 | COVID-19 maklumat:Maklumat rasmi COVID-19 dari pemerintah Jerman, termasuk sekatan masuk, syarat karantina, dan peraturan lain. |
| (Maklumat terakhir dikemas kini 26 Apr 2021) |
Jerman (Bahasa Jerman: Deutschlandsecara rasmi Republik Persekutuan Jerman (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) adalah negara terbesar di Eropah Tengah. Jerman berpengaruh secara politik, ekonomi dan budaya, dan merupakan yang terbesar Kesatuan Eropah negara anggota mengikut populasi dan output ekonomi. Dikenal di seluruh dunia untuk "kejuruteraan Jerman" serta syarikat perbankan dan insurans terkemuka di dunia, ia juga dikagumi oleh pengunjung kerana daya tarikan lama dan Gemütlichkeit (keselesaan). Buang persepsi Jerman sebagai homogen, dan sebuah negara yang mempunyai kepelbagaian wilayah yang mengejutkan menanti.
Kawasan
Jerman adalah sebuah republik persekutuan yang terdiri daripada 16 negeri yang kuat dari segi politik (disebut Bundesländer - dipendekkan menjadi Länder) yang kadang-kadang sesuai dengan wilayah bersejarah yang mendahului negara Jerman yang disatukan, sementara mereka kadang-kadang secara rawak membuang orang yang sangat berbeza ke negara yang sama sambil memisahkan mereka dari keluarga mereka yang lebih serupa di seluruh negeri. Tiga daripadanya Bundesländer sebenarnya negeri-negeri: Berlin, Bremen dan Hamburg. Negeri-negeri dapat dikelompokkan secara kasar berdasarkan geografi seperti yang disenaraikan di bawah, walaupun ada pengelompokan lain. Untuk masa yang lama, pembahagian budaya antara utara dan selatan adalah yang paling terkenal tetapi, kerana warisan Perang Dingin, sekarang ini pembahagian antara timur dan barat lebih ketara.
| Jerman Utara (Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein) Bukit angin dan destinasi percutian yang popular di pantai Laut Utara dan Laut Baltik |
| Jerman Barat (Rhine-Westphalia Utara, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland) Negara arak dan bandar moden dipotong tajam oleh pemandangan yang menakjubkan Rhine Tengah dan Moselle lembah |
| Jerman Tengah (Hesse, Thuringia) Hati hijau Jerman, dengan beberapa bandar bersejarah dan kewangan yang paling penting dan Hutan Thuringian kuno |
| Jerman Timur (Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt) Ibu kota Berlin yang eksentrik dan bersejarah, dan membina semula Dresden yang bersejarah, "Florence on the Elbe" |
| Jerman Selatan (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria) Hutan Hitam, Pegunungan Alpen, dan Oktoberfest. Jerman dari Lederhosen, Dirndl, paparan kad pos gambar dan firma Teknologi Tinggi. |
Bandar
Jerman mempunyai banyak bandar yang menarik bagi pengunjung; di sini hanya sembilan dari destinasi pelancongan yang paling terkenal. Mereka kebanyakannya adalah bandar besar di Jerman. Sebahagiannya, seperti Berlin dan Hamburg, berdiri seperti pulau bandar di lebih banyak kawasan luar bandar, yang lain, seperti Düsseldorf dan Frankfurt, adalah sebahagian daripada kawasan metropolitan bersama dengan bandar-bandar lain.
- 1 Berlin - Ibu negara Jerman yang disatukan dan diperkuat semula; sebuah metropolis kepelbagaian dengan beberapa kelab, kedai, galeri dan restoran terkenal di dunia. Akibat dipecah menjadi dua selama beberapa dekad semasa Perang Dingin, Berlin kini mempunyai lebih banyak rumah opera dan muzium per kapita daripada kebanyakan tempat lain di dunia.
- 2 Bremen - Pasar lama, Schnoor, the Böttcherstrasse, yang Viertel dan bakat maritimnya menjadikan Bremen sebagai pengalaman bandar yang hebat.
- 3 Cologne (Köln) - Ditubuhkan oleh orang Rom 2000 tahun yang lalu dan terkenal dengan katedralnya yang besar (kedua terbesar di dunia), gereja Romanesque, laman web arkeologi dan kawasan bandar lama yang meriah. Karnival Cologne adalah cabutan utama sekitar bulan Februari.
- 4 Dresden - Pernah dipanggil "Florence on the Elbe", terkenal dengan Frauenkirche (katedral barok terbaik di luar Itali) dan bersejarah Altstadt, kedua-duanya dibina semula setelah dihancurkan semasa Perang Dunia II. The Zwinger dan Residenzschloss adalah muzium terkenal di dunia.
- 5 Düsseldorf - Ibu kota membeli-belah Jerman yang juga mempunyai pelbagai jenis seni bina baru yang menarik. Kawasan "Altstadt" dan tanggul Rhine mempunyai kehidupan malam yang meriah.
- 6 Frankfurt - Pusat cakrawala, kewangan dan pengangkutan Eropah yang hebat, ibu pejabat Bank Pusat Eropah (ECB) dan pameran perdagangan penting. Pusat kecil yang dibina semula dengan rumah kayu, muzium dan galeri penting di sekitarnya Muziumsufer seperti Schirn Dewan Seni, yang Städel dan juga Senckenberg Muzium Semula jadi.
- 7 Hamburg - Bandar kedua terbesar di Jerman terkenal dengan pelabuhannya, banyak saluran dan jambatannya, Speicherstadt, gereja Michel dan dewan konsert Elbphilharmonie yang baru, kehidupan malam yang ramai di sekitar St. Pauli dengan Reeperbahn, muzikalnya dan festival Hafengeburtstag.
- 8 Munich (München- Bandar ketiga terbesar di Jerman dan ibu kota Bavaria yang berkembang pesat terkenal dengan Oktoberfest, Hofbräuhaus, persembahan budaya yang pelbagai termasuk opera, teater dan muzium, kehidupan malam yang meriah, banyak festival muzik, kebun bir dan selancar sungai, dan menjadi pintu masuk ke Alps.
- 9 Nuremberg (Nürnberg) - Seorang bekas Reichsstadt dengan sentuhan abad pertengahan, bandar lamanya sebahagiannya dibina semula setelah pengeboman teruk dalam perang, termasuk Gothic Kaiserburg dan gereja-gereja utama. Anda juga boleh mengunjungi kawasan perhimpunan Parti Nazi, Pusat Dokumentasi dan Mahkamah 600, tempat perbicaraan jenayah perang Nuremberg diadakan.
Destinasi lain
- 1 Pantai Laut Baltik (Ostseeküste- Setelah menjadi taman permainan untuk mahkota yang dimahkotai, wilayah ini kembali menjadi miliknya setelah Perang Dingin menutup sebahagian besarnya dari dunia yang lebih luas. Tapak yang terkenal Strandkorb gambar sidang kemuncak G8 2007.
- 2 Pegunungan Alpen Bavaria (Bayerische Alpen- Jerman mungkin yang paling klise, tetapi juga yang paling indah; bermain ski yang bagus di musim sejuk, mendaki di musim panas dan Schloss Neuschwanstein adalah tarikan paling jelas.
- 3 Hutan Hitam (Schwarzwald) - Anda mungkin berfikir "jam cuckoo" atau pai ceri, dan anda akan dimaafkan, tetapi ada lebih banyak lagi wilayah ini daripada itu.
- 4 Kepulauan Frisian Timur (Ostfriesische InselnDi antara tempat percutian musim panas yang paling popular di Jerman, pulau-pulau yang kebanyakannya bebas kenderaan di Laut Wadden masih melihat pelawat antarabangsa yang kurang daripada yang mereka layak.
- 5 Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz) - Kegemaran dengan penyair awal abad ke-19 yang memberikan nama yang tersekat, wilayah karst ini terkenal di dunia kerana pendakiannya dan mempunyai beberapa keindahan gua.
- 6 Harz - Lama dilupakan kerana partisi Jerman berjalan melewatinya, Harz hari ini menarik pelancong dengan aktiviti mendaki yang hebat dan romantisisme mistik gunung Brocken yang terkenal menarik penyihir (seperti yang disebutkan di Goethe's) Faust).
- 7 Tasik Constance (Bodensee) - Tasik terbesar di Jerman, "Laut Swabia" (kerana bergurau) menawarkan panorama alpine dan aktiviti air pada masa yang sama.
- 8 Lembah Rhine Tengah (Mittelrheintal) - Sebahagian dari Sungai Rhine adalah Tapak Warisan UNESCO antara Bingen / Rüdesheim dan Koblenz; lembah terkenal dengan wainnya.
- 9 Kepulauan Frisian Utara (Nordfriesische Inseln- Pulau-pulau yang tenang dengan resort di pantai Laut Utara, terutama Sylt terkenal dengan selebriti mewah dan pemandangan yang indah.
Fahami
Sejarah
empayar Roman
- Lihat juga: empayar Roman
Pada abad pertama Masehi, setelah beberapa siri kempen ketenteraan, orang Rom berjaya menakluki apa yang sekarang merupakan sebahagian besar Jerman barat dan selatan dari suku Jerman dan Celtic yang tinggal di sana. Batasan kerajaan Rom ditandai dengan "Limes". Bahagian yang memisahkan kerajaan dari puak Jerman (Limes Germanicus) sepanjang 568 km membentang dari muara Sungai Rhine ke Danube berhampiran Regensburg. Bahagian bank yang dinaikkan masih dapat dilihat dan berjalan. Walau bagaimanapun, pada zaman Rom Limes hanyalah sempadan dan perdagangan yang ketat dan ekspedisi ketenteraan Rom kadang-kadang mempengaruhi sebahagian besar dari sekarang Jerman hingga sekurang-kurangnya abad keempat Masihi.
Beberapa bandar yang masih penting di Jerman hari ini didirikan oleh orang Rom sebagai pangkalan tentera dan kemudiannya, penempatan, termasuk Mainz, Wiesbaden, Cologne dan Bonn. Baden-BadenMata air juga sangat dihargai oleh orang Rom, yang membina tempat mandi yang mayatnya dapat dikunjungi dengan nama yang tepat Römerplatz (Dataran Rom). Tinggalan Rom yang paling mengagumkan di Jerman boleh didapati di Trier, bandar Jerman tertua. Ini termasuk Porta Nigra, gerbang bandar Rom terbesar di utara Alps, dan Trier Amphitheatre.
Empayar Rom Suci dan Zaman Pertengahan
- Lihat juga: Terima kasih, Liga Hanseatic
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Charlemagne, Raja Franks, dinobatkan sebagai Maharaja Empayar Rom Suci yang pertama pada Hari Krismas 800 M. oleh Paus Leo III. Charlemagne sering dikaitkan dengan Perancis, tetapi wilayahnya sangat luas; ibu kotanya berada di Aix la Chapelle, yang dikenali hari ini dalam bahasa Jerman sebagai Aachen. Sisa istana kekaisaran musim sejuk Charlemagne (the Kaiserpfalz) dapat dilihat di bandar Ingelheim. Akar sejarah dan budaya Jerman moden bermula dari Empayar Rom Suci selepas Carolingian.
Bermula pada awal Abad Pertengahan, Jerman mula berpecah menjadi ratusan negeri kecil, dengan perbezaan wilayah yang kuat yang bertahan hingga hari ini, misalnya di Bavaria. Dalam tempoh ini, kuasa para putera dan uskup tempatan meningkat, warisan mereka menjadi istana dan istana yang menakjubkan seperti Istana Wartburg di Eisenach, Thuringia. Dari tahun 1200-an, perdagangan dengan kawasan Baltik memunculkan Liga Hanseatic dan negeri bandar yang kaya seperti Lübeck dan Hamburg. Bandar-bandar lain juga menjadi terkenal dari laluan perdagangan pedalaman, seperti Leipzig, Nuremberg dan Cologne.
Sebagai masyarakat Jerman secara beransur-ansur berubah dari memiliki struktur feodal menjadi sistem merkantil, serikat atau Zünfte tukang didirikan dan menjadi faktor utama ekonomi dan masyarakat Jerman. Beberapa dewan persatuan Abad Pertengahan masih berdiri dan dapat dikunjungi hari ini. Tempoh ini juga menyaksikan peningkatan keluarga perbankan seperti Fugger, yang penghutang termasuk paus dan maharaja, dan mempengaruhi pertumbuhan bandar-bandar seperti Augsburg.
Pada Abad Pertengahan dan awal zaman moden Kerajaan Suci Rom (yang kebanyakannya sekarang adalah Jerman, Austria, Hungaria, Republik Ceko dan sebahagian negara-negara sekitarnya) terdiri daripada sekitar 2,000 wilayah semi-merdeka yang semuanya kurang lebih teknikal kepada maharaja. Empayar Rom Suci - seperti Voltaire terkenal - tidak Rom atau suci atau kerajaan. Walaupun beberapa dukedom kecil tidak lebih dari beberapa dusun, kota-kota penting mendapat status Reichsstadt (atau Reichsstädte dalam bentuk jamak) yang menjadikan mereka pada dasarnya negara kota hanya tunduk pada maharaja sendiri. Kekayaan bekas mereka masih dapat dilihat di tempat-tempat seperti Rothenburg ob der Tauber dan Nördlingen. Walaupun ada beberapa usaha bersungguh-sungguh dalam pemodenan dari abad ke-15 hingga awal abad ke-17, Kerajaan Rom Suci akhirnya kehilangan semua kecuali kekuatan politik pusat yang paling nominal. Dan dalam tahun-tahun yang semakin berkurang, ia bahkan tidak dapat menjaga keamanan antara dua penyusunnya yang paling kuat pada masa itu, Austria dan Prusia, yang persaingannya akan menguasai nasib kawasan berbahasa Jerman untuk sebahagian besar abad ke-19.
Jerman moden awal
Satu tempoh pembaharuan agama dan penemuan ilmiah ditandai dengan penerbitan tahun 1517 95 Tesis Martin Luther di Wittenberg, yang memulakan Reformasi Protestan. Luther terus menerjemahkan Alkitab menjadi bahasa Jerman Jerman Tengah di Wartburg, melakukan banyak usaha untuk menyeragamkan bahasa Jerman dan mengecualikan dialek utara sebagai "Bahasa Jerman Rendah" atau "Belanda". Empayar Suci menjadi berpecah antara Katolik dan beberapa cabang Protestan, sementara kekuatan wilayah muncul dari wilayah Katolik yang lebih bersatu Bavaria dan Protestan Saxony dan Brandenburg (kemudian dikenali sebagai Prussia). Konflik Protestan-Katolik mencapai kemuncak di Perang Tiga Puluh Tahun, yang menghancurkan banyak wilayah Jerman. Ia mengambil masa 100 tahun sehingga populasi Jerman meningkat kembali ke tahap sebelum perang. Penguasa Saxony (tetapi bukan penduduknya) memeluk agama Katolik semasa pemerintahan Augustus the Strong, yang melakukannya sebagai prasyarat untuk menjadi Raja Poland, dengan itu kehilangan kedudukan utama di kalangan Protestan Jerman kepada Prussia.
Para penguasa kerajaan dan kerajaan Belanda yang lebih makmur menyokong pengembangan seni dan sains, seperti karya Johann Sebastian Bach, yang dipekerjakan oleh Pemilih Saxony, atau karya Goethe dan Schiller yang kedua-duanya mempunyai sinecure dengan bayaran tinggi Weimar sepanjang tahun mereka paling produktif sebagai penulis. Richard Wagner (yang dilahirkan di Saxony) menemui pelindung yang rela hati di Ludwig II dari Bavaria, yang juga mempunyai banyak istana yang dibina yang kini disukai oleh pelancong tetapi merosakkan kewangan peribadinya. Saintis terkenal termasuk Daniel Fahrenheit, Alexander von Humboldt, Carl Wilhelm "keberuntungan" Scheele dan, dalam matematik, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz membuat kemajuan besar dalam kedua Leipzig dan Hannover.
Selama zaman barok dalam seni dan seni bina, banyak penguasa Jerman membuat kediaman kerajaan yang megah dan membina semula ibu kota mereka untuk mencerminkan kekuatan dan cita rasa mereka. Ciptaan hebat dari tempoh itu merangkumi Dresden dan Potsdam.
Imperial Jerman
- Lihat juga: Perang Dunia I
The Perang Napoleon mengakhiri kemiripan terakhir negara Jerman ketika Maharaja Rom-Jerman Franz II memutuskan untuk mengundurkan diri pada tahun 1806. Berbagai negara Jerman kemudiannya diikat bersama oleh sebuah gabungan yang pada dasarnya merupakan pakatan ketenteraan dengan lebih sedikit kuasa "persekutuan" daripada EU sekarang. Gabungan ini dibayangi oleh konflik antara borjuasi liberal dan bangsawan reaksioner di satu pihak dan antara Prusia dan Austria di pihak lain. Pada tahun 1848 salah satu ketegangan meletus, ketika pembangkang nasionalis liberal dan beberapa elemen di sebelah kirinya menuntut sebuah negara Jerman yang lebih terpusat, mengadakan parlimen dan majelis konstituen di Paulskirche dalam Frankfurt. Revolusi gagal kerana para revolusioner menghabiskan banyak masa dengan berdebat sama ada Austria harus menjadi sebahagian daripada Jerman baru ("großdeutsch") atau tidak ("kleindeutsch"). Pada akhirnya, gelaran Maharaja Jerman ditawarkan kepada Raja Prusia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, tetapi dia menolak tawaran itu kerana "dicemari" dengan ditawarkan oleh borjuasi, bukan "setara" miliknya. Elemen yang lebih radikal diperjuangkan hingga tahun 1849 dan beberapa revolusi kehilangan nyawa, tetapi unsur-unsur yang lebih sederhana membuat perdamaian dengan pihak berkuasa dan kemudiannya akan menyokong Empayar yang dikuasai Prusia, sementara unsur-unsur yang lebih radikal semakin tertarik kepada sosialisme dan penentangan radikal terhadap semua perkara beraja. Tidak terlalu kecil, minoriti juga memilih pengasingan, kebanyakannya di Amerika Syarikat di mana "empat puluh lapan puluh" seperti Franz Siegel dan Carl Schurz adalah antara penyokong Utara yang paling bersemangat di perang saudara Amerika dan antara yang pertama mendorong pembebasan.
Pada tahun 1866-1871 (setelah perang yang menentukan dengan Austria dan Perancis), Prussia yang dipimpin oleh Bismarck menyatukan Jerman sebagai sebuah negara bangsa yang disebut Empayar Jerman (Deutsches Reich, atau Kaiserreich). Itu adalah sebuah negara yang diatur secara persekutuan yang memelihara negara-negara tunggal dengan raja, duk dan pangeran mereka. Beberapa negeri, seperti Bavaria atau Württemberg, malah menyimpan tentera, kereta api dan perkhidmatan pos mereka sendiri. Negeri dan kediaman mereka masih merupakan pusat budaya yang penting. Kerajaan menggabungkan institusi tradisional seperti monarki dengan unsur demokrasi moden seperti parlimen yang dipilih secara demokratik (Reichstag) dan parti politik. Terdapat hak suara lelaki dewasa sejagat di peringkat Reich, tetapi setiap negara boleh mengikat hak suara - atau berat suara - dengan syarat harta benda, yang dilakukan oleh Prusia untuk semua pilihan raya negeri. Lebih jauh lagi, pengadilan dan penuntutan hukum menghalangi kegiatan parti-parti politik yang bertentangan dengan Bismarck dan / atau Kaiser. Pertama, kemarahan rejim jatuh pada Katolik politik dengan undang-undang eksplisit yang melarang khotbah politik terhadap pemerintah, tetapi kemudian demokrat sosial dan sosialis dipilih. Bismarck mengikuti "wortel dan tongkat" yang cerdik berkenaan dengan kelas pekerja. Di satu pihak, kelab pekerja yang disyaki kecondongan sayap kiri - walaupun mereka adalah kelab sosial "eksklusif" yang ditujukan untuk atletik, nyanyian atau bola sepak - dilarang atau diganggu oleh polis dan pada masa yang sama Bismarck dipaksa melalui yang paling maju dan kerana perundangan keselamatan sosial yang murah hati. Pencen yang dijamin negara, insurans kesihatan dan pembayaran sekiranya berlaku sakit, cedera atau kematian sejak dari waktu ini dan sementara tujuan utamanya adalah untuk menghentikan pemberontakan, mereka telah memperbaiki keadaan proletariat bandar yang semakin meningkat. Meskipun demikian, partai sosial demokratik meningkatkan pungutan suara, dan Wilhelm II memecat Bismarck dan menghentikan penganiayaan. Akibatnya, demokrat sosial berubah dari menjadi parti radikal dan revolusioner menjadi semakin "pembangkang setia". Parti tersebut memilih pinjaman untuk membiayai Perang Dunia I pada tahun 1914 untuk membuktikan patriotisme mereka. Wilhelm yang riang "Ich kenne keine Parteien mehr, ich kenne nur noch Deutsche" (Saya tidak tahu pesta lagi, saya hanya mengenali orang Jerman) setelah mendengar berita itu masih terkenal di Jerman.
Ketika hambatan perdagangan secara beransur-ansur merosot, Jerman mendapati dirinya sebagai pusat Revolusi Perindustrian pada masa kemudian dan menjadikan dirinya sebagai kekuatan industri utama. Dalam tempoh ini, syarikat-syarikat besar ditubuhkan, termasuk beberapa yang bertahan hingga hari ini, dan inovasi teknologi berlaku dalam pelbagai bidang, disorot oleh penciptaan kenderaan oleh Karl Benz dan Gottlieb Daimler di Baden-Württemberg. Dari penubuhan 'Bismarck Empire' hingga pembuatan Perang Dunia pertama Jerman mengalami perkembangan dari barang massa berkualiti rendah yang murah (yang mana British mengembangkan "tanda amaran" Dibuat di Jerman) kepada beberapa barang terbaik di bidangnya masing-masing, reputasi yang dinikmati oleh banyak produk industri Jerman hingga kini. Jerman juga mulai naik ke tempat teratas dalam sains dan perubatan semula jadi, dengan Hadiah Nobel hingga Perang Dunia II hampir sama dengan orang Jerman seperti yang berlaku pada orang Amerika hari ini. Nama seperti Paul Ehrlich (perubatan), Max Planck (fizik kuantum), Robert Koch (teori kuman) atau Albert Einstein (yang bagaimanapun tinggal di Switzerland pada masa annus mirabilis 1905) masih dikenali di seluruh dunia dan beberapa institusi penyelidikan yang mempunyai reputasi baik diberi nama.
Berjuta-juta orang Jerman berhijrah ke luar negara, terutama ke negara-negara tersebut Amerika Syarikat, di mana mereka menjadi kumpulan etnik yang dominan, terutama di Barat Lama. Walaupun identiti Jerman-Amerika semakin pudar semasa Perang Dunia, identiti itu tetap kelihatan Masakan Amerika dengan hidangan seperti hamburger dan sosis Wiener (juga dikenali sebagai Frankfurter). Kanada mempunyai sebuah bandar bernama Berlin di kawasan imigresen Jerman yang berat; ia dinamakan semula Kitchener, selepas seorang jeneral Inggeris, pada tahun 1916. Australia juga menerima sebilangan besar pendatang Jerman; versi schnitzel yang dilokalkan telah diadopsi sebagai makanan pub Australia standard, sementara pendatang Jerman memainkan peranan utama dalam memulakan industri bir dan wain Australia. Imigrasi Jerman juga berlaku di negara-negara Amerika Latin dan walaupun tidak selalu banyak, ia sering meninggalkan jejak sejarah ekonomi atau masakan negara-negara tujuan.
Republik Weimar
Pada akhir Perang Dunia Pertama (1914-18), Maharaja (Kaiser) Wilhelm II terpaksa melepaskan diri. Sebuah jawatankuasa revolusioner menyiapkan pilihan raya untuk perhimpunan nasional di Weimar yang memberikan Reich sebuah perlembagaan republik yang baru (1919). Tempoh peralihan disebut sebagai 'revolusi November', dan republik ini kemudiannya biasanya disebut 'republik Weimar'. Namun, Jerman tetap menjadi "German Reich" hingga tahun 1945, artikel pertama perlembagaan Weimar membawa perdebatan mengenai apakah memanggil perintah perlembagaan baru "German Reich" atau "Republik Jerman" ke formula kompromi "The German Reich adalah Republik ". Semasa revolusi, secara ringkas muncul seolah-olah Jerman akan menjadi negara sosialis / komunis seperti Rusia dua tahun sebelumnya, tetapi demokrat sosial akhirnya membuat persamaan dengan konservatif dan reaksioner era Kaiserreich untuk merampas apa pun di sebelah kiri mereka, pembunuhan terkemuka sosialis Rosa Luxemburg dan Karl Liebknecht dalam proses itu. Pengkhianatan yang dirasakan ini menimbulkan banyak komunis dan tidak seperti di Perancis atau Sepanyol, kekuatan di sebelah kiri demokrat sosial tidak pernah membuat persamaan dengan parti demokratik untuk menghentikan kebangkitan fasisme. Sebaliknya, KPD (parti komunis) dan NSDAP (parti Nazi) sering memilih secara bersama dengan usul tidak percaya dan rang undang-undang populis tetapi tidak realistik.
Republik muda itu dilanda masalah ekonomi yang besar yang berpunca dari perang (seperti hiperinflasi 1923), terutama disebabkan oleh reparasi yang harus dibayar oleh Jerman kepada Sekutu sebagai akibat dari Perjanjian Versailles, dan juga aib kerana kekalahan yang memalukan dalam Perang Dunia Pertama. Masalah lain ialah banyak golongan elit (hakim, penjawat awam dan bahkan ahli politik) secara terbuka beraja dan paling baik mengambil pendekatan "tunggu dan lihat" ke arah sistem baru, yang membawa kepada sistem keadilan yang terkenal dengan kekerasan politik sayap kanan dan kejam ketika datang ke pemberontakan komunis. Seperti yang dinyatakan oleh penulis kiri Kurt Tucholsky: "Republik buta di mata kanannya". Sebagai satu contoh, tahun 1923 menyaksikan percubaan rampasan sayap kanan yang dipimpin oleh Adolf Hitler dan jeneral Perang Dunia I Erich Ludendorff dan pemberontakan komunis di Hamburg. Semasa Hitler dijatuhi hukuman penjara pendek, Ludendorff dibebaskan. Pemberontak komunis tidak bernasib baik - hukuman penjara yang keras atau bahkan hukuman mati dijatuhkan. Pembunuhan politik individu tidak berbeza dan beberapa tokoh terkenal dalam pemerintahan dan ekonomi - kebanyakan dari mereka berpusat atau bahkan kanan-tengah dan sebilangan besar dari mereka keturunan Yahudi - dibunuh oleh sayap kanan Freikorps dan Konsul Organisasi dengan impuniti maya. Mangsa terkenal termasuk menteri kewangan Matthias Erzberger (Parti Pusat, politik Katolik), perindustrian dan menteri luar negeri Walter Rathenau (Parti Demokratik Jerman, liberal), yang telah berperanan dalam mengatur industri perang dalam Perang Dunia I dan beberapa ahli politik sederhana hingga paling kiri.
Inflasi dan kekacauan politik menyebabkan pertumbuhan parti-parti radikal, di sebelah kiri terutama KPD (Parti Komunis) dan di sebelah kanan NSDAP (parti Nazi). Walaupun percubaan rampasan kuasa pada tahun 1923 nampaknya telah memperlekehkan Nazi - sekurang-kurangnya di luar Bavaria - dan KPD kehilangan sokongan pada masa-masa ekonomi yang baik antara akhir hiperinflasi dan Depresi Besar, pilihan raya tahun 1930 menyaksikan kembalinya kedua-dua parti radikal di kekuatan penuh dan keruntuhan pusat politik kanan-kanan (Demokrat Sosial, sementara kehilangan beberapa undi kepada Komunis berjaya bertahan relatif) serta pengambilan undi dari bekas bukan pemilih menyebabkan peningkatan keuntungan untuk NSDAP dan KPD sehingga tidak ada kemungkinan untuk membentuk majoriti di Reichstag tanpa suara Komunis atau Nazi. 1930 juga menandakan kali terakhir Republik Weimar mempunyai pemerintahan yang dapat bergantung pada majoriti positif di Reichstag sebelum kebangkitan Hitler. Semua kabinet antara tahun dan 1933 bergantung pada kuasa "darurat" yang luas dari Reichspräsident (yang boleh melantik atau memecat canselor dengan kata-katanya sendiri tanpa berunding dengan Reichstag) dan parlimen semakin menjadi tempat bagi musuh demokrasi untuk mementaskan mereka teater bukan pusat perdebatan dan kuasa politik. Reichstag tidak pernah kehilangan haknya untuk memilih tanpa keyakinan dan sememangnya, Hindenburg terpaksa membubarkan Reichstag dan mengisytiharkan pemilihan baru (yang sekali lagi, dia dapat melakukan sendiri) untuk mengelakkan usul tidak percaya terhadap kanselir dari berlalu.
Dalam iklim ekonomi yang cukup baik pada pertengahan tahun 1920-an, banyak bank dan perniagaan telah mengambil pinjaman jangka pendek yang relatif murah untuk membiayai pelaburan jangka panjang yang mendedahkan ekonomi dalam kemalangan Wall Street pada tahun 1929. Walaupun tahun 1920-an telah menyaksikan pemulihan Ekonomi Jerman kerana pelaburan Amerika, Kemelesetan Besar menyebabkan penarikan pelaburan ini. Akibatnya, ekonomi Jerman lumpuh dan kebijakan deflasi pemerintah serta kecenderungan global terhadap proteksionisme hanya memperburuk keadaan. Ini membolehkan kekuatan anti-demokratik yang kuat (seperti KPD dan NSDAP) untuk memanfaatkan masalah organisasi yang wujud dalam Perlembagaan Weimar. Dan sejak pilihan raya 1930 dan seterusnya tidak ada lagi majoriti pro-demokratik apa pun di Reichstag.
Parti Sosialis Nasional (sering disebut sebagai 'Nazi') menguasai dengan memenangkan sejumlah besar pengundi Jerman yang kecewa yang mencari perubahan. Pada awal tahun 1933, presiden Reich yang berusia 84 tahun, Paul von Hindenburg - jeneral berpangkat tinggi semasa Perang Dunia I - melantik ketua Nazi Adolf Hitler sebagai Canselor. Hindenburg juga menggunakan kuasa presidennya untuk menyokong pemerintahan diktator yang baru muncul. Sejarawan masih berpendapat mengenai motif Hindenburg. Dia mungkin memandang rendah Hitler atau mungkin bersimpati dengan gaya autoritarian Hitler sekurang-kurangnya sebahagiannya. Ketika Hindenburg meninggal pada tahun 1934, Hitler mengisytiharkan dirinya sebagai Presiden, Führer dan Canselor secara serentak, pelanggaran yang jelas terhadap kedua-dua surat dan semangat perlembagaan, dan dari situ pemerintahannya tidak diperiksa dan sendiri.
Era Nazi
- Lihat juga: Perang Dunia II di Eropah, Peringatan Holocaust
Tahun 1933 menyaksikan kenaikan kuasa Parti Pekerja Sosialis Nasional Jerman (Nazi) nasionalis dan rasis dan Führer, Adolf Hitler. Di bawah pemerintahan diktator Nazi, institusi demokrasi dibongkar dan negara polis ditingkatkan. Yahudi, Slavia, Gipsi, orang cacat, homoseksual, sosialis, komunis, penyatuan dan kumpulan lain yang tidak sesuai dengan visi Nazi tentang Jerman Besar menghadapi penganiayaan, dan diperbudak atau dibunuh di kem kematian. Orang-orang Yahudi dan Gipsi Eropah ditandai sebagai pemusnahan total. Tapak kem konsentrasi Nazi pertama di Dachau serta beberapa yang lain kini menjadi peringatan.
Cita-cita ketenteraan Hitler untuk mewujudkan Empayar Jerman baru (ketiga) di Eropah Tengah dan Timur membawa kepada Perang Dunia Kedua, yang mana Jerman Nazi kalah dan yang meninggalkan tanda serius di benua ini dan khususnya Jerman. Kerana dua "kerajaan Jerman" sebelumnya, era Nazi sering disebut dalam bahasa Jerman sebagai "Drittes Reich"(kerajaan ketiga) antara sebutan lain.
Dasar luar Hitler menjadi semakin militeristik dan agresif. Namun, para pemimpin Perancis dan khususnya, Britain waspada terhadap perang Eropah yang lain dan kerana Jerman telah memperoleh banyak konsesi melalui diplomasi antara tahun 1919 dan 1933, ada juga yang tidak melihat masalah membiarkan Hitler melepaskan diri dari menentang atau melanggar Perjanjian Versailles. Sejarawan masih berdebat sama ada Hitler mempunyai rancangan besar atau adakah dia hanya berjudi setiap kali untuk melihat sejauh mana dia boleh pergi, didorong oleh tidak pernah dihentikan, tetapi hasil akhirnya tetap sama. Jerman meninggalkan Liga Bangsa-Bangsa (1933) mencaplok Kawasan Saar setelah sepakat yang disetujui sebelum Hitler naik kuasa (1935) mengingatkan kembali Rhineland (1936), membantu pihak nasionalis (Franco) dalam Perang Saudara Sepanyol walaupun ada Liga Bangsa-bangsa perjanjian untuk terus keluar dari perang (1936-1939) termasuk pengeboman unit Tentera Udara Jerman Guernica (1937). Jerman juga menganeksasi dan menyerang Austria (1938) dan mengambil sikap agresif terhadap Czechoslovakia sehingga mengakibatkan Perjanjian Munich yang terkenal (1938) di mana Czechoslovakia terpaksa menyerahkan Sudetenland tanpa berunding dalam masalah tersebut. Ketika Jerman menyerang Poland pada 1 September 1939, memberikan serangan Poland yang terang-terangan sebagai alasan mereka, Perancis dan Britain akhirnya merasa terikat dengan komitmen pakatan mereka dan mengisytiharkan perang terhadap Jerman pada 3 September. Namun, sedikit tindakan ofensif terjadi di barat sehingga serangan 1940 oleh Nazi yang menyebabkan Kejatuhan Perancis dan penarikan tentera Inggeris melalui Dunkirk. Ketika Hitler mengkhianati sekutunya Stalin dan menyerang Soviet Union, "Blitzkrieg" gagal kerana Moscow atau Leningrad ditangkap, dan akhirnya Soviet berjaya mengubah arus dengan kerugian besar di kedua-dua belah pihak, termasuk pelanggaran hak asasi manusia dan pembunuhan beramai-ramai, terutama yang dilakukan oleh SS dan Wehrmacht terhadap orang awam di wilayah yang diserang. Pada tahun 1944, Sekutu (terutama Amerika, Britain dan Kanada) mendarat di Normandia sementara Hitler terus mempercayai bahawa pendaratan menjadi tipuan dengan dorongan utama datang melalui Calais, dan Soviet maju dengan stabil, memuncak dengan penangkapan Berlin pada bulan April 1945 , penyerahan diri pada Mei 1945 (dirayakan secara berasingan pada 8 Mei atau 9 Mei) dan penangkapan penahanan Nazi terakhir di Schleswig Holstein akhir bulan itu. Penjenayah perang Nazi diadili di Nuremberg walaupun banyak yang lolos dari penghakiman dan berakhir di dunia Arab, Amerika Latin atau bahkan Jerman itu sendiri, kadang-kadang dalam kedudukan tinggi, akademik atau industri.
Pada fasa perang yang kemudian, serangan pengebom Bersekutu membawa kehancuran di hampir setiap bandar Jerman yang lebih besar (seperti yang dilakukan oleh tentera udara Jerman ke Rotterdam, Warsaw, London, Coventry dan bandar-bandar lain pada peringkat awal perang). Selepas perang hilang, negara yang diduduki kehilangan sebahagian besar wilayah timurnya dan menghadapi krisis pelarian besar, dengan berjuta-juta orang Jerman membanjiri ke barat ke tempat yang tinggal di Jerman, dan dari negara-negara lain di mana minoriti Jerman yang signifikan melarikan diri dari pengaruh ketenteraan dan politik Kesatuan Soviet yang berjaya.
Selepas Perang
- Lihat juga: Perang Dingin Eropah
Setelah kekalahan dahsyat dalam Perang Dunia II (1939–45), Jerman dibahagikan kepada empat sektor, yang dikendalikan oleh pasukan Inggeris, Perancis, Soviet dan AS. Inggeris dan AS memutuskan untuk menggabungkan sektor mereka, diikuti oleh Perancis. Dengan permulaan Perang Dingin, Jerman semakin terbahagi kepada bahagian timur di bawah kawalan Soviet dan bahagian barat yang dikuasai oleh Sekutu Barat. Bahagian barat diubah menjadi Republik Persekutuan Jerman (FRG atau BRD untuk nama Jermannya), sebuah negara kapitalis, demokratik dengan Bonn sebagai de facto capital, which was often referred to as West Germany.
The Soviet-controlled zone became the communist/authoritarian Soviet-style German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly called East Germany. This encompassed the present-day Länder of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Brandenburg dan Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Berlin, which was geographically left in East Germany, had a special status as it was divided among the Soviets and the West, with the eastern part serving as the capital of the GDR and the western sectors of Berlin (West Berlin) being a de facto exclave of the Federal Republic.
The fates of East and West Germany differed markedly, in political and economic development. The East saw heavy demontage - for example very close to every rail line lost its second track and electrification in the immediate postwar era, some having never regained them - and only a gradual switch to economic aid by the occupying power. Thanks to Western aid, the economy and industrial base in West Germany was quickly rebuilt, resulting in the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle). The East became a socialist, centrally-planned economy with almost all of its economy nationalised, and increasingly lagged behind the West as this system proved much less efficient or conducive to growth. The limitations of personal freedoms, ever-present censorship and secret police led many of the East's citizens to attempt to flee to the West. However, compared to the other Soviet Bloc countries like Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, or even the Soviet Union itself, the East Germans were (on average) wealthier.
In 1961, the Berlin Wall was erected around West Berlin as part of a heavily guarded frontier system of border fortifications to deter inhabitants from East Berlin from defecting to the more prosperous West. Today some remnants of the era are now museums, such as the former prisons in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen or Bautzen. While many pieces of the Berlin Wall were destroyed outright or sold to enthusiasts around the world, parts have been preserved in their original location as monuments or art installations. The most widely known such installations is the eastside gallery in central Berlin. If you want to avoid the tacky Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Bernauer Straße (the street which had windows walled shut, as the houses were in the East and the street in the West) is more accurate — if chilling — with its museum and monument.
United Germany
Germany was reunited peacefully in 1990, a year after the fall and collapse of the GDR's communist regime and the opening of the iron curtain that separated German families by the barrel of a gun for decades. The re-established eastern states joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, a day since celebrated as a national holiday (Tag der Deutschen Einheit, day of "German national unity", or "Reunification Day"). The united Berlin became the capital of the unified Germany again, and with all federal government branches gradually moving there in the 1990s, the city saw a continued construction and economic boom, putting the city among the European hotspots.
Reunification meant that the affluent West helped the East rebuild its economy, while also accepting the willing migrants freely. This has not been without social and political tensions, but ultimately reunification is regarded as a success, with many cities of the East regaining their former glory (e.g. Dresden) and industrial might (e.g. Leipzig). The legacy of the GDR is still palpable in a slightly higher unemployment, a slightly lower standard of living and a more even distribution of wealth in some areas of the East, and with numerous mementos to socialism like the huge statue of Karl Marx in the city of Chemnitz, which was called Karl-Marx-Stadt during the period of communist rule. The DDR museum in Berlin offers a way to experience the peculiar, and sometimes absurd, life in the erstwhile East Germany.
While the major cities of the East are once again growing, rural areas and minor towns have been hit hard, and some appear to be on a terminal decline, having lost half their inhabitants to the big cities since 1990, with only elderly people remaining. However, even some places in the West are beginning to encounter problems once characteristic of the post-reunification East, such as dilapidated public infrastructure, empty municipal coffers and shrinking population figures. The overall downward trend was reversed - at least for the short term - due to the influx of refugees in 2015 and there seems to be a trend of re-urbanisation driving up housing costs in major cities, but the decline of rural areas seems to be only getting worse.
In the years after reunification Germany faces challenges such as the climbing average age of its population and partially the integration of inhabitants who immigrated recently. Germany enjoys the benefits of European cooperation and the digital revolution. A very visible modern development are the wind turbines, praised for providing sustainable energy and criticised for their impact on the landscape.
Economy
As one of the 10 biggest economies in the world by total GDP Germany is regarded as an economic powerhouse not only within Europe, but also globally. Much of Germany's economic reputation stems from the export orientation of many of their companies, both those who grew to be large multinationals, but also mid-sized enterprises. Germany is known as an exporter of various kinds of machinery and technology, be it consumer goods like automobiles, and all kinds of machinery for all branches of industry, mining and agriculture. Creative industries, high-tech start-ups and the service sector also play an increasing role for Germany's economical output.
A pretty unique feature of Germany's economy is the relative decentralization: you will find large companies headquartered in many different German cities and Länder, not only in or around the capital as in many other European centres. The result of that is not only the widespread relative wealth and high living standards, as well as elegant and tidy appearance of both large cities and small towns, but also the additional tourist opportunities. You can visit the factories and company museums of BMW in Munich or Mercedes and Porsche in Stuttgart. More and more factories are also built to be more than manufacturing plants, but also experience centres, like the BMW and Porsche plants in Leipzig or the gläserne Manufaktur of VW in Dresden, the latter now builds electric cars.
The global importance of the German economy and its geographically distributed nature has its reflection in the transportation network of the country. Frankfurt Airport is an important air traffic hub for Europe and the main one for Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa. That said, many other airports have numerous intercontinental connections, as well as busy intra-European and domestic traffic, including those in Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Cologne dan Hamburg. The somewhat unsatisfactory airport situation in the capital - in part a legacy of partition - was finally remedied by a new "Berlin Brandenburg International Airport", after it had a laughing stock due to numerous delays and problems with planned openings in the early 2010s before finally opening a decade late and several times over budget in autumn 2020. There is also a dense network of railway lines within Germany and to neighbouring countries, many of which have been upgraded to high-speed standards (served by Germany's state operator Deutsche Bahn's Inter-City-Express trains). The Autobahn (motorway) network is world-famous for its quality and comprehensiveness, as well as the lack of speed limits on certain stretches. Unlike most of its neighbours, Germany does not have any tolls (for cars, that is) for the vast majorities of its highways yet. The Autobahnen are also used by many bus companies, which offer a low-cost alternative to airlines and railways.
Politics
Germany is a federal republic, consisting of 16 federal states (Bundesländer). The federal parliament (Bundestag) is elected every four years in a fairly complicated system, involving both direct and proportional representation. The parliament elects the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler), who serves as the head of the government. The Bundesländer are represented at the federal level through the Federal Council (Bundesrat). Many federal laws have to be approved by this council and this can lead to situations where council and parliament block each other if they are dominated by different parties. The Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) has the right to pass judgement on the constitutionality of laws.
The head of state is the Federal President (Bundespräsident). He or she is not involved in day-to-day politics and has mainly ceremonial and representative duties. There is a tendency to nominate elder statesmen to the role which (as of 2020) is filled by former vice-chancellor and minister of the exterior Frank-Walter Steinmeyer. While the president lets his party membership "rest" during his time in office and the office is supposed to be non-partisan, all but one (Joachim Gauck) had had a clear party-affiliation prior to taking the office.
The two largest parties are the centre-right CDU (Christlich Demokratische Union, Christian Democratic Union) and the centre-left SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, Social Democratic Party of Germany). Due to the proportional voting system, smaller parties are also represented in parliament. They cover a full spectrum of political views from free market economy, environmentalism to far left socialism. Still, the number of different parties is relatively low because a party is only represented if it gained at least 5 % at the elections. While Germany for a long time did not have a far-right populist party at the federal level - unlike most of the rest of Europe - the "Alternative für Deutschland" (AfD) now fulfills this role to much controversy.
Germany is subdivided into sixteen states which retain a great deal of political power, including education, setting the closing hours of stores and local rail traffic.
Demographics
Being a federal republic, Germany is very much a decentralised country, which does justice to the cultural differences between the regions. Some travellers will perhaps only think of beer, Lederhosen and Oktoberfest when Germany comes to mind, but Germany's famous alpine and beer culture is mostly in Bavaria dan Munich. The annual Oktoberfest is Europe's most visited festival and the world's largest fair. Germany's south-western regions, however, are well known for their wine growing areas (e.g. Rheinhessen dan Palatinate) and Bad Dürkheim on the "German wine route" (Deutsche Weinstraße) organises the biggest wine festival worldwide with over 600,000 visitors annually.
Immigration has also played a large part in Germany over the past 50 years, with approximately 20% of the total population being either foreign or of a 'migrant background' (Germans and non Germans who moved to Germany after 1949 or have at least one parent that did). Many cities have large communities of Turks, Poles, Italians as well as people from Southern and Eastern Europe or the Middle East. Immigration of various types also played a role before that, but in most cases descendants of e.g. refugees from the former German territories east of Oder and Neisse or descendants of French Huguenots are distinguished from other Germans by little more than their last name if that. Although the Jewish community was virtually wiped out by the Nazis, high levels of immigration from the former Soviet Union since its collapse in 1991 have resulted in a large number of Soviet Jews settling in Germany, and Germany now once again has one of the world's largest Jewish communities, and the fourth largest in Europe after France, the United Kingdom and Russia.
Many cities have a vibrant LGBT scene, especially Berlin dan Cologne. Berlin's tourism agency and other tourism organisations actively attract gay and lesbian travellers to their cities. Laws legalising gay marriage were passed and implemented in 2017. Homosexuality is widely accepted in society. Open homosexuals have attained high political office, including the mayorships of Berlin and Hamburg, vice-chancellor and foreign minister and even some rural and conservative places have elected openly gay mayors. Views on homosexuality have traditionally been more negative in rural areas and among blue collar workers, but even here acceptance is increasing, as is visibility. Some people of Middle Eastern descent - including urban youth - also have more negative views of homosexuals and homosexuality as do people on the extreme political right.
Electricity
Electricity is supplied at 230 V and 50 Hz and power failures are very rare. Almost all outlets use the Schuko socket, and most appliances have a thinner but compatible Europlug. Travel adapters of all kinds are widely available in electronics stores, but they are often rather expensive.
Bercakap
- See also: German phrasebook
The official language of Germany is German (Deutsch). The standard form of German is called "Hochdeutsch" (High German). It's understood by all and spoken by almost all Germans. However, every region has its own dialects, which might pose a challenge even to those who speak German well, even native speakers. This is usually noticeable only in the south and rural areas of the north and east. Dialect remains a strong part of the local identity in Bavaria, Saxony, southern Rhineland and Hesse, Württemberg and Baden. The general rule is that the Main River divides north Germany from the south in both language dialects and local culture. Dialects are losing ground to various extent throughout Germany, not least because of unsavoury associations of ruralness, lacking education and the prejudice that dialect as the home language would impede acquisition of "proper" standard German in school.
'Sie' or 'Du'? Politeness in German is important, and you should generally refer to other unacquainted people with the formal and polite form of 'you' which is "Sie". The informal version of 'you' is "du" and can be used if both of you are already very familiar, or if the person is a child. These days younger people, roughly below the age of 30, can use "'du'" between complete strangers, except in some professional contexts. Verb endings will also change depending upon which you use. |
Many Germans have learned some English at school (a compulsory subject in the West since the 1980s), so you should be able to get by. However, while many Germans claim to speak it fairly well, actual proficiency varies tremendously across most social, generational, and even geographic dimensions; some Germans have near-native fluency on par with the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, while others maybe barely utter a few sentences. Generally speaking, people in large and cosmopolitan urban areas such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart speak very good English, whereas people from more industrial regions, such as much of Rhine-Ruhr, smaller urban areas (Hanover, Kiel, Münster), rural areas, and most of east Germany may not possess as much fluency. Furthermore, younger people will usually be able to converse in English, whereas older generations tend to not speak any English at all.
Since language ability is a measure of social standing it may be difficult to persuade many Germans to speak German to you if they know you are a native English speaker. Saying that you are (even if pretending to be) a non-native English speaker can get around this situation. That said, Germans who are actually truly fluent and confident in English usually have no issue speaking German with you.
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Germans tend to be direct, and will often answer in English with short responses. Since it's polite to reply "Bitte" if someone thanks you, Germans may literally translate this with "please" instead of "here you are" or "you're welcome".
Other languages are spoken in Germany as well. A surprising number of Germans speak French, often with really good proficiency. In parts of Eastern Germany, a small Slavic community of 50,000 also speaks Sorbian. Many people who grew up in the formerly communist East Germany were taught to speak Russian and there's a sizable community of former residents of the Soviet Union who immigrated after 1990 and tend to speak Russian. Turkish is spoken by many in the large ethnic Turkish community. Due to immigration, it is becoming more common to find other foreign languages such as Italian, Polish, Spanish and various Yugoslav languages, although many do not speak the language of their parents or grandparents, let alone on a native level.
Virtually all movies, in addition to foreign shows broadcast on German TV are dubbed into German. If you wish to watch the newest movies in English, they may be shown without dubbing at select theatres at the biggest cities for a little premium fee. Look for the symbol OmU atau OmengU (Original with subtitles). An even rarer treat is the cinema showing movies in their original version without subtitles - those usually only exist in cities of half a million or more. Niche films and shows shown on high-brow channels like arte (a French-German channel) or 3sat (a German-Swiss-Austrian channel) may sometimes be shown with their original audio and subtitles due to the cost of dubbing niche media, but those are rare even on these niche channels.
Masuk
Entry requirements
Germany is a member of the Schengen Agreement.
- There are normally no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty. This includes most of the European Union and a few other countries.
- There are usually identity checks before boarding international flights or boats. Sometimes there are temporary border controls at land borders.
- Likewise, a visa granted for any Schengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed dan implemented the treaty.
- Please see Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, which countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality.
Recognised refugees and stateless persons in possession of a valid travel document issued by the government of any one of the above countries/territories (e.g. Canada) are exempt from obtaining a visa for Germany (but no other Schengen country, except Hungary, The Netherlands dan Belgium, and for refugees, Slovakia) for a maximum stay of 90 days in a 180-day period.
Citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the US are eligible to obtain a residence permit, or Aufenthaltstitel (authorising a stay of more than 90 days and permission to work), upon arrival in Germany, but before the end of the 90-day period of visa-free entry. Before obtaining such status, they are not allowed to work, with the exception of some specific occupations (such as artists). Nationals of Honduras, Monaco and San Marino can also obtain such a permit, but this is issued only if they may not work on the residence permit. Other nationals will need to obtain a visa before if they intend to stay in Germany for longer than the 90-day period, even if they are visa-free for that period for a stay in the Schengen area, or if they intend to work.
Authorised members of the British and US military need to possess only a copy of their duty orders (NATO Travel Order) and their ID card to be authorised entry into Germany. The passport requirement, though, applies to spouses and dependents of military personnel, and they must obtain a stamp in their passports to show that they are sponsored by a person in Germany under the Status of Forces Agreement.
There are no land border controls: travel between Germany and other Schengen states, including Switzerland, is easy. However, plain-clothes officers of the German border police are known to ask travellers for their ID especially on the border between Bavaria and Austria.
When crossing a border in an international Eurocity train (especially to/from the Czech Republic and Poland) you will almost always be asked for ID.
There are a number of ways to get into Germany. From neighbouring European countries, a drive with the car or a train or bus ride are perhaps the easiest and most comfortable options; visitors from further away will probably be using air travel.
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Major airports and airlines
The most important airports are Frankfurt (FRA IATA), Munich (MUC IATA) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER IATA). Düsseldorf (DUS IATA), Cologne (CGN IATA), Hamburg (HAM IATA) and Stuttgart (STR IATA) also have many international flights.Frankfurt is Germany's main hub (as well as one of Europe's main hubs) and the destination of most intercontinental flights. Munich is a growing secondary hub. Travellers can easily fly into Frankfurt and Munich on Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa, which is a member of Star Alliance.
Flag carriers usually have - at the very least - flights from their main hub to Frankfurt Airport and all main airline alliances codeshare and cooperate for flights to one of more of Germany's major airports. Few countries are more than one connection away.
The airports of Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Köln/Bonn are on the InterCityExpresshigh-speed rail network. Berlin Airport is served by local trains, S-Bahn and Intercity trains (on the Rostock-Berlin-Dresden route) but while the station is capable of accommodating an ICE it does not do so as of late 2020. Leipzig Halle airport (LEJ IATA) is served by both local and Intercity trains. Most other airports are either connected via the urban public transport network or have their own commuter rail station. However, this is not always the case with lesser "regional" airports, frequently used by no frills airlines, with "Frankfurt"-Hahn being a particular example having no rail connection and a bus that takes about 2 hours to Frankfurt as the only mode of public transport.
Lufthansa passengers travelling from Frankfurt Airport have the option to check in at Cologne or Stuttgart train stations and travel to Frankfurt airport by ICE, dropping off their luggage immediately at Frankfurt airport long distance railway station. If doing so, be sure to book the train journey as a Lufthansa connecting flight (i.e. in advance together with the flight); otherwise, awak are responsible for any missed connection. All major German airports and most airlines also offer rail&fly, a program that allows you to get a ticket to/from the airport and anywhere on the German rail network. Most of the time this has to be bought at the same time as the plane ticket, but some airlines allow you to buy it in addition to the plane ticket later on. For more see rail air alliances.
Minor and budget airlines
- See also: Flying on a budget
Flying can be the cheapest way to get to Germany and from there to other European countries. Before booking a budget flight, compare carefully as their destinations are often a bit out of the way and after adding all the fees, taxes, additional bus tickets to get to their airports, you might end up at even higher prices than you would pay for a discounted Lufthansa ticket. Also according to a 2013 VCD (Verkehrs Club Deutschland) study, inner-European flights are more expensive than a train ticket booked on the same day as the flight would be in over 80% of the time.
The major airports for budget airlines adalah Berlin Brandenburg Airport (particularly its "Terminal 5" which has seen better days) (BER IATA), "Frankfurt"-Hahn (HHN IATA) and Weeze (NRN IATA) as well as smaller airports with fewer choice of destinations like Memmingen (FMM IATA) (110 km (68 mi) from Munich). Some of the smaller airports are former military airports from the cold war era. They are far away from urban centres. Don't be tricked by the name: Frankfurt-Hahn is actually 130 km (81 mi) from the city of Frankfurt. Düsseldorf-Weeze was forced by a court decision to change its name, as Düsseldorf is 85 km (53 mi) to the south east. No frills airlines are notorious for changing the airports they serve at short notice and several airports that used to have dozens of flights daily have reverted to slumbering general aviation fields.
There are budget flights from almost every city in Europe to Germany. The major budget airlines in Germany are easyJet, Ryanair, Eurowings, dan Wizz Air (for flights from Eastern Europe) which all offer several connections to many countries throughout Europe. The main hubs for easyJet are Berlin-Brandenburg and Dortmund, for Ryanair Hahn and Weeze and for Eurowings Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart. Most of those airlines also fly into and out of other airports but usually with a more limited choice of connections.
For budget flights from European holiday destinations, for example around the Mediterranean, some of Germany's other carriers are Condor (also from main tourist destinations throughout the world) and TUIfly. The classical "holiday charter" airlines offer a number of - often seasonal - connections largely from Mediterranean destinations. While they still sell most of their seats as parts of package deals as the name indicates, almost all of them sell tickets unbundled and if they want to get a plane that would otherwise be half-empty full, you can get some amazing deals indeed. Antalya (Turkey) has several daily connections even to relatively minor German airports during the holiday season.
Dengan kereta api
- Main article: Rail travel in Germany
Regular train services connect Germany with all neighbouring countries. Almost all neighbouring countries (especially Switzerland, Poland, Belanda, Denmark, Czech Republic dan Austria) and even some non-neighbouring countries (e.g. Italy dan Hungary) are quite well connected with "EuroCity" trains. They are a little bit slower and sometimes slightly less comfortable than the European high-speed trains but nevertheless reach up to 200 km/h. They are a worthwhile way to travel – not only for budget travellers (although budget airlines might sometimes be cheaper) or landscape viewers (especially the Rhine valley lines). When booked in advance Deutsche Bahn offer sangat competitive prices to many European destinations under their "Europa-Spezial" brand, with tickets starting at €39 (or less for short "hops" across the border) one way (you can usually book no earlier than 180 days in advance); however, you cannot change the train or date of travel and refunds are limited. If you miss the train that usually means the ticket becomes worthless.
Several European high-speed trains cross into and out of Germany:
- The ICE brings you at 300 km/h top speed from Frankfurt (3.25 hr), Cologne (2.5 hr) or Düsseldorf (2.25 hr) to Amsterdam. The train journey from Frankfurt ke Paris (320 km/h) using the ICE will take about four hours; going from Hamburg ke Paris can take eight and a half hours. There is also an ICE line from Frankfurt to Brussels via Cologne.
- The Thalys brings you from Cologne (Köln) to Paris in approximately four hours and to Brussels in about two hours.
- The TGV brings you from Marseille, Lyon dan Strasbourg to Frankfurt, and from Paris, and Strasbourg to Munich.
- Between Stuttgart dan Milan you can travel with one stop in Zurich, the fastest trans alpine train connection. The Italian and German lines feeding into the Gotthard Base Tunnel (which opened in late 2016) are being upgraded. The German and Swiss railways plan to introduce new services along this route for the 2018 schedule.
Standard rail fares are quite high, but there are a number of special fares and discounts available – see the "Get Around" section for more information. In particular, the Bahncard reduction applies for the whole journey as long as it starts or ends in Germany. If you have some time on your hand taking local trains to the border on a domestic ticket might actually be cheaper, especially to/from the Czech Republic and Poland.
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Ferries
International ferry services exist, notably to Scandinavia. Some of the most popular connections are listed below:
- Lübeck dan Sassnitz are connected to Kaliningrad, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Sassnitz is also connected to Rønne, Denmark dan Trelleborg, Sweden.
- Kiel has connections to Gothenburg, Sweden, Klaipeda, Lithuania dan Oslo, Norway.
- Rostock has connections to Helsinki (Finland), Trelleborg (Sweden) and Gedser (Denmark). Germany's busiest cruise port is at Rostock-Warnemünde.
- Travemünde has connections to Helsinki (Finland), Malmö (Sweden), Trelleborg (Sweden), Ventspils dan Liepaja, Latvia
- Puttgarden is connected to Rødby, Denmark. This ferry also takes the ICE to Copenhagen.
There are also ferries crossing Lake Constance to and from Switzerland.
Cruises
Rostock is by far the most important cruise port in the country. Other ports also see some cruises, including Hamburg dan Kiel, the latter mostly for cruises passing through the Kiel Canal.
River cruises along Rhine dan Danube also cross international borders. The Main Donau Kanal is popular with river cruises as it allows easy access to both Rhine and Danube and makes Nuremberg reachable by boat.
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The German intercity bus market has grown and changed significantly since it was fully liberalised in the 2010s. Most operators have folded and Flixbus dominates both the German domestic market and international routes. Intercity buses in France were legalised shortly after Germany and it is France-based "Blablabus" that became the first serious challenger to Flixbus after they cornered the market. Most operators from Central and Eastern Europe that predate liberalisation still exist but have mostly been pushed aside by the rapid growth, so you are unlikely to see them advertised much. Newer non-German entrants to the market include Student Agency/Regiojet from the Czech Republic. New routes appear and disappear quickly, so don't take outdated information from other sources for granted.
By tram
Germany is served by two foreign tram systems with connections across the border. The Basel tram has one line to Weil am Rhein, whereas the Strasbourg tram system has a line to Kehl. As both Switzerland and France are part of the Schengen Area, there are no border controls. However, when going to/from Switzerland, you pass a customs border as Switzerland is not in the EU and thus there may be a customs inspection.
Keliling
On the whole transportation is efficient and fast, though last minute tickets can be a bit on the expensive side. All modes of transportation are up to a high modern standard, including a dense network of airports, high speed rail services connecting most major cities and regional trains reaching almost every settlement of any size, one of the densest and best maintained highway networks on earth (with stretches where the speed limit is shrug emoji), and intercity bus services introduced in 2013.
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Given the size of Germany, there are few routes where flying makes sense. Business travellers are increasingly drawn to high speed rail services as they offer better overall travel times on all but the longest routes and flights are almost never cheaper than other options. That said, most airports have at least flights to Frankfurt airport and any one of either Hamburg airport, Munich airport, Cologne-Bonn airport or Berlin airport, mostly as feeder flights for their long distance services or catering to business travellers.
Domestic flights are also more prone to cancellation or weather delays. Strikes are at least as common on airlines as they are on the railways and when only some flights have to be cancelled, domestic flights are invariably the lowest priority. Don't worry though, you might be given a voucher for a train to complete your journey regardless.
Lufthansa or its subsidiaries are the only airlines on many domestic routes. Because of a fast connection by train from Berlin to Munich offering travel times competitive with aviation, and the Coronavirus in 2020, Easyjet has withdrawn and Lufthansa scaled back its domestic flights. DB meanwhile is increasing its frequencies on many busy routes — Hamburg Berlin will see a train every half-hour starting December 2020 — and can sometimes charge "premium" fares for business travellers with few other options.
The picture is a bit different for Germany's islands, but with the exception of Sylt none of them see service from any airport much farther away from the coast than "their" harbour.
- Lufthansa Germany's former flag carrier has greatly reduced its domestic network. Some routes were turned over to subsidiary Eurowings to be run on a "no frills" basis, whereas some feeder flights have been replaced by trains, bookable through Lufthansa if you are booking an international flight with them
- Eurowings Lufthansa's no-frills subsidiary is based in Düsseldorf and also serves some domestic routes in Germany
Some islands, such as Sylt or some East Frisian islands have small airports of which Sylt is also served by Lufthansa and Eurowings. Other operators include:
- Sylt Air mostly flies Hamburg-Sylt
- OFD (short for Ostfriesischer Flugdienst; East Frisian flight service) flies from Northern Germany to several islands, mostly the East Frisian islands
Dengan kereta api
- Main article: Rail travel in Germany
Germany's railway system is usually fast, on time and reliable and if you book tickets in advance (180 days before departure at the earliest) it can be surprisingly affordable. Regional trains are now run by a variety of private operators as well as Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries, but they can all be booked through bahn.com. Long distance trains on the other hand are almost all run by Deutsche Bahn. Those few that aren't have to be booked through the operating company. To give you a hint of just how dense the German railway system is: the biggest town without any rail service has barely over 60,000 inhabitants and you've probably never heard of it.
Long distance
All major cities are linked by DB's ICE (InterCity-Express) and regular InterCity trains. ICE is a system of high speed trains that are capable of speeds up to 330 km/h. They can be expensive, with a 1-hr trip ( Frankfurt ke Cologne, around 180 km) costing around €67 one-way (normal price "Flexpreis" without any discount). However, unlike high-speed trains in most other countries (e.g. France), taking the ICE on a "Flexpreis" fare does not require a reservation or bind you to a particular train.
If you want to save money, try for discounted "Super Sparpreis" or "Sparpreis" tickets, starting at €19.90 or €29.90, respectively regardless of distance. As those tickets are sold mainly to attract people to use less popular routes and times, you should try looking for them on off-peak times (Tuesday at noon is the time when trains are emptiest, according to statistics). You cannot change the train or departure time with the "Super Sparpreis" tickets and you will incur a change fee (plus fare difference) for changes to a "Sparpreis" ticket. However, if you miss a train due to a delay on another train you can use the next train, if you have a confirmation for the delay. With a BahnCard 25 or a BahnCard 50 you will get a 25% discount on the Sparpreis (reduced fare) tickets.
"Sparpreis" and "Flexpreis" ICE tickets include a DB City-Ticket, which gives passengers access to most local public transport networks to allow them to get to the station where they will commence their main train journey and from the station where they terminate their main train journey to their final destination (e.g. hotel). This is particularly useful if your actual origin and final destination are not covered by DB's railway network.
Seat reservations are not mandatory but are recommended, especially when you travel on weekends or holidays. This means that with an Interrail atau Eurail pass you can use domestic ICE trains without supplement (except for international ICE trains)
Next are the regular InterCity (IC) and EuroCity (EC) trains. The latter connect the larger European cities and are virtually identical to the regular ICs. These trains are also fairly comfortable, even if they lack the high-tech feeling of the ICE. The rolling stock used for IC services varies widely with both old coaches from the 1970s and 1980s and much newer ones - sometimes on the same train - as well as bilevel (Doppelstock or Dosto in German) multiple units that only entered service in 2015. Most older rolling stock, including the first two generations of ICE (dating to the 1990s) have since undergone extensive refurbishment. Eurocities on the other hand are often composed of cars from several different countries with the style and quality difference that implies.
On the major lines, an ICE or IC train will run each hour or so during the day, and even certain minor cities of touristic importance like Tübingen atau Heringsdorf are connected on a daily or weekly basis. Before you shell out the money for the ICE ticket, you may want to check if it actually makes a significant time difference. ICE trains travel faster than other IC trains only on specially equipped high-speed routes. There are also long distance trains operated by other companies than Deutsche Bahn, usually running over secondary routes. Virtually all of them are marketed by Flixbus under its Flixtrain brand. Other than that international trains such as Thalys or TGV serve stations in Germany and sometimes even domestic routes to an extent. However, a number of operators have announced plans to offer some train service, especially in the sleeper train business, as DB has abandoned that service completely. Usually DB only sells tickets for other operators if a cooperation exists or if forced to by law (e.g. all regional trains). DB tickets are not usually sold by other operators either.
Regional travel
Regional and local trains in Germany come in several flavours:
- IRE (InterRegioExpress). The same as RE, but goes between two regions (Bundesland).
- RE (Regional-Express). Semi-express trains, skips some stations. On many routes, this is the highest available train category.
- RB (Regional-Bahn). Stops everywhere except that it may skip some S-Bahn stops.
S-Bahn station Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof tief- S-Bahn. Commuter network for a city or metropolitan area but can travel fairly long distances. S-Bahn trains do not offer a toilet, with the exception of those in Bremen, Dresden, Hanover, Leipzig, Nuremberg and some S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar trains.
Within a region (Bundesland), it is often possible to get a budget (Länderticket) valid for one day. It can be used for RE, RB, most S-Bahn and some bus connections within the Bundesland, some local urban rail networks are included as well, though not necessarily all. It is available as a single or group ticket. Prices for Ländertickets vary from region to region, but start generally at about €23-27 for one person and usually between €3 and €5 for any additional member of your group up to a party of five. More information is provided at the Website of Deutsche Bahn as well as in the get around section of most Bundesländer.
While regional trains are more and more operated by companies other than Deutsche Bahn and carrying a livery other than DB red, in practice this makes little to no difference as semua kereta api serantau dikenakan francais dengan negara yang menetapkan segala-galanya dari jadual waktu hingga stok kereta api dan pengendali yang menerima subsidi serta harga tiket. Anda mungkin melihat mesin tiket atau kaunter untuk beberapa pengendali kereta api serantau di stesen yang mereka jalani tetapi Deutsche Bahn - dengan sangat pengecualian terhad - terpaksa menjual tiket untuk anda juga dan tiket Ländert juga akan diterima di sana. Walaupun banyak pengendali bukan DB mengikuti skema yang dijelaskan di atas, ada yang memilih untuk menamakan perkhidmatan mereka selain RB atau RE, namun mereka masih sering mengikuti perbezaan antara (separa) "ekspres" dan "tempatan".
Secara umum kereta api tempatan tidak mempunyai perkhidmatan makanan atau minuman, tetapi kadang-kadang jurujual melewati tempat duduk untuk menjual minuman dan makanan ringan (biasanya terlalu mahal). Beberapa talian dan pengendali - seperti Metronom - juga mempunyai mesin layan diri di kereta mereka.
Tiket kereta api berkumpulan
Ada kemungkinan untuk berkeliling dengan kereta api yang murah ketika anda mengumpulkan kumpulan kecil. Terdapat beberapa peringatan:
- Harga tiket biasanya bergantung pada jumlah pelancong dengan harga asas yang agak tinggi dan tambahan kecil untuk setiap anggota kumpulan lain hingga lima orang. Sekiranya kumpulan anda terdiri daripada lebih daripada lima orang, hubungi Deutsche Bahn mengenai tawaran istimewa untuk kumpulan yang lebih besar.
- Tiket itu adalah hanya sah pada serantau kereta api (RE, RB dan S-Bahn) dan beberapa pengangkutan tempatan (kereta api bawah tanah dan bas ringan) bergantung kepada bandar. Tidak boleh mengambil ICE atau IC dengan tiket seperti itu.
- Walaupun beberapa tiket Ländertersedia untuk kelas pertama (dengan syarat anda membayar tambahan) ia hanya sah untuk kelas kedua kecuali dinyatakan sebaliknya.
Sekiranya anda mengetahui jadual perjalanan anda, anda boleh mengatur kumpulan di Internet, membeli tiket dan memulakannya. Tiket berkumpulan boleh dibeli melalui aplikasi DB Navigator. Semua tiket sah dari jam 09:00 pada hari kerja dan dari tengah malam pada hari Sabtu dan Ahad. Kesahan mereka biasanya berakhir pada pukul 03:00 keesokan harinya.
Dengan bas
- Lihat juga: Perjalanan bas jarak jauh di Jerman
Terdapat puluhan perkhidmatan harian dari kebanyakan bandar utama, yang biasanya jauh lebih murah daripada kereta api. Sebilangan besar bas menawarkan kemudahan seperti Wi-Fi dan saluran elektrik dan ada juga yang boleh mengangkut basikal.
Selain daripada ini, terdapat rangkaian laluan bas serantau dan tempatan yang sangat padat. Namun, di kawasan luar bandar, banyak talian beroperasi hanya sekali sehari. Pereka bus ekspres wilayah dan tempatan biasanya mengandungi huruf CE (lokal), E (daerah di sekitar Hamburg; di daerah lain, E digunakan untuk larian khas), S (wilayah), SB (wilayah dan lokal) atau X (lokal dalam Berlin), perancang talian bas bandar mungkin mengandungi huruf BB ("Bürgerbus", tidak disatukan dalam kesatuan tarif), C atau O. Sentiasa periksa papan keberangkatan dengan berhati-hati: kadang-kadang, terutama pada waktu malam atau di kawasan luar bandar, anda harus memesan bas melalui telefon.
Dengan kereta
- Artikel utama: Memandu di Jerman
Jerman mempunyai rangkaian jalan raya dan Autobahn (lebuh raya) yang terkenal di dunia tanpa tol atau bayaran untuk kereta. Walaupun pengangkutan awam di Jerman sangat baik, mereka yang memilih untuk memandu akan mendapati rangkaian jalan raya juga cepat dan cekap. Seperti kebanyakan Eropah, Jerman bergerak di sebelah kanan.
Periksa terlebih dahulu sama ada anda bukan Jerman lesen memandu berlaku di Jerman. Jika tidak, anda mungkin akan dikenakan denda atau penjara sehingga satu tahun. Untuk penginapan lebih lama, kebanyakan lesen asing tidak sah tidak kira apa status kediaman anda. Sekiranya anda bercadang untuk memandu dengan penginapan yang lebih lama (beberapa bulan atau tahun) cuba dapatkan lesen memandu Eropah yang biasanya sah di seluruh Kesatuan Eropah.
Hormati lampu isyarat merah, tetapi ada pengecualian: anda boleh membelok ke kanan apabila papan anak panah kanan hijau kecil dilekatkan pada lampu isyarat, di sebelah lampu merah - namun ini tetap memerlukan penghentian, melihat dan hasil sebelum membelok ke kanan.
Had kelajuan dipandang serius, dengan sebilangan besar kamera laju. Had kelajuan adalah:
- Kelajuan berjalan di "Spielstraßen" (ditandakan dengan tanda biru / putih yang menunjukkan bermain anak-anak, pejalan kaki mempunyai keutamaan)
- 30 km / jam (19 mph) di kebanyakan kawasan perumahan di bandar (ditandai dengan tanda "30-Zon Wohngebiet", 20-Zona dan 10-Zon juga ada, walaupun tanda-tanda untuk 10 zon hanya memberi nasihat)
- 50 km / j (31 mph) di dalam bandar dan bandar (ditandakan semasa masuk dengan tanda nama bandar kuning) dan termasuk "Kraftfahrstraßen" (ditandakan dengan tanda yang menunjukkan sebuah kereta putih dengan latar belakang biru)
- 100 km / j (62 mph) di luar bandar dan bandar
- Tidak ada had laju umum tetap pada "Autobahn" atau "Kraftfahrstraßen" untuk kereta dan motosikal yang tidak menaiki treler. Tidak sepenuhnya tidak terhad kerana terdapat bahagian yang mempunyai had kelajuan berkala atau kekal dan disyorkan kelajuan maksimum di Autobahn adalah 130 km / jam (81 mph), dan anda harus mencuba dan terus melakukannya jika anda baru menggunakan pemanduan berkelajuan tinggi. Namun, beberapa "pelancong laju" datang ke Jerman hanya untuk menyewa sebuah kereta sport eksotik dan meletupkan rangkaian Autobahn yang merupakan rangkaian lebuh raya ketiga terbesar di dunia.
Autobahns, terutama yang mempunyai nombor satu digit (menghubungkan kawasan yang lebih besar dengan jarak yang lebih jauh) atau yang berada di atau dekat dengan kawasan bandar (mis. Rhein / Ruhr) mendapat sangat sesak bermula Jumaat petang atau cuti musim panas. Jalan raya popular yang menuju ke selatan ke Itali atau Utara ke Baltik dan Pantai Laut Utara mengalami kesesakan tertentu dengan permulaan cuti sekolah setiap negeri. Semasa merancang perjalanan anda, cari permulaan cuti sekolah dan cuba mengelakkan memandu pada hari itu atau hujung minggu setelahnya. Pada cuti musim sejuk (Krismas dan Karnival) jalan-jalan yang menuju ke pusat peranginan ski di Pegunungan Alpen juga boleh menjadi agak sesak yang diperburuk oleh salji salji yang sederhana - terutamanya jika musim salji pertama musim ini.
Tempat letak kenderaan biasanya mudah dicari tetapi tempat letak kenderaan percuma semakin jarang. Walaupun beberapa negara jiran akan tertawa walaupun pada kadar tempat letak kereta tertinggi di Jerman, bekalan tempat letak kenderaan murah jauh lebih rendah daripada di AS. Satu jenis tempat letak kenderaan percuma yang masih banyak terdapat ialah lot parkir & tunggangan (dikenali di bawah P&R di Jerman) yang berdekatan dengan transit awam yang biasanya menggunakan rel. Sebilangan dari jumlah itu diisi pada waktu pagi dan tetap sibuk sehingga perjalanan petang tetapi mereka hampir kosong pada hujung minggu. Pusat membeli-belah dan pasar raya biasanya mempunyai tempat letak kenderaan percuma untuk pelanggan sepanjang penginapan mereka, tetapi semakin banyak berlaku pelanggaran tempat letak kereta seperti bukan pelanggan menyimpan kenderaan mereka di tanah mereka atau kereta yang ditinggalkan di kawasan itu selama berjam-jam.
Perkongsian tunggangan (Carpooling) popular di Jerman dan harga perjalanan sering lebih murah daripada kereta api. Blablacar adalah laman web yang popular untuk mengatur perjalanan bersama. Perjalanan antarabangsa juga boleh diatur menggunakan laman web ini.
Teksi mahal dan sering hanya menerima wang tunai. Syaratnya biasanya tidak ditulis di dalam kereta, jadi tanyakan kepada pemandu. Harga ditentukan oleh pihak berkuasa tempatan.
Dengan kenderaan rekreasi dan kemping
Perkhemahan Jerman (seperti kebanyakan kawasan lain di Eropah barat) biasanya menawarkan pelbagai kemudahan. Anda selalu mempunyai sambungan elektrik anda sendiri, dan sambungan air dan pembetung adalah perkara biasa. Setiap perkhemahan mempunyai tandas dan pancuran serta dapur, mesin basuh dan pengering berputar.
Halaman kuning berkhemah, atau, jika anda suka, Alkitab perkhemahan Jerman, adalah ADAC Campingführer, panduan perkhemahan oleh ADAC kelab automobil terbesar di Jerman. Ia menyenaraikan hampir semua perkhemahan bersama dengan harga, jenis lokasi, ukuran, waktu buka, kemudahan, nama-it-it. Oleh kerana panduan ini menggunakan banyak simbol yang dijelaskan dalam beberapa bahasa, ia juga sesuai untuk pelancong dari luar negara.
Had kelajuan umum berlaku untuk RV dan apa pun yang menarik sesuatu - walaupun pada jarak Autobahn tanpa had yang diposting. Biasanya akan ada pelekat di bahagian belakang atau kertas atau kontrak sewa anda akan menerangkannya.
Dengan kenderaan elektrik (EV)
Stesen pengisian paling banyak di Jerman disenaraikan di laman web www.goingelectric.de (rangkaian Pemacu EV) di bawah titik '' Stromtankstellen ''. Laman web rasmi adalah ''Ladesäulenkarte'' dari pihak berkuasa Jerman Bundesnetzagentur.
Dengan berjalan kaki
Ada kemungkinan untuk halangan di Jerman dan kebanyakan orang Jerman bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris asas, jadi anda akan difahami jika anda bercakap dengan perlahan. Pemandu jarang mengharapkan anda memberi mereka wang untuk perjalanan. Huruf pertama plat nombor Jerman (sebelum tanda hubung) menunjukkan bandar di mana kereta itu didaftarkan. Sekiranya anda mengetahui kod untuk tujuan anda, ini akan meningkatkan peluang anda untuk menghentikan kenderaan yang betul.
Tidak sah berhenti di Autobahn, tetapi berjalan kaki dari kawasan servis atau stesen minyak adalah cara yang baik untuk melakukan perjalanan panjang (100–200 km). Bahagian yang sukar masuk ke Autobahn, jadi terbayar tidur berhampiran stesen minyak jika anda pergi jauh. Di stesen minyak, anda boleh mendapatkan buku kecil percuma yang dipanggil Tanken und Rasten dengan peta Autobahn dan stesen minyaknya. Semasa mendapatkan lif, setuju dengan pemandu di mana hendak turun, dan pastikan ada stesen minyak. Cuba untuk mengelakkan Autohofs.
Ia juga biasa diatur perjalanan dengan kenderaan persendirian terlebih dahulu melalui agensi luar talian atau Internet. Agensi luar talian seperti Citynetz atau ADM mempunyai pejabat di bandar-bandar besar, kebanyakannya berhampiran pusat bandar atau stesen keretapi utama. Agensi luar talian ini mengenakan komisen kepada kos bahan bakar yang perlu anda bayar untuk pemandu.
Perkhidmatan dalam talian untuk mengatur perjalanan dengan kenderaan persendirian sangat popular, kerana kedua-dua pihak tidak membayar komisen kepada agensi tradisional. Anda hanya perlu menyumbang kepada kos bahan bakar (contoh: Frankfurt ke Berlin € 25). Anda boleh menghubungi pemandu secara langsung melalui e-mel, telefon atau sms. Oleh kerana pemandu perlu didaftarkan, lebih selamat daripada berjalan kaki.
Penjaja adalah perkhidmatan setanding, pelbagai bahasa dan percuma. Blablacar adalah pemain lain yang terkenal dengan banyak tunggangan dalam pangkalan data.
Dengan basikal
- Lihat juga: Berbasikal di Eropah
Jerman, secara amnya, mesra basikal, dengan banyak lorong basikal di bandar. Terdapat juga rangkaian laluan basikal jarak jauh yang ditandatangani dengan baik. The Rangkaian Kitaran Jerman (Radnetz Deutschland) terdiri daripada dua belas laluan rasmi (D1-12). Anda boleh memuat turun trek GPX untuk setiap bahagian di laman web secara percuma.
Penunggang basikal dijangka mengikuti perkara yang sama peraturan jalan raya sebagai kenderaan bermotor. Walaupun secara teori penunggang basikal tunduk pada banyak peraturan jalan raya yang sama seperti orang di dalam kereta atau dengan motosikal, penguatkuasaan cenderung lebih lembut dan misalnya had DUI jauh lebih tinggi (pada 1.3 per kilang) daripada 0.5 per mil untuk pengendara. Menggunakan telefon bimbit semasa berbasikal juga baik tetapi tidak setinggi dengan kenderaan bermotor. Sekiranya terdapat jalan selari dengan jalan yang dipaparkan dengan tanda "kitaran" putih-biru (lihat kanan), penunggang basikal mesti gunakannya. Jalan kitaran ini secara amnya sehala, kecuali dinyatakan sebaliknya, dan anda mungkin didenda kerana pergi ke arah yang salah. Di beberapa bandar lorong basikal ditandai dengan batu lorong merah gelap di kawasan jalan utama. Berhati-hatilah, kerana penunggang basikal dan pejalan kaki cenderung melintasi sempadan ini. Berbasikal di kaki lima tidak dibenarkan, melainkan jika ia ditandai sebagai jalan litar (terdapat pengecualian untuk kanak-kanak di bawah 10 tahun).
Sebilangan besar stesen keretapi, kawasan membeli-belah, hotel dan premis perniagaan mempunyai berdiri basikal (beberapa ditutup) dengan tempat untuk memasang rantai kunci basikal anda sendiri.
Di wilayah kereta api biasanya ada satu kereta yang membolehkan anda membawa basikal anda ke dalam kapal. Kereta api InterCity juga membolehkan menaiki basikal, namun ICE tidak. Biasanya membawa basikal memerlukan tiket dan / atau tempahan yang berasingan. Untuk keterangan lebih lanjut lihat Perjalanan kereta api di Jerman # Basikal.
Sekiranya anda ingin menaiki basikal anda di bas jarak jauh anda perlu menempah beberapa hari ke depan dan mungkin tidak berjaya, kerana bilik simpanan basikal sangat terhad (hanya dua atau tiga setiap bas).
Beberapa bandar Jerman kini menawarkan program berkongsi basikal, kebanyakan dikendalikan oleh kedua-duanya basikal seterusnya atau anak syarikat Deutsche Bahn memanggil basikal. Mereka adalah cara terbaik untuk menempuh jarak jauh di dalam bandar tetapi bukan pilihan terbaik untuk lawatan yang lebih lama, kerana waktu sewa maksimum biasanya 24 jam. Penyewaan basikal klasik masih ada di banyak bandar, dan juga di kampung-kampung kecil yang berdekatan dengan pantai yang menyaksikan banyak pelancong. Mereka sering memerlukan deposit atau kad pengenalan untuk disewa.
Dengan e-skuter
Di sebilangan bandar besar seperti Berlin, Munich dan Cologne; dengan aplikasi yang betul dimuat, anda boleh mengambil skuter yang boleh dikeluarkan yang tersebar di jalanan. Dijalankan oleh sebilangan syarikat termasuk Lingkaran, Tahap, Burung dan Limau purut. Anda mesti berusia lebih dari 14 tahun untuk menunggang dan berada di bawah peraturan yang sama seperti basikal; yang tidak boleh digunakan di trotoar / jalan-jalan (hanya menggunakan jalan-jalan atau jalan-jalan) dan melebihi had alkohol akan mempengaruhi status lesen memandu anda. Ia terhad kepada 20 km / jam, tetapi merupakan penyebab berlakunya kemalangan sejak diperkenalkan.
Lihat
Tarikan budaya dan sejarah
Apabila memikirkan Jerman, bir, lederhosen dan topi Alpine cepat terlintas di fikiran, tetapi stereotaip ini kebanyakan berkaitan Orang Bavaria budaya dan tidak mewakili Jerman secara keseluruhan. Jerman adalah sebuah negara yang luas dan beragam dengan 16 negara yang unik dari segi budaya yang hanya membentuk kesatuan politik sejak tahun 1871. Bahkan di dalam negeri sering terdapat kepelbagaian budaya yang cukup besar. Pemerintah Bavaria misalnya suka bercakap tentang tiga "suku" yang tinggal di negeri ini; "orang Bavaria lama", Franconians dan Swabians. Terutama kedua-dua bekas suka disatukan sama seperti Inggeris dan Scots.
Sekiranya anda masih mencari klise, yang Jalan Romantik adalah laluan pemandangan yang terkenal di sepanjang istana romantis dan kampung-kampung yang indah. Dengan penampilan dongengnya, the Istana Neuschwanstein boleh dianggap sebagai istana Jerman yang paling ikonik. Bandar berdinding Rothenburg ob der Tauber mempunyai pusat abad pertengahan yang indah yang nampaknya tidak tersentuh oleh peredaran masa. Beberapa bandar Jerman yang serupa boleh didapati di tempat lain di negara ini, seperti Augsburg, Bamberg, Celle, Heidelberg, Lübeck, dan Quedlinburg. Lawatan poskad gambar anda ke Jerman akan lengkap dengan lawatan ke dewan bir di Munich dan mengintip Alps di Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Dalam Ulm anda boleh mengunjungi puncak gereja tertinggi di dunia - the Ulmer Münster. Anda juga boleh pergi ke bandar abad pertengahan yang indah namun jarang dikunjungi Dewan Schwäbisch. Bagi mereka yang merupakan peminat Fairy Tales Grimm, yang merangkumi banyak yang terkenal seperti Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White dan The Pied Piper, lembaga pelancongan Jerman telah mengesyorkan Laluan Dongeng yang membawa anda ke tempat-tempat di mana Brothers Grimm tinggal, dan juga bandar-bandar yang terdapat dalam Grimm's Fairy Tales.
Jerman adalah negara perindustrian moden, dan negara Wirtschaftswunder paling baik diwakili oleh warisan industri Ruhr. Hamburg merupakan pusat kuasa ekonomi yang lain dengan pelabuhan tersibuk kedua di benua ini. Frankfurt adalah pusat kewangan Jerman, dan Eropah secara keseluruhan, kerana ia adalah asas Bank Pusat Eropah. Langitnya hampir dengan yang terdapat di seberang Atlantik. Bandar fesyen di Düsseldorf, industri media dari Cologne, dan syarikat kereta di Stuttgart masing-masing mewakili sektor yang berkembang pesat dari keajaiban ekonomi Jerman.
Pengalaman yang sama sekali berbeza boleh didapati di Berlin, sebuah bandar tidak mungkin dijumpai di tempat lain di planet ini. Walaupun secara arkitek tidak sesuai dengan blok pangsapuri yang disterilkan, struktur kaca dan keluli pasca-moden, dan beberapa sisa bersejarah, ia mempunyai suasana santai dan budaya internasionalisme. Sejarahnya yang bergolak menimbulkan banyak tarikan sejarah, antaranya Tembok Berlin, Brandenburger Tor, Bundestag, Checkpoint Charlie, Fernsehturm, Memorial Holocaust dan Rotes Rathaus. Tetapi jangan terlepas kejiranan Prenzlauer Berg jika anda ingin merasa seperti Berliner yang sebenar. Kreuzberg (dulunya terkenal dengan orang-orang punk, sekarang banyak bersikap lembut) dan Perkahwinan yang dinamakan dengan baik juga tidak ketinggalan.
Kenangan gelap era Nazi juga telah menjadi jejak di Jerman; lihat Perang Dunia II di Eropah dan Peringatan Holocaust. Walaupun subjeknya sangat sensitif dan "gurauan" mengenai subjek itu adalah idea yang tidak baik melainkan jika anda tahu tuan rumah anda dengan baik, Jerman telah berusaha keras untuk memelihara monumen era itu sebagai peringatan dan pameran pendidikan terperinci di tempat-tempat seperti bekas tumpuan perkhemahan, tempat bekas parti Nazi berkumpul di Nuremberg atau bekas kerusi kementerian dan pejabat Nazi di Berlin patut dikunjungi, jika ada yang menggigil dan menyedihkan.
Tarikan semula jadi
Oleh kerana saiz dan lokasinya di Eropah Tengah, Jerman menawarkan pelbagai jenis pemandangan yang berbeza. Di utara, Jerman mempunyai luas garis pantai di sepanjang Laut Utara dan Laut Baltik di kawasan luas yang dikenali sebagai Dataran Jerman Utara. Landskapnya sangat rata dan iklimnya kasar dengan angin kencang dan suhu yang sejuk dan sejuk. Kerana angin timur selatan yang menyiram air ke German Bight, variasi pasang surut sangat tinggi, menjadikan Laut Wadden. Kawasan dasar laut yang luas ditemui dua kali sehari, yang membolehkan seseorang berjalan kaki dari salah satu pulau yang banyak ke pulau lain. (Ini hanya boleh dilakukan dengan panduan.) Kepulauan Frisian Timur tidak jauh dari pantai sangat indah, walaupun kebanyakannya dikunjungi oleh orang Jerman sendiri. Resort pasir putih kegemaran di sepanjang Laut Baltik termasuk Rügen dan Kebebasan.
Bahagian tengah Jerman adalah tambal sulam dari Dataran Tinggi Tengah, kawasan luar bandar berbukit di mana ladang dan hutan bercampur dengan bandar yang lebih besar. Sebilangan besar lereng bukit ini adalah destinasi pelancongan, seperti Hutan Bavaria, Hutan Hitam, Harz, Pergunungan Bijih, Hesse Utara dan Saxon Switzerland. The Lembah Rhine mempunyai iklim yang sangat lembut, ramah dan subur, menjadikannya kawasan terpenting di negara ini untuk penanaman anggur dan buah.
Di selatan yang melampau, bersempadan dengan Austria, Jerman mengandungi sebahagian dari Alps, Ketinggian tertinggi di Eropa Tengah, naik setinggi 4.000 m (12.000 kaki) di atas permukaan laut, dengan puncak tertinggi di Jerman adalah Zugspitze pada 2962 m (9717 kaki). Walaupun hanya sebahagian kecil Alpen yang terletak di Jerman, mereka terkenal dengan keindahan dan budaya Bavaria yang unik. Di sepanjang sempadan barat daya negara itu dengan Switzerland dan Austria terletak Tasik Constance, Tasik air tawar terbesar di Jerman.
Jadual Waktu
- Laluan Peringatan Bertha Benz - mengikuti perjalanan jarak jauh pertama di dunia dengan kereta
- Jalan Romantik - laluan pemandangan paling terkenal di Jerman yang bermula di Würzburg dan berakhir di Füssen
- Rheinsteig dan Rheinburgenweg - Berjalan di tingkat tinggi melalui beberapa lanskap paling indah di Jerman dengan pemandangan istana yang menakjubkan di atas Sungai Rhine di antara Wiesbaden dan Bonn atau Bingen dan Bonn-Mehlem.
- Elbe Radweg laluan kitaran di sepanjang sungai Elbe yang melalui Dresden dan Magdeburg sebelum sampai di Hamburg. Oleh kerana berdekatan dengan sungai, terdapat beberapa pendakian yang curam, menjadikan laluan ini sesuai untuk penunggang basikal.
Adakah
Jerman menawarkan pelbagai jenis aktiviti budaya dan sukan. Ramai orang Jerman adalah ahli kelab sukan.
Sukan
Jerman tergila-gila dengan bola sepak (bola sepak) dan juga Persatuan Bola Sepak Jerman (DFB) adalah persatuan bola sepak terbesar di dunia dengan 6.35 juta ahli (8% daripada populasi Jerman) di lebih daripada 25,000 kelab. Banyak kelab bola sepak Jerman adalah antara jenama bola sepak paling berharga di Eropah, seperti Borussia Dortmund dan FC Bayern Munich. Setiap kampung mempunyai kelab dan permainan sering menjadi acara sosial utama pada hujung minggu. Perlu diingat bahawa kerana sifat (minoriti kecil) peminat bola sepak, sering terdapat kehadiran polis yang meningkat semasa permainan dan keganasan jarang terjadi tetapi tidak pernah didengar. Sukan pasukan lain yang popular termasuk bola baling (Olimpik) (sangat popular di utara), hoki ais ("Eishockey"), bola tampar dan bola keranjang. Sukan bermotor adalah tarikan pengunjung yang popular, dengan banyak yang terkenal Formula satu kursus seperti Hockenheim dan Nürburgring ("Neraka Hijau").
Jerman - terutamanya Utara - juga merupakan salah satu negara terbaik ketika datang ke negara ini Bola Baling. Pasukan seperti Flensburg, Kiel dan lain-lain menarik keluar jualan ke dewan mereka dari minggu ke minggu dan menghasilkan beberapa Bola Baling terbaik di dunia.
Bola sepak Amerika juga dimainkan di Jerman, menikmati tradisi yang wujud sejak tahun 1970-an. Pasukan kebangsaan Jerman telah memenangi dua kejuaraan Eropah terakhir (2010 dan 2014). Walaupun orang ramai tidak berada di tempat sukan yang lebih popular (2000 penyokong adalah sebilangan besar pasukan yang hanya mendapat permainan penting) undian akhir diadakan antara 15 000 hingga 20 000 penonton dan suasananya santai walaupun penyokong pasukan pelawat menyambut dan perkara terburuk yang boleh berlaku apabila anda menjadi mangsa yang baik pada pasukan anda atau sejarahnya. Pada Super Bowl Sunday terdapat banyak acara "tontonan umum" (itulah istilah Jerman sebenarnya), walaupun pada waktu tengah malam dan ini adalah peluang yang baik untuk bertemu dengan peminat bola sepak lain dan juga Amerika Utara tempatan penduduk ekspatriat.
Semasa musim sejuk, banyak orang bermain ski di Pegunungan Alpen atau di pegunungan seperti Harz, Eifel, Bavarian Forest atau Black Forest.
Salah satu sukan individu yang lebih popular adalah tenis; walaupun ia agak menurun sejak zaman Steffi Graf dan Boris Becker, masih ada gelanggang tenis di banyak tempat dan kebanyakannya boleh disewa setiap jam.
Hampir setiap bandar Jerman bersaiz sederhana mempunyai spa (sering dipanggil Therme) dengan kolam renang, gelongsor air, tab mandi panas, sauna, mandian wap, bumbung matahari dll.
Acara kebudayaan
Beberapa teater di bandar-bandar besar memainkan drama klasik dan kontemporari. Jerman berbangga dengan pelbagai acara budaya dan setiap bandar melaksanakan agenda budaya. Sebilangan besar teater dan gedung opera mendapat subsidi murah untuk memastikan tiket tetap terjangkau dan tempat duduk yang murah dapat dimiliki dengan harga kurang dari € 10 di banyak tempat jika anda layak mendapat potongan harga tertentu.
Muzik klasik
- Lihat juga: Muzik klasik Eropah
Jerman terkenal dengan beberapa rumah opera bertaraf dunia (terutamanya Berlin, Bayreuth, dan Munich), dan juga Orkestra Filharmonik Berlin adalah salah satu daripada tiga orkestra teratas di dunia. Jerman dianggap mempunyai salah satu tradisi muzik klasik terkuat di Eropah, dengan banyak komposer terkenal seperti Bach, Handel (disebut Händel sebelum dia menetap di London pada tahun 1712), Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms dan Wagner yang berasal dari Jerman.
Walaupun Perancis dan Itali mungkin mempunyai sejarah yang lebih panjang dengan opera, Jerman juga telah mengembangkan tradisi operasinya yang unik. Jerman, bersama dengan Itali dan Perancis, dianggap sebagai bahasa operatif utama, dengan banyak opera berbahasa Jerman yang terkenal telah digubah oleh komposer terkenal seperti Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, dan Strauss.
Jerman mempunyai lebih daripada 130 orkestra profesional - lebih banyak daripada negara lain di dunia. Ini adalah peninggalan zaman feudal, ketika wilayah negara itu terpecah-pecah dan masing-masing penguasa tempatan menggunakan orkestra mahkamah yang terpisah. Pada masa kini kebanyakan orkestra dikendalikan oleh kerajaan negeri atau tempatan atau penyiar perkhidmatan awam. Yang terbesar adalah Gewandhausorchester di Leipzig dengan 185 pemuzik bergaji (namun mereka jarang bermain serentak, sebahagian orkestra mengiringi opera, balet, koir budak lelaki Thomaner dan memainkan konsert simfoniknya sendiri).
Muzikal
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Muzikal popular di Jerman. Walaupun terdapat beberapa produksi pelancongan dari semasa ke semasa, kebanyakan rancangan tinggal di bandar tertentu selama beberapa tahun. 'Bandar muzikal' utama adalah Hamburg, Berlin, Oberhausen, Stuttgart, Bochum dan Cologne. Persembahan Jerman merangkumi Raja singa, Jahat, Starlight Express dan Berbatu.
Teater
Secara umum, teater Jerman banyak dan — dibandingkan dengan kebanyakan negara barat lain — kotorannya murah, kerana pemerintah menganggapnya "perlu" dan memberi subsidi kepada banyak daripadanya untuk membuat lawatan terjangkau kepada semua orang. Malah beberapa teater yang tidak bersubsidi masih cukup berpatutan berbanding, misalnya, muzikal. Selalunya terdapat diskaun khas untuk pelajar atau orang tua. Sebilangan besar lakonan dilakukan dalam bahasa Jerman, tetapi ada juga acara yang disajikan dengan permainan dalam bahasa lain. Pengarang bahasa Jerman yang terkenal boleh didapati dengan nama banyak jalan dan di banyak teater setiap hari. Goethe, Schiller dan Lessing adalah semua nama isi rumah tetapi lebih banyak pengarang kontemporari seperti Brecht juga sering ditafsirkan dan dimainkan. Sebenarnya tidak ada jalan mudah yang dapat digambar antara teater Jerman dan teater bahasa Jerman di luar Jerman, jadi karya penulis dan pengarah berbahasa Austria, Switzerland, atau Jerman lain juga sering ditunjukkan di pentas Jerman dan sebaliknya.
Shakespeare
Agak menarik, William Shakespeare mungkin tidak lebih dipuja daripada di Jerman - termasuk Anglosfer. Contohnya - masih ada - Deutsche Shakespeare Gesellschaft bermula pada tahun 1864 dan seterusnya mendahului mana-mana masyarakat Shakespeare Inggeris atau Amerika. Ini dapat dikaitkan secara besar-besaran dengan Goethe, yang jatuh cinta dengan karya-karya Bard. Sekiranya bahasa Jerman anda mahir, melihat persembahan boleh menjadi sangat menarik. Menurut beberapa orang Jerman, Shakespeare sebenarnya bertambah baik dalam terjemahan, kerana bahasa yang digunakan boleh dikatakan agak lebih moden. Nilailah sendiri.
Pesta muzik
Terdapat beberapa festival tahunan yang terkenal dan besar di Jerman seperti Wacken Open Air (festival muzik heavy metal), Wave-Gotik-Treffen (festival untuk muzik dan seni "gelap" di Leipzig) dan Fusion Festival (festival muzik elektronik di Daerah Tasik Mecklenburg).
Beli
Wang
Nilai tukar untuk euro Pada 04 Januari 2021:
Kadar pertukaran berubah-ubah. Kadar semasa untuk mata wang ini dan mata wang lain boleh didapati dari XE.com |
Jerman menggunakan euro, seperti beberapa negara Eropah yang lain. Satu euro dibahagikan kepada 100 sen. Simbol rasmi untuk euro adalah €, dan kod ISOnya adalah EUR. Tidak ada simbol rasmi untuk sen.
Semua wang kertas dan syiling mata wang biasa ini adalah tender sah di semua negara, kecuali bahawa duit syiling denominasi rendah (satu dan dua sen) dihapuskan di beberapa di antaranya. Wang kertas kelihatan sama di seluruh negara, sementara duit syiling mempunyai reka bentuk umum standard di sebaliknya, menyatakan nilainya, dan reka bentuk khusus negara nasional di seberang. Bahagian depan juga digunakan untuk reka bentuk duit syiling peringatan yang berbeza. Reka bentuk serong tidak mempengaruhi penggunaan duit syiling.
Nota yang lebih besar daripada € 100 sementara tender sah tidak sering diedarkan dan akan ditolak di beberapa kedai atau untuk pembelian kecil. Bersiaplah untuk membayar bil yang lebih besar untuk menghadapi lebih banyak pemeriksaan berkaitan dengan potensi pemalsuan. Kedai-kedai kecil dan juga beberapa mesin automatik untuk pengangkutan awam tidak menerima wang kertas € 50 atau lebih besar.
Pertukaran mata wang telah berkurangan sejak pengenalan Euro, walaupun anda masih dapat menemuinya di atau berhampiran stesen kereta api dan lapangan terbang utama. Mata wang asing - bahkan negara-negara jiran - jarang diterima dan sering pada kadar pertukaran yang sangat buruk. Namun, anda mungkin bernasib baik dengan Franc Swiss di kawasan perbatasan yang berdekatan, kerana Jerman adalah tempat membeli-belah yang sangat popular bagi pelancong Switzerland. Begitu juga beberapa restoran makanan segera, terutama yang berdekatan dengan kemudahan Tentera Darat AS menerima dolar AS (sekali lagi, pada kadar pertukaran yang sangat buruk) tetapi tidak mengira. Bank biasa tentu saja akan menawarkan pertukaran mata wang, tetapi kadangkala mereka mengenakan yuran yang besar untuk bukan pelanggan dan apabila menukar dari euro kepada wang tunai asing, notis pendahuluan mungkin diperlukan. Pemeriksa pelancong semakin jarang berlaku, tetapi bank masih menukarnya, walaupun agak sukar untuk hanya mengambil kad debit atau kredit anda dan mengeluarkan wang dari ATM biasa.
Wang Tunai (Bargeld) adalah kaedah pembayaran yang paling disukai untuk transaksi harian. Penjual bebas, kafe kecil dan gerai seperti Pasar Krismas pada umumnya tidak menerima kad kredit dan kadangkala ada jumlah minimum pembelian. Sementara Jerman kad debit domestik - dipanggil EC-Karte atau kad girok - (dan, pada tahap yang lebih rendah, kad Maestro berasaskan PIN dan VPay) menikmati penerimaan hampir universal, kad kredit (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) atau kad debit asing (Debit Visa / Elektron, dll.) Tidak diterima secara meluas seperti di negara-negara Eropah lain atau Amerika Syarikat. Namun, mereka akan diterima di hampir semua kedai runcit utama dan kebanyakan kedai makanan segera. Peruncit utama semakin menerima kad kredit (biasanya Visa dan MasterCard sahaja) dan teknologi Near Field Communication kini tersedia secara meluas (cari logo 
walaupun ramai orang yang bekerja di runcit mungkin belum mengenal teknologi.
Paling ATM akan menerima kad kredit dan jika ATM mengenakan yuran (yang banyak terdapat di Jerman berbanding dengan negara-negara EU yang lain), undang-undang EU memerintahkan mesin untuk memberitahu anda bayaran sebelum penarikan (sama ada melalui pelekat atau pemberitahuan di skrin). Walau bagaimanapun, penerbit kad anda boleh memungut caj mereka sendiri tanpa mengira atau di samping adanya caj yang dikenakan oleh pengendali ATM; hubungi penerbit anda sebelum menggunakan.
Sama seperti kebanyakan bahasa Eropah Barat yang lain, bahasa maksud titik dan koma betul-betul terbalik mengikut adat Inggeris; dalam bahasa Jerman koma digunakan untuk menunjukkan perpuluhan. Sebagai contoh, "2,99 €" adalah dua euro dan 99 euro. Simbol "€" tidak selalu digunakan dan hampir selalu diletakkan setelah harganya dan sebilangan orang Jerman menganggap notasi "tanda mata wang pertama" adalah pelik. Titik digunakan untuk "mengelompokkan" nombor (satu titik untuk tiga digit), jadi "1.000.000" menjadi satu juta. Jadi "123.456.789,01" dalam bahasa Jerman adalah nombor yang sama dengan "123,456,789.01" di negara-negara berbahasa Inggeris.
Cukai
Semua barang dan perkhidmatan termasuk PPN (Mehrwertsteuer) daripada 19%. Itu selalu disertakan oleh undang-undang dalam label harga barang (hanya pengecualian untuk barang yang dieksport secara komersial tetapi kemudian duti mungkin berlaku). Bahan bakar, anggur berkilau, minuman keras dan tembakau dikenakan cukai yang lebih tinggi. Terdapat PPN yang dikurangkan sebanyak 7% untuk hotel (tetapi tidak untuk barang-barang yang habis digunakan), barang-barang edibles (barang-barang tertentu yang dianggap barang mewah, seperti lobster, dikecualikan daripada pengurangan ini), produk cetak, semua pengangkutan awam jarak pendek dan kereta api jarak jauh , dan harga kemasukan untuk opera atau teater. Perincian tepat sama ada barang atau perkhidmatan mendapat kadar PPN penuh atau dikurangkan sangat rumit dan misteri tetapi untuk memberi hanya satu contoh, soalan "makan di sini atau makanan" yang anda dengar di restoran makanan segera mempunyai implikasi cukai dengan pengambilan dikenakan cukai sebanyak 7%.
Petua
Petua di Jerman (Trinkgeld, secara harfiah "minuman (wang)" adalah perkara biasa di restoran, bar (bukan di restoran makanan segera), teksi dan salon rambut. Whilst not mandatory, it is always appreciated as a thanks for excellent service. Tips rarely exceed 10% of the bill (including tax) and tips are also rather common when the bill is an uneven amount to avoid having to deal with small change (e.g. a bill of €13.80 will commonly be rounded up to €15 to make making change easier). The server will never propose this and even when dealing with one of the annoying €x.99 prices, they will diligently search for the copper coins to make change unless you say otherwise.
Unlike in some other countries, service staff are always paid by the hour and the minimum wage of €9.19 an hour (as of 2019) applies to service staff as well as any other profession. However, service staff is more likely to get only the minimum wage or barely above even in establishments where other jobs get higher wages. A tip is therefore mainly a matter of politeness and shows your appreciation. If you didn't appreciate the service (e.g. slow, snippy or indifferent service) you may not tip at all and it will be accepted by the staff. Americans in particular are known among service staff for being generous tippers pretty much regardless of service, so they may be a lesser priority on busy days in some places.
Tipping in Germany is usually done by mentioning the total while paying. So if, e.g., a waiter tells you the bill amounts to "€13.50", just state "15" and s/he will include a tip of €1.50. Alternatively, if you wish to ask them to keep the change, you may say "Stimmt so!" or simply "Danke!".
Tipping in other situations (unless otherwise indicated):
- Taxi driver: 5–10% (at least €1)
- Housekeeping: €1–2 per day
- Carrying luggage: €1 per piece
- Delivery services: 5–10% (at least €1)
Shopping
Retail prices - especially for groceries - are much lower than one would expect given the GDP per capita and to some extent even compared to local wage levels. This in no small part due to intense competition on price led by "Discounter" (that's the usual German term for a low price supermarket) since the 1960s in the food sector and in other sectors since at least the 2000s. Germans are said to be very cost-conscious and advertisements tend to put an emphasis on price. That said, there's no upper limit for the price of high quality or high value goods in specialty stores.
Supermarkets
Got a euro? Virtually all supermarkets that have shopping carts require you to insert a coin into them (usually €1 or €0.50). Most Germans have one or several small plastic chips that work just the same for the shopping carts. If and when you properly return the shopping cart, you will get back whatever you inserted into it. As Germany has been a rather slow adopter of "cashless" transactions, virtually everybody has change at hand when going shopping and if all else fails, there are those plastic chips, which seem to only ever exist as free giveaways for marketing purposes. If you intend to stay in Germany for a longer period of time, those come highly recommended. |
Chains like "Aldi", "Lidl", "Penny" and "Netto" are discount supermarkets (Discounter). Their range of products is limited to the necessities of daily life (like vegetables, pasta, milk, eggs, convenience foods, toiletries, etc.), sold in rather simple packaging for tightly calculated prices. While quality is generally surprisingly high, do not expect delicatessen or local specialities when you go to shop there. Don't blame discounter personnel for being somewhat brusque; although they are paid slightly better than usual, they have to cope with a rather grim working atmosphere and a significantly higher workload than colleagues in "standard" supermarkets. Lidl and Aldi have tried to brand themselves as more "upscale" and laying focus on quality since about the mid-2010s but prices have stayed the same while new "gimmicks" such as coffee machines (€1 per drink) or freshly baked (from frozen dough) bread, rolls and other baked goods were introduced as part of that strategy.
Examples of standard supermarket chains are Rewe, Edeka, Real, Kaufland, Globus or Famila. Their prices are slightly higher than in discount supermarkets, but they have a much wider range of products (including cheap to high-end quality). Usually there are big cheese, meat and fish counters where fresh products are sold by weight. The personnel in these shops is trained to be especially helpful and friendly.
Plenty of chain supermarkets only exist in certain parts of the country or show a clear geographic focus. Norma is only found in the south, Sky only in the north and Netto "with dog" (there are two separate chains both named "Netto", one of them having a dog as their symbol) only in the north and east.
Beside those major chains, Turkish supermarkets (which can be found in virtually all west German cities) can be a worthwhile alternative since they combine the characteristics of discounters (low price levels but limited assortment) with those of "standard" supermarkets ((Turkish) specialities and usually friendly staff). Fruits and vegetables at Turkish supermarkets tend to be particularly good value for money. Other diaspora groups also own some supermarkets, but they tend to be rarer outside big cities. In Berlin you might find an ethnic enclave of many groups, but they can be harder to find even in Munich or Hamburg and non-existent in smaller cities. The East has a surprisingly large Vietnamese diaspora and "Asia Shops" of varying kinds can be found in many parts of the country. Specialised Asian food items tend to be cheaper, of better quality and more readily available here than at Rewe and co. However, the shop might not look like much from the outside and feel rather cramped on the inside.
If you are looking for organic products, your best bet is to visit a "Bioladen" or "Biosupermarkt". (Bio- generally means organic.) There are also many farmers selling their products directly ("Hofladen"), most of them organised in the "Bioland" cooperative. They offer reasonable food at reasonable prices. Fresh produce - both organic and "regular" - can also be bought at roadside stalls or (for seasonal stuff like asparagus or strawberries) at temporary stalls on store parking lots. Buying directly from producers cuts out a lot of middlemen and you'll likely get fresh, high quality goods, but finding them can be a challenge as even internet based solutions (e.g. a website listing all agricultural producers who sell directly to producers or an order online service) tend to be rather local.
Toiletries, makeup, skincare and other amenities are best bought in Drogerie (drugstore) such as dm, Rossmann, and Müller, as the supermarkets do not usually provide the complete lineup. They also sell simple medicines and supplements that do not require a prescription. Common painkillers sold in drugstores elsewhere around the world such as aspirin or ibuprofen however are only sold in pharmacies and require a doctor's prescription.
Be prepared to bag your own groceries and goods as well as provide your own shopping bags for doing so. While most stores provide plastic or paper as well as canvas shopping bags at the checkout, you are charged up to 50 cents per bag for them. Buggies/shopping carts usually have to be unlocked with a euro coin which you get back. At most super markets you can spot a canister with lots of cardboard boxes in it, usually after the cash point. You are allowed to take cardboard boxes from there! It's a service the markets offer and also an easy waste disposal for them. Just tell them you are getting yourself a box when the cashier starts to scan your goods, come back and start packing.
Bottle and container deposits (Pfand)
Germany has an elaborate beverage container deposit ("Pfand") system. Reusable bottles, glass and plastic, usually cost between 8 and 25 cents Pfand per bottle depending on size and material - the actual value depends on the material but isn't always spelled out on the bottle (it will be spelled out on the receipt, though). Additional Pfand is due for special carrying baskets matching the bottle measures. The Pfand can be cashed in at any store which sells bottles, often by means of a high-tech bottle reader than spins the bottle, reads the Pfand, and issues a ticket redeemable with the cashier. Plastic bottles and cans usually cost 25 cents Pfand, if not they are marked as pfandfrei. Exempt from Pfand are liquors and plastic boxes usually containing juice or milk. There are also a few other instances where Pfand is due, for example for standardised gas containers or some yogurt glasses. Pfand on glasses, bottles and dishware is also common at discotheques, self-service bars or public events, but usually not at a students' cafeteria.
Factory outlets
Outlet centres as such are a rather new phenomenon, but the similar concept of "Fabrikverkauf" (literally factory sale) where products (including slightly damaged or mislabeled ones) are sold directly at the factory that makes them, often at greatly reduced prices. American style outlets not associated with a factory have become more common and Herzogenaurach for instance has outlets of Adidas and Puma (whose headquarters - but no production - are there) and of other clothing and sports companies.
Local products
You can find local food products (not necessarily organic) in most places at the farmer's market ("Wochenmarkt" or simply "Markt"), usually once or twice a week. While your chances on finding English-speaking sellers there may be somewhat reduced, it's nevertheless quite fun to shop there and mostly you will get fresh and good quality food for reasonable prices. Most winemakers sell their products either directly or in "Winzergenossenschaften" (winemaker cooperatives). These wines are almost always superior to the ones produced by German wine brands. Quality signs are "VdP" ("Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter", symbolised by an eagle) and "Ecovin" (German organic winemaker cooperative). Wines made of the most typical German wine varieties are usually marked with "Classic".
Some agricultural producers have also started to sell their produce directly to consumers, either via a small stand at the roadside (often along rural Bundesstraßen but sometimes also inside urban areas) or directly from their farm. Dairy farmers sometimes run "Milchtankstellen" (a compound noun from the German word for milk and gas station) where you can get milk from a vending machine similar to a soda fountain. All of those tend to be cash only but prices and value for money tend to be rather good.
Souvenirs
Bahasa Jerman honey is a good souvenir, but only "Echter Deutscher Honig" is a guarantee for reasonable quality. Along the German coasts, smoked eel is quite a common delicacy and a typical souvenir. You can discover an astonishing German cheese variety in cheese stores or in Bioläden.
Some of those products may not be taken into all countries due to agricultural contamination concerns.
Other products
Some German brands of high-end goods such as kitchen utensils, stationery, and hiking gear are considerably cheaper than abroad.
Cheap clothing of sufficient quality might be bought at C&A, but don't expect designer clothes. During the end-of-season sales you should also compare prices of conventional stores since they may be even cheaper than the discounters. H&M sells cheap, stylish clothing, but with notoriously awful quality.
Germany is also a good place to shop for consumer electronics such as mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras. Every larger city has at least one "Saturn" or "MediaMarkt" store with a wide selection of these devices, as well as music, movies and video games on CD/DVD. MediaMarkt and Saturn belong to the same company, but there are also independent stores and the Expert/TeVi chain. Prices are generally lower than elsewhere in Europe. English-language movies and TV shows are universally dubbed into German, and computer software and keyboards are often German-only.
Germany is justifiedly famous for world-class board games. Board games are taken very seriously as a field even of academic study: Germany boasts "board game archives", several scientific publications on the phenomenon, and the prestigious "Spiel des Jahres" ("[board] game of the year") award first awarded in 1979. Many book stores, several Drogeriemärkte of the Müller chain, and some general purpose stores will boast a board game section. In most bigger towns, there will be one or several dedicated board game stores. While games in languages other than German are hard to get, dedicated board game stores will often also have the raw materials for tinkerers to build their own board games. There are often conventions of board game enthusiasts to buy, play or exchange games.
Opening hours
Opening hours vary from state to state. Some states like Berlin, Hamburg dan Schleswig-Holstein have no more strict opening hours from Monday to Saturday (however, you will rarely find 24 hour shops other than at petrol stations), while most stores in Bavaria and Saarland are by law required to close between 20:00 and 06:00. With some exceptions, shops are closed nationwide on Sundays and national holidays (including some obscure ones), including pharmacies; single pharmacies remain open for emergencies (every pharmacy will have a sign telling you which pharmacy is open for emergencies or the list can be found di sini). An exception would be on special occasions called Verkaufsoffener Sonntag, in which shops at selected communes are open from 13:00 ke 18:00 on selected Sundays, usually coinciding with public holidays or local events. Train stations however are allowed to and frequently have their stores open on Sundays, though usually for limited hours. In some larger cities such as Leipzig dan Frankfurt, this can include an entire shopping mall that happens to be attached to the train station. Some shops in touristic areas and towns designated as a Kurort (health resort) are also allowed to have their stores open all week during tourist season.
As a rule of thumb:
- Smaller supermarkets: 08:00-20:00 give or take an hour
- Big supermarkets 07:00-22:00 or midnight
- Shopping centres and large department stores: 10:00-20:00
- Department stores in small cities: 10:00-19:00
- Small and medium shops: 09:00 atau 10:00-18:30 (in big cities sometimes to 20:00). Small shops are often closed 13:00–15:00.
- Spätis (late night shops): 20:00-23:59 or even longer, some open 24 hours, especially in big cities
- Petrol stations & their attached minimart: in cities and along the "Autobahn" usually 24 hours daily - however during night hours you might have to pay and order through a small window and night cashiers might not always speak English well
- Restaurants: 11:30–23:00 or midnight, sometimes longer, many closed during the afternoon
If necessary, in many big cities you will find a few (sometimes more expensive) supermarkets with longer opening hours (often near the main station). Bakeries usually offer service on Sunday mornings (business hours vary) as well. Also, most petrol stations have a small shopping area.
In some parts of Germany (like Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf dan juga Ruhr area) there are cornershops called "Späti" oder "Spätkauf" ("latey"), "Kiosk", "Trinkhalle" (drinking hall) or "Büdchen" (little hut) that offer newspapers, drinks and at least basic food supplies. These shops are, depending on the area, open till late night or even 24/7.
Makan
- Lihat juga: German cuisine
How to get service
In Germany, at sit-down establishments, you usually look for a table that pleases you by yourself. In more expensive restaurants, it is more likely that a waiter attends you at the entrance who will lead you to a table.
When you get a table, it's yours until you leave. There is no need to hurry. That said, if you see that the restaurant is getting really crowded and people find it difficult to get a place, it is polite to leave and continue your after meal chat with your friends elsewhere.
It is also not absolutely unheard of in restaurants in the countryside, and in cities like Munich, to take a seat at a table where other people are already seated, especially if there are no other seats available. While it is uncommon to make conversation, in this case saying a brief hello goes a long way.
In Germany, the waiter or waitress is contacted by eye contact and a nod. He or she will come to your table immediately to serve you. Many service staff are university students who do it as a side gig, so the service might not always be as prompt and flawless as you could expect of trained staff. Have a bit of patience. Also keep in mind that waiters in Germany are expected to be as professional and unintrusive as possible, so be sure to ask if you need anything; checking on customers periodically like what waiters in the United States is considered unprofessional.
You will usually pay your bill directly to your waiter/waitress. Splitting the bill between individuals at the table is common. For tipping practices, see "Tipping" in the "Buy" section.
German food
German food usually sticks to its roots and a typical dish will consist of meat with some form of potatoes and gravy, accompanied by vegetables or salad. Modern German cuisine has been influenced by other European countries such as Italy dan France to become lighter. Dishes show a great local diversity which is interesting to discover. Most German Gaststätte and restaurants tend to be children and dog friendly, although both are expected to behave and not be too boisterous.
Putting places to eat into 7 categories gives you a hint about the budget and taste. Starting from the lower end, these are:
Imbiss
Schnellimbiss means 'quick snack', and is what you will see on the sign of German stalls and small shops that sell primarily sausage (Wurst) and fries (Pommes Frites). Sausages will include Bratwurst, which is fried and usually a boiled pork sausage. A very German variant is Currywurst: sausage chopped up and covered in spiced ketchup, dusted with curry powder. Beer and often even spirits are available in most Schnellimbisse.
Döner Kebab is a Turkish dish of veal, chicken or sometimes lamb stuffed into bread, similar to Greek Gyros and Arab Schawarma. Despite being considered Turkish, it's actually a specialty that originated in Germany. According to legend, it was invented by Turkish immigrants in West Berlin during the 1970s. In fact, the Döner is Germany's most loved fast food. The sales numbers of Döner shops exceed those of McDonald's and Burger King products by far.
Nevertheless, fast food giants like McDonald's, Burger King and Pizza Hut can be found in most cities. Nordsee is a German seafood chain, which offers 'Rollmops' (pickled herrings) and many other fish and seafood snacks. However, many independent seafood snack-bars (most common along the German coasts) offer slightly better and slightly cheaper seafood. You can also find independent shops selling pizza by the slice.
In addition to being able to grab a sweet snack at a bakery, during the summer, it seems like ice cream shops are on every block. Cuba Spaghettieis for a popular sundae that is hard to find elsewhere. They press vanilla ice cream through a potato ricer to form the "noodles". This is topped with strawberry sauce to mimic the "spaghetti sauce" and usually either white chocolate shavings or ground almond nuts for "Parmesan cheese".
Bakeries and butchers
Germans do not have a tradition of sandwich shops, but you will find that bakeries and butchers sell quite good take-away food and are serious competition for the fast food chains. Even the smallest bakeries will sell many sorts of bread or rolls, most of them darker (for example, using wholemeal or rye flour) than the white bread popular around the world and definitely worth a try. Even if they don't already have it prepared, almost all butchers will prepare a sandwich for you if you ask. Some butchers even prepare meals for you.
This butcher 'imbiss' is mainly popular in southern Germany, and the quality and freshness of food is usually high. Butcher shops that sell a lot of meals will often have a narrow, stand-up counter along one edge, so that you have a place to put your food while you stand up and eat it. Other bakeries and butcher shops even have tables and chairs and serve you more or less like a Café, as they also sell coffee and other hot beverages.
Canteens and cafeterias
Although rarely a tourist attraction in themselves, if you are wanting to sit down to eat but have little time or a limited budget, canteens and cafeterias are a good alternative to fast food restaurants. Many companies allow non-employees to eat at their canteens although most of these require some local knowledge about location and access, as do the university and college cafeterias. Food at college cafeterias is usually subsidised by the university and you'll have to pay a higher rate as a non-student but even then rates are usually affordable. Whether students can invite guests to dine at the student rate varies from university to university, but it is usually accepted when they swipe the meal with their own payment card which is usually their student ID or linked to it. Another option popular with pensioners and office workers are self-service restaurants in the larger furniture stores such as XXXL or IKEA.
Biergarten
In a beer garden, you can get the obvious drink. In traditional beer gardens in Bavaria, it is possible to bring your own food if you buy their drinks. Most places will offer simple meals. Some Biergärten are also known as Bierkeller (literally beer cellar), especially in Franconia. Dari segi sejarah, Bierkeller originate from the need to store beer in a cool place prior to artificial refrigeration. Thus underground structures were dug and soon beer would be sold directly out of storage in the summer months, giving rise to the Bierkeller tradition as we know it today. Many are set in quite beautiful natural surroundings, but probably the best known ensemble of Bierkeller can be found in Erlangen where they gave rise to the Bergkirchweih, one of the biggest beer festivals in the area. They were dug through a mountain just out of town and gave the city an edge in beer storage and consequently higher production capabilities, which led to beer from Erlangen becoming a household name once the railway connection enabled export. The invention of artificial cooling ended that advantage, however. The cellars still exist and besides their role in Bergkirchweih one of them operates as a normal Keller (as it is often shortened to) year round.
As the name implies, a beer garden is in a garden. It may be entirely outdoors, or you may be able to choose between an indoor (almost always non-smoking) area and an outdoor area. They range in size from small, cozy corners to some of the largest eating establishments in the world, capable of seating thousands. Munich's Oktoberfest, which happens at the end of September each year, creates some of the most famous temporary beer gardens in the world.
Brauhaus
Smaller breweries sell their products straight to the customer and sometimes you will find food there as well. Haxe atau Schweinshaxe (the ham hock, or the lower part of the pig's leg) will usually be among the offerings. It is a distinctively German specialty and probably the best dish in almost every establishment of that sort.
Gasthof/Gasthaus
Probably 50% of all eating places fall into this group. They are mainly family-run businesses that have been owned for generations, comparable to pubs in the UK. You can go there simply for a drink, or to try German food (often with a local flavour). Food quality differs significantly from place to place but the staff will usually give you an indication of the standard; regulations require restaurant owners to indicate certain possibly harmful ingredients (e.g. glutamates/MSG) in footnotes – a menu containing lots of such footnotes usually indicates low quality; if a cheap "Gasthaus"/restaurant is overcrowded with Germans or Asians, this indicates at least sufficient quality (unless the crowd is thanks to an organised coach excursion).
Restaurants
Germany has a wide range of flavours (e.g. German, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Polish, Indian, Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Vietnamese) and almost all styles of the world are represented.
Turkish cuisine in Germany ranges from simple "Döner" shops to mostly family-run restaurants offering a wide variation of usually very cheap (in relation to German price levels) Turkish home cooking.
You will rarely find restaurants catering for special needs within Germany (e.g. kosher restaurants are common only in cities with a notable Jewish population like Berlin), although most restaurants will prepare special meals or variants for you if they are neither relying on convenience foods only nor too fancy. Most restaurants have at least some vegetarian meals. Muslims may want to stick to Turkish or Arabic restaurants. At some Turkish or Arab food stalls vegetarians might find falafel and baba ganoush to suit their tastes. For not-so-strict Jews the halal (sometimes spelled helal for the Turkish word for it) Turkish food stalls are also the best option for meat dishes.
In most restaurants in Germany you can choose your own table. You can make reservations (recommended for larger groups and haute cuisine on Saturday nights) and these are marked by reservation cards ("Reserviert"). In expensive restaurants in larger cities you will be expected to make reservations and will be seated by the staff (who will not allow you to choose your table).
Restaurants in commercial areas often offer weekday lunch specials. These are cheap (starting at €5, sometimes including a beverage) options and a good way to sample local food. Specials tend to rotate on a daily or weekly basis, especially when fresh ingredients like fish are involved.
Some restaurants offer all-you-can-eat-buffets where you pay around €10 and can eat as much as you want. Drinks are not included in this price.
"XXL-Restaurants" are rising in popularity. These offer mostly standard meat dishes like Schnitzel or Bratwurst in big to inhumane sizes. There is often a dish that is virtually impossible to eat alone (usually bordering 2 kg!) but if you manage to eat everything (and keep it inside), the meal will be free and you'll get a reward. Unlike in other restaurants it is common and encouraged to take leftover food home.
Table manners
Pada sangat formal events and in high-end restaurants, a few German customs may differ from what some visitors may be used to:
- It's considered bad manners to eat with your elbows resting on the table. Keep only your wrists on the table. Most Germans will keep up these manners in everyday life since this is one of the most basic rules parents will teach their children. If you go to a restaurant with your German friends, you may want to pay attention too.
- When moving the fork to your mouth, the tines should point upwards (not downwards as in Britain)
- When eating soup or other food from your spoon, hold it with the tip towards your mouth (not parallel to your lips as in, again, Britain). Spoons used to stir beverages, e.g. coffee, should not be put in the mouth at all.
- If you have to temporarily leave the table, it's fine to put your napkin (which should have rested, folded once along the centre, on your lap until then) on the table, to the left of your plate, in an elegant little pile—unless it looks really dirty, in which case you might want to leave it on your chair.
- If you want the dishes to be cleared away put your knife and fork parallel to each other with the tips at roughly the half past eleven mark of your plate. Otherwise the waitstaff will assume you are still eating.
Typical dishes
Rinderroulade mit Rotkraut und Knödeln: this dish is quite unique to Germany. Very thin sliced beef rolled around a piece of bacon and pickled cucumber until it looks like a mini barrel (5 cm diameter) flavoured with tiny pieces of onion, German mustard, ground black pepper and salt. The meat is quick-fried and is then left to cook slowly for an hour, meanwhile red cabbage and potato dumplings are prepared and then the meat is removed from the frying pan and gravy is prepared in the frying pan. Knödel, Rotkraut and Rouladen are served together with the gravy in one dish.
Schnitzel mit Pommes Frites: there are probably as many different variations of Schnitzel as there are restaurants in Germany, most of them have in common a thin slice of pork that is usually breaded, and fried for a short period of time and it is often served with fries (usually called Pommes Frites or often just Pommes). Variations of this are usually served with different types of gravy: such as Zigeunerschnitzel, Zwiebelschnitzel, Holzfäller Schnitzel and Wiener Schnitzel (as the name suggests, an Austrian dish – the genuine article must be veal instead of pork, which is why most restaurants offer a Schnitzel Wiener Art, atau Viennese-style schnitzel which is allowed to be pork). In the south you can often get Spätzle (pasta that Swabia is famous for) instead of fries with it. Spätzle are egg noodles typical of south Germany – most restaurants make them fresh. Due to the ease of its preparation ordering it might be perceived as an insult to any business with a decent reputation (with the exception of Wiener Schnitzel perhaps), admittedly it is almost unavoidable to spot it on the menu of any sleazy German drinking hole (and there are many...), if nothing else therefore it might even be the most common dish in German restaurants (yes, at least German government officials do call their taverns as well as the common fast food stalls restaurants!).
Rehrücken mit Spätzle: Germany has maintained huge forests such as the famous Black Forest, Bayrischer Wald and Odenwald. In and around these areas you can enjoy the best game in Germany. Rehrücken means venison tenderloin and it is often served with freshly made noodles such as Spätzle and a very nice gravy based on a dry red wine.
Wurst "sausage": there is hardly a country in the world with a greater variety of sausages than Germany and it would take a while to mention them all. "Bratwurst" is fried, other varieties such as the Bavarian "Weißwurst" are boiled. Here is the shortlist version: "Rote" beef sausage, "Frankfurter Wurst" boiled pork sausage made in the Frankfurt style, "Pfälzer Bratwurst" sausage made in Palatine style, "Nürnberger Bratwurst" Nuremberg sausage – the smallest of all of them, but a serious contender for the best tasting German sausage, "grobe Bratwurst", Landjäger, Thüringer Bratwurst, Currywurst, Weißwurst ... this could go on till tomorrow. If you spot a sausage on a menu this is often a good (and sometimes the only) choice. Often served with mashed potato, fries or potato salad. The most popular type of sausage probably is the Currywurst (Bratwurst cut into slices and served with ketchup and curry powder) and can be bought almost everywhere.
Königsberger Klopse: Literally "meatballs from Königsberg", this is a typical dish in and around Berlin. The meatballs are made out of minced pork and anchovies and are cooked and served in a white sauce with capers and rice or potatoes.
Matjesbrötchen: Soussed herring or "roll mops" in a bread roll, typical street snack.
Local specialties
Starting from the north of Germany going south you will find a tremendous variety of food and each region sticks to its origins.The coastal regions are fond of seafood and famous dishes include "Finkenwerder Scholle".
In the region of Cologne you will find Sauerbraten, which is a roast marinated in vinegar. Traditionally made from the tough meat of the horses who worked their lives pulling river barges up the Rhine, these days the dish is usually made from beef.
Labskaus (although strictly speaking not a German invention) is a dish from the north and the opinions about this dish are divided, some love it, others hate it. It is a mash of potato, beetroot juice and cured meat decorated with rollmops and/or young herring and/or a fried egg and/or sour cucumber and/or beetroot slices on top. The north is also famous for its lamb dishes, the best type of lamb probably being "Rudenlamm" (lamb from Ruden, a small island in the Baltic Sea; only a few restaurants in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania serve this), the second best type being "Salzwiesenlamm" (salt meadow lamb). The Lüneburger Heide (Lueneburg Heath) is famous not only for its heath but also for its Heidschnucken, a special breed of sheep. Be aware that a lot of restaurants import their lamb from New Zealand though because it is cheaper. Crabs and mussels are also quite common along the German coasts, especially in North Frisia.
A specialty of Hamburg is "Aalsuppe" which – despite the name (in this case "Aal" means "everything", not "eel") – originally contained almost everything – except eel (today many restaurants include eel within this soup, because the name confused tourists). At the coast there's a variety of fish dishes. Beware: if a restaurant offers "Edelfischplatte" or any dish of similar name, the fish may not be fresh and even (this is quite ironic) of poor quality. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that, for eating fish, you visit specialised (or quality) restaurants only. A fast-food style restaurant chain serving standardised quality fish and other seafood at low prices all over Germany is "Nordsee", though you will rarely find authentic specialties there.
Pfälzer Saumagen: Long a well-known dish in Palatinate, but difficult to find outside of this area. Literally this is pig stomach filled with a mash of potato and meat, cooked for 2–3 hours and then cut into thick slices. It is often served with sauerkraut. It gained some notoriety as Helmut Kohl was fond of serving it to official state guests such as Gorbachev and Reagan when he was Chancellor.
Swabia is famous for Spätzle (a kind of noodle, often served with cheese as Kässpätzle) and "Maultaschen" (noodles stuffed with spinach and mince meat, but lots of variations, even veggie ones, exist).
In Bavaria this may be Schweinshaxe mit Knödeln (pork's leg with knödel, a form of potato dumplings), "Leberkäs/Fleischkäse mit Kartoffelsalat" (a type of meat pie and potato salad), "Nürnberger Bratwurst" (probably the smallest sausage in Germany), Weißwurst (white sausages) and "Obatzda" (a spicy mix of several milk products).
The south is also famous for its nice tarts such as the "Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte" (tart with lots of cream and spirits made from cherries).
A delicacy in Saxony is Eierschecke, a cake made of eggs and cream similar to cheese cake.
A specialty of the East is "Soljanka" (originally from Ukraine, but probably the most common dish in the GDR), a sour soup containing vegetables and usually some kind of meat or sausages.
Seasonal specialties
White asparagus (Spargel) floods the restaurants from April to June all over Germany, especially in and around Baden-Baden and the small town of Schwetzingen ("The Asparagus Capital"), near Heidelberg, in an area north and north-east of Hannover ("Lower Saxony's Asparagus Route"), as well as in the area southwest of Berlin, especially in the town of Beelitz and along the Lower Rhine ("Walbecker Spargel"). Franconia, particularly the Knoblauchsland around Nuremberg also produces quite good asparagus. Many vegetables can be found all year round and are often imported from far away, whereas asparagus can be found for only 2 months and is best enjoyed fresh after harvest, it stays nice for a couple of hours or until the next day. The asparagus is treated very carefully and it is harvested before it is ever exposed to daylight, so that it remains white. When exposed to daylight it changes its colour to green and might taste bitter. Therefore, white asparagus is considered to be better by most Germans. Especially in areas with a Spargel growing tradition the devotion to this white vegetable can seem near-religious and even rural mom and pop restaurants will have a page or more of Spargel recipes in addition to their normal menu.
The standard asparagus meal is the asparagus stalks, hollandaise sauce, boiled potatoes, and some form of meat. The most common meat is ham, preferably smoked; however, you will also find it teamed with schnitzel (fried breaded pork), turkey, beef, or whatever is available in the kitchen.
White asparagus soup is one of the hundreds of different recipes that can be found with white asparagus. Often it is made with cream and contains some of the thinner asparagus pieces.
Another example of a seasonal specialty is kale (Grünkohl). You can find that mainly in Lower Saxony, particularly the southern and south-western parts such as the "Emsland" or around the "Wiehengebirge" and the "Teutoburger Wald", but also everywhere else there and in the eastern parts of North-Rhine-Westphalia. It is usually served with a boiled rough sort of sausage (called "Pinkel") and roasted potatoes. If you are travelling in Lower-Saxony in fall, you should get it in every "Gasthaus".
Lebkuchen are some of Germany's many nice Christmas biscuits and gingerbread. The best known are produced in and around Nuremberg.
Stollen is a kind of cake eaten during the Advent season and yuletide. Although native to Dresden, Saxony; it can be found everywhere in Germany.
Around St. Martin's day and Christmas, roasted geese ("Martinsgans" / "Weihnachtsgans") are quite common in German restaurants, accompanied by "Rotkraut" (red cabbage, in southern Germany it is often called Blaukraut) and "Knödeln" (potato dumplings), preferably served as set menu, with the liver, accompanied by some kind of salad, as starter, goose soup, and a dessert.
Bread
Germans are very fond of their bread (Brot), which they make in many variations. This is the food that Germans tend to miss most when away from home. Most people like their bread relatively dark and dense and scorn the soft loaves sold in other countries. Bakeries will rarely provide less than twenty different sorts of bread and it's worth trying a few of them. In fact, many Germans buy their lunch or small snacks in bakeries instead of takeaways or the like. Prices for a loaf of bread will range from €0.50 ke €4, depending on the size (real specialties might cost more).
Because German bread tends to be excellent, sandwiches (belegtes Brot) are also usually to a high standard, including in train stations and airports. However, if you want to save money do as most locals and make the sandwich yourself as belegtes Brot can be quite expensive when bought ready made.
Vegetarian
Outside of big cities like Berlin, there aren't many places which are particularly aimed at vegetarian or vegan customers. Most restaurants have one or two vegetarian dishes. If the menu doesn't contain vegetarian dishes, don't hesitate to ask.
Be careful when ordering to ask whether the dish is suitable for vegetarians, as chicken stock and bacon cubes are a commonly "undeclared" ingredient on German menus.
However, there are usually organic food shops ("Bioladen", "Naturkostladen" or "Reformhaus") in every city, providing veg(etari)an bread, spreads, cheese, ice cream, vegan milk substitutes, tofu and seitan. The diversity and quality of the products is great and you will find shop assistants that can answer special nutritional questions in great depth.
Veganism and vegetarianism is on the rise in Germany so that many supermarkets (such as Edeka and Rewe) have a small selection of vegan products as well in their "Feinkost"-section such as seitan-sausages, tofu or soy milk at a reasonable price.
Allergy & Coeliac sufferers
When shopping for foods, the package labelling in Germany is generally reliable. All food products must be properly labelled including additives and preservatives. Be on the look out for Weizen (wheat), Mehl (flour) or Malz (malt) and Stärke (starch). Berhati-hati dengan makanan dengan Geschmacksverstärker (penambah rasa) yang mungkin mempunyai gluten sebagai ramuan.
- Reformhaus. 3,000 rangkaian kedai makanan kesihatan yang kuat di Jerman dan Austria yang mempunyai bahagian bebas gluten yang dilengkapi dengan pasta, roti dan makanan ringan. Kedai-kedai Reformhaus biasanya terdapat di pusat membeli-belah di tingkat bawah (contoh: PotsdamerArkaden, dll.)
- Kedai DM. Setara dengan CWS / Shopper's Drug Mart di Jerman mempunyai bahagian bebas gandum dan gluten
- Alnatura. - kedai makanan semula jadi dengan bahagian bebas gluten khusus yang besar
Minum
Umur minum yang sah adalah:
- 14 - kanak-kanak di bawah umur dibenarkan membeli minuman beralkohol yang tidak disulami (fermentasi) di restoran, seperti bir dan wain, sepanjang mereka berada bersama syarikat ibu bapa mereka atau penjaga yang sah.
- 16 - kanak-kanak di bawah umur dibenarkan membeli minuman beralkohol yang tidak disulami (fermentasi), seperti bir dan wain tanpa ibu bapa mereka atau penjaga yang sah. Mana-mana minuman yang mengandungi alkohol suling (walaupun kandungan alkohol keseluruhannya lebih rendah daripada bir biasa) tidak dibenarkan
- 18 - setelah menjadi dewasa, orang dibenarkan masuk ke alkohol tanpa had.
Bir
Jerman terkenal di dunia kerana bir mereka, dan telah mengeksport pengeluaran dan penggunaannya ke seluruh dunia.
Selama berabad-abad, pembuatan bir di Bavaria diatur oleh Reinheitsgebot (undang-undang kemurnian) yang dibuat sebagai dasar nasional dengan penyatuan Jerman pada tahun 1871, yang menyatakan bahawa bir Jerman hanya boleh dibuat dari hop, malt dan air (ragi masih belum diketahui ketika itu). The Reinheitsgebot telah dikurangkan dengan import kerana integrasi Eropah, tetapi kilang bir Jerman masih harus mematuhinya kerana bagi mereka, undang-undang nasional berlaku. Namun undang-undang nasional juga telah diperlemah dan sekarang menyatakan bahawa pelbagai bahan tambahan dan bahan bantu dapat digunakan selama proses produksi, asalkan tidak ditemukan dalam produk akhir.
Pasaran bir domestik tidak dikuasai oleh satu atau hanya beberapa kilang bir besar. Walaupun terdapat beberapa pemain besar, kepelbagaian wilayah sangat besar, dan terdapat lebih dari 1.200 kilang bir dengan kebanyakannya hanya melayani pasar tempatan. Biasanya bar dan restoran menyajikan varieti tempatan yang berbeza dari bandar ke bandar. Namun Utara mempunyai variasi yang lebih sedikit daripada selatan dan terutama di kawasan yang tidak mengkhususkan diri dalam bir, anda lebih cenderung mendapat Pils yang disiram secara besar-besaran dari kilang bir besar daripada tidak. Sekiranya anda benar-benar ingin menikmati bir Jerman, cubalah menggunakan jenama yang lebih kecil, kerana mereka tidak perlu menarik pasaran massa dan dengan itu lebih "individu" selera. Semasa duduk dalam bahasa Jerman Lutut, bir tempatan selalu menjadi pilihan, dan selalunya satu-satunya pilihan.
Makanan istimewa termasuk Weizenbier (atau Weißbier di Bavaria), bir fermentasi atas yang menyegarkan yang popular di selatan, Alt, sejenis ale gelap yang sangat popular di sekitar Düsseldorf, dan Kölsch, bir khas yang dibancuh Cologne. "Pils", nama Jerman untuk pilsner, adalah bir emas ringan yang sangat popular di Jerman. Terdapat juga bir bermusim, yang dibuat hanya pada waktu-waktu tertentu dalam setahun (seperti Bockbier pada musim sejuk dan Maibock pada bulan Mei, kedua-duanya mengandungi kuantiti alkohol yang lebih banyak, kadang-kadang dua kali ganda daripada Vollbier biasa).
Bir biasanya disajikan dalam gelas 200 atau 300mL (di bahagian utara) atau 500mL di Selatan. Di Biergartens di Bavaria, 500 mL adalah bir kecil ("Halbe") dan satu liter adalah normal ("Maß" diucapkan "Mahss"). Kecuali di "pub Ireland", bir atau kendi tidak biasa.
Bagi orang Jerman, banyak busa adalah tanda kesegaran dan kualiti; Oleh itu, bir selalu dihidangkan dengan banyak kepala. (Semua gelas mempunyai tanda kelantangan untuk jiwa yang kritikal.)
Selain itu, orang Jerman tidak takut mencampurkan bir dengan minuman lain (walaupun generasi tua mungkin tidak setuju). Bir biasanya dicampur dengan limun berkarbonat (biasanya pada nisbah 1: 1) dan disebut "Radler" (atau penunggang basikal yang dinamakan demikian kerana biasanya dikaitkan dengan minuman menyegarkan yang mungkin dinikmati oleh penunggang basikal pada musim bunga atau musim panas semasa lawatan berbasikal) (atau "Alsterwasser" / "Alster" (setelah sungai di Hamburg) di utara); "Koktel" Pilsener / Altbier dan minuman ringan seperti Fanta, bir "Krefelder" / "Colaweizen" cola dan gandum gelap adalah gabungan lain yang boleh didapati. Pil yang dicampurkan dengan Cola sangat popular terutama di kalangan orang Jerman yang lebih muda dan menggunakan nama yang berbeza - bergantung pada kawasan anda - seperti "Diesel", "Schmutziges" (kotor) atau "Schweinebier" (bir babi). Makanan tempatan yang terkenal lain ialah "Berliner Weiße", bir gandum masam yang berawan sekitar 3% abv. yang dicampurkan dengan sirap (secara tradisional raspberry) dan sangat menyegarkan pada musim panas. Minuman campuran berasaskan bir ini banyak dan popular dan boleh dibeli sebagai botol pra-campuran (biasanya dalam enam bungkus) di mana sahaja bir biasa dijual.
Pub dibuka di Jerman sehingga jam 02:00 atau lebih baru. Makanan biasanya disediakan sehingga tengah malam. Orang Jerman biasanya keluar selepas jam 20:00 (tempat popular sudah penuh pada jam 18:00).
Cider
Ibu kota "Apfelwein" (atau Äbblwoi yang tidak dipertikaikan seperti yang disebut tempatan) cider di Jerman adalah Frankfurt. Frankfurters menyukai cider mereka. Bahkan ada bar khas ("Apfelweinkneipe") yang hanya akan menyajikan Apfelwein dan beberapa makanan istimewa gastronomi. Cider sering disajikan dalam kendi khas yang disebut "Bembel". Rasanya sedikit berbeza dengan sari di negara lain dan cenderung menyegarkan. Pada musim luruh apabila epal berubah menjadi sari, anda mungkin menemui "Frischer Most" atau "Süßer" yang ditanda di beberapa tempat. Itu adalah produk pertama dalam rangkaian pengeluaran "Apfelwein"; satu gelasnya bagus, tetapi setelah dua atau tiga gelas anda akan menghadapi masalah kecuali anda menikmati menghabiskan banyak masa di tandas. Di dalam Saarland dan kawasan sekitarnya "Apfelwein" disebut "Viez". Ini bervariasi di sini dari "Suesser Viez" (manis), hingga "Viez Fein-Herb" (manis sederhana) hingga "Alter Saerkower" (masam). Ibu kota Viez di wilayah itu adalah Merzig. Pada musim sejuk juga biasa meminum sari panas (bersama beberapa ulas dan gula). Ini dianggap langkah yang berkesan untuk melawan selesema yang akan datang.
Kopi
Jerman minum banyak kopi. Pelabuhan Hamburg adalah tempat paling sibuk di dunia untuk perdagangan kopi. Kopi selalu dibuat segar dari kopi tanah atau biji - tidak sekejap. Walau bagaimanapun, orang yang datang dari negara dengan tradisi kopi yang hebat (seperti Itali, Portugal, Turki, Yunani atau Austria) mungkin mendapati kopi yang disajikan di restoran biasa agak membosankan. Keistimewaan Jerman, yang berasal dari Frisia Utara tetapi sekarang juga biasa di Frisia Timur, adalah "Pharisäer", campuran kopi dan minuman keras, biasanya rum, dengan lapisan krim tebal. Variasi ini adalah "Tote Tante" (makcik mati, dengan kopi diganti dengan coklat panas).
Sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini, rantai rumah kopi Amerika Starbucks atau klon telah berkembang ke Jerman, tetapi kebanyakan anda akan menemui "Kafe" yang biasanya menawarkan banyak pilihan kek untuk disertakan dengan kopi.
Glühwein
Melawat Jerman pada bulan Disember? Kemudian pergi dan lihat salah satu yang terkenal Pasar Krismas (yang paling terkenal berlaku di Nuremberg, Dresden, Leipzig, Münster, Bremen, Augsburg dan Aachen) dan ini adalah tempat anda menjumpai Glühwein (minuman keras), anggur berempah yang disajikan sangat panas untuk menenangkan anda dalam kesejukan musim sejuk.
Arwah
Perkataan umum untuk roh yang dibuat dari buah adalah Penghalang, dan setiap kawasan mempunyai keistimewaannya.
Orang Bavaria juga menyukai bir mereka Enzian, minuman beralkohol tinggi yang terbaik sebagai pencernaan selepas makan yang kuat.
Kirschwasser secara harfiah bermaksud air ceri; pastinya rasa ceri tetapi sebaliknya ia bukan air minuman biasa. Terdapat tradisi yang tahan lama dalam membuat minuman keras di Baden, dan "Kirschwasser" mungkin merupakan produk unggulan dan mungkin mendorong anda untuk merasai makanan istimewa lain seperti Himbeergeist (dari raspberry), Schlehenfeuer (berperisa dengan buah sloe), Williamchrist (pir) dan Apfelkorn (jus epal dan Korn).
Korn, diperbuat daripada biji-bijian, mungkin merupakan semangat yang paling biasa di Jerman. Korn lebih popular di Utara, di mana ia melebihi bir dalam populariti. Di Selatan keadaan terbalik. Pusat pengeluaran utamanya (Berentzen) terletak di Haselünne, di mana lawatan dan citarasa dapat diatur di kilang penyulingan. Bandar ini berhampiran sungai Ems di barat laut Jerman; untuk perkhidmatan kereta api ke Haselünne (sangat jarang) lihat Eisenbahnfreunde Hasetal[pautan mati]. Campuran biasa adalah Korn dengan jus epal ("Apfelkorn") yang biasanya menghasilkan kira-kira 20% abv. dan biasanya dimakan oleh orang yang lebih muda. Bandar lain yang terkenal dengan Doppelkorn (dengan tradisi lebih dari lima ratus tahun untuk boot) adalah Nordhausen di Thuringia, di mana lawatan dan citarasa juga mudah diatur.
Di Lower Saxony, terutama di kawasan sekitar Lüneburg Heath, minuman keras dan minuman keras khas berbeza. Ratzeputz mengandungi 58% alkohol dan mengandungi ekstrak dan sulingan halia akar. Heidegeist adalah minuman keras herba yang mengandungi 31 ramuan heather dengan kandungan alkohol 50%. Warnanya jernih dan mempunyai rasa minty yang kuat.
Di Frisia Utara, Köm (semangat jintan), baik murni atau dicampur dengan teh ("Teepunsch", penumbuk teh), sangat popular.
Eiergrog adalah campuran minuman keras telur dan rum yang panas.
Teh
Teh, Tee, juga sangat popular, dan banyak pilihan tersedia. Wilayah Frisia Timur khususnya mempunyai tradisi minum teh yang panjang, dan mungkin satu-satunya tempat di Jerman di mana teh lebih popular daripada kopi. Upacara minum teh Frisian Timur terdiri daripada teh hitam yang disajikan dalam cawan porselin rata dengan gula batu khas (Kluntje) yang dimasukkan ke dalam cawan sebelum menuangkan teh. Krim ditambah selepas itu, tetapi tidak diaduk ke dalam teh. Kesukaan orang-orang Frisian Timur untuk minum-minum dibuat-buat dalam iklan yang agak terkenal untuk makanan manis yang kononnya sesuai dengan kopi, hanya kerana tuntutan diganggu oleh orang-orang Frisian Timur yang bising yang akan mengatakan "Und is is mit mit Tee? " (Dan bagaimana dengan teh?) Dalam loghat Jerman Utara yang stereotaip. Sebilangan besar orang Jerman masih mengetahui kalimat ini, jika tidak semestinya asalnya.
Coklat panas
Terutama pada musim sejuk, orang Jerman menyukai coklat panas mereka (heiße Schokolade), yang banyak terdapat. Coklat panas di Jerman cenderung lebih kurang Zartbitter - iaitu, pahit - dan di tempat yang lebih gourmet, ia boleh menjadi agak gelap dan pahit dan hanya sedikit manis. Ia biasa disajikan dengan Schlag (krim disebat segar, juga dipanggil Schlagsahne). Walaupun biasanya dihidangkan terlebih dahulu, beberapa kafe akan menyediakan sebilangan coklat yang anda campurkan dan cairkan ke dalam susu panas sendiri. Coklat susu dipanggil Kinderschokolade ("coklat kanak-kanak") di Jerman dan sama sekali tidak dipandang serius, jadi jangan berharap dapat memesan coklat susu panas jika anda dewasa.
Wain
Sebilangan orang Jerman sama-sama berminat dengan mereka wain (Weinkerana orang lain mengenai bir mereka. Persamaan tidak berhenti di sini; kedua-dua produk ini sering dihasilkan oleh syarikat kecil, dan wain terbaik dimakan secara tempatan. Pengeluaran wain mempunyai sejarah berusia 2,000 tahun di Jerman seperti yang dapat dipelajari dari Rheinisches Landesmuseum dalam Trier tetapi, tentu saja, ini adalah pemukiman Rom pada masa itu. Sinar matahari adalah faktor penghalang pengeluaran wain di Jerman dan, oleh itu, pengeluaran wain terhad di selatan. Wain putih memainkan peranan utama dalam pengeluaran wain, tetapi beberapa kawasan menghasilkan wain merah (Ahr, Baden Württemberg). Anggur putih dihasilkan dari anggur Riesling, Kerner dan Müller-Thurgau (ada banyak lagi), dan menghasilkan anggur segar dan buah secara amnya. Anggur Jerman boleh kaya dengan asid dan cukup menyegarkan. Umumnya diterima bahawa anggur Riesling menghasilkan wain Jerman terbaik, tetapi ia menuntut banyak cahaya matahari dan tumbuh dengan baik di kawasan yang sangat terdedah seperti Mosel, Rheingau, Bergstraße, Kaiserstuhl dan Pfalz.
Jerman terkenal dengan wain aisnya (Eiswein), di mana anggur dibiarkan membeku pada pokok anggur sebelum dituai. Anggur ais jenis Jerman pada amnya kurang manis daripada mereka Orang Kanada rakan sejawat.
Kaedah terbaik untuk mengetahui tentang wain adalah pergi ke tempat mereka ditanam dan rasakannya di tempat. Ini dipanggil "Weinprobe"dan secara amnya percuma - walaupun di kawasan pelancongan anda perlu membayar sedikit.
Anggur yang baik biasanya disatukan dengan makanan yang baik sehingga anda mungkin ingin berkunjung ketika anda lapar dan juga kehausan. Yang dipanggil Straußenwirtschaft, Besenwirtschaft atau Heckenwirtschaft adalah "pub" kecil atau kebun di mana pengeluar wain menjual wainnya sendiri, biasanya dengan makanan kecil seperti sandwic atau keju dan ham. Biasanya, mereka hanya dibuka pada musim panas dan musim luruh, dan tidak lebih dari 4 bulan dalam setahun (kerana peraturan perundangan). Oleh kerana mereka kadang-kadang berada di kebun anggur atau di beberapa jalan belakang, mereka tidak selalu mudah dijumpai, jadi anda lebih baik meminta orang tempatan untuk yang berikutnya (atau yang terbaik) Straußenwirtschaft dia tahu.
Semasa musim luruh, anda boleh membeli "Federweisser" di barat daya Jerman. Ini adalah wain putih yang ditapai sebahagiannya dan mengandungi sedikit alkohol (bergantung pada usia), tetapi rasanya sangat manis. Ia juga tersedia dari anggur merah, yang disebut "Roter Sauser" atau "Roter Rauscher".
Kawasan penghasil wain adalah:
- Ahr adalah syurga wain merah Jerman. Separuh daripada pengeluaran ini dikhaskan untuk wain merah dan padat dengan "Gaststätten" dan "Strausswirten". Bak kata pepatah: Barang siapa yang mengunjungi Ahr dan ingat bahawa dia ada di sana, sebenarnya dia tidak ada di sana.
- Baden dengan c. 15,500 hektar halaman anggur dan pengeluaran 1 juta hektoliter, Baden adalah kawasan penanaman wain ketiga terbesar di Jerman. Ini adalah kawasan penanaman wain Jerman paling selatan dan merupakan satu-satunya anggota Jerman di Kategori Wain Eropah B bersama-sama dengan kawasan Perancis yang terkenal Alsace, Champagne dan Loire. Baden sepanjang lebih dari 400 km dan terbahagi kepada sembilan kumpulan wilayah: Tauberfranken, Badische Bergstraße, Kraichgau, Ortenau, Breisgau, Kaiserstuhl, Tuniberg, Markgräflerland dan Bodensee. Kaiserstuhl dan Markgräflerland adalah kawasan paling terkenal untuk arak dari Baden. Salah satu koperasi arak terbesar adalah Badischer Winzerkeller dalam Breisach.
- Franken: Franconia berada di bahagian utara Bavaria dan anda boleh menjumpai wain yang sangat enak, biasanya anggur putih kering. Beberapa wain yang dihasilkan di Franconia dijual dalam botol khas yang disebut "Bocksbeutel".
- Hessische Bergstraße: di lereng lembah Rhine adalah kawasan penghasil wain kecil yang tenang dan anggur biasanya dimakan di dalam kawasan di dalam dan di sekitar Heppenheim.
- Mosel-Saar-Ruwer: kebun anggur paling curam di Jerman dapat dilihat ketika memandu di lembah Mosel dari Koblenz ke Trier.
- Pfalz: kawasan pengeluar wain terbesar di Jerman. Mempunyai beberapa wain yang enak dan banyak kampung yang indah yang tertanam di kebun anggur. Mencuba wain di Deidesheim adalah idea yang baik dan beberapa pengeluar utama wain Jerman berada di jalan utama. Ingin melihat tong arak terbesar di dunia? Kemudian pergi ke Bad Dürkheim.
- Rheingau: adalah kawasan penghasil wain terkecil, tetapi menghasilkan wain Riesling dengan nilai tertinggi di Jerman. Lawati Wiesbaden dan membuat perjalanan ke Rhine ke Eltville dan Rüdesheim.
- Rheinhessen juga terkenal dengan Riesling. Lawati Mainz dan membuat perjalanan ke Rhine ke Cacing, Oppenheim, Ingelheim atau Bingen.
- Saale-Unstrut: di negeri Saxonia-Anhalt di tebing sungai Saale dan Unstrut adalah kawasan penghasil wain paling utara di Eropah.
- Sachsen: Salah satu kawasan anggur terkecil di Jerman, terletak di sepanjang Sungai Elbe berhampiran Dresden dan Meissen.
- Württemberg: Seperti yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya, di sini peraturan bahawa anggur terbaik dimakan oleh penduduk tempatan, sangat berlaku; penggunaan wain setiap kepala adalah dua kali lebih tinggi daripada yang lain di Jerman, tidak kira sama ada merah atau wain putih. Keistimewaan rantau ini adalah wain merah yang disebut Trollinger dan ia cukup bagus mengikut standard Jerman.
Tidur
Jerman menyediakan hampir semua pilihan untuk penginapan, termasuk hotel, B&B, asrama, dan berkhemah. Anda mungkin juga mempertimbangkan untuk tinggal bersama ahli a pertukaran hospitaliti rangkaian.
Tilam Jerman cenderung menjadi jalan tengah untuk ketegasan, berbanding dengan tilam Amerika yang mewah dan yang keras dari Jepun. Tempat tidur cenderung sederhana: selimut untuk menutup tilam, satu selimut setiap orang (Dek, sangat bagus jika anda tidur dengan seseorang yang cenderung membalut selimut, tetapi kadang-kadang sedikit berangin di sekitar jari kaki untuk orang tinggi) dan bantal bulu persegi yang sangat besar, yang boleh anda bentuk menjadi bentuk apa pun yang menggembirakan anda. Membuat katil pada waktu pagi hanya beberapa saat: lipat Dek dalam pertiga dengan gerakan pantas pergelangan tangan, seolah-olah tidur di tempat anda semasa anda berada di luar, dan melemparkan bantal di bahagian atas katil.
Hotel
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Sebilangan besar rangkaian hotel antarabangsa mempunyai francais di bandar-bandar utama Jerman, dan terdapat banyak jenis hotel tempatan. Semua hotel di Jerman diberi peringkat berdasarkan bintang (1 hingga 5 bintang). Peringkat dibuat secara bebas dan oleh itu umumnya boleh dipercayai, tetapi dalam beberapa kes mereka mungkin berdasarkan pemeriksaan yang agak ketinggalan zaman. Harga selalu termasuk PPN dan biasanya setiap bilik. Harga berbeza mengikut bandar (Munich dan Frankfurt paling mahal). Anda boleh menemui banyak hotel berantai "berorientasikan nilai" seperti Motel Satu atau Ibis, baik di pinggir bandar dan pusat bandar di kebanyakan bandar, yang sering kali cukup baru atau diubah suai dan sangat mengejutkan harganya. Bagi orang yang melakukan perjalanan dengan kereta, seperti Perancis, Jerman mempunyai rangkaian hotel Ibis Budget yang padat di pinggir bandar berhampiran Autobahns, yang menawarkan pengalaman hotel yang benar-benar kosong dengan harga yang dapat bersaing dengan asrama.
Di hujung skala yang lain, Jerman mempunyai banyak hotel mewah. Penembusan pasaran oleh rangkaian hotel adalah tinggi. Jenama tempatan termasuk Kempinski yang sangat mewah (yang sekarang merupakan jenama global), sementara Dorint dan Lindner mengendalikan hotel perniagaan kelas atas. Sebilangan besar rangkaian hotel global mempunyai kehadiran yang kukuh, dengan Accor (Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel, Mercure) memimpin jalan.
Bukan klise yang boleh anda harapkan di hotel-hotel Jerman yang memberikan kualiti dan pengalaman yang dapat diramalkan. Anda mungkin tidak akan dimanjakan jika brosur tidak mengatakannya, tetapi sangat jarang pengalaman anda benar-benar buruk. Lebih-lebih lagi, pelancongan domestik Jerman cukup berorientasi keluarga, jadi anda tidak perlu menghadapi masalah mencari hotel mesra keluarga dengan katil tambahan di bilik, sering dalam bentuk katil dua tingkat, dan kemudahan untuk yang lebih muda.
Apabila nama hotel mengandungi istilah "Garni", ini bermaksud sarapan termasuk. Jadi ada banyak hotel yang namanya mengandungi "Hotel Garni"di sebuah bandar; ketika meminta petunjuk, sebutkan nama penuh hotel dan bukan hanya"Hotel Garni".
Katil
B&B ("Pensionen" atau "Fremdenzimmer") (biasanya) memberikan kurang keselesaan daripada hotel dengan harga yang lebih murah. Kelebihannya ialah anda berkemungkinan bertemu dengan orang Jerman dan mengetahui cara hidup orang Jerman. Tanda yang bertuliskan "Zimmer frei" menunjukkan B&B dengan bilik yang tersedia.
Asrama
Asrama menyediakan penginapan yang sederhana dan murah terutamanya di bilik-bilik bersama. Mereka adalah tempat yang baik untuk mengenali pelancong lain. Di Jerman, seperti di banyak negara, terdapat dua jenis: asrama belia antarabangsa dan asrama bebas.
Asrama Belia Antarabangsa ("Jugendherbergen") dimiliki dan dikendalikan oleh persatuan "Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk" (DJH), yang merupakan sebahagian daripada rangkaian Hostelling International (HI). Terdapat lebih daripada 600 asrama yang tersebar di seluruh Jerman di bandar-bandar besar dan kecil dan juga di negara ini. Bukan sahaja pelancong individu yang menjadi tetamu tetapi juga kelas sekolah dan kumpulan belia yang lain. Untuk tidur di sana, anda mesti menjadi atau menjadi ahli dalam organisasi asrama belia yang tergolong dalam Rangkaian HI. Maklumat terperinci mengenai ini dan setiap hostel mereka boleh didapati di DJH's. Secara amnya, ini hanya dengan mengisi kad dan membayar beberapa euro tambahan setiap malam. Secara umum, kelebihan dari tempat-tempat ini adalah mereka cenderung menyajikan sarapan gaya bufet tanpa sebarang bayaran tambahan, walaupun ini bukanlah peraturan mutlak. Namun, kualitinya sering berada di bawah asrama swasta, dan banyak yang tidak memberikan peluang yang baik untuk bersosial.
Asrama bebas yang dikendalikan secara persendirian mulai menjadi alternatif yang menarik dengan harga yang serupa. Lebih daripada 60 sudah ada di Jerman, dan semakin banyak dibuka setiap tahun. Mereka dijumpai di bandar-bandar besar, terutama di Berlin, Munich, Dresden, dan Hamburg. Hanya sebilangan kecil yang berada di kawasan luar bandar. Kadang-kadang dikendalikan oleh bekas pelancong, hostel menahan diri dari tidak mempunyai peraturan yang ketat. Terutama yang kecil sering menjadi tempat di mana anda boleh merasa seperti di rumah. Banyak yang terkenal dengan suasana pesta yang meriah dan boleh menjadi kaedah terbaik untuk bertemu pelancong lain. Tidak perlu ada ahli dalam beberapa organisasi untuk tidur di sana. Kira-kira separuh daripada asrama telah mengatur diri mereka di a "Rangkaian Backpacker Jerman", yang menyediakan senarai asrama ahli mereka. Laman web yang menyenaraikan hampir setiap asrama bebas di Jerman adalah Gomio. Sudah tentu, agensi tempahan bilik antarabangsa seperti Hostelsclub, Hostelworld & Hostelbookers juga merupakan sumber yang baik, dan memberi pelancong kemampuan untuk memberikan ulasan. Asrama / Hotel A & O mempunyai sebilangan lokasi kota pusat yang berkualiti di Jerman yang menyediakan gabungan penginapan gaya dan asrama yang menarik yang biasanya melayani dewasa muda dan keluarga.
Berkhemah
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Terdapat banyak perkhemahan di Jerman. Prasarana dan standardnya berbeza-beza. ADAC, kelab automobil Jerman, menawarkan panduan terbaik untuk kebanyakan kumpulan perkhemahan Jerman. Sekiranya anda ahli kelab motor dan bantuan nasional anda adalah percuma atau dengan harga yang rendah.
Beberapa pelancong hanya mendirikan khemah mereka di suatu tempat di kawasan luar bandar. Di Jerman ini tidak sah (kecuali di Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), kecuali jika anda mempunyai kebenaran pemilik tanah. Namun secara praktikal tidak ada yang peduli selagi anda bijaksana, tinggal selama satu malam sahaja dan bawa sampah bersama anda. Ketahui jarak perburuan dan tempat latihan ketenteraan atau anda mungkin berada dalam bahaya besar untuk ditembak.
Belajar
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Universiti Jerman berdaya saing dengan yang terbaik di dunia. Secara amnya, orang Jerman tidak terlalu memikirkan kualiti relatif satu universiti di Jerman berbanding yang lain, tetapi yang dimiliki oleh kerajaan biasanya dianggap lebih berprestij daripada yang swasta dan yang lebih tua daripada yang lebih muda. Telah ada "inisiatif Kecemerlangan" oleh kerajaan persekutuan untuk menghormati universiti yang paling berprestij dan memberi mereka dana tambahan, namun pembiayaan itu diberikan dengan ketat berdasarkan penyelidikan bukan mereka mengajar dan selalunya terhad kepada beberapa jabatan terpilih. Salah satu universiti terkenal di Jerman di kalangan penutur bahasa Inggeris Universiti Heidelberg (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg), yang juga universiti tertua di Jerman.
Oleh kerana sebahagian besar universiti adalah milik negara, belajar di Jerman biasanya sangat murah (€ 50-700 / semester), tetapi perlu diingat bahawa kos sara hidup di kebanyakan Jerman cukup tinggi (misalnya Tübingen: sekitar € 350–400 sewa sebulan untuk perbelanjaan sara hidup apartmen satu bilik) dengan sewa menjadi faktor utama. Oleh kerana itu, kebanyakan pelajar sama ada berkongsi flat atau tinggal di asrama. Asrama juga sering mempertimbangkan keadaan kewangan pemohon dan memutuskan dengan sewajarnya.
Walaupun kemasukan ke universiti Jerman adalah mudah bagi warga negara EU, calon pelajar dari negara-negara bukan EU mungkin menghadapi masalah birokrasi seperti diminta memberikan bukti bahawa mereka dapat menampung perbelanjaan mereka sendiri. Oleh kerana permintaan untuk pekerja mahir muda, kerajaan Jerman mendorong pelajar asing dari negara-negara seperti Amerika Syarikat dan India, dengan lebih banyak universiti menawarkan kursus dalam bahasa Inggeris. Terdapat sangat sedikit biasiswa yang mudah didapati oleh orang asing, pinjaman pelajar "klasik" tidak tipikal dan "duale Studiengänge" (bekerja dan belajar pada masa yang sama memperoleh ijazah profesional dan akademik) cenderung membayar lebih rendah daripada pekerjaan peringkat kemasukan yang setanding, terutamanya memandangkan beban kerja yang terlibat. Banyak Universiti ditubuhkan berabad-abad yang lalu dan telah lama berkembang dari bangunan-bangunan yang asalnya dibina untuk mereka dan dengan itu mempunyai kampus yang koheren adalah pengecualian dan bukannya peraturan. Namun, banyak universiti cuba sekurang-kurangnya menjaga bidang yang berkaitan antara satu sama lain, tetapi jika anda kebetulan mempelajari gabungan mata pelajaran yang diajar di pelbagai bahagian bandar - atau bahkan di bandar yang berlainan - anda harus banyak melakukan berulang-alik. Beberapa universiti juga adalah hasil penggabungan dan dengan itu mempunyai lokasi di bandar yang berbeza. Pejabat nasihat pelajar atau pentadbiran universiti boleh mempunyai waktu buka yang ganjil atau bahkan ditutup sepenuhnya di luar semester. Tidak juga terdengar bahawa mereka lebih suka memberitahu anda bahawa anda harus pergi ke pejabat lain - mereka bermaksud anda tidak membahayakan, mereka hanya terlalu banyak bekerja dan tidak mahu menangani perkara yang bukan tugas mereka.
Walaupun sistem universiti di Jerman mempunyai banyak kebiasaan yang unik, dalam proses "Proses Bologna" kebanyakan mata pelajaran kini ditawarkan dalam sistem "Sarjana / Sarjana" di seluruh EU yang - berbanding dengan sistem sebelumnya - agak seperti sekolah dan diperkemas. Walaupun begitu, lebih banyak inisiatif diri diharapkan di universiti-universiti Jerman daripada di banyak tempat lain. Membantu masalah tidak "automatik" dan pendatang baru mungkin merasa agak kesepian pada awalnya. "Fachhochschulen" (sering menyebut diri mereka sebagai "Universiti Sains Gunaan" dalam bahasa Inggeris) cenderung memberi tumpuan kepada bidang "praktikal" atau "gunaan" dan lebih menyerupai sekolah. Walaupun "FH" (bentuk pendek Jerman) dulu dilihat sebagai kelas universiti yang "lebih rendah", stigma itu semakin pudar di banyak bidang.
- Perkhidmatan Pertukaran Akademik Jerman
- Goethe-Institut menawarkan kursus bahasa Jerman
Kerja
Kadar pengangguran rasmi di Jerman adalah sekitar 4.8% pada Oktober 2019 dan di sana adalah pekerjaan untuk mereka yang mempunyai kelayakan atau hubungan yang betul. Warga asing bukan EU yang ingin bekerja di Jerman harus memastikan mereka mendapat izin yang sewajarnya. Mendapatkan izin ini boleh bererti memperpanjang hubungan dengan birokrasi Jerman yang jelas, terutama untuk warga negara bukan EU, dan mungkin bukan cara praktikal untuk membantu anggaran perjalanan anda.
Pelajar bukan EU dibenarkan bekerja dengan izin tinggal mereka, tetapi ada batasan 120 hari penuh (lebih dari empat jam bekerja) setiap hari atau 240 setengah hari (di bawah 4 jam bekerja) tanpa kebenaran khas. Walau bagaimanapun, bekerja melalui universiti tidak memerlukan izin khas.
Warganegara dari beberapa negara bukan EU (Australia, Kanada, Jepun, Israel, New Zealand, Korea Selatan dan AS) boleh memohon status pemastautin dengan izin kerja selama 90 hari visa tanpa visa mereka di Jerman; namun, mereka mungkin tidak bekerja tanpa visa / kebenaran. Warganegara lain memerlukan visa kerja sebelum memasuki negara itu, yang mereka perlu tukar menjadi izin tinggal setelah masuk. Untuk maklumat lebih lanjut, lihat bahagian 'Syarat kemasukan' dari bahagian 'Masuk' di atas. Kerja yang sah agak biasa di industri perhotelan dan pelancongan Jerman (kira-kira 4.1% daripada KDNK Jerman) dan hampir satu-satunya cara untuk mengelakkan Jerman birokrasi. Namun, ditangkap boleh membawa hukuman penjara, dan anda bertanggungjawab terhadap majikan anda hampir sama seperti jika anda bekerja secara sah.
Sekiranya anda ingin tinggal di Jerman untuk jangka masa yang panjang, tetapi tidak boleh berbahasa Jerman, pertaruhan terbaik anda adalah syarikat multinasional besar dalam industri perbankan, pelancongan atau teknologi tinggi. Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich dan tentu saja Hamburg dan Berlin mungkin tempat terbaik untuk mula mencari. Pengetahuan Jerman yang baik biasanya diharapkan, tetapi tidak selalu menjadi prasyarat. Penutur bahasa Inggeris yang merupakan guru yang disahkan di negara asal mereka mungkin dapat memperoleh pekerjaan di sekolah antarabangsa Amerika atau Britain. Pengajaran Bahasa Inggeris tanpa kelayakan ini tidak menguntungkan di Jerman. Sekiranya anda fasih berbahasa lain (lebih baik Sepanyol atau Perancis) mengajar secara peribadi mungkin merupakan sumber pendapatan (tambahan).
Semasa musim asparagus (April hingga Juni) petani biasanya mencari pekerja sementara, tetapi ini bermaksud kerja keras dan gaji yang menyedihkan. Kelebihan utama pekerjaan ini ialah pengetahuan bahasa Jerman tidak diperlukan.
Kekal selamat
Jerman adalah negara yang sangat selamat. Kadar jenayah rendah dan peraturan undang-undang ditegakkan dengan ketat.
Kejahatan ganas (pembunuhan, rompakan, rogol, serangan) sangat jarang berlaku berbanding kebanyakan negara. Sebagai contoh, kadar pembunuhan 2010 adalah 0,86 kes per 100,000 penduduk - jauh lebih rendah daripada di UK (1,17), Australia (1,20), Perancis (1,31), Kanada (1,81) dan AS (5,0) - dan mereka terus menurun. Pencopet kadangkala menjadi masalah di bandar-bandar besar atau di acara-acara dengan orang ramai. Mengemis tidak jarang berlaku di beberapa bandar yang lebih besar, tetapi tidak jauh dari kebanyakan bandar besar lain dan anda jarang akan menemui pengemis yang agresif.
Sekiranya anda tinggal di bahagian tertentu di Berlin atau Hamburg (Schanzenviertel) sekitar 1 Mei (Tag der Arbeit) mengharapkan demonstrasi yang sering merosot menjadi pertembungan antara polis dan minoriti penunjuk perasaan.
Ambil langkah berjaga-jaga yang biasa dan anda kemungkinan besar tidak akan menghadapi sebarang jenayah semasa tinggal di Jerman.
Kecemasan
Nombor kecemasan seluruh negara untuk polis, bomba dan penyelamat adalah 112 (sama seperti di semua negara EU) atau 110 untuk polis sahaja. Nombor-nombor ini dapat dihubungi tanpa tol dari mana-mana telefon, termasuk bilik telefon dan telefon bimbit (diperlukan kad SIM). Sekiranya anda melaporkan keadaan kecemasan, garis panduan biasa berlaku: bertenang dan nyatakan lokasi anda yang tepat, jenis kecemasan dan jumlah orang yang terlibat. Jangan berhenti sehingga pengendali telah menerima semua maklumat yang diperlukan dan menamatkan panggilan.
Terdapat telefon kecemasan berwarna oren yang bersilang di sepanjang lebuh raya utama. Anda boleh mencari telefon SOS yang paling dekat dengan mengikuti anak panah pada tiang pantulan di tepi jalan.
Ambulans (Rettungswagen) dapat dipanggil melalui nombor kecemasan bebas tol nasional 112 dan akan membantu anda tanpa mengira masalah insurans. Semua hospital (Krankenhäuser) kecuali rumah sakit terkecil mempunyai bilik kecemasan 24 jam yang dapat mengatasi semua jenis masalah perubatan.
Perkauman
Sebilangan besar pengunjung asing tidak akan pernah menangani isu diskriminasi atau perkauman terbuka di Jerman. Bandar-bandar besar di Jerman sangat kosmopolitan dan berbilang etnik dengan komuniti besar orang dari semua benua dan agama. Orang Jerman juga sangat sedar dan malu dengan beban sejarah era Nazi dan biasanya berfikiran terbuka dan bertoleransi dalam hubungan dengan orang asing. Pelawat yang tidak berkulit putih mungkin sekali-sekala berwaspada, tetapi tidak pada tahap yang lebih besar daripada di negara-negara lain yang mempunyai penduduk putih.
Situasi umum ini mungkin berbeza di beberapa kawasan luar bandar di Jerman Timur (termasuk pinggiran beberapa bandar dengan tahap pengangguran yang lebih tinggi dan kawasan kejiranan yang tinggi iaitu "Plattenbau"). Kejadian perilaku rasis boleh berlaku dengan beberapa kejadian keganasan. Sebilangan besar kejadian berlaku pada waktu malam ketika kumpulan "Neo-Nazi" yang mabuk atau beberapa kumpulan pendatang mungkin mencari masalah (dan mangsa bersendirian) di pusat bandar atau berhampiran pengangkutan awam. This might also affect foreign visitors, homeless persons, West Germans and people with alternative looks such as Punks, Goths, etc.
Public displays of overt anti-semitism are strictly forbidden by laws that are very much enforced. The Hitler salute and the Nazi Swastika (but not religious Swastikas) are banned, as is the public denial of the Holocaust. Violations of these laws against racism are not taken lightly by the authorities, even when made in jest. You should also avoid displaying a Swastika even for religious reasons.
Police
Bahasa Jerman Police (German: Polizei) officers are always helpful, professional and trustworthy, but tend to be rather strict in enforcing the law, which means that one should not expect that exceptions are made for tourists. When dealing with police you should remain calm, courteous and avoid getting into confrontations. Most police officers should understand at least basic English or have colleagues who do.
Police uniforms and cars are green or blue. Green used to be the standard, but most states and the federal police have transitioned to blue uniforms and cars to comply with the EU standard.
Police officers are employed by the states except in airports, train stations, border crossings etc. which are controlled by the federal police (Bundespolizei). In mid-sized towns and big cities, local police (called Stadtpolizei, kommunale Polizeibehörde or Ordnungsamt) have some limited law enforcement rights and are in general responsible for traffic issues. States have a pretty big leeway when it comes to police and their tactics and as most police are state police, there is a marked difference between left wing city states like Berlin and conservative Southern states like Bavaria. As a broad generalization, police in the North tend to be more hands-off and tolerant of minor misbehavior while police in the South show more presence and are stricter about the rules, but you may get fined for jaywalking in Berlin just as well. The only major cases of police using violence on citizens (or vice versa) happen during demonstrations and soccer games, but you will notice that by the riot gear and mounted police patrolling in seemingly vastly excessive numbers. It's not advisable to talk to police during political demonstrations or soccer matches as they might construct a case of "Landfriedensbruch" (disturbing the peace) during such events on pretty flimsy grounds, sometimes misrepresenting what you said. Police are armed but will hardly ever use their weapons and never on unarmed people. As firearms are hard to get and a permit to carry one in public is virtually unheard of, police usually do not think anybody is armed unless the suspect brandishes a weapon and are thus unlikely to shoot somebody reaching in their pocket or the likes.
If you get arrested, you have the right to have an attorney. Foreign nationals also have the right to contact their respective embassy for assistance. You are never obliged to make a statement that would incriminate yourself (or someone related to you by blood or marriage) and you have the right to remain silent. Wait until your attorney arrives and talk to your attorney first. If you do not have a lawyer then you can call your embassy or else the local justice official will appoint an attorney for you (if the alleged crime is serious enough).
If you are a victim of a crime (for example robbery, assault or theft in public) and wave an oncoming patrol car or officer, it is not uncommon that the officers will (sometimes very harshly: "Einsteigen") command you to enter the back seat of the police cruiser. This is an action to start an instant manhunt to identify and arrest the suspect. In this case remember that you are not under arrest but to help the officers to enforce the law and maybe get back your property.
German police do have ranks but are not that keen about them; many Germans won't know the proper terms. Do not try to determine seniority by counting the stars on the officers shoulders in order to choose the officer you will address, since such behaviour can be considered disrespectful. Talk to any officer and they will answer your questions or redirect you to the officer in charge.
Prostitution
Prostitution is legal and regulated in Germany.
All larger cities have a red light district with licensed bars, go-gos and escort services. Tabloids are full of ads and the internet is the main contact base. Brothels are not necessarily easily spotted from the streets (outside of redlight districts) to avoid legal action by neighbours. Places best known for their redlight activities are Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt dan Cologne.
Recreational vehicles parked by the roadside in forests along Bundesstraßen (German for "federal highway"), with a red light in the front window and perhaps a lightly dressed woman on the passenger's seat, are most likely prostitutes soliciting customers.
Due to Germany's proximity to Eastern Europe, several cases of human trafficking and illegal immigration have taken place. Police regularly raid brothels to keep this business within its legal boundaries, and check the identity documents of workers and patrons alike.
Drugs
Alcohol may be purchased by persons 16 years and older. However, distilled beverages and mixed drinks with those (including the popular 'Alcopops') are available only at 18. It is not technically illegal for younger people to drink, but it is illegal to allow them to drink on premises. Youth 14 years and older are allowed to drink fermented beverages in the presence and with the allowance of their legal guardian. If the police notices underage drinking, they may pick the person up, confiscate the drinks and send the person home in the presence of an officer.
Smoking in public is allowed starting at age 18. Vending machines for cigarettes require a valid "proof of age", which in practice means that you need a German bank card or a (European) driving license to use them.
The situation on marijuana can be confusing. The Constitutional Court ruled that possession for "personal use", though still illegal, should not be prosecuted. Germany is a federal state; therefore the interpretation of this ruling is up to the state authorities. In fact charges are sometimes pressed even for tiny amounts, which will cause you a lot of trouble regardless of the outcome. As a general rule the northern states tend to be more liberal while in the south (especially Bavaria), even negligible amounts are considered illegal. The customs officials are also aware of the fact that you can legally buy marijuana in the Netherlands and therefore set up regular border controls (also inside trains), as importation of marijuana is strictly prohibited.
Even if you get off the charges, the authorities may cause different problems, like revoking your drivers license and if you have more than a few grams, you will be prosecuted in any case. Drugs will be confiscated in all cases.
All other recreational drugs (like ecstasy) are illegal and possession will lead to prosecution and at least a police record.
Crimes with date-rape drugs have been committed, so as anywhere else in the world be careful with open drinks.
Weapons
Some types of knives are illegal in Germany: this concerns mostly some types of spring knives, "butterfly" knives, knuckle knives and the like — possessing such knives is an offense. Knives that are intended as weapons are restricted to persons over 18. Furthermore, nunchakus, even soft-nunchakus, are illegal in Germany.
It is illegal to carry any type of "dangerous knife" on your person in public unless you have a valid reason to do so. For example, if you are out fishing you are still entitled to carry a fishing knife. "Dangerous" knives are generally those with a blade length exceeding 12 cm and locking "one-handed" folding knives.
Carrying any knife beyond a pocket knife (typically Swiss army knives) without any professional reasons (carpenter, etc.) is seen as very rude and unacceptable in Germany. Germans consider any non-professional used knives as signs of aggression and do not accept this behaviour. Flashing a knife (even folded) may cause bystanders to call the police, who will be very serious in handling the upcoming situation.
Firearms are strictly controlled. It is practically impossible to legally carry a gun in public unless you are a law enforcement officer. "Fake" firearms may not be carried in public if they resemble real guns. CO2 and air guns are relatively easy to acquire. If the police find any kind of weapon or firearm on you, you will appear highly suspicious.
Bow and arrow do not legally count as weapons while crossbows do, but you're certain to get stopped by police openly carrying either. Hunting is only legal with firearms or employing birds of prey and requires a license with rather strict requirements for environmental and animal welfare reasons.
Fireworks
Avoid bringing any fireworks into Germany, especially from outside the EU. Even bringing those can be an offence. Fireworks are traditionally used on New Year's Eve. Most "proper" fireworks (marked as "Klasse II") will be available at only the end of the year; they may be used by persons only over 18 on December 31 and January 1. Really small items (marked as "Klasse I") may be used around the year by anyone.
Memancing
Memancing laws differ a lot from state to state. Obtaining a fishing license for Germans and foreigners has become a highly bureaucratic process due to animal protection laws.
Gay and lesbian travellers
Germany is in general very tolerant of homosexuality. Nevertheless, like in every country some individuals still may disapprove and some areas are more accepting than others, so use common sense and be geared to the behaviour of the locals around you. In small towns and in the countryside, open displays of homosexuality should be limited.
The attitude towards gays and lesbians is rather tolerant, with openly gay politicians and celebrities being considered increasingly normal. While some, especially the elderly, Germans inwardly still don't approve of homosexuality or bisexuality, they usually suppress open utterances of homophobia. Therefore, in most cases, display of homosexuality (holding hands or kissing) will at most provoke stares or sometimes comments by children or elderly people.
Kekal sihat
Sanitary and medical facilities in Germany are excellent. The phone book lists telephone numbers for various medical services, many hotlines and services exist that are open during "off hours". See the section Medical Emergencies above if you are in an emergency
Health care
If you have an non-urgent medical problem, you may choose from any local doctor. The German health system allows specialists to run their own surgery so you will usually be able to find every discipline from Dentistry to Neurology on duty within reasonable reach. In remote regions finding a doctor might require a ride to the next town but the German infrastructure allows fast connections. GPs/family doctors will usually describe themselves as "Allgemeinmediziner" – meaning "general medical doctor".
Pharmacies are called "Apotheke" and are marked by a big, red "A" symbol. At least one pharmacy in the area will be open at all times (usually a different one every day), and all pharmacies will post the name and address of the pharmacy-on-duty in the window. Some medication that is sometimes freely available in other countries (e.g. antibiotics) needs a prescription in Germany, so you may want to check before your journey. The staff of an Apotheke is well-trained, and it is mandatory to have at least one person with a university degree in pharmaceutics available in every Apotheke during opening hours. A German pharmacist is able to offer advice on medications. The apotheke is also where you go to get common over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, antacids, and cough syrup. Don't be misled by the appearance of "drug" in the name of a drogeriekonzern, such as the large dm-drogerie markt chain: "drug stores" in Germany sell everything except drugs.
In Germany pharmaceuticals tend to be expensive, so it might be wise to ask the pharmacist for "Generika" (generic drugs): A "Generikum" is virtually the same substance and dose, often even produced by the same pharmaceutical trust, just lacking the well-known brand name and being considerably cheaper. As the brand names for even common substances can vary a lot between countries as well as brands try to know the scientific name of the substance you need as they will be printed on the package and trained pharmaceutical professionals will know them.
Health insurance
EU citizens that are members of any public health insurance can get a European Health Insurance Card. The card is issued by your insurance provider and lets you use the public health care system in any EU country, including Germany.
If you're from outside the EU, or if you have a private health insurance, check if your insurance is valid in Germany. If not, get a travel health insurance for the trip – German health care is expensive.
Foreign insurance, even if it covers travel abroad, may not be accepted by local hospitals.
In any somewhat urgent case you will be treated first and asked for insurance or presented a bill later.
Drinking water
Tap water (Leitungswasser) is of excellent quality, and can be consumed with little concern. Exceptions are labeled ("Kein Trinkwasser", no drinking water) and can for example be found on fountains and in trains. In restaurants and cafes you will often have to specifically request 'Leitungswasser' since it is not generally assumed.
Many Germans tend to avoid drinking tap water and prefer bottled water (still or sparkling), in the erroneous belief that tap water is somehow of inferior quality. Istilah Leitungswasser actually means 'plumbing water' which also doesn't actually sound too enticing. As a matter of fact, tap water is sometimes of even better quality than bottled water and unlike in e.g. the US there is no chlorine taste to it whatsoever. However, on some areas there is a taste difference for particularly sensitive palate due to the different mineral composition. Be aware however that some regions tap water have nitrate content above WHO levels and should not be drunk by women in early stages of pregnancy for any prolonged period.
Many Germans prefer sparkling (carbonated) water. Sparkling water is sold in any store that sells beverages and prices range from inexpensive 19-cent bottles (1.5 L) of "no-name" brands to several euros for fancy "premium" brands.
Most people buy bottled water in crates of 12 glass bottles or packs of 6 plastic bottles. Both the bottles and crates include a returnable deposit (Pfand). While the deposits for reusable plastic (15 cents) or glass bottles (8 cents) are relatively low, the deposit for disposable plastic bottles (marked by a special symbol on the side of the bottle) is relatively high at 25 cents and may be higher than the price of the water itself. Bottled water is usually sold carbonated (sparkling), although regular water (stilles Wasser) is also widely available and slowly gaining popularity among Germans. Sparkling water is usually sold in supermarkets in two degrees of sparkling: one with more CO2 (usually called spritzig or classic) and one with less CO2 (usually called medium).
Most springs and many public restrooms (e.g. on planes or trains) use non-potable water that has to be clearly marked by the words "kein Trinkwasser" or a symbol showing a glass of water with a diagonal line through it. If there is no such sign and the surroundings don't indicate otherwise it is safe to assume that the water is safe for human consumption.
Swimming
Many lakes and rivers, as well as both the North Sea and Baltic Sea are generally safe for swimming. Nevertheless, while there may be no life-threatening pollutants in most bodies of water, you would do very well to inform yourself about local regulations. If you intend to swim in a large river, at best do so only on official bathing locations. Keep away from structures (power plants might cause streams you don't see from the surface) in the river or reaching from the shore into the river, also keep out of the path of ships. Both structures and ships, even if they look harmless or far away, may create major sucks underwater. Take particular care of children.
If you intend to swim in the North Sea you should inform yourselves about the tide schedules and weather conditions – getting caught in a tide can be fatal, getting lost in the mist, too. Hiking in the Wattenmeer without a local guide is extremely dangerous. In the Baltic Sea, on the other hand, there are virtually no tides.
Diseases
You should be aware of rabies (Tollwut) which has been a problem in some areas in the past, even though the authorities take it very seriously. If you go hiking or camping then be careful around wild animals such as foxes and bats.
The biggest risks hikers and campers face are two diseases transmitted by ticks. In some parts of Germany there is a (low) risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis; vaccination is advised if you plan out-door activities in high-risk areas. The risk of Lyme disease is higher and vaccination is not available. Therefore, you should try to prevent tick-bites by wearing long trousers and appropriate shoes. Chemical repellents can also be effective. You should also check for ticks afterwards since the risk of transmission is lower if the tick is removed early. The safest way to remove a tick is by using a credit card sized device called a "Zeckenkarte" (tick card), which you can get at most pharmacies. Other methods (fingers, using glue, etc.) might lead to the tick injecting even more infectious material into the wound. If in any doubt consult a doctor.
Natural dangers
Today, wild animals, although they abound, are mostly very shy, so you might not get to see many. When a few wolves in Saxony and Pomerania and a bear in Bavaria have been sighted, their immigration from Eastern Europe caused quite a stir. In the course of events, "Bruno" (the bear) was shot, and while the wolves are under heavy protection, local hunters have been suspected of killing them illegally. The most dangerous animal in Germany's forests is by far the wild boar; in particular, sows leading young are nothing to joke about. Wild boar are used to humans, since they often plunder trash cans in villages and suburbs, and their teeth can rip big wounds. If you see one, slowly walk into the opposite direction while still facing the animal. Also the poisonous crossed viper can pose a threat (in the Alpine region and natural reserves), though they are rare - don't provoke them.
Toilets
It can be surprisingly hard to locate a public toilet when needed. They are usually indicated by the letters WC, pictograms or the letter "H" (Herren; gentlemen) or "D" (Damen, ladies). Public toilets are rarely free. Sometimes you have to be a customer at the place they're attached to, sometimes there's an attendant and a "tip plate" to guilt trip you into paying money that may or may not be handed on to cleaning personnel. But one of the more common ways they charge you is the Sanifair system whereby you pay an amount of money and get a voucher for a lower amount of money (75 cents pay, 50 cents value) that you are able to cash in for goods at the adjacent (and other) stores, often subject to a bunch of conditions. Thankfully toilets in trains air-planes and buses are still free, but patrons often leave them in a disgusting state and sadly there isn't always someone around who can clean them. Fast food outlets and hotel receptions are usually a good option, fuel stations will usually provide facilities on request of a key. Shopping centres (Globus, Kaufland, Real, MediaMarkt etc) or hardware stores (Bauhaus,, Hagebau, Hela, Hornbach, Obi etc.) also have customer toilets, which can mostly be used free of charge. Aldi, Lidl or Netto mostly have no customer toilets.
Smoking and vaping
Individual Bundesländer started banning smoking in public places and other areas in early 2007, however the laws vary from state to state. Smoking is generally banned in all restaurants and cafes. Some places may provide separate smoking areas but it is best to enquire when booking. Smokers should be prepared to step outside if they want to light up. The only three states with a strict non-smoking law without exceptions are Bavaria, Saarland dan Rhine-Westphalia Utara. Smoking is banned on all forms of public transport including on railway platforms (except in designated smoking areas, which are clearly marked with the word Raucherbereich [smoking area]). The laws are strictly enforced.
In restaurants it is widely accepted for customers to leave their table without paying the bill to go for a smoke and return later. If you are alone, tell the staff that you are going outside to smoke, and if you have a bag or coat, leave it there.
Supermarkets sell cigarettes, but they are usually encased in a special section adjacent to the cashier, where you must ask if you want to get one. Vending machines can also be found near bus stops, but you must insert a German ID card before using it. One pack of 20 cigarettes would usually cost €5-€7,50. Cheaper alternatives are roll-your-own tobacco, yet these cannot be bought in vending machines.
Vaping is also upcoming in Germany, more in the urban areas than the country sides. In nearly every city you can find a Dampfershop [vaping store] where you can get hardware or liquid, with or without Nicotine, €3-6 per 10ml. If you stay longer buy base and aroma separate and mix by yourself, it is much cheaper. Bringing large liquid bottles with Nicotine into Germany, in particular with more than 20 mg/ml and from outside the EU, can be illegal. To be safe carry only your needs for few days. The law say vaping is not smoking and so it is not affected by the non-smoking law, but most people do not know this. So if you like to be kind and safe do it like smoking and accept the common no-smoking rules too. Deutsche Bahn and other state-level public transport companies do not allow vaping on stations (except in the smoking areas), nor on their public transport.
Respect
Culture
The Germans have earned themselves a reputation for being stiff and strict with rules but also hard working and efficient. If you are caught breaking the rules, this will be readily pointed out to you by someone. The main exception in Germany seems to be speed limits. A quintessentially German action is waiting at a red traffic light at 2 AM with all streets empty.
More importantly, the German sense of "politeness" differs significantly from the Anglo-American concept of courteous remarks, small talk and political correctness. Germans highly value honesty, straight talking, being able to cope with criticism and generally not wasting other people's time. For instance, while the answer to "How is your day?" is a standard pleasantry like "It's going very well." in the Anglosphere, Germans will feel obliged to answer the question honestly when asked. Consequently, business meetings tend to lack the introductory chit-chat.
Titles (such as Dr., Prof. etc.) tend to be more used in the south than in the north. One would not blame you to leave them away. Some colleagues that have worked together for many years still call each by their surname. When a German introduces himself to you, he/she will often simply state their surname, prompting you to call them "Mr/Mrs...". Germans would not expect you to use the German words "Herr" (man) and "Frau" (woman) when speaking in English. The title "Fräulein" for an unmarried woman is considered nowadays to be dated or even sexist, so just stick to "Frau".
Using first names immediately is most likely seen as derogatory, depending on the situation. Of course, there are differences between the young and older people. You should consider the use of the surname and the formal Sie as a sign of friendly respect. If you have a drink together, you may be offered the non-formal Du and to call your colleague by their first name, you can also offer it. However it might be seen as a faux-pas to do so if you are clearly younger or "lower-ranking". Start-up culture usually values informality and will address every employee with Du and there are a few organizations in which members have been addressing each other with Du since the 19th century, including leftist parties like the SPD, railroaders or the Scouting movement. Still, being too formal by using "Sie" is virtually always the "safer" option and saying "Du" to a police officer on duty can even get you fined.
The German word Freund actually means close friend, or "boyfriend". Someone you may have known for a few years may still not refer to you as a Freund but rather Bekannter (an acquaintance).
There is also a strong desire to achieve mutual agreement and compromise. As for the infamous efficiency: Germans are the world's leading recreationists (at an average of 30 days of paid leave per year, not counting public holidays), while maintaining one of the highest productivity rates on earth. A late-running train is considered a sign of the degradation of society.
Despite popular belief, the Germans do have a sense of humour although it is often expressed differently than it is in English-speaking countries. If you are around people, you get to know well that sarcasm and irony are very common kinds of humour. Puns are popular too, just like in anglophone countries. However, humor is not the default approach to the world (unlike in - say - England) and therefore a quip in the wrong situation may draw blank stares or disapproval or simply not be understood as a joke.
Punctuality
In official contexts (when conducting business) punctuality is seen not as a courtesy but as a precondition for future relations. As in most countries, you are expected to arrive on time at a business meeting unless you can give a good reason in your defense (i.e. being stuck in unforeseeable heavy traffic). It is seen as a courtesy to call the other participants if you seem to be running late, even if there is still a chance that you will arrive on time. Regular delays are seen as disrespect for the other participants. However, such German punctuality doesn't apply on German railway.
For personal relations, importance attached to punctuality may differ from individual to individual. It is still always safer to be punctual than late, but the subject may be a negotiable matter: if unsure just ask 'is punctuality important to you?'. Punctuality also depends on the milieu, in a collegiate environment, for example, it is taken much less seriously. For private invitations to a home, it may even be considered more polite to be 5–15 minutes late as to not embarrass the host in case not everything has been prepared.
Behaving in public
Germany, especially urban Germany, is rather tolerant and your common sense should be sufficient to keep you out of trouble.
Drinking alcohol in public is not forbidden and is even a common sight in the far west (Cologne and the Rhine-Ruhr Area). In some larger cities (such as Cologne), there are local laws that in theory make drinking alcohol in public a misdemeanour punishable with a fine of tens of euros; these laws are rarely enforced against tourists, except in cases when drinking leads to rowdy behaviour. Such laws have also been successfully challenged in court in several places. Behaving aggressively or disturbing the peace will earn you a conversation with German police officers and possibly a fine or an order to leave, regardless of whether you're drunk or stone-cold sober.
Be particularly careful to behave respectfully in places of worship and places that carry the dignity of the state, such as the numerous war and holocaust memorials, parliaments and other historical sites. Some such sites will post Hausordnung (house rules) that prohibit disrespectful or disruptive behaviors. These rules may range from common-sense prohibitions against taking pictures during religious ceremonies to things that may seem strange to you, like prohibiting men from keeping their hands in their pockets. You should keep an eye out for these signs and obey the posted rules. Another very common sight is a sign that says Eltern haften für ihre Kinder (parents are liable for their children). This is a reminder that German people believe both that children should be children, and also that parents should supervise them, so that no one gets hurt and nothing gets broken. If your child is being rowdy and accidentally spills or breaks something in a store, you can generally expect to pay for it.
Insulting other people is prohibited by German law and, if prosecuted, can result in jail time and a heavy fine. It is unusual that charges are brought, but exercise common sense in all cases. Insulting a police officer will always lead to charges though.
On German beaches, it's generally all right for women to bathe topless. Full nudity is tolerated on most beaches, although not a frequent sight outside of the numerous nudist areas (labeled "FKK" or "Freikörperkultur", literally free body culture). These are especially common at the East German Baltic Sea coastline, due to the high popularity of nudism in the former GDR. It's also possible to spot nudists in Berlin's public parks and in Munich's "English Garden". In most saunas, nudity is compulsory and mixed sessions are common practice. One day of the week is usually only for women.
Being a guest
In general, Germans will only invite you to their home if they expect you to take them up on the offer. The "Yeah let's hang out sometime" that Americans sometimes use as a piece of meaningless conversation fluff will not be understood by Germans. While Germans value hospitality ("Gastfreundschaft", literally "guest friendliness") they themselves see their culture of hospitality as weaker than that of - say - the Arab world. When invited it is certainly courteous to bring a small gift. Consumable gifts are usually prepared as many Germans dislike filling their home with trinkets they don't know what to do with. If the invitation is one where the consumption of alcohol can be expected, bringing a bottle of wine or spirit can be a good gift and if you are invited by younger people for a party you can also bring a crate of beer - though preferably of a smaller independent and more upmarket brand. If you can gift something connected to your place of origin, all the better - a treat from abroad will virtually always arise the curiosity of your hosts. Germans like to keep their home neat and tidy and will likely "apologise for the mess" even if there isn't any. This entails that you usually should leave your shoes at the entrance - when in doubt, just ask. Most hosts will provide you with Hausschuhe (literally "house shoes") to be worn inside. When you are invited to a German's home, you can expect to have some sort of food or drink. Should you have any allergies, religious dietary restriction or be a vegan or vegetarian, you should make that clear ahead of time, to avoid the mutual embarrassment of a menu being cooked for you which you can't or won't eat. "Kaffee und Kuchen" ("coffee and cake") is the quintessential German afternoon food and it is likely that any invitation during the afternoon for an informal gathering will entail that. If you don't drink coffee, it is usually possible to replace the coffee with cacao, though it may be seen as a bit odd if you are an adult.
People
Owing in part to the long era of numerous German petty states being de jure atau de facto sovereign, Germany has strong regional identities and local patriotism that may refer to a city, a federal state or a region within a federal state or crossing state lines. While some state boundaries are drawn pretty arbitrarily, states are politically powerful and many have their own unique character. The rule of thumb is that wealth rises towards the south and west: While Baden-Württemberg dan Bavaria compete with Switzerland and Austria for quality of life, the economy of the eastern states is still lagging behind. A more liberal atmosphere is dominant as the traveller goes northward: Hamburg dan Berlin have had homosexual mayors, bars and clubs are open all night and the density of young artists in Berlin Friedrichshain easily surpasses that of London, Paris or Manhattan. Northern Germany is in the same cultural sphere as the Netherlands and Scandinavia with even the food and architecture more pragmatic, simple and unrefined than in the south, where Catholicism has been predominant. Contrary to the general trend, Hamburg is the richest city in Germany (and one of the ten richest regions in Europe) even outpacing trendy Munich.
The Nazi era
In the late 19th Century, Germany was arguably one of the most enlightened societies in the world. As a mental exercise, try to think of five famous physicists, philosophers, composers or poets without mentioning a German name. This dignity and prestige faced a severe setback during the period of National Socialist rule under Hitler (1933-1945). Since then, the Third Reich has been a permanent scar on the German national identity, and is considered a blot on Germany's national honour and will remain so for a very long time. Every German pupil has to deal with it at about 5 times during his or her schooling, and is very likely to visit a concentration camp at least once (most such sites have been transformed into memorials). Not a single day passes without educational programmes on television and radio dealing with this period of time.
Growing up in Germany, whether in the GDR or West Germany, meant and still means growing up with this bitter heritage, and every German has developed her or his own way of dealing with the public guilt. For the traveller, this can mean confusion. You might come across people (especially young ones) eager to talk to you about Germany's troubled history, feeling the urge to convince you Germany has come a long way since then. Choose adequate places to talk about the issue and be polite about it. If you are visiting friends, you might find it hard to keep them from dragging you into a memorial.
Humour, even made innocently, is absolutely the wrong way of approaching the matter and is insulting. All Nazi-era slogans, symbols, and gestures are forbidden (except for educational purposes, and even these are regulated). Displaying them in public or spreading propaganda material is illegal. Foreigners are not exempt from these laws. Do not even think about jokingly giving a stiff arm Nazi (roman) salute! This is a punishable act according to the German Penal Code, §86a: displaying the symbols of anticonstitutional organisations. Usually you will face 'only' a fine, of like €500. If the authorities suspect you of having propagandistic intentions, they can put you in jail for up to three years! (Religious Swastikas are exempted from this rule, though you are still advised to avoid displaying the symbol so you do not cause any unintentional offence.)
The German national anthem is the third stanza of a traditional song from the 19th century, Lied der Deutschen, written to the melody of Joseph Haydn's Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser by one August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben on the island of Heligoland while the latter was under English control. The first stanza starts with Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles (Germany, Germany above everything). While this stanza is not forbidden, and even was officially a part of the national anthem during the Weimar Republic, do not quote or sing this stanza. Many people associate it with hyper-nationalism, and it will disgust them the same way as a Nazi slogan. Similarly, symbols of the 1871-1918 Kaiserreich like the Black-White-Red flag are not officially forbidden yet, but are these days virtually only used by the far right and will draw sangat negative reactions. In 2020 there was a renewed debate about officially outlawing symbols of the Kaiserreich which however has not produced any concrete results as of October 2020.
Probably the best way to deal with the issue is to stay relaxed about it. If the people around you like to talk about German history then use the opportunity for a sincere, maybe even very personal conversation. If you want to steer clear of awkward moments, don't bring up the matter.
German Democratic Republic era
Compared to the Nazi era, Germans have a more open attitude to the postwar division of Germany into East and West. Communist symbols, GDR songs and other East-German related regalia are circulated freely (though uncommon in the western parts) and many are somewhat nostalgic about the country, hence the artistic and commercial movement "Ostalgie" (nostalgia for the East). Be careful when discussing the East German secret police (Stasi) since many people in the East were negatively affected by the control of all aspects of life by this organisation, that maintained an extensive network of informants throughout the country during the communist era. While the division is some time in the past now, there are still cultural remnants often referred to as the "mental wall" (Mauer in den Köpfen) and the last couple of years seem to have reinforced stereotypes between East and West if anything. More and more positive aspects of East German policies are openly discussed these days - be they the more extensive use of rail as a mode of transportation or the comparatively high gender equality of the East, but attitudes vary from person to person and generally follow the political spectrum - right wingers will be less inclined to see anything positive about the GDR.
Regional rivalries
Many Germans are fiercely attached to their region or even town and it is nothing out of the ordinary to hear people making disparaging remarks about a town a few miles over or even a different neighbourhood in large cities like Berlin. While the purported reasons for such rivalries vary, they're almost never as serious as they may appear. Some of those rivalries overlap with sports rivalries (mostly soccer), but even then they only get heated when a game is on or someone is wearing the uniform of a team involved. While saying positive things about the town or region you're in is always appreciated, you should tread more lightly with bashing other places, even if locals seem to be doing it constantly.
Traditionally, regional rivalries also extended to religion, with the north and east being predominantly Lutheran, and the south and west being predominantly Roman Catholic, however cuius regio eius religio and early modern splintering of territories ensured heavily Catholic areas could lie right next to heavily Lutheran or reformed areas. However, this has diminished significantly in modern times as Germany has transformed into a largely secular society, with regular churchgoers now being in the minority. Work migration and the influx of (post-) World War II refugees has also made erstwhile confessionally homogenous villages much more mixed. In general, people from formerly communist East Germany tend to be less religious than people from the West, due to the fact that religion was discouraged by the officially-atheist communist regime.
Sambung
Telephone
The international calling code for Germany is 49, and the prefix for international calls is 00; the area code prefix is 0. Some number blocks are reserved for special use: Number starting with 010xx let you choose a different phone provider, 0800 and 00800 are toll-free numbers, 0180 are service numbers (which may or may not be more expensive than a local call). Avoid 0900 prefix numbers. These are for commercial services and usually incredibly expensive.
Landlines
German phone numbers are of the form 49 351 125-3456 where "49" is the country code for Germany, the next digits are the area code and the remaining digits are the "local" part of the subscriber number that can be called from within that particular area code using abbreviated dialing. Since there are no standard lengths for either geographic area codes or subscribers' numbers, the last part may be as short as two digits! The 5000-odd German area codes vary in length from 2 thru 5 digits. You need to dial "0" in front of the geographic area code from outside that particular area code (but when still within Germany).
Since the liberalisation of Germany's phone market, there are a multitude of phone providers on the market. If you're calling from a private landline phone, you can usually choose from the different providers (and thus from different pricing schemes) by using special prefix numbers (starting with 010xx) with prices of €0.01 or €0.02, sometimes below €0.01 even for international calls. There's a calculator on the net di mana anda boleh membandingkan harga untuk pelbagai tujuan. Hotel biasanya mempunyai kontrak dengan penyedia telefon tertentu dan tidak akan membiarkan anda menggunakan yang lain. Harga telefon yang dikenakan oleh hotel boleh mengejutkan, terutama di hotel mewah, di mana panggilan telefon selama lima minit untuk membuat tempahan restoran boleh dikenakan biaya € 50. Pastikan anda telah memeriksa kad tarif sebelum mengambil telefon.
Mudah alih
- Lihat juga: Kesatuan Eropah # Sambung
Nombor telefon bimbit di Jerman mesti selalu didail dengan semua digit (10-12 digit, termasuk awalan "0" yang "1nn" di Jerman), di mana pun mereka dipanggil. The 1nn adalah awalan mudah alih, bukan "kod kawasan", dan digit kedua dan ketiga ( nn bahagian) menunjukkan rangkaian mudah alih asal yang diberikan sebelum mudah alih nombor diambil kira 49 151-123-456.
Mudah alih liputan telefon pada tiga rangkaian (Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, dan O2pada amnya sangat baik di seluruh negara. UMTS (data 3G dan HSDPA), LTE (4G), dan EDGE juga tersedia. LTE masih agak terhad di kawasan bandar. Semua penyedia mudah alih menggunakan teknologi GSM di Julat frekuensi 900 dan 1800 MHz. Ini berbeza dengan standard GSM 1900 yang digunakan di Amerika Syarikat, tetapi telefon bimbit "multi-band" moden biasanya akan berfungsi di semua rangkaian GSM. Telefon bukan GSM tidak boleh digunakan di Jerman. Sekiranya anda mempunyai telefon bimbit GSM dari Amerika Syarikat, pastikan anda menghubungi pembekal anda di AS sebelum perjalanan anda dan minta mereka "membuka kunci" telefon bimbit anda supaya anda dapat menggunakannya dengan kad SIM Jerman. Tol untuk panggilan telefon ke nombor telefon bimbit Jerman dibayar oleh pemanggil.
Sekiranya anda tinggal untuk jangka masa yang lebih lama, pertimbangkan untuk membeli kad telefon prabayar dari salah satu syarikat telefon bimbit; anda tidak akan menghadapi masalah mencari Deutsche Telekom (dibeli di Kedai Telekom), Vodafone, atau O2 simpan di mana-mana kawasan membeli-belah utama.
Telefon bimbit masih ada agak mahal di German. Bergantung pada kontrak anda, anda mungkin dikenakan bayaran sekitar € 0.10–0.39 seminit untuk panggilan ke telefon bimbit dan darat Jerman. Panggilan dari telefon bimbit Jerman anda ke nombor telefon bukan Jerman (termasuk telefon bimbit bukan Jerman yang terdapat secara fizikal di Jerman) biasanya berharga € 1 hingga € 2 seminit, bergantung pada negara yang berkenaan dan rancangan anda. Secara amnya, untuk telefon bimbit, T-Mobile dan Vodafone adalah pilihan utama bagi orang yang mahukan perkhidmatan berkualiti tinggi, terutama di luar bandar. O2/ E-Plus mempunyai harga yang lebih rendah. Sekiranya anda mengharapkan sokongan pelanggan dalam bahasa Inggeris, maka Vodafone mungkin salah satu pilihan anda yang lebih baik.
Di kebanyakan rangkaian pasar raya (contohnya Aldi, Lidl, Penny, Netto, Tchibo, Rewe, toom) anda boleh membeli kad SIM prabayar dari penyedia maya mereka sendiri, walaupun rangkaian mereka masih dikendalikan oleh 3 operator telekomunikasi Jerman yang besar. Ini biasanya agak murah untuk dibeli (€ 10–20 dengan waktu udara 5–15 minit) dan untuk panggilan nasional (€ 0,09–0,19 / minit), tetapi mahal untuk panggilan antarabangsa (sekitar € 1-2 / min), tetapi masuk panggilan sentiasa percuma dan kos SMS sekitar € 0,09-0,19. Walaupun panggilan antarabangsa menggunakan kad SIM Jerman mahal, ada beberapa tawaran prabayar dengan harga yang baik.
Syarikat seperti Lyca Mobile, Lebara dan lain-lain mempunyai kepakaran dalam menyediakan harga panggilan antarabangsa yang agak berpatutan (kadang-kadang lebih murah daripada perkhidmatan Voice over IP), yang kebanyakannya ditujukan untuk kumpulan diaspora dan pendatang.
Namun, sayangnya, paranoia mengenai telefon bimbit yang digunakan dalam jenayah atau keganasan menjadikannya semakin sukar untuk hanya membeli telefon atau SIM pra-bayar dan mula menelefon. Bergantung pada pembekal anda mungkin perlu memberikan nombor kad kredit, kenali diri anda melalui ID Pos atau ID video. Walaupun boleh dilakukan, mereka tidak selalu dirancang dengan cara yang mudah bagi orang asing tanpa status pemastautin, walaupun secara teori, sesiapa yang mempunyai pengenalan diri yang sah dapat membeli kad-kad ini dan alamat Jerman yang diberikan tidak perlu ditulis dalam sistem . Walaupun begitu, lebih baik membeli kad SIM dari kedai yang menawarkan perkhidmatan pendaftaran kad SIM dan pastikan anda membawa kad pengenalan anda. Sebagai alternatif, jika anda sudah mempunyai pakej telefon bimbit aktif dari penyedia yang berpusat di negara EU yang lain, secara amnya anda dapat menggunakan data biasa anda (tertakluk pada had data bulanan yang dikenakan EU), SMS dan elaun panggilan domestik semasa Jerman tanpa perlu mendaftarkannya atau dikenakan caj tambahan (walaupun memanggil nombor telefon Jerman mungkin dikenakan biaya tambahan: hubungi penyedia anda).
Kaedah alternatif
Sebilangan besar orang Jerman memiliki telefon bimbit (disebut "Handys" dalam bahasa Jerman, disebut "hendy"); keburukan dari ini adalah yang biasa berlaku bilik telefon telah mula hilang kecuali di lokasi "strategik" seperti stesen kereta api. Mereka biasanya terdiri daripada tiang perak dengan bahagian atas merah jambu dan telefon terpasang di bahagian depan. Di beberapa tempat masih terdapat versi lama yang terdiri daripada kabin kuning dengan pintu dan telefon di dalamnya.
Sebagai alternatif, anda juga boleh membeli kad telefon prabayar anda boleh gunakan dengan menghubungi nombor bebas tol; ini sangat baik sekiranya anda berhasrat untuk membuat panggilan antarabangsa. Walau bagaimanapun, kualiti dan harga kad berbeza-beza, jadi cadangan yang baik tidak dapat dibuat.
Dalam kedai telefon, yang anda dapati di bandar-bandar utama, anda boleh membuat panggilan antarabangsa dengan harga yang murah. Kedai-kedai panggilan ini kebanyakannya berada di kawasan bandar dengan banyak pendatang dan merupakan pilihan terbaik anda untuk menghubungi di peringkat antarabangsa. Selain menawarkan panggilan ke luar negara, mereka menjual kad panggilan antarabangsa untuk digunakan dari mana-mana telefon di Jerman. Anda biasanya dapat melihat kedai-kedai ini dengan banyak bendera yang menghiasi tingkap mereka.
Internet
Wi-Fi
Akses internet melalui Wi-Fi (juga biasa disebut WLAN) adalah biasa di Jerman. Kafe internet mula menjadi tidak biasa kerana tawaran Wi-Fi percuma yang meluas di kedai, restoran atau kafe. Kadang-kadang memerlukan penggunaan minimum tetapi biasanya percuma di dalam premis. Kedai telefon juga sering menawarkan akses internet. Kedai-kedai berikut menyediakan akses Wifi percuma: Galeria Kaufhof, sebenar (pasar raya), REWE, IKEA, H&M, dm-Drogerie, Subway, McDonald's, Starbucks, dan Burger King.
Banyak hotel menawarkan akses internet untuk tetamu, namun kecepatannya terhad dan mungkin tidak mencukupi untuk melihat dan menggunakan halaman / aplikasi yang kaya multimedia dengan cepat. Internet berkelajuan tinggi premium mungkin tersedia - selalunya dengan harga tinggi, jadi sahkan akses dan harga dengan hotel anda sebelum menggunakannya. Hotel persendirian kecil dan hotel rantai lebih murah sering akan menawarkan Wi-Fi secara percuma (mis. Motel One) apabila anda menempah sebagai pakej dengan sarapan, rantai yang lebih besar biasanya akan mengenakan harga yang terlalu tinggi. Dianjurkan untuk mendapatkan keahlian dalam mereka program kesetiaan, kerana ini biasanya akan memberi anda akses internet percuma.
Di beberapa bandar, projek ada untuk disediakan kawasan panas "komuniti" percuma untuk rangkaian tanpa wayar. Sebagai contoh, hotspot "Freifunk" disediakan secara percuma oleh masyarakat setempat dan tidak memerlukan pendaftaran. freifunk-karte.de tunjukkan peta kawasan panas ini.
Tempat duduk penumpang di beberapa tempat lapangan terbang dan stesen keretapi pusat juga menyediakan akses internet kepada pelanggan mereka.
Perpustakaan awam sering menawarkan akses Internet, walaupun biasanya tidak percuma. Perpustakaan dibuka untuk umum secara percuma. Membawa buku ke rumah mungkin memerlukan anda mendapatkan kad pelanggan dengan bayaran yang rendah. Cawangan Perpustakaan Negara di Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main dan Berlin tidak percuma.
Sebilangan besar universiti di Jerman mengambil bahagian eduroam. Sekiranya anda pelajar atau staf universiti yang mengambil bahagian, perkhidmatan ini membolehkan anda mendapatkan akses kepada tetamu ke rangkaian wayarles mereka. Periksa dengan universiti anda sendiri untuk maklumat terperinci sebelum perjalanan anda.
Dihidupkan pengangkutan, terdapat Wi-Fi di sebilangan kecil (tetapi berkembang) kereta api tempatan (kebanyakannya disebabkan oleh kontrak era pra-telefon pintar antara kereta api dan negara yang memberi subsidi kepada perkhidmatan WiFi tidak selalu dilihat sebagai keutamaan besar). Keretapi antar bandar tidak mempunyai jenis WiFi, tetapi hampir semua kereta api ICE mempunyai WiFi percuma di kelas kedua dan pertama. Bas jarak jauh biasanya dilengkapi dengan WiFi tetapi lebar jalur sering terhad dan bas mungkin kekurangan WiFi tanpa pengumuman sebelumnya. Bas tempatan semakin dilengkapi dengan WiFi. Semua orang mempunyai kesamaan bahawa menyambung ke WiFi akan meletakkan anda di halaman arahan di mana anda akan memasukkan beberapa data atau alamat e-mel atau hanya mengesahkan bahawa anda menerima terma dan syarat. Oleh kerana hotspot mudah alih yang disediakan melalui rangkaian internet mudah alih biasa, mereka cenderung kurang stabil di kawasan luar bandar atau ketika banyak orang sekaligus menggunakannya dan jika anda mempunyai rancangan data yang memungkinkan, telefon anda sendiri dapat lebih cepat daripada WiFi yang disediakan oleh mod pengangkutan. WiFi di kapal terbang agak jarang berlaku, walaupun dalam penerbangan domestik. Flixbus menawarkan WiFi percuma (dan juga soket kuasa) pada perkhidmatan jurulatih mereka.
Pelan data mudah alih
Beberapa SIM pra-bayar membolehkan akses Internet dengan bayaran tetap bulanan, seperti yang terdapat di kedai kopi Tchibo (rangkaian o2, € 10 / bulan terhad kepada 500 MB, € 20 / bulan untuk 5 GB) atau Aldi (rangkaian E-Plus ). Kad SIM O2 biasa, yang boleh digunakan untuk panggilan dan mesej teks, adalah € 15 dan € 15 lagi membeli data 1GB yang sah selama 1 bulan. Vodafone menawarkan kad SIM prabayar dengan harga € 25 yang merangkumi kredit € 22.5, dari mana anda boleh mendapatkan 300 MB data selama 2 hari dengan harga € 15 dan dibiarkan dengan kredit € 7.5.
Masalah hak cipta
Perkongsian fail dan streaming kandungan dilindungi hak cipta tidak sah di Jerman. Firma undang-undang khusus terus mengesan pelanggar dengan nombor IP mereka dan mengenakan denda yang besar (hingga beberapa ribu euro) serta meminta pelanggar untuk menandatangani dokumen undang-undang yang dia tidak akan melakukannya lagi. Walaupun anda telah meninggalkan negara ini, pemilik sambungan internet yang anda gunakan mungkin menghadapi masalah serius. Ini merujuk kepada hubungan peribadi (rakan, keluarga dan sebagainya). Untuk kepentingan anda sendiri dan hos anda, pastikan bahawa semua aplikasi perkongsian fail pada peranti anda tidak aktif semasa berada di Jerman serta menahan diri dari streaming kandungan dari laman web yang tidak diragukan lagi sah, atau menggunakan perkhidmatan VPN.
Perkhidmatan pos
Deutsche Post, perkhidmatan pos yang diswastakan oleh Jerman, mengendalikan beberapa syarikat antarabangsa termasuk DHL dan lain lain. Sehingga Ogos 2020, poskad standard berharga € 0.60 untuk dihantar di Jerman dan € 0.95 di tempat lain. Surat standard yang tidak berat lebih dari 20 gram berharga € 0,80 untuk dihantar di Jerman dan 1,10 € di tempat lain. Huruf dengan berat hingga 50 gram berharga € 0,95 (Jerman) atau € 1,70 (antarabangsa).
Setem terdapat di pejabat pos dan kadangkala di agen berita atau kedai yang menjual kad pos, walaupun anda mungkin menjumpai kedai yang hanya akan menjual setem pos untuk mengiringi kad pos yang anda beli di sana. Mesin layan diri boleh didapati di banyak tempat. Anda boleh membeli setem semua denominasi dari 0,01 € hingga 36,75 € walaupun dalam reka bentuk bersatu yang membosankan dari mesin penjual setem. Tidak seperti kebanyakan mesin penjual lain, mereka menerima setiap duit syiling dari 1 sen hingga 2 Euro tetapi perubahan hanya diberikan dalam setem. Kerana "cap perubahan" ini mungkin menunjukkan nilai yang pelik, sebaiknya pastikan anda mempunyai duit syiling kecil yang mencukupi.
Surat-surat di Jerman kebanyakannya dihantar dalam masa 1 hari, memberi sedikit masa untuk Eropah. Surat ke Amerika Utara mungkin memakan masa hingga seminggu.
Perkhidmatan ini telah dikurangkan dalam proses penswastaan. Oleh kerana kenaikan kadar kecurian (terutamanya oleh pembawa surat dan kontraktor pihak luar), sebarang penghantaran antarabangsa, terutama yang masuk, harus diinsuranskan jika ia berharga. Walaupun hadiah peribadi dengan nilai normal biasanya baik-baik saja, Perkhidmatan Kastam Jerman diketahui menyimpan barang yang dipesan dari laman web bukan EU, terutama dari China sejak sekian lama, kadang-kadang bahkan merampas barang yang disyaki cetak rompak produk.
Surat udara (Luftpost) semurah alternatif, Landweg. Sekiranya anda mahu menghantar pakej, ada tiga pilihan (paling murah hingga paling mahal): Maxibrief (huruf besar hingga 2 kg dan L W H = 900 mm), Päckchen (bungkusan kecil hingga 2 kg, tidak diinsuranskan untuk surat antarabangsa), dan Pakej DHL. Kalaulah buku dihantar, harga dikurangkan dikenakan (Büchersendung), tetapi harapkan surat itu dibuka dan dilihat, kerana hanya buku yang dibenarkan di dalamnya. Harga untuk Büchersendungen berbeza antara € 1.00 dan € 1.65, bergantung pada ukuran dan berat. Perkhidmatan Pos Jerman membenarkan barang dihantar ke pejabat pos dan sistem mereka sendiri Packstationen sering dijumpai di tempat letak kenderaan runcit atau stesen minyak. Loker Amazon menjadi lebih biasa tetapi merupakan sistem yang tidak serasi - loker simpanan yang sama hanya boleh menjadi a Packstation atau loker Amazon.
Anda boleh menjatuhkan surat dan bungkusan di stesen FedEx dan UPS. Berharap untuk beratur.
Pergi seterusnya
Jerman adalah titik permulaan yang sangat baik untuk menjelajahi Eropah Barat yang lain, sementara Lapangan terbang Frankfurt mempunyai hubungan terus ke banyak lapangan terbang utama di seluruh dunia. Juga dari Frankfurt, beberapa sambungan kereta api berkelajuan tinggi terus membawa anda ke ibu kota utama Eropah dalam beberapa jam.
- Dari timur senang dijangkau Prague di dalam Republik Czech dan Warsaw dalam Poland
- Dari barat daya Bahasa Perancis bandar-bandar di Reims dan Paris serta negara dan bandar Luxembourg akan membuat gol pertama yang baik.
- TGV / ICE terus ke Paris berhenti di Strasbourg, sebuah bandar yang indah di sempadan dengan pengaruh Perancis dan Jerman
- Belgium dan Belanda dari barat dengan Leuven dan Maastricht disyorkan tempat berhenti pertama; dan Denmark di barat laut
- Dari selatan dan barat daya ke pergunungan Austria dan Switzerland dengan Salzburg dan Lausanne menjadi "mesti melawat" tempat.
- Melalui laut di timur laut cuba Pelayaran di Laut Baltik untuk mengakses Negeri-negeri Baltik dan Negara Nordik.