PLUNGE INTO GERMANY

(Federal Republic of Germany)



SERVUS! (Hello) Thank you for taking the time to step into my ancestral world of GERMANY! While you enjoy your stay on this page, all text in green will be a translation of any German words which you may not understand. My objective for creating this page is to give all you users the chance to learn some basic facts and vocabulary pertaining to Deutschland (GERMANY)! HAVE FUN!


Deutschlandlied

(Song of Germany)

Unity and right and freedom for the German fatherland;
Let us all pursue this purpose brotherly, with heart and hand.
Unity and right and freedom are the pledge of happiness.
Flourish in this blessing's glory, flourish, German fatherland.


Germany is a country in central Europe, surrounded on the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; on the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; on the south by Austria and Switzerland; and on the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.





THE GERMAN FLAG


The flag of the former West Germany was retained when Germany was reunified in 1990. The colors were taken from the uniforms of German volunteers during the Napoleonic Wars, and have flown intermittently over Germany since 1848. The black represents gunpowder, the red represents blood, and the gold represents fire.

THE GERMAN CAPITAL




Berlin
is Germany's capital and largest city. Located in northeastern Germany and connected by rivers and waterways to the Baltic Sea, Berlin is a major manufacturing and cultural center.



THE GERMAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY


Germany is known for the quality of its engineering and manufacture of motor vehicles. Shown here is a production assembly line at the Daimler-Benz automobile factory. In Stuttgart, the heart of Germany's technological belt, tourists can visit the Daimler-Benz Automobile Museum, which displays both vintage and newer-model cars.



THE GERMAN AUTOBAHN


Germany is famous for its high-speed freeways. These Autobahnen , or "limited-access expressways," extend across 10,955 km of the country. Expressways are just one aspect of Germany's highly developed transportation system, which also includes the Deutsche Bahn A.G., an extensive passenger-rail system.



GERMANY'S OLDEST CASTLE


Altes Schloss (Old Castle), in Meersburg, is the oldest inhabited castle in Germany. Meersburg was founded in 628 by Dagobert, the king of the Franks, who is believed to have laid the cornerstone for the castle. In the early 1800s, amid plans to tear down the edifice, a baron acquired it and used it to house artists and writers. The castle remains privately owned, but much of it has been turned into a public museum.






Here is a table with some common German sayings and their English equivalents! ENJOY!


English SayingsGerman Equivalent
Hello! Hallo! (informal) Guten Tag! (formal)
Good-Bye Auf Wiedersehen! (formal) Bis Bald! (informal)
I am (Name) Ich heisse (Name). Ich heisse Darren, Ich heisse Robert, Ich heisse Jared. etc.
Cool Man! Echt grell, Mann!
Very Good Ganz gut.
Boring! Langweilig
Yes/No Ja/Nein


Acknowledgments: Some of the images and information from this page have been taken from the "Microsoft Encarta 1996 Encyclopedia."