5 facts about Germany
Germany is a great place for family holidays. There is so much to see and do that you will never be bored whatever time of year you visit. Whenever you choose to visit another country it is always a good idea to find out what you can about the local customs and history so that you can appreciate the culture of the area where you will be staying.
This doesn’t have to be a boring thing to do. Germany in particular is a fascinating place to learn about and it is easy to have fun getting to know Germany a little better. Here are our top five fun facts about Germany:
1. Germans enjoy beer
This may be the best known fact about Germany. The country is known for its beer festivals and beer plays an important part in everyday life. In Bavaria beer is so integral to life that it is officially classified as a food rather than a beverage the only country in the world which consumes more beer than Germany is Ireland.
2. Germany was the first country in the world to adopt daylight saving time
Daylight saving time was first advocated in the UK by William Willett who published a pamphlet on the subject in 1907. He was concerned about the waste of useful daylight hours during the summer months and felt that it would be more efficient to adjust the clocks so that people got up an hour earlier in the summer.
His plans were not well received in the UK or anywhere else until 1916 but during the first world war Germany came to appreciate the sense of his arguments and moved to daylight saving time to promote efficiency during the war. Britain was unwilling to allow their enemy to gain an advantage over them in that way and adopted daylight saving time a few weeks later.
3. Cologne Cathedral took 632 years to build
With the capacity to hold 40000 people Cologne cathedral is truly a ‘must see’ attraction on any visit to the city. The building is 200 feet wide and 500 feet long and its size alone is sufficient explanation for why it took so long to build.
4. Berlin has the largest railway station in Europe
The majority of tourists visiting Germany will probably arrive by air but there is still good reason to visit the train station in Berlin. It’s central location is close to many famous landmarks and the station is fast becoming a tourist attraction in its own right with over 80 shops on the site as well as an outdoor beach attached to the station.
5. Germany is the home to many famous inventions
This is the last of our fun facts about Germany. Germans have made a huge impact on the every day life of everyone in the world. Many of the inventions which we take for granted were first thought of and developed by German inventors. Some of these inventions such as the cuckoo clock might seem a little quirky but others including the diesel engine the fluorescent lamp the pregnancy test and the aspirin are undeniably a part of everyday culture across the world.
