“Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s” by Otto Friedrich: A fascinating portrait of the life of Berlin between the wars.Every country and every culture offers a unique opportunity—and sometimes a challenge—to enlarge one’s personal experience and understanding of the world. Germany is no exception. The more you know about German life and German culture, the more enjoyable and rewarding your trip to Germany will be. This chapter provides useful background information to help you plan your trip and understand the country. Check out the major festivals and events to find out what’s going on when. A section on German history arranges the country’s long and complicated past into a concise, easy-to-digest chronology. We cross-reference highlights of German art and architecture to specific cities and sites to help you place these works in context, and introduce the best of German food, beer. Finally, we provide suggestions for other books and movies that deal with all aspects of German life.
Peak travel months in Germany are May through October, with another boost in December when the Christmas markets are held and skiers head to the Bavarian Alps.
As in many parts of the world, the weather in Germany has become less predictable. Locals in northern Germany will tell you that they now get less snow and more rain, in southern Germany they’ll tell you that the climate is hotter and drier than it used to be. So be prepared for variations. Recent summers brought record-breaking heat waves and even in autumn many parts of Germany can be warmer than expected. A hurricane-like storm swept over parts of northern Germany in October 2013.
Overall, Germany has a predominantly mild, temperate climate. Average summer temperatures range from 20°C–30°C (72°F–80°F). The average winter temperature hovers around 0°C (32°F). That said, bear in mind that the climate is constantly affected by colliding continental and maritime air masses from the Baltic and North seas, resulting in plenty of unpredictable weather, especially in the north.
There’s more to Germany than Oktoberfest. Germany hums year-round with festivals and special events of all kinds, and these can add an additional sparkle to your trip. Below are a few of the major festivals and special events.
New Year’s Day International Ski Jumping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is one of Europe’s major winter sporting events. www.gapa.de. January 1.
Berlin International Film Festival lasts for a week and showcases the work of international film directors in addition to the latest German films. www.berlinale.de. Second week in February.
Fasching (Carnival) festivals take place in Catholic cities throughout Germany, reaching their peak on the Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday. Celebrations in Cologne (see chapter 9) and Munich (see chapter 6) are particularly famous. A week in February.
Hamburg Sommer is the umbrella name given to a summer-long series of cultural events in Hamburg (see chapter 5), including concerts, plays, festivals, and special exhibitions. www.hamburg.de/dom. May through July.
Historisches Festspiel (History Festival), Rothenburg ob der Tauber, celebrates the story of how a brave citizen saved the town from destruction by drinking a huge tankard of wine (an event called Der Meistertrunk). www.meistertrunk.de. Events take place over a 4-day period every Whitsuntide (Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter), in early September, and twice in October.
Oberammergau Passionspiele (Passion Play), a world-famous religious spectacle performed in the small Bavarian town of Oberammergau every decade, will next be performed in 2020. www.oberammergau-passionplay.com. May through October.
Heidelberg Castle Illumination During this week, fireworks enliven the sky in the romantic university city of Heidelberg. www.schloss-heidelberg.de. One Saturday in early June, mid-July, and early September.
Mozart Festival in Würzburg is a major cultural event in Germany. www.mozartfest.de. Early June to early July.
Gay Pride festivals, featuring parades, performances, and street fairs, take place in Berlin (see chapter 4), which hosts the largest such fest in Germany and Cologne (see chapter 9). Berlin’s celebration is the last weekend in June; Cologne, first weekend in June.
Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival One of the best music festivals in Europe, classical concerts take place in venues in and around the lovely old city of Lübeck. www.shmf.de. Mid-July through August or early September.
Weinfest (Wine Festival) Enjoy vintages from the surrounding Black Forest area during this celebration in Freiburg. Events take place in the Münsterplatz surrounding Freiburg’s magnificent cathedral. www.weinfest.freiburg.de. First week of July.
Bayreuther Festspiele One of Europe’s major opera events, the Bayreuther Festspiele (also known as the Richard Wagner Festival) takes place in the composer’s famous Festspielhaus (opera house) in Bayreuth. www.bayreuther-festspiele.de. July through late August.
Weinkost (Food and Wine Fair) During this yearly event in Freiburg, local residents and visitors enjoy the first vintages from grapes grown in the Black Forest district and regional food specialties. www.freiburg.de. Late July to early August.
Nürnberger Herbsvolksfest (Fall Folk Festival), a big Frankish folk festival in Nuremberg, features folk music, jazz concerts, and events for the whole family. www.volksfest-nuernberg.de. Last week in August to the first week in September.
Rotweinfest (Red Wine Festival), held in the village of Assmannshausen on the scenic Mittelrhein (see “Day Trips from Cologne,” chapter 9), celebrates the wines it is most famous for. www.assmannshausen.mittelrhein.net. Late August.
Musikfest Berlin, spread out over more than 2 weeks, plays host to orchestras, ensembles, conductors, and soloists from around the world. www.berlinerfestspiele.de. Late August to mid-September.
Alstervergnügen (Alster Pleasures) Arts and abound during in Hamburg’s august fete. Events, which take place around Binnenalster Lake, include food stalls, fireworks, and shows. www.alstervergnuegen.info. Last weekend in August.
Stuttgart Wine Festival Wine lovers converge on Schillerplatz in Stuttgart to taste a selection of more than 350 Württemberg wines and sample regional food specialties. www.stuttgart-tourist.de. Last week in August.
Oktoberfest Germany’s most famous beer festival, happens mostly in September, not October, in Munich (see chapter 6). Most activities occur at Theresienwiese, where local breweries sponsor giant tents, each holding up to 6,000 beer drinkers. www.oktoberfest.de. Mid-Sept to first Sunday in October.
Beer Festival Dating back to 1818, the 16-day Stuttgart’s beerapalooza is the second largest in Germany after Munich’s Oktoberfest. It begins with a grand procession of horse-drawn beer wagons and people in traditional costumes and features food, rides, and tents for beer drinkers. www.stuttgart-tourist.info. Late September.
Frankfurt Book Fair The largest book fair in Europe, it’s a major event in the world of international book publishing. www.buchmesse.de. Mid-October.
Jazz-Fest. Staged at various venues in Berlin, this annual music event attracts some of the world’s finest jazz artists. www.berlinerfestspiele.de. First week in November.
Hamburger Dom (also called Winter Dom), an annual amusement fair at Heiligengeistfeld in Hamburg is the biggest public event in northern Germany. www.hamburg.de/dom. November through December.
Christmas Markets, sometimes called a Weihnachtsmarkt (Weihnachten means Christmas) or a Christkindlmarkt (literally, “Christ Child Market”), take place in town squares throughout Germany. You find them in Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Munich, Nuremberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and Stuttgart, among other cities. www.visitgermany.com. Last weekend in November through Christmas.
Public holidays are January 1, Easter (Good Fri and Easter Mon), May 1 (Labor Day), Ascension Day (10 days before Pentecost/Whitsunday, the seventh Sun after Easter), Whitmonday (day after Pentecost/Whitsunday), October 3 (Day of German Unity), November 17 (Day of Prayer and Repentance), December 25 (Christmas), and December 26. In addition, the following holidays are observed in some German states: January 6 (Epiphany), Corpus Christi (10 days after Pentecost), August 15 (Assumption), and November 1 (All Saints’ Day).
Germany’s long and tumultuous history remains clouded by the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. How a civilized European nation slipped into the state of barbaric inhumanity that existed during the Nazi era is a question that continues to haunt survivors, occupy historians, and shadow the Germans themselves. Memorials to the victims of the Holocaust are scattered throughout Germany, perhaps most poignantly at the sites of the Dachau and Auschwitz concentration camps.
As a result of that harrowing chapter in its modern history, which resulted in the devastation of its cities, the disarmament of its military machine, and the deaths of millions of people, Germany became a strongly pacifist country, and the use of military force in world conflicts always arouses controversy amongst its citizens.
The other big political issue that has affected Germany’s contemporary consciousness is the separation of the country into two opposing regimes: capitalist West, communist East–from 1961 to 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November, 1989, signaled an enormous shift in German life. Though most East Germans embraced the democratic changes that came with reunification, there were many who resented what they saw as a wholesale takeover of their country and who were suddenly exposed to the uncertainties and economic ruthlessness of a free-market economic system. By the time the Wall came down, East Germany was in many respects a broken country, a corrupt police-state with dwindling resources, decaying infrastructure, and a legacy of environmental pollution that will be a long-term challenge to clean up. The cost of reunification was far higher than predicted and took a toll on people’s economic and emotional lives. Outdated, state-controlled industries that could not compete in a free market economy were scrapped, jobs were lost, crime–most troublingly, neo-Nazi hate crimes–rose. Yet Germany moved forward.
Today, it’s one of the most prosperous country in Europe and has been for many years. A nation of savers, it never gave in to the easy-credit credo and had stronger regulations and more oversight in its banking industry. Germany is a country where labor unions remain strong despite attempts to whittle away their power.
A.D. 1st century |
The Roman sphere of influence extends well into the borders of present-day Germany (Germania to the Romans), with garrisons established at Cologne, Koblenz, Mainz, and Trier. |
A.D. 400 |
The Romans withdraw from Germany; in the following centuries, the empire of the Franks represents the transition from a loose conglomeration of German tribes into what eventually would become the German Empire. |
ca. 800 |
Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse; 768–814) is responsible for the earliest large-scale attempt to unite the lands of Germany under one ruler. |
ca. 900–1500 |
The power struggles and invasions of the Middle Ages continually disrupt the unity hammered out by Charlemagne. Until the demise of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Germany remains a collection of small principalities and free cities. An upswing in international commerce from the 11th to 13th centuries leads to the foundation of “Free Imperial Cities” like Hamburg and Lübeck. The Gothic architectural style is imported from France and used for building Cologne Cathedral. |
1500–1700 |
A time of social unrest and religious upheaval throughout Germany. Martin Luther (1483–1546) battles against the excesses of the Catholic Church and his work has far-reaching implications. As the Protestant Reformation spreads, the Catholic Church launches a Counter-Reformation that culminates in the bloody Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), pitting the Protestant north against the Catholic south and affecting the whole of Europe. Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) and Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) are among the artists who spark an artistic Renaissance in Germany. |
1700–1800 |
Under Frederick the Great (Friedrich der Grosse; 1740–86), Prussia gains status as a great European power. During this period, the works of German artists, writers, composers, and philosophers usher in the Age of Enlightenment. |
Early 1800s |
After defeating the Austrian and Prussian armies, Napoleon occupies several German cities and abolishes the Holy Roman Empire. In 1813, Prussian, Austrian, and Russian armies fight the French emperor in Leipzig, which is followed by the decisive Battle of Waterloo. |
Mid- to late 1800s |
Following Napoleon’s defeat, the country’s military and political rulers are determined to return to a system of absolute monarchy. The question of independence and national unity comes to a head in the 1848 revolution. When that effort fails, the Austrian Hapsburg monarchy reimposes its sovereignty over Prussia and other parts of Germany. Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck (1815–98) advocates consolidation of the German people under Prussian leadership. After triumphs in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), Bismarck succeeds in winning over southern German states and, in 1871, becomes first chancellor of the German Empire (Reich). |
1914–1918 |
For many observers, the Great War represented a German attempt to dominate Europe. Military conflict on the eastern front results in the defeat of Russia, while fighting on the western front ultimately leads to German defeat and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Although the war isn’t fought on German soil, it results in severe food shortages throughout the country and intensifies political unrest. |
1919–1932 |
In its attempt to establish a democratic and republican government, the so-called Weimar government represents a break in dominant traditions of German history. Residual issues from World War I and hostility from conservative groups conflict with reformist and radical impulses of the left and with the cultural avant-garde. During the “Golden Twenties,” Berlin — capital of the Weimar Republic — blossoms into Germany’s economic and cultural center. |
1933–1945 |
Economic crisis in Germany is a major factor in the rise of the Nazi movement, but old authoritarian, nationalistic, and imperialistic attitudes also provide a ripe environment for the National Socialist Party to take control. As the brutal anti-Semitic political agenda of Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) becomes apparent, thousands of German Jews, including many prominent artists, scientists, and politicians, flee the country to escape persecution. Millions of Jews and other “undesirable” minorities throughout Germany and the rest of Nazi-occupied Europe are systematically exterminated in one of the most horrifying chapters in world history. At the end of the war, with its major cities in smoldering ruins, Germany ceases to exist as an independent state. |
1948 |
West German recovery gets underway with U.S. assistance in the form of the Marshall Plan. The Soviet blockade of West Berlin results in the Anglo-American Berlin airlift, which continues until 1949. |
1949–1961 |
Intending at first to govern conquered Germany as one unit, the war’s victors divide it into two states as the Cold War intensifies. The Federal Republic of Germany in the western half of the country has its capital in Bonn, and the Soviet-ruled German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the eastern half has its capital in East Berlin. Two Germanys develop with highly different political, economic, and social systems. |
1961 |
The Berlin Wall is constructed, sealing off East Berlin from West Berlin and, on a larger scale, East Germany from West Germany. |
1989 |
The opening of the Berlin Wall marks for East Germany the culmination of a wave of previously suppressed revolutionary sentiment across central and eastern Europe. Reforms by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and underground, grassroots communication between citizens in East Germany lead to massive demonstrations against the repressive, Stalinist government of the GDR. |
1991 |
East and West Germany unite under one government. Berlin is made the new capital of a reunified Germany. |
2006 |
Angela Merkel, who grew up in the GDR, becomes Germany’s first female chancellor. |
2013 |
Angela Merkel is re-elected for a third term as chancellor and is the most politically powerful leader in Europe. |
2014 |
Germany, and especially Berlin, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. |
And when it comes to sponsoring and supporting arts and culture, Germany is right there at the top. The generous subsidies that once helped every town and city to operate its own opera house and theatre have been reduced, in some cases eliminated, but the arts scene remains vigorous, part of a long tradition the Germans regard as essential.
Germany’s buildings span some 1,200 years of architectural history and were created in a number of different styles. (The Porta Nigra, a 1,800-year-old arched gateway in Trier, is Germany’s only remaining Roman-era structure of any significance.) But Germany’s rich architectural heritage suffered a devastating blow during World War II, when Allied bombing raids leveled entire cities and left many important buildings and churches in ruins. Some areas escaped damage, such as the medieval towns along the Romantic Road (see chapter 7), but the overall devastation affected nearly the entire country. Many historic buildings are painstaking postwar reconstructions. Here are examples from around Germany of the major architectural trends.
CAROLINGIAN & OTTONIAN (9TH–11TH C.) The earliest manifestations of a discernibly Germanic architecture date from the period of Charlemagne’s rule as king of the Franks (768–814) and Emperor of the West (800–14)—called the Carolingian era after Charlemagne. Constructed around 800, Charlemagne’s Palatinate or Octagonal chapel in Aachen harkens back to earlier Byzantine models of building. During the Ottonian dynasty architecture developed more complex ground plans and a rational system was devised for dividing churches into a series of separate units, a method that was to be of consequence in Romanesque design.
ROMANESQUE (11TH–12TH C.) Simple, clear forms, thick walls, and rounded arches signal Romanesque architecture, a building style adapted from earlier Roman models. The cathedral in Mainz and Dom St. Kilian in Würzburg are two of the largest Romanesque churches in Germany.
GOTHIC (13TH–16TH C.) Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s greatest example of Gothic architecture, a style developed in France and diffused throughout Europe. Compared to Romanesque, Gothic style is slender and daring, with pointed arches, soaring vaults and spires, and enormous windows. A simpler and more monumental kind of Gothic architecture, built of brick, predominates in northern Germany in cities such as Lübeck.
RENAISSANCE (LATE 15TH–17TH C.) Augsburg is one of the best cities in Germany to see Renaissance architecture, a style characterized by calm precision, orderly repeating lines, and classical decoration over windows and doors. Renaissance architecture was imported from Italy into southern Germany.
BAROQUE (17TH–18TH C.) A decorative exuberance in curvy Baroque architecture sets it apart from the more sober Renaissance style. The Baroque flourished in Catholic, Counter-Reformation areas in the south of Germany. The Residenz in Würzburg and the palace of Sanssouci in Potsdam are two of the best examples in Germany. Munich abounds in the Baroque.
ROCOCO (18TH C.) Notch up the elements of Baroque and you have Rococo, exemplified by curving walls and staggering amounts of gilded and stucco decoration. One of the most famous examples of flamboyant Rococo church architecture in Germany is the Wieskirche in Bavaria. The Rococo style was used in theatres of the time: The Altes Residenztheater in Munich is one of the best examples.
NEOCLASSICAL/NEO-GOTHIC (19TH C.) The Neoclassical style was meant to be a rebuke to the excesses of Baroque and Rococo. As the century wore on, Neoclassicism gave way to the more ponderous Neo-Gothic style. This faux-medievalism is what Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein castle is all about.
JUGENDSTIL (LATE 19TH–EARLY 20TH C.) Jugendstil is the German name for Art Nouveau, an early-20th-century European movement that emphasized flowing, asymmetrical, organic shapes. Many Jugendstil villas line the streets of lakeside neighborhoods in Hamburg,
BAUHAUS (1913–33) A rigorously modern style, free of frills and unnecessary decoration, Bauhaus was championed by Walter Gropius (1883–1969), who founded the Bauhaus school to create functional buildings and furnishings. The school was banned by the Nazis because it didn’t promote “German-looking” architecture. The Bauhaus aesthetic was taught and practiced in the United States by European expatriates and their disciples. The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, dating from 1968 and the last building designed by former Bauhaus teacher Mies van der Rohe, exemplifies the timeless Bauhaus style.
MODERNISM (1948 ONWARD) A major housing shortage and rebuilding effort in bombed cities in Germany followed the devastation of World War II. If you walk down the streets or pedestrian zones in just about any major German city, you’ll see modernist buildings all around you. It’s a simple, functional style with straight lines and square windows, and it learned quite a few lessons from the Bauhaus. One of the most famous architects of the period since World War II is Hans Scharoun, whose daring Philharmonie concert hall in Berlin was completed in 1963.
POSTMODERNISM (1980S ONWARD) Postmodernism is a style practiced by architects who plunder the past and apply old styles to the buildings of today. James Stirling’s Neue Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart is a reminder of just how uninspired and dated most postmodern buildings are.
Germany abounds in art museums. You can’t escape them, nor should you try. The country’s rich artistic heritage is on display in even the smallest cities, while cities like Berlin and Munich boast world-class collections. The chronology below paints the major trends and artists with a brief, broad brushstroke.
CAROLINGIAN & OTTONIAN (9TH–10TH C.) During the Carolingian period mosaics based on earlier Roman and Byzantine models were used to decorate Charlemagne’s Palatine or Octagon chapel and palace in Aachen, and carved ivory book covers were notable. The first outstanding examples of German painting (illuminated manuscripts) and sculpture were created during the Ottonian dynasty (ca. 960–1060). Carved in Cologne in the late 10th century, the Gero cross in Cologne cathedral is believed to be the oldest existing large-scale crucifix in the Western world. Fine craftsmanship is apparent in the metalwork of this period as well.
ROMANESQUE (11TH–12TH C.) Romanesque art flourished in Germany, exemplified more in church building with incised decorative stonework. Little remains of Romanesque fresco painting, although there is an example from about 1000 at the Kloster St. Mang in Füssen.
GOTHIC (13TH–14TH C.) With the diffusion of the French Gothic style throughout Europe, notable contributions were made by the Germans, particularly in the field of sculpture, which was used to adorn the portals of Cologne cathedral, and the doors of Augsburg’s Dom St. Maria. In Cologne, the Wallraf-Richartz Museum has galleries devoted to the Cologne school of painting from this period, and the Schnütgen Museum has superb examples of medieval stained-glass and sculpture.
RENAISSANCE (15TH–16TH C.) German sculpture, particularly carved wooden altarpieces, reached an artistic highpoint in the late 15th century with the powerfully expressive works of Peter Vischer (1460–1529), Viet Stoss (1439–1533), Adam Kraft (1460–1508), and Tilman Riemenschneider (1460–1531). Manuscript illumination and fresco painting declined as stained-glass technique and panel painting became more highly developed. Flemish influence is seen in the paintings of Stephan Lochner (1400–51), whose Adoration of the Magi altarpiece graces Cologne cathedral. Hans Holbein the Elder (1465–1524) is another major 15th-century figure, but the artistic genius of the century was Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), who visited Venice and brought elements of the Italian Renaissance style to Germany. Dürer’s paintings, woodcuts, and engravings influenced all European art of the time; his work’s on view in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek, Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie, and Nuremberg’s Germanisches Nationalmuseum.
Painting was at its height in the 16th century. The great masters of the age—all of whose work can be seen in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek—were Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543); Mathias Grünewald (d. 1528); Albrecht Altdorfer (1480–1538), who brought pure landscape painting into vogue; Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553); and Hans Baldung (1484–1545).
BAROQUE & ROCOCO (17TH–18TH C.) Ceiling paintings and swirling, often gilded stuccowork is part and parcel of the decoration in the exuberant Baroque and Rococo churches and palaces that are found throughout southern Germany. Two notable examples are the Wieskirche and the Asamkirche in Munich. At this time, too, small Dresden china figures and groups became popular, with the workshops at Meissen producing exquisite miniature statuettes of genre subjects.
ROMANTICISM (19TH C.) In the early part of the century, a school of German historical painting emerged and the period brought to the fore genre painters such as Moritz von Schwind (1804–71) and Carl Spitzweg (1808–85). The greatest artist of the Romantic period was Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840), whose famous “Cross in the Mountains” (1808) hangs in Dresden’s Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.
EXPRESSIONISM (EARLY 20TH C.) In the early years of the 20th century, the sentimental and derivative genre and landscape scenes of the previous century were replaced by a fresh, dynamic and highly personalized sensibility. The wave of 20th-century artists who emerged created an art known as Expressionism for its purposeful distortion of natural forms and attempt to express emotion. The expressionist movement came in three waves. The first, Die Brücke (the Bridge) founded in Dresden in 1905 included Ernst Kirchner 1880–1938), Emil Nolde (1867–1956), and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976); you can see their work in Dresden’s Albertinum. It was followed in 1911 by the Munich-based Der Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) group, which included Franz Marc (1880–1916), Gabriele Münter (1877–1962), and several foreign artists, including Swiss-born Paul Klee (1879–1940) and Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944); their work can be seen in the In Munich’s Lenbachhaus. Die Neue Sachlichkeit (the New Objectivity), a movement founded in the aftermath of World War I by Otto Dix (1891–1969) and George Grosz (1893–1959), was characterized by a more realistic style combined with a cynical, socially critical philosophical stance that was vehemently anti-war. The brilliant, bitter canvases of Dix and Grosz hang in the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Artists working in related styles included Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980) and Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945), whose haunting sculptures, drawings and prints can be seen at the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in Cologne.
Several of these same artists taught at the Bauhaus, which espoused functionalism and encouraged experimentation and abstraction with the ideal of combining artistic beauty with usefulness.
NAZI ERA (1933–45) The Nazi regime, which regarded all abstract and expressionist works as degenerate, discouraged and destroyed any but heroic, propagandistic art, and the Germany of the 1930s and early 1940s produced nothing of artistic significance. As a recent discovery in Munich revealed, the Nazis may have condemned abstract art but they also stole it from collectors and museums and sold the canvases for hard currency outside of Germany.
POST–WORLD WAR II (1945–PRESENT) Germany hasn’t had one predominant school or movement to define its art since World War II, but it has produced internationally recognized artists such as the iconoclastic sculptor Josef Beuys (1921–86), the painter Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945), and the painter-sculptor Georg Baselitz (b. 1938), and the painter and visual artist Gerhard Richter (b. 1932). All four of these artists are represented in Stuttgart’s Staatsgalerie, and stained-glass windows created by Richter can be seen in Cologne cathedral. Anyone interested in contemporary German art should also visit Cologne’s Museum Ludwig. In the 25 years since the Wall fell, Berlin has seen an explosion of artistic expression—some 10,000 artists are now living in Berlin.
Germany’s Great Musical Tradition
Some of the greatest works of Western music have been written by German composers. The roster includes Hildegard of Binger, Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Wagner, as well as 20th-century greats Richard Strauss, Alban Berg and Kurt Weill. The country’s rich musical history dates back to 12th-century Minnesängers (troubadours) and religious chants. Over the centuries, Germany’s musical traditions were fostered in convents, monasteries and churches where composers were hired to write sacred songs, cantatas and oratorios. Eventually, as opera houses and concert halls became a fixture in German cities, a wider public clamored for musical performances. Classical music remains an important part of German culture today.
The books listed below can help you gain a better understanding of German history, culture, personalities, and politics.
“Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s” by Otto Friedrich: A fascinating portrait of the life of Berlin between the wars.
“Berlin Diaries, 1940–1945” by Marie Vassilchikov: The secret journals of a young Russian aristocrat who lived and worked in Berlin throughout World War II
“Berlin Journal, 1989–1990” by Robert Darnton: An eyewitness account of the events that led to the opening of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of East Germany’s Communist regime.
Neoclassical architecture has its stylistic roots in the Classical era of Greece. There are several great examples in Berlin (see chapter 4), where the Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841) created a Neoclassical avenue called Unter den Linden and an island of museums, the Museumsinsel. In Munich (see chapter 6), the architect Leo von Klenze (1784–1864) designed museums like the Glyptothek and monuments like the Propyläen at Königsplatz, inspired by Greek temples. This style can also be called Greek Revival.
“Berlin Noir” by Philip Kerr. Bernie Gunther is the dyspeptic Berlin detective in these three thought-provoking crime novels set in Nazi Germany and post-war Berlin and Vienna.
“Billiards at Half-Past Nine” by Heinrich Böll: A compelling novel by one of Germany’s best-known writers about the compromises made by a rich German family during the Hitler years.
“Bismarck” by Edward Crankshaw: An objective and highly readable life of the first chancellor of the German Empire.
“Buddenbrooks” by Thomas Mann: A classic of German literature, this novel deals with the transition of a merchant family in Lübeck from 19th-century stability to 20th-century uncertainty.
“Europe Central” by William T. Vollman: A bold, brilliant novel that examines the authoritarian cultures of 20th-century Germany and Russia and creates a mesmerizing picture of life during wartime from many different perspectives.
“Five Germanys I Have Known” by Fritz Stern: The well-known historian chronicles the five distinct eras of Germany’s modern history that his Jewish family has experienced.
“Frederick the Great” by Nancy Mitford: Frederick, statesman, scholar, musician, and patron of the arts, sketched with wit and humor.
“German Family Research Made Simple” by J. Konrad: If you’re interested in tracing your German roots, this easy-to-follow guide makes the task easier.
“The German Lesson” by Siegfried Lenz: A bestseller from 1971, this powerful novel explores Nazism and its aftermath in the north German provinces.
“Germany, 1866–1945” by Gordon Craig: One of the best single accounts of the turbulent political, cultural, and economic life in Germany from the foundation of the German Reich through the end of the Third Reich.
“The Good German” by Joseph Cannon: A war correspondent returns to post-war Berlin in search of a story and a past love.
“Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther” by Roland Bainton: A fascinating and meticulously researched account of the Protestant reformer.
“Hitler: 1936–1945: Nemesis” by Ian Kershaw: Several good biographies about Hitler have been written, including works by Robert Payne, Joachim Fest, and John Toland, but Kershaw’s is one of the best.
“My Life in Politics” by Willy Brandt: The political memoirs of Willy Brandt (1913–92), winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971, mayor of cold-war West Berlin (1957–66), and chancellor of West Germany (1969–74).
Founded in Weimar in 1919 by Walter Gropius (1883–1969), the Bauhaus was forced to move to Dessau and finally to Berlin before it was banned by the Nazis in 1933 for being “too modernist.” But in its brief and beleaguered 14 years of existence (it reemerged after World War II), the Bauhaus managed to revolutionize architecture and design. The banal historicism that dominated architecture and the kitschy overdecoration of everyday objects was swept away and replaced with unadorned exteriors and clear forms that focused on the utility and functionality of the object. Everything from houses to factories and cradles to teapots was radically re-imagined, and the Bauhaus creations that emerged have now become icons of modern design. Teachers in the school included artists like Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, and architects like Gropius and Mies van der Rohe.
“The Tin Drum” by Günter Grass: Perhaps the most famous novel about life in post-World War II Germany, written by a Nobel Prize winner who kept his own Nazi past a secret until 2006.
“A Tramp Abroad” by Mark Twain: Twain’s account of his travels in Germany is as fresh today as when it first was published in 1899.
“The Wall in My Backyard” by Dinah Dodds and Pam Allen-Thompson: In this collection of interviews, East German women describe the excitement, chaos, and frustration of the transitional period between the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany less than a year later.
“When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do” by Hyde Flippo: A short, entertaining crash course in German culture, customs, and heritage.
“Witness to Nuremberg” by Richard Sonnenfeldt: The chief American interpreter at the war-crimes trials tells his story of dealing directly with Hermann Göring, the powerful Nazi official who was subsequently executed for war crimes.
As with literature, World War II and the Holocaust have dominated the subject matter of recent films about Germany–so much so that German-made films about contemporary German life rarely get a showing outside of Germany unless they win a top prize at a film festival. The list below includes a selection of German and Germany-themed films available in many formats.
“Berlin Alexanderplatz” (1980): Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 15-part television adaptation of the novel by Alfred Döblin follows the life of a man released from prison between the two world wars.
“The Blue Angel” (1930): The film that shot Marlene Dietrich to international stardom remains stark, startling, and provocative.
“Cabaret” (1972): A musical based on Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories and set in Berlin at the brink of World War II.
“The Counterfeiters” (2007): Based on a true story, this Oscar-winning film (Best Foreign Language Film) tells the story of master forger Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch and his fellow criminals who were assigned the job of forging massive amounts of fake dollars and pounds in an effort by the Nazi regime to weaken the Allies.
“A Foreign Affair” (1948): Billy Wilder’s cynically hilarious look at postwar occupied Berlin, starring Marlene Dietrich as an amoral cabaret singer.
“Goodbye, Lenin!” (2004): A wry comedy about a young man in East Berlin who tries to keep his bedridden mother, a loyal Communist, from learning that the wall has come down and Germany has been reunited.
“Heimat” (1984–2005): This series created for West German television begins in 1919 with the return of a soldier from the Great War to his village in the northwestern corner of Germany, a rural region known as the Hunsrück, and ends 63 years later; the history of modern Germany is refracted through the experiences of an extended family, the Simons.
“The Lives of Others” (2006): An Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, this haunting film reveals how the East German secret police (the Stasi) spied on the country’s citizens, destroying and dehumanizing lives.
“The Marriage of Maria Braun” (1979): Hanna Schygulla stars as a woman married to a soldier in the waning days of World War II.
“Metropolis” (1927): Fritz Lang’s classic of German cinema, in which the Workers plan a revolt against the aloof Thinkers that dominate them in a future dystopia.
“Olympiad” (1936): Leni Riefenstahl’s super-Aryan take on the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin.
“On the Other Side” (2007): This well-acted and well-received contemporary drama explores the lives of Turks and Germans living in the multicultural Germany of today.
“The Reader” (2008): Hollywood adaptation of a novel set in postwar Germany and dealing with the life of an illiterate woman who worked in a concentration camp.
“Triumph of the Will” (1934): Leni Riefenstahl filmed the gigantic 1934 Nazi conference and rally in Nuremberg as “image-control” propaganda for the Third Reich.
“Wings of Desire” (1988): An angel roaming the streets of Berlin and recording the angst and joy of ordinary life falls in love with a mortal.