German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation .

Due to its rich cultural history, Germany is often known as das Land der Dichter und Denker (the land of poets and thinkers).

Germany, over the centuries, has produced a great number of polymaths, geniuses and notable people, such as Albert Einstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Kepler, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,Immanuel Kant, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Marx, Richard Wagner, Martin Luther, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Benz, Georg Ohm, Rudolf Diesel, Gottfried Leibniz, Johannes Gutenberg, Richard Strauss, and Bertolt Brecht among others.

Literature
German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with the most notable authors of the period being Walther von der Vogelweide and Wolfram von Eschenbach. The Nibelungenlied, whose author remains unknown, is also an important work of the epoch, as is the Thidrekssaga. The fairy tales collections collected and published by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century became famous throughout the world.

Theologian Luther, who translated the Bible into German, is widely credited for having set the basis for the modern "High German" language. Among the most admired German poets and authors are Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Hoffmann, Brecht, Heine and Schmidt. Nine Germans have won the Nobel Prize in literature: Theodor Mommsen, Paul von Heyse, Gerhart Hauptmann, Thomas Mann, Nelly Sachs, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Bll, Gnter Grass, and Herta Mller.

Philosophy
Main article: German philosophy

Germany's influence on philosophy is historically significant and many notable German philosophers have helped shape Western philosophy since the Middle Ages. The rise of the modern natural sciences and the related decline of religion raised a series of questions, which recur throughout German philosophy, concerning the relationships between knowledge and faith, reason and emotion, and scientific, ethical, and artistic ways of seeing the world.

German philosophers have helped shape western philosophy from as early as the Middle Ages (Albertus Magnus). Later, Leibniz (17th century) and most importantly Kantplayed central roles in the history of philosophy. Kantianism inspired the work of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche as well as German idealism defended by Fichte and Hegel.Marx and Engels developed communist theory in the second half of the 19th century while Heidegger and Gadamer pursued the tradition of German philosophy in the 20th century. A number of German intellectuals were also influential in sociology, most notably Adorno, Habermas, Horkheimer, Luhmann, Simmel, Tnnies, and Weber. TheUniversity of Berlin founded in 1810 by linguist and philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt served as an influential model for a number of modern western universities.

In the 21st century Germany has been an important country for the development of contemporary analytic philosophy in continental Europe, along with France, Austria, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries.[2] [edit]Science Main article: Science and technology in Germany Main article: German inventors and discoverers

Germany has been the home of many famous inventors and engineers, such as Johannes Gutenberg, who is credited with the invention of movable type printing in Europe; Hans Geiger, the creator of theGeiger counter; and Konrad Zuse, who built the first computer.[3] German inventors, engineers and industrialists such as Zeppelin, Daimler, Diesel, Otto, Wankel, Von Braun and Benz helped shape modern automotive and air transportation technology including the beginnings of space travel.[4][5]

The work of Albert Einstein and Max Planck was crucial to the foundation of modern physics, which Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrdinger developed further.[6] They were preceded by such key physicists as Hermann von Helmholtz, Joseph von Fraunhofer, and Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, among others. Wilhelm Conrad Rntgen discovered X-rays, an accomplishment that made him the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.[7] The Walhalla temple for "laudable and distinguished Germans", features a number of scientists, and is located east of Regensburg, in Bavaria.[8][9]

Music
In the field of music, Germany claims some of the most renowned classical composers of the world including Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, who marked the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music. Other composers of the Austro-German tradition who achieved international fame includeBrahms, Wagner, Haydn, Schubert, Hndel, Schumann, Liszt, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johann Strauss II, Bruckner, Mahler, Telemann, Richard Strauss, Schoenberg,Orff, and most recently, Henze, Lachenmann, and Stockhausen.

As of 2006, Germany is the fifth largest music market in the world[10] and has exerted a strong influence on Dance and Rock music, and pioneered trance music. Artists such as Herbert Grnemeyer, Scorpions, Rammstein, Nena, Dieter Bohlen, Tokio Hotel and Modern Talking have enjoyed international fame. German musicians and, particularly, the pioneering bands Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk have also contributed to the development of electronic music.[11] Germany hosts many large rock music festivals annually. The Rock am Ring festival is the largest music festival in Germany, and among the largest in the world. German artists also make up a large percentage of Industrial music acts, which is called Neue Deutsche Hrte. Germany hosts some of the largest Goth scenes and festivals in the entire world, with events like Wave-Gothic-Treffen and M'era Luna Festival easily attracting up to 30,000 people. Amongst Germany's famous artists there are various Dutch entertainers, such as Johannes Heesters, Rudi Carell and Sylvie van der Vaart.[12] [edit]Cinema Main article: Cinema of Germany

German cinema dates back to the very early years of the medium with the work of Max Skladanowsky. It was particularly influential during the years of the Weimar Republic with German expressionists such as Robert Wiene and Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. The Nazi era produced mostly propaganda films although the work of Leni Riefenstahl still introduced new aesthetics in film. From the 1960s, New German Cinema directors such as Volker Schlndorff, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder placed West-German cinema back onto the international stage with their often provocative films, while the Deutsche FilmAktiengesellschaft controlled film production in the GDR. More recently, films such as Das Boot (1981), The Never Ending Story (1984) Run Lola Run (1998), Das Experiment (2001), Good Bye Lenin! (2003), Gegen die Wand (Head-on) (2004) and Der Untergang (Downfall) (2004) have enjoyed international success. In 2007 the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film went to F.H. von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others. The Berlin Film Festival, held yearly since 1951, is one of the world's foremost film and cinemas festivals.[13] [edit]Fine

arts and decorative arts

Important German Renaissance painters include Albrecht Altdorfer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Matthias Grnewald, Hans Holbein the Younger and the wellknown Albrecht Drer. The most importantBaroque artists from Germany are Cosmas Damian Asam. Further artists are the romantic Caspar David Friedrich, the surrealist Max Ernst, the conceptualist Joseph Beuys or the neo-expressionistGeorg Baselitz. [edit]Religious

tradition

Main article: Religion in Germany

The German government has limited responsibilities for culture, which is devolved to the states of Germany, called Lnder.

64.1 percent of the German population belongs to Christian denominations. 31.4 percent are Roman Catholic, and 32.7 percent are affiliated with Protestantism [14] (the figures are known accurately because Germany imposes a church tax on those who disclose a religious affiliation / but there are many

people, who are religious but not registered[citation needed]). The North and East is predominantly Protestant, the South and West rather Catholic. Nowadays there is a non-religious majority in Hamburg and the East German states.[15] Germany formed a substantial part of the Roman Catholic Holy Roman Empire, but was also the source of Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther. Historically, Germany had a substantial Jewish population. Only a few thousand people of Jewish origin remained in Germany after the Holocaust, but the German Jewish community now has approximately 100,000 members, many from the former Soviet Union. Germany also has a substantial Muslim minority, most of whom are fromTurkey.

German theologians include Luther, Melanchthon, Schleiermacher, Feuerbach, and Rudolf Otto. Also Germany brought up many mystics including Meister Eckhart, Rudolf Steiner, Jakob Boehme, and some popes (e.g. Benedict XVI). [edit]Academic

landmarks

Germany is home to some of the finest academic centers in Europe. Some famous Universities include those of both Munich and Berlin, University of Tbingen, University of Gttingen, University of Marburg, University of Berlin, Heidelberg University, Mining Academy Freiberg and Freiburg University, among many others.

Since about 1970, Germany has once again had a thriving popular culture, now increasingly being led by its new-old capital Berlin and the city of Hamburg, and a self-confident music and art scene. Germany is also very well known for its many renowned opera houses, such as Semperoper, Komische Oper Berlin andStaatstheater am Grtnerplatz. Richard Wagner has built the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. [edit]Cuisine Main article: German cuisine

The "home cuisine" differs very much from the "restaurant cuisine". More traditional dishes can be found in restaurants. Cuisine differs also greatly according to regions (in the north people eat fish, in the Rhine region beer is replaced with wine, in Bavaria roasted pork is consumed) and season (in spring people eat white asparagus with ham and sauce hollandaise, in fall people eat green cabbage with a special kind of sausage and mustard and in winter/for Christmas people eat duck or goose with red cabbage, dumplings and brown gravy). [edit]Sport Main article: Sport in Germany

Sport forms an integral part of German life, as demonstrated by the fact that 27 million Germans are members of a sports club and an additional twelve million pursue such an activity individually.[16] Football is by far the most popular sport, and the German Football Federation (Deutscher Fuballbund) with more than 6.3 million members is the largest athletic organisation in the country. [16] It also attracts the greatest audience, with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending Bundesliga matches and millions more watching on television. The other two most popular sports in Germany aremarksmanship and tennis represented by the German Marksmens Federation and the German Tennis Federation respectively, both including more than a million members. Other popular sports include handball, volleyball, basketball, and ice hockey.[16] Germany has historically been one of the strongest contenders in the Olympic Games. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Germany finished fifth overall,[17] whereas in the 2006 Winter Olympics Germany finished first.[18]

FESTIVALS IN GERMANY
Germany is a country full of traditions and festivals, all year around you will find a possibility to have fun with the public festivities. In January there are few events being the most important the Three Hallowed Kings festivity. February is the month of Carnival (Fasching), in almost every Germanys city there are many big parties and parades. Although it is true that some carnivals are celebrated in November 11, the real festivities start in February. The most popular cities where carnival is celebrated are Aachen, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mainz,

Munich or Muenster. March is the beginning of the spring and the end of the winter, so there are many festivals and events. There is a festival made for kids and why not the whole family, we are talking about the Berlins Spandau Spring Festival; there are roller coasters, rides, food stands and fireworks exhibitions. In Munich is celebrated the Strong Beer weeks, a traditional beer is brewed for this occasion. The beer has to contain about 6.5% alcohol; from there comes its fame of Strong Beer. In April, the most important festivals are relative to the spring. In Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich there are many spring fairs, meanwhile Dresden is home to the FilmFest and the International Dance week. But the most important celebration in this month is Easter; it is celebrated 46 days after Ash Wednesday. Germany has many traditions in this festivity like the Easter egg beautifully decorated, paschal lamb, paschal bunny and Easter fires among others. May is full of annual events, spring and summer festivals and many music festivals. In this month Germany is really beautiful, full of color and interesting places to visit. The most important events are the Munich Spring festival, the Bodensee Festival on Lake Constance in Friedrichshafen, the Dresden Music Festival and the Asparagus Festival in Darmstadt. Germanys June festivals include music festivals and sport events. The most important musical festivals are the massive Rock am Ring and Rock am Park and the festival of classical music in Dresden. In this month, the biggest sailing event of the world is the most popular sport event; about 3.5 million people arrive to Keil and enjoy this event. July is also time of musical festivals, many of them free such as the Rheinkultur Bonn, Schlagermove pop music festival, Zeltfestival in Hamburg and the Das fest in Karlsruhe. This month is also famous for its summer and wine festivals. August is popular for beer festivals, wine festivals and theatre festivals. In the regions of Mosel and Rhine, the wine festivals are the favorites for visitors. The cities of Stuttgart, Hamburg, Mainz, Frankfurt or Aachen dont stay behind; these are famous destinations for beer fans. One of the most important festivals in this month is the Berlin Beer Festival, is like the Oktoberfest but in a different location. In September the wine, beer and music festivals continue. The most attractive music festivals are the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, the Alstadt Autumn Festival in Dusseldorf, Berlin Musicfest and the Potsdam Jazz Festival. In the last days of September, the Oktoberfest begins in Munich; this is one of the most famous festivals of Germany. Many people arrive to the city just to try the delicious beers especially made for this occasion. The Oktoberfest ends in early October. In November and December the Christmas markets appear, doesnt matter the German city where you are, there is always a Christmas market. There you will find good ideas for Christmas gifts. One of the most famous markets is in Nuremberg.