmness of nerves, attentiveness, unshockability, tractability, watchfulness, reliability and incorruptibility together with courage, fighting tenacity and hardness." - Max von Stephanitz, Father of the German Shepherd Dog The German Shepherd Dog (GSD) is a versatile … [Read more...]

January 20 in German History

January 20, 1488 Birth of Sebastian Münster (1488-1582) in Ingelheim, Germany. Münster was professor of Hebrew at the University of Basel after 1527. His major contribution to scholarship was his Cosmographia, published in 1544. That book, proceeding from the geography of Ptolemy, represented a revival of the science of geography in Germany, … [Read more...]

Happy Birthday, Beetle!

In the middle of the 1930s Adolf Hitler - leader of the Nazi Germany - ordered Ferdinand Porsche to create a new "car for the people". Thus the history of Volkswagen started. Porsche began to construct the prototypes of the car. There were some main ideas - the conceptions of the future vehicle - that Porsche had to stick to while developing the … [Read more...]

January 19 in German History

January 19 - feast day of St. Agricius von Trier (ca. 260 – ca. 329) Tradition relates that Agricius had been the Patriarch of Antioch and was sent to Trier, Germany by Pope Sylvester at the specific request of St. Helena (mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great, who ruled from Trier). He became the Bishop of Trier. Some legends have it … [Read more...]

Importing Cars to Germany

There are no general rules for the procedure of importing cars to Germany. Irrespective of their age, all vehicles are treated equally as far as duties, taxes or technical inspections are concerned. One must have: - Driver’s license (Führerschein) German Driver's License If one stays in Germany for more than 12 months he will need a … [Read more...]

German Cars

The cars are used so extensively nowadays, that they tend to turn into a separate cultural subcategory, especially where the German culture is concerned. The exteriors always define the first impression. That is why people purchase expensive vehicles, committing money rather to the brand image of a car than to the perfect technical devices, or … [Read more...]

January 18 in German History

January 18, 1701 Frederick I of Prussia crowns himself king at Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Frederick maintained a large, splendid court and an army out of proportion to his territories and position to further his pretensions. In European politics, he allied himself with Austria and the sea powers (England and … [Read more...]

January 17 in German History

January 17, 1463 Birth of Friedrich III (the Wise) (1463-1525), Elector of Saxony, in Torgau, Germany. Friedrich served as the protector of Martin Luther after the imperial ban of 1521. He housed Luther at the Wartburg castle where Luther translated the Bible. Friedrich was a patron of Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder. He founded … [Read more...]

January 16 in German History

January 16, 1820 Birth of Johannes Rebmann (1820-1876) in Gerlingen, Germany. Rebmann was a missionary and explorer in Africa. In 1848 he was the first European to see Mount Kilimanjaro and in 1849 the first to see Mount Kenya. January 16, 1838 Birth of Franz Brentano (1838-1917) in Marienberg, Germany. Brentano was a professor of … [Read more...]