Hello friends! Are you ready for another adventure? Today we’re going to Europe to visit the beautiful country of Germany!
If you want to learn more about Germany don’t forget to download our activity package:
Click here to download our Germany learning guide
Click here to download our Germany flashcards
Click here to download our Germany coloring pages
Click here to download our Germany handwriting pages
Interesting facts about Germany
Did you know that the longest published word is german? Yes, here it is:
Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft
It means “Association for Subordinate Officials of the Main Maintenance Building of the Danube Steam Shipping Electrical Services” That’s a long word!
Germany is officially known as the Federal Republic of Germany and is surrounded by the Baltic Sea and Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. Yes, Germany is in the middle of Europe!
German National Flag
Germany’s flag consists of three horizontal bands displaying the national colors of Germany: black, red, and gold. These colors go way, way back to the mid-1800, and symbolize unity and freedom. That’s awesome!
German language
But what about the language? It’s simply known as German and although it seems kinda difficult to understand, it’s not that hard once you have learned it.
First, do you know how to say “hello” in German? It’s quite simple just say “hallo.”
You can also say “Guten Tag” to say “good morning,” and to say “goodbye,” you can say “Auf Wiedersehen”!
When meeting someone, you can ask them “Wie heißt du?” which means “what’s your name?”
And “Wie geht es dir?” which means “How are you?”
To answer this question we say “Gut, danke” this means “fine, thank you.”
Now let’s count together!
1 – Eins
2 – Zwe
3 – Drei
4 – Vier
5 – Fünf
But we can’t speak about the language without mentioning the people, can we?
What are the Germans like?
German people tend to be thrifty, sensible, and very respectful, especially about laws and rules. Just like Swiss people, they take punctuality very seriously. So if you have an appointment with a German friend, try not to keep him waiting!
German landscape
Now let’s take a look at some of the German landscapes. There are a lot of beautiful places in Germany where you can do some fun activities or just relax and enjoy nature.
Like the National Park Berchtesgaden or National Park Harz, where you can admire huge hills, the peaceful Oberse lake, and some beautiful tall trees. And since a third of Germany’s territory is covered in forests, you can bet there is a lot more nature to explore!
Speaking of places to visit, did you know that there are over 20, 000 castles in Germany?!
Germans love castles and some of the world’s most gorgeous castles are located in Germany. Most of them originate from the 9th and 10th centuries. They are super old!
Some of the most famous castles are Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenzollern Castle, Schwerin Castle, and Heidelberg Castle.
Germany is also home to over 414 zoos! The Berlin Zoolischer Garten is the oldest and largest zoo in Germany. It has the largest collection of animals, not only in all of Europe but in the whole world!
The Berlin Zoo has 19,500 animals and 1,500 species. Those are a lot of animals!
Animals in Berlin
And speaking of animals. What do you say if we take a look at Germany’s most famous animals? German wildlife is quite diverse, some of the most popular animals in Germany are Chamois, the European badger, Fire Salamander, Greater Horseshoe Bat, and the red fox.
But the most famous animal has to be the eagle. Although the eagle is not officially recognized as Germany’s national animal, it appears in the German coat of arms and it’s very popular in the country’s culture.
Delicious German food
Talking about animals got me hungry. Let’s see Germany’s food!
And what better way to start than talking about sausages? Germans are crazy for sausages. So crazy, that they have over 1,000 varieties of sausages! Whether they are served with potato salad, or in a white bread roll with mustard, there are no doubt sausages are a German classic.
Some kinds of sausage you’ll find in Germany are Bratwurst, Blutwurst, Weisswurst, and Knackwurst. Delicious!
German people also love bread, there are over 300 different kinds of bread, like the famous pretzel. And if you think 300 is too much, well, that doesn’t include the 1,200 kinds of pastries and cakes! Germans love baked goods, don’t you think?
But if there’s something that Germans love more than sausages and bread is beer. I know, surely you don’t like beer, but maybe your parents do! Beer is widely consumed in all of Germany, but in the German state of Bavaria, beer is like a way of life. In Bavaria, the average person drinks around 150 liters of beer per year! Imagine!
Germans love beer so much, they have a whole 18-day festival dedicated to it, the Oktoberfest! It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria and it runs from mid-September to around the first Sunday of October. Here people can enjoy not only beer but also some of Germany’s most delicious dishes.
By the way, did you know the very first-ever Oktoberfest was a wedding?
That’s right, it took place on October 12, 1810, and it lasted for five days! It was meant to celebrate the marriage between the crown prince of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Now that’s a long name.
German celebrations and tradition
Speaking of celebrations and traditions, these are called Schultüte it’s a large cone-shaped container gifted to children in Germany, and some other European countries, on their first day of school upon entering first grade. But the best part is these colorful cones are filled with toys, chocolate, candies, school supplies, and various other special treats! Awesome! What do you think? Would you like to receive one of these before your first day of school?
But wait, what about Christmas? Is well known that the modern Christmas tree was born in Germany, but probably the most recognized thing about German Christmas is its markets!
There are literally thousands of Christmas markets all around Germany, from the large and traditional to the small and quirky. And all of them offer the classic German Christmas spirit: glistening fairy lights, merry German Christmas carols, steaming cups of cheering Glühwein, and the sweet aroma of roasting chestnuts.
If you want to know more about this topic, don’t miss our blog about the German Christmas markets!
And that’s just a little something about Germany. Auf Wiedersehen, friends!
