The 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Germany on 27 January 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Bavaria. The majority of the COVID-19 cases in January and early February originated from Webasto headquarters in Bavaria and, seemingly, from there to Northern Italy, where Webasto has offices.

Later, new clusters were introduced by travellers from Italy, China and Iran. German disease and epidemic control is advised by the Robert Koch Institute according to a national pandemic plan.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

You can reduce your risk of infection if you:

1. Clean hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
2. Cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or flexed elbow.
3. Avoid close contact (1 m or 3 feet) with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.

COVID-19 statistic in Germany as of April 12, 2020
(via http://bit.ly/38Uhg1g)

Live map with updates: http://bit.ly/Germany-live-map.

COVID-19 has spread to every state in Germany, and public life is set to slow down. Schools, restaurants and non-essential businesses have closed while holiday travel is prohibited and borders are partially closed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced new measures on March 16, 2020 to try to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in Germany. Non-essential businesses and shops will shut down, while religious gatherings will be prohibited and holiday travel will grind to a halt.

“There have never been measures like this in our country before,” Merkel announced. “They are far-reaching, but at the moment they are necessary.”

Supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations, banks, post offices, delivery services, dry-cleaners and hairdressers will be among the businesses that will remain open. The announcement came as Germany essentially closed its borders to Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark. Key among the new restrictions is the ban on holiday travel. Non-Germans who are not resident without a valid reason will be refused entry at the borders.

Thousands of schools and kindergartens also closed down on March 16. Playgrounds and other outdoor recreation centers will also be shut down or closed off. Many people will work from home and have been advised to practice “social distancing” — removing themselves from social situations as much as possible to stop the virus from spreading.

How COVID-19 has affected life in Germany

1. Panic-buying has left empty shelves in supermarkets — and food banks. With Germans snapping up canned goods and toilet paper to weather the outbreak, stores have fewer supplies left over to donate to the needy.
2. After playing one match behind closed doors, the Bundesliga has suspended its season until at least April 2. The Germany football league had considered playing matches behind closed doors until Paderborn’s coach Steffen Baumgart and defender Luca Kilian tested positive for COVID-19.
3. Cultural life has also taken a hit, with major fairs and trade shows canceled or postponed. Among the casualties were the Leipzig Book Fair and the Musikmesse Frankfurt, Europe’s biggest music trade fair. Numerous clubs, galleries and museums have closed across the country, and the gala award show for the annual German film and television award, the Goldene Kamera, has been moved to November.
4. The Chinese origin of the virus has led to an increase in xenophobic sentiment in the places worst hit by the outbreak. Asian restaurants and stores — not just Chinese — have reported empty tables in countries hard hit by the pandemic, and people with Asian features have experienced discrimination. At a recent Bundesliga game in Leipzig, a group of Japanese fans was ejected from the stadium.
5. Car plants in China have been shut down since January, and major German automakers like Volkswagen and Daimler have said both sales and production have been hit by the epidemic. And with many automakers sourcing electric car parts from China, work at plants in Germany has also hit a stumbling block. Berlin has said it plans to financially support companies suffering coronavirus losses.

The flag of Germany was adopted in its present form in 1919. It was readopted with the new constitution of 1949. It is a tricolor, made of three equal horizontal bands colored black (top), red, and gold (bottom).

There are several theories regarding the origins of the German flag color scheme and its meaning. The most popular theory is that the black and gold combination relates to the colors on the semi-official coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire. When the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist these two colors were closely associated with Austria’s Habsburg Dynasty, which became known as the “Black and Gold Monarchy.”

In the radical 1840s the black-red-gold flag was used to symbolize the movement against the Conservative European Order that was established after Napoleon’s defeat. The movement fell apart within a year, but it had succeeded in drafting a constitution that declared “Basic Rights for the German People.”

The Frankfurt Parliament had declared the black-red-gold as the official colors of the German Confederation, with the red symbolized the Hanseatic League and the gold and black symbolizing Austria. These colors soon came to be regarded as the national colors of Germany during this brief period, and especially after their reintroduction during the Weimar period, they have become synonymous with liberalism in general.

The leaders of the 1848 Revolution adopted the tricolor flag in the National Assembly or Frankfurt Parliament

After the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 the South-German States aligned with Austria, including Bavaria, Baden are said to have flown the black-red-gold flag, further illustrating the distinctions between the present day color scheme and the northern, Prussian tradition. On June 25, 1867 the coalition adopted a flag that blended the colors of its largest and smallest member Prussia (black and white) and the Hanseatic League (red and white) into a new black-white-red horizontal tricolor. This flag would also be the national flag for the subsequent German Empire from 1871 to 1918, which finally replaced the German Confederation.

After Germany’s defeat in World War I this German Imperial flag fell into disuse and the new Weimar Republic reinstated the black-red-gold sequence in 1919. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 the black-red-gold flag was replaced with the black-white-red. And in 1935 they replaced all German governmental flags with designs based on the swastika flag that had been their Nazi party flag ( a red flag with a white disk in the center containing a black swastika).

After the defeat of Germany in World War II, Germany was occupied by the Allies. The Allied Control Council banished the existing national flags.

After some debate, the black-red-gold flag was once again adopted as the German federal flag for the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on May 9,1949.

The German Democratic Republic (East Germany ) used the same flag, but on October 1, 1959 it introduced a communist emblem to the center of the flag: a hammer (symbolizing the workers), and a pair of compasses (symbolizing the intellectuals) inside ears of grain (symbolizing the farmers). This remained until the territory of the former GDR was reunified with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990.

In Germany there is a very modest public use of the flag and national symbols at all. The flag in Germany is used nearly only by official authorities on special occasions or by the public in sport events.

Germany has a strong tradition with respect to card games, as a result the most popular game varies by region.

Skat, Doppelkopf and Schafkopf are amongst the most popular, they are very similar to each other and pretty tactical. Schafkopf is traditionally played in Bavaria (South-East), Doppelkopf is more popular in the West and North, and Skat originates in the East, but has gain a lot of traction elsewhere since it is the most tactical variant and often played competitively.

Mau Mau is a very simple game which is also popular throughout Germany especially amongst children, UNO is essentially the commercial version of it.

There are many more card games which enjoy local popularity, but may not be known elsewhere. Binokel, Watten, 66 (Schnapsen), Gaigel, just to name a few.

Do you know the names of the suits in German? If not, then here they are!

• Karo (Diamonds)
• Herz (Hearts)
• Pik (Spades)
• Kreuz (Clubs)

An Ace is an Ass. A Jack is a Bube – an old-fashioned German word for “boy.” A Queen is a Dame (which translates to “lady”) and the King is the König (literal translation this time).

Spieler is the word for “player” in German (it’s also the word for “gambler”).

Du bist dran means “your turn.” Unfair (pronounced “oonfair”) means, you guessed it, “unfair.”

Is someone playing dirty in the game? Then yell out, “Hey, du schummelst!” (“Hey, you’re cheating!”)

One-player German Card Games

Auf Wiedersehen

If you’re all by yourself, but still in the mood for a good card game, play a few rounds of the German solitaire game Auf Wiedersehen (Farewell).

To play this game, you need a standard deck of 52 cards. Start with 12 cards laid out face up in three rows of four. Four additional cards are placed face down on the table.

You need to rearrange the cards at the top so that they run from Ace to King. Place the additional cards under the correct suits in order. Now draw a card from the deck and place it where it belongs, if possible. If you pull a King, you can start a new row. Once you’ve finished laying out all the cards you can, turn over the four cards still laying face down on the table. If any of these cards are an Ace or a King matching the top card in the rows, you’ve lost.

Die Farbenelf

The next German card game you can play by yourself is called Die Farbenelf (roughly, “the colorful eleven”).

To play this game, shuffle a standard 52-card deck, then lay out four rows of four cards face up. In these 16 cards, you look for two cards of the same suit with a total value of 11. These pairs can now be laid aside and the gaps filled with new cards taken from the deck.

The Jack, King and Queen can only be removed if they’re taken from the deck at the same time and have the same suit. The goal of the game is to use up the deck and get rid of all the cards.

German Card Games for Groups

Each of the games listed here can be played by two to five players.

Quartett

Quartett (Quartet) is one of the most popular kids’ card games in Germany, and has been for a long time. This game is basically played the same as Go Fish.

The goal is to get four of the same type of card (four sixes in all the suits, for example). Each player asks another player for a card they need to make a set of four. If the player has the card, they have to hand it over. If they don’t have the card, it’s their turn to ask.

Although you can play Quartett with a standard 52-card deck, most kids play with a special deck that features animals facts, trains, planes and automobiles, famous sports stars, etc. These make Quartett the perfect game for learning or practicing basic German vocabulary topics. You can also buy plenty of quirky and/or naughty Quartett decks for a more adult audience, like a Quartett deck of dead rock stars, one featuring addictive substances and, last but not least, the sexy dirndl deck.

Mau-Mau

The German card game Mau-Mau is similar to Uno. Each player is dealt five to six cards. The top card of the deck is then turned over. The player can either lay down a card of the same suit or the same number—for example, a 10 of Diamonds on top of a 10 of Spades.

The goal of the game is to get rid of all your cards. If a player lays down their final card, they have to say Mau, but if their last card is a jack, they have to say Mau-Mau (pronounced like the word “ow” when you hurt yourself, with an “m” in the front).

Böse Dame

Böse Dame (Evil Queen) is similar to the game Hearts, only you want to end the game with high points, not the other way around.

This game is only played with Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, Tens, Nines, Eights and Sevens. The points you get for the cards are as follows:

• Ace (11 points)
• Ten (10 points)
• King (four points)
• Queen (three points)
• Jack (two points)
• Nine, Eight and Seven (0 points)

Like Hearts, the Pik Dame (Queen of Spades) is the evil queen here indeed. If you end up with this card at the end, you get -50 points!

You lay down cards of the same suit and the player with the highest card takes the pile. If you don’t have the suit, but you have the Queen of Spades, you can play her and pass her on to another player. If the Queen of Spades is played, you can “stab” her with the King or Ace of Spades. Play this card, and she’ll go back to the person who laid her down.

Longer German Card Games for Groups

If you really want to get into the world of German card games, there are two words for you: Doppelkopf and Skat.

Both of these popular games can be played for hours. There are many game clubs dedicated to both and they have their own tournaments throughout Germany as well as other German-speaking countries.

Doppelkopf

Doppelkopf (roughly, “double-head”) is a game for four players in teams of two. However, you don’t know who your teammate is until later in the game.

The game is played with 48 to 40 cards and is sometimes played with German-suited cards featuring Balls, Hearts, Leaves and Acorns rather than the standard French-suited cards most of us are used to.

The rules for Doppelkopf are too complex to go through here, you can read them on this website.

Skat

The other granddaddy of German card games is definitely Skat. Skat is a game for three players and is played with a 32-card deck, either French- or German-suit. The suits have different values, with Clubs or Acorns boasting the highest points, 12.

The rules for Skat are even more complex than Doppelkopf, but you can learn more on this website.

With the fifth largest economy in the world, Germany is Europe’s land of opportunity for skilled professionals. In addition to high job security and a favorable work-life balance, people are also thrilled with how safe the country is and with its high quality of medical care.

For about two centuries, Germany was a land people migrated from, not to. But times have changed, and so has Germany. With a booming economy, it attracts talent from the rest of Europe and beyond. German universities are reporting more foreign students and researchers, and many of those stay and found companies – in that respect Berlin, where 43% of tech startups are launched by immigrants, is second only to Silicon Valley (46%) and ahead of London, Tel Aviv and Paris.

This trend may be surprising given the alleged barrier of “the awful German language,” as Mark Twain memorably described it, with its tricky cases, genders and inflections. And yet branches of the Goethe Institute, a network of culture centers that teach German, are doing brisk business from Latin America to Asia. Something similar could be said about Germany’s awful bureaucracy (too bad Mr. Twain omitted that angle!). Even there, Germany has improved: several reforms have made it much simpler for German firms to recruit abroad, for example.

Many of those coming to Germany would in the past have gone to America or Britain instead. But America in the age of President Trump, with headlines full of travel bans and walls to be built, has lost some of its draw. Britain could careen for years toward who-knows-what-kind-of Brexit. In Germany, however, the government is rolling out a red carpet by simplifying immigration procedures, funding free language classes, even opening “ welcome centers” for newcomers. So bankers, students, artists and others look to Germany instead, pursuing their German Dream.

One in five foreigners in Germany work in the IT industry. As the country is experiencing a skills shortage in this area and experts are in high demand, many have found a safe and secure job in this field. Indeed, the highest percentage of expats (17%) list having found a job in Germany as their main reason for moving abroad.

Once people settle into their new job, they are happy to find that the average work week consists of 39 hours, leaving plenty of time to spend with family and friends and engage in leisure activities. At first, many newcomers find it difficult to adjust to the fact that stores in Germany are closed on most Sundays and in some states shut their doors in the early evening during the week. After a while, though, most learn to plan ahead and enjoy their leisurely Sundays.

When it comes to personal safety in Germany, according to the Expat Insider 2016 survey, expats feel that it is possible for them to move about freely in their neighborhoods, cities, and the country in general, without fearing for their personal safety.

Foreigners appreciate being able to walk around Germany’s cities and sleep peacefully in their beds each night, all the time feeling safe and secure. Even during the Oktoberfest in Munich and after World Cup soccer games, foreigners are often surprised at the relatively low amount of trouble that Germans get into, compared to what they would expect to see in other countries.

While Germany ranks very high for job security, quality of medical care, and personal safety, there are some areas in which it falls far behind other countries. First of all, only one in ten people are very happy with the climate and weather in this European country. Luckily, with excellent transportation options and a central location within Europe, escaping to sunshine and warmer climes for a long weekend or extended vacation is a breeze.

Expats in Germany also find it quite difficult to settle into life here and make new friends, especially local ones. The cool and distant outward demeanor of many Germans is often interpreted as rudeness. The blunt, frank way of speaking and expressing opinions can come off as tactlessness. Only 14% of the survey respondents think the local German population is very friendly and the country ranks a miserable 50th out of 61 in terms of overall friendliness.

Despite this less-than-ideal result, expats who manage to crack the hard outer shell and become friends with Germans will find that they have made friends for life. Although excellent knowledge of English is widespread throughout Germany, being able to converse in German will help pave the way to feeling at home and making local friends.

Germany is by far the leading trading country in the continent in terms of volume and value. With a largely very prosperous population of around 82 million, the German economy remains one of the most outstanding economies in the world. It is only a few hundred miles from the UK – and it has been forecast to grow at around 1.5% each year over the next 20 years.

The German system of gun control is among the most stringent in Europe. It restricts the acquisition, possession, and carrying of firearms to those with a creditable need for a weapon. It bans fully automatic weapons and severely restricts the acquisition of other types of weapons. Compulsory liability insurance is required for anyone who is licensed to carry firearms.

In recent years, German gun-control law underwent several reforms that made it even more stringent. A new Weapons Act became effective in 2003 after a school shooting in the city of Erfurt in which a student killed sixteen persons. The new Act restricted the use of large caliber weapons by young people and strengthened requirements for the safe storage of firearms.

Another reform was enacted in 2009 in response to the massacre at Winnenden, in which an eighteen-year-old killed fifteen people in the course of a school shooting. This latest reform led to the creation of a federal gun register and to intense governmental monitoring of gun owners’ compliance with requirements for the safe storage of firearms. Pursuant to the reformed legislation, the authorities may at any time request access to the premises of any registered gun owner to monitor whether proper safe-storage procedures are being observed.

Germany has one of the highest rates of gun ownership worldwide, yet also one of the lowest rates of gun-related deaths.

To get a gun, Germans must first obtain a firearms ownership license (Waffenbesitzkarte) – and you may need a different one for each weapon you buy – or a license to carry (Waffenschein).

Applicants for a license must be at least 18 years old and undergo what’s called a reliability check, which includes checking for criminal records, whether the person is an alcohol or drug addict, whether they have mental illness or any other attributes that might make them questionable to authorities.

The also have to pass a “specialized knowledge test” on guns and people younger than 25 applying for their first license must go through a psychiatric evaluation.

One must also prove a specific and approved need for the weapon, which is mainly limited to use by hunters, competitive marksmen, collectors and security workers – not for self-defence.

Once you have a license, you’re also limited in the number of and kinds of guns you may own, depending on what kind of license you have: Fully automatic weapons are banned for all, while semiautomatic firearms are banned for anything other than hunting or competitive shooting.

Under the reforms passed in the wake of a 2009 mass shooting, gun owners are also subject to continued monitoring by the government with officials able to ask gun owners at any time to enter their private property and check that they are properly storing their weapons.

But even given Germany’s strict gun policies, the country was still home to the fourth-highest number of legal guns per capita in 2013, falling behind just the United States, Switzerland and Finland.

About 2 million people own more than 5.5 million legal guns in Germany for a population of more than 80 million.

On top of that, police unions have estimated that there are up to 20 million more illegally-owned guns in Germany – this would mean roughly 30 guns for every group of 100 people.

But even given the relatively high amount of guns in the country, Germany has one of the lowest rates of gun-related deaths each year, according to international GunPolicy.org research by the University of Sydney.

Over the past 20 years, “crimes against life” – which include murder as well as negligent manslaughter – that involve guns have dropped from 783 in 1995 to 130 in 2015, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Of those crimes in 2015, just 57 were intentional murders.

Several mass shootings within the past two decades have had a great impact on gun control policy. Since those mass shootings, there has also been drop-off in gun violence. In 2009 when Winnenden happened, there were 179 crimes against life that involved guns being fired, compared to the 130 such crimes in 2015.

There are two kinds of firearms carry permits in Germany:

1. Firearms carry permits (Waffenschein) entitle licensees to publicly carry legally owned weapons, whether concealed or not. A mandatory legal and safety class and shooting proficiency tests are required to obtain such a permit. Carry permits are usually only issued to persons with a particular need for carrying a firearm. This includes some private security personnel and persons living under a raised threat level like celebrities and politicians. They are valid up to three years and can be extended. Carrying at public events is prohibited. Licensed hunters do not need a permit to carry loaded weapons while hunting, and unloaded weapons while directly traveling to and from such an activity.

2. A small firearms carry permit (Kleiner Waffenschein) was introduced in 2002. It can be obtained without having to demonstrate expert knowledge, necessity or a mandatory insurance. The only requirements are that the applicant be of legal age, trustworthy and personally adequate. It entitles the licensee to publicly carry gas pistols (both of the blank and irritant kind) and flare guns. These types of firearms are freely available to adults; only the actual carrying on public property requires the permit. Similar to the full permit, carrying at public events is prohibited.

Firearms that are prohibited in Germany may not be owned by anyone except with a special license from the Federal Criminal Police Office, which is only given to manufacturers, exporters, and, on rare occasions, collectors. The most important ones are:

• Firearms defined as “war weapons” by the law (tanks, rocket launchers, heavy machine guns)
• Fully automatic firearms
• Pump-action shotguns, if
  • the stock has been replaced by a pistol grip or
  • the overall length is less than 95 cm, or
  • the barrel length is less than 45 cm.
• Firearms designed to look like an everyday object in order to conceal their nature
• Handguns made after January 1, 1970 that fire ammunition with a caliber of less than 6.3mm, except those for rimfire ammunition.

Germans are said to be rather serious, dour, and even humorless. While this is not entirely true, German people do indeed need some time to warm up and keep a polite distance when dealing with strangers. While it might be customary in some countries to address people by their first name, Germans like to stick to formalities. At the same time, their blunt direct way of communicating might put some people off and even appear rude. On the upside, once you’ve cracked a German’s hard shell, they will warm up quickly. This is also when you will find out that Germans are indeed funny and like to joke around a lot. Compliments are given rarely, but if so, then they are sincere.

Our gestures, facial expressions and voice tone say a lot more about us that the actual words we are saying. In Germany, lots of physical distance and a calm, moderate tome are appropriate in most situations. Hugging another person, patting their back, kissing their cheek and generally touching another person is reserved for close friends and relatives. Yelling, screaming and shouting are considered incredibly rude. That being said, Germans do talk with a blunt directness that may sound arrogant to other people. Such frankness and assertiveness are perfectly normal most of the time. It is not intended to offend you.

When it comes to small talk, Germans rarely chat about personal matters at first. Instead, they focus on sports, traveling, movies or cooking. You should avoid potentially controversial topics like politics or religion, reserving them for good friends only. Allusions to the country’s Nazi past and its role in the World Wars are taboo.

One of the many clichés about Germany and the Germans says that they act in a not very friendly or even rude manner towards strangers. But what is often interpreted as rude manners, is more like a basic inability of Germans to small talk – they simply are not used to it.

In fact, it comes more from another behavior often observed on Germans: They are said to be very direct and trying to be effective in what they are doing – that’s why most of them don’t think it is necessary to small talk as it costs time without producing measurable results. For them, it’s simply a waste of time. Next time you are trying to small talk with a German just say to yourself: They’re not rude, they’re just effective.

It’s said that it’s not too easy to make German friends, but once you’ve managed to befriend one, he or she will be a “real” and loyal friend. I don’t need to tell you that not all Germans are the same and especially young people are very open towards foreigners. It might be due to the fact that they are able to communicate better in English than the older Germans. It is more a basic cultural difference that becomes obvious in daily situations with strangers.

Every country and culture is based on different habits and behavior. Here are some fun facts about Germany and Germans that you definitely need to know.

1. Germany is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe.

Yes, the country has a staggering population size of 83,517,000 people, and counting! And, even though Germany is a rather large country, that still means there’s 231 people per sq km!

2. One third of Germany is still covered in forest and woodland.

Despite the population density, a good proportion of Germany is actually still covered in foliage. And, it sure is spectacular. Our little tip? If you’re a fan of the Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, you might just want to pay a visit to the Black Forest… the setting of many of their stories.

3. Berlin is 9 times bigger than Paris and has more bridges than Venice

Dating back to the 13th century, the city spans a whopping 891.8 km², plenty of room for those 1700 bridges within the city. Berlin is over 9 times the size of Paris, but it only has 1/5 of Paris’ density (4K inhabitants per sq km as opposed to 21K inhabitants per sq km in Paris). That’s why Berlin feels so airy and spacious! So much so that sometimes you feel like you have a whole park for yourself.

4. During JFK’s famous declaration of “Ich bin ein Berliner” he actually likened himself to a jam doughnut.

What he should have said is “Ich bin Berliner” meaning “I am a citizen of Berlin”. A Berliner is actually a type of jelly donuts made in Berlin., so “Ich bin ein Berliner” can actually be translated to “I am a jelly doughnut.”

5. Germany’s Capital City has shifted 7 times!

From Aachen (during the Carolingian Empire) to Regensburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremberg, Berlin, Weimar (unofficially, during unrest in Berlin), Bonn (and East Berlin), and, since 1990, Berlin again!

6. Germany is sometimes known as the land of poets and thinkers.

German writers and poets have won 13 Nobel Prizes in Literature and Germany is home to world-renowned writers such as Friedrich Schiller, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Günter Grass, Hermann Hesse and Herta Müller.

7. Germany is Europe’s second largest beer consumer.

Just behind the Czech Republic, the German’s are known to consume a fair amount of the ‘liquid gold’. But, given the Bavarians even consider beer to be a basic food, and drink on average of 150 liters per person, per year, we think they’re giving the Czechs a run for their money.

8. The longest word published in the German language is Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft.

Loosely translating to Danube steamboat shipping electricity main engine facility building sub clerk association. The word Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz, a law delegating beef label monitoring, was removed from the German language in 2014.

9. The German Football team is the second most successful football team in the world!

The beautiful game, a British sport and a hard fought rivalry in the football world. But, we have to hand it to Germany on this one, falling just behind Brazil, winning four world cups and three European championships, they certainly can play us at our own game.

10. The first book to ever be printed was the Bible by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1450s in Germany.

The first mass produced printed book was the Latin Bible and was originally published in February 23, 1455 in Mainz.

11. According to German law, a person’s gender must be obvious by first name. So the civil registration office, or Standesamt, can refuse names that don’t comply. Re-applying can be a costly process, so that’s why many parents go for traditional names like Michael and Maria.

12. In 2014, Germany officially abolished college tuition fees, even for international students.

13. In Germany, there’s no punishment for a prisoner who tries to escape from jail because it is a basic human instinct to be free.

14. During WWI, the King of England, the Tsar of Russia, and the Emperor of Germany were all first cousins.

15. Some 5,500 WWII bombs are discovered in Germany every year and defused, an average of 15 per day.

Bread (Brot) is a significant part of German cuisine, with the largest bread diversity in the world. Around 300 kinds of breads and 1,200 different kinds of pastries and rolls are produced in about 17,000 bakeries and another 10,000 in-shop bakeries. The multitudinous variety of bread and rolls in Germany is legendary! It is based on different grains (wheat or rye, pure or in all possible mixtures with oat, spelt, buckwheat, linseed as well as millet), coarse or finely ground flours, varying fermenting (sourdough/yeast) and baking methods, as well as shapes and seasonings in the form of nuts, seeds or spices – all developed through specific regional conditions.

Bread is served usually for breakfast (often replaced by bread rolls) and in the evening as (open) sandwiches, but rarely as a side dish for the main meal (popular, for example, with Eintopf or soup). The importance of bread in German cuisine is also illustrated by words such as Abendbrot (meaning supper, literally evening bread) and Brotzeit (snack, literally bread time). In fact, one of the major complaints of the German expatriates in many parts of the world is their inability to find acceptable local breads.

Bread has always played an important role in the folklore and superstitions of old and is still central in the German diet. The traditional cold evening meal in the north and center is bread spread with butter, cheese, cold cuts, called Abendbrot, or evening bread. Brotzeit, literally bread time, is a midmorning or afternoon snack all over southern Germany, and has since long been a valid excuse for the first beer of the day (around 11am), perhaps to wash down a pair of Weißwurst, Bavarian white sausage, with a Laugenbrezel, pretzel. Fidelisbäck uses its ovens to bake Leberkäse, a kind of meatloaf, which I like to enjoy in the rustic restaurant – with local beer, of course. Most southern German butcher shops offer Leberkässemmeln, a slice of freshly baked meatloaf sandwiched in a roll.

Historically, dark and white bread marked social differences, but were also based on geographical conditions. Rye is content with lesser soils than wheat. It contains less gluten than wheat, and therefore requires a long sourdough fermentation to rise. This results in a decidedly sour taste in the finished bread, as well as a heavier, more compact texture, traditionally deemed as less luxurious. The darkest and most extreme of those northern breads is Westphalian Pumpernickel. Originally it was called Swattbraut (black bread) and in spite of many stories, historians are divided as to the roots of its 17th century name. It is still made from coarsely ground wholegrain rye with water and salt in large, long, rectangular loaves which steam rather than bake for 24 hours in a sealed oven to produce a sweetish, syrup-like taste. Traditionally it was also fed to poultry and horses. In its most elegant form it is eaten like cake alongside coffee, in a kind of black and white sandwich with Stuten (challah-like white yeast bread), thickly spread with butter.

The custom of seasoning bread dates back to the Middle Ages and marks another difference between north and south. In the north, from the 15th century on, bread was eaten with (often salted) butter and other savory and sweet accompaniments, later alongside tea or coffee. Today, only white yeast bread is seasoned for special occasions with sugar, raisins, cinnamon and sometimes cardamom and then is treated almost as cake. In the south however, bread is seen as a separate food item, and often has the same status as potatoes in the north. Caraway, fennel, coriander, and aniseeds in the south are commonly used to season large loaves made from a finely ground mix of rye and wheat, using yeast or a mild sourdough. The sweet bread version in the south is called Hutzel-, Kletzen- or Früchtebrot (fruit bread) which is made in late autumn with dried pears as well as other dried fruit.

Bread types range from white wheat bread (Weißbrot) to grey (Graubrot) to black (Schwarzbrot), actually dark brown rye bread. Some breads contain both wheat and rye flour (hence Mischbrot, mixed bread), and often also wholemeal and whole seeds such as linseed, sunflower seed, or pumpkin seed (Vollkornbrot). Darker, rye-dominated breads, such as Vollkornbrot, Bauernbrot or Schwarzbrot, are typical of German cuisine. Pumpernickel, sweet-tasting bread created by long-time-steaming instead of regular baking, is internationally well known, although not representative of German black bread as a whole. Most German breads are made with sourdough. Whole grain is also preferred for high fiber. Germans use almost all available types of grain for their breads: wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats, millet, corn and rice. Some breads are even made with potato starch flour.

Germany’s most popular breads are rye-wheat (Roggenmischbrot), toast bread (Toastbrot), whole-grain (Vollkornbrot), wheat-rye (Weizenmischbrot), white bread (Weißbrot), multigrain, usually wheat-rye-oats with sesame or linseed (Mehrkornbrot), rye (Roggenbrot), sunflower seeds in dark rye bread (Sonnenblumenkernbrot), pumpkin seeds in dark rye bread (Kürbiskernbrot) and roasted onions in light wheat-rye bread (Zwiebelbrot).

Bread rolls, known in Germany as Brötchen, which is a diminutive of Brot, with regional linguistic varieties being Semmel (in South Germany), Schrippe (especially in Berlin), Rundstück (in the North and Hamburg) or Wecken, Weck, Weckle, Weckli and Weckla (in Baden-Württemberg, Switzerland, parts of Southern Hesse and northern Bavaria), are common in German cuisine. A typical serving is a roll cut in half, and spread with butter or margarine. Cheese, honey, jam, Nutella, cold cuts such as ham, fish, or preserves are then placed between the two halves, or on each half separately, known as a belegtes Brötchen.

Rolls are also used for snacks, or as a hotdog-style roll for Bratwurst, Brätel, Fleischkäse or

Schwenker/Schwenkbraten. Franzbrötchen, which originated in the area of Hamburg, is the small, sweet pastry roll baked with butter and cinnamon.

Sometimes other ingredients are used as well, such as chocolate or raisins. It is a type of pastry commonly found in northern Germany, especially Hamburg, and it is usually served for breakfast, but is also enjoyed along with coffee and cake.

As its name indicates, the Franzbrötchen was probably inspired by French pastries. Originally, it could be found only in the region of Hamburg, but now Franzbrötchen are also sold in Bremen, Berlin and other German cities.

It’s true: there are no speed limits on many sections of German autobahns. But there are plenty of other regulations you should be aware of.

While most traffic rules are the same in Germany as they are in other countries, traffic signs and street markings can be very different as well as confusing. The following is some basic traffic information for driving a vehicle in Germany.

At all times: Always have in your car your driver’s license and International Driver’s Permit, car registration, insurance information, blue parking disk and emergency kit.

Speed limits: The standard speed limits are 50 km/h within the city limits and 100 km/h on rural roads, unless otherwise posted. The city limits are marked with a yellow sign which has the city name on it at the beginning of the city limits, and the same yellow sign with a red slash through it at the end of the city limits. When driving in the city, if you see a blue sign with white car, children and bike symbols on it, then you must drive at a walking speed.

Speed control: Beware the cameras that will gladly take your picture if you are speeding – these cameras are in many areas along the Autobahn as well as in the cities.

Lane markings: Lanes going the same direction are separated by dashed white lines. A Solid white line separates the different directions. Yellow lines are to notate a change in the traffic flow in a construction area – not to separate the different sides of the road.

Driving lanes: Stay in right lane whenever possible. After passing, go back to the right lane. The left lane should only be used for passing, especially on the Autobahn. If, while in the left lane, you see someone coming up behind you – get out of the way.

Passing: When passing, pass only on the left, and at a faster speed than the car you are passing. Don’t pass at the same speed – speed up, pass, and then return to the speed you were going. A double white line in the middle means no passing. A solid white line beside a dashed line means passing on the dashed side only.

Traffic lights: The colors on the signals represent the same things in Germany as they do just about everywhere else:

Green: Proceed with caution
Yellow: Prepare to stop
Red: Stop

You are not allowed to turn right on a red light. The only exception to this is when there is a specific signal with a green right arrow.

If you see a blinking yellow light at an intersection it means stop, then proceed if the intersection is clear. If you run a red light you’ll more than likely be caught. Many German intersections have radar-controlled cameras that are hooked up to traffic lights.

Traffic signs: These are usually posted on the right, so keep an eye out. The ADAC (the German national motor club) has made a very comprehensive list of traffic signs.

Right of way: When no traffic signal is at an intersection, follow these right of way rules:

If you have a sign with a yellow diamond at an intersection, you have the right of way. If you have a sign which is a white triangle with a red border (yield sign), you must wait for the oncoming traffic to clear.

If there is no sign, then a vehicle entering from the right has the right of way.

There are no 3-way or 4-way stop signs. Likewise, there are also no flashing red lights. If you approach a flashing yellow light, proceed with caution – this does not automatically give you the right of way.

Merging: When merging, observe the “zipper rule” (Reißverschluß), which states that both lanes feed into the continuing lane, alternating cars from each lane. No one lane has priority over the other.

Pedestrian Crossings: Pedestrians crossing the street have the right of way, and you must stop for them. Also, when coming to a stop at an intersection, make sure you do not block the pedestrian crossing.

Traffic Jams: If you find yourself driving into a traffic jam, remember to turn on your hazard lights to warn the drivers behind you. (You can turn them off again once you have a few cars behind you.)

Stalled car: If something happens to your car that is not a serious accident, move it over as far as you can to the right, put your hazard and parking lights on, put your safety vest on and set the warning triangle 100 m (200 m on the highway) away from the car to warn oncoming traffic. Telephones are placed along the Autobahn in case assistance is needed.

Seatbelts: mandatory. Back seat as well.

Gas stations: Not all are open 24 hours, but they do all offer different types of fuel. Make sure you know whether your car uses diesel or benzin (unleaded gasoline).

Cell phone use: It is illegal to use a cell phone while driving.

Alcohol limit: 0.05%.

Baby seats: The baby seat requirements in Germany are different than those in other countries, so it might be easier to rent a baby seat upon arrival instead of bringing one along.

Roadside Assistance Numbers:

Road Assistance ADAC +49 (0)1802 22 22 22
Road Assistance ACE +49 (0)711 530 34 35 36
Road Assistance AVD +49 (0)800 9909909