Articles, lessons, and links for German culture and customs in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
An illustrated guide to the Berlin filming locations of the sci-fi movie 'Aeon Flux.'
Of the 82 million people living in Germany an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 have some form of African heritage. Germany's blacks fall into several historical and ancestral categories. A few of them are well-known as writers, TV personalities, entertainers, sports figures, and actors.
Not only does the Hollywood spy thriller 'The Bourne Supremacy' feature German actress Franka Potente ('Run Lola Run'), but it was filmed in Berlin. Even the Munich and some of the Naples scenes were shot in the German capital!
Soenke Wortmann's 'Das Wunder von Bern' -- a film about the German soccer miracle of 1954. A DVD review.
German Europe and the world — highest mountains, longest rivers, key historical events, and more!
Are you looking for a good gift for the German fan on your list? So was I, so I put together this list of gift ideas for people who love German and the German-speaking countries of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. In some cases you'll find a link to the product or more information, but most of the listings are just helpful gift ideas related to German and the German-speaking countries.
Assorted trivia and facts related to the German language and the history of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
All you need to know about German travel and vacations.
All about the 2006 World Cup soccer games, hosted by Germany in 12 cities. With English-German glossary.
An alphabetical list of significant people, both living and dead, who were born in German Europe or had Germanic ancestors — handy for biographical projects or general inspiration. For some of them, you can click on the name or link to learn more.
A profile of the Austrian father of psychoanalysis.
A bilingual (English and German) biographical profile of the German dramatist, writer, and poet Bertolt Brecht.
An overview of the countries where German is spoken. It's not just Germany. With a related brief German lesson.
Everything you ever wanted to know about contemporary Austria, its geography, and its recent history. Also see:
Bundesländer, Austria's nine federal provinces - with map.
A very humorous essay from Mark Twain's A TRAMP ABROAD (1880).
Everything you ever wanted to know about contemporary Germany, its geography, and its recent history. Also see:
Bundesländer der BRD, Germany's 16 federal states.
In 2005 Germany and the world will commemorate two anniversaries connected with Albert Einstein: The 100th birthday of his Theory of Relativity and the 50th anniversary of his death in 1955.
Germans, Austrians, and the German Swiss have made many important inventions and discoveries—from aspirin to the zeppelin.
An alphabetical index of movies in German, many available on DVD.
Part of our collection of misnomers, mistakes, myths and falsehoods concerning the German language. Did the Germans really give the U.S. Marines the nickname 'Teufelshunde' or 'Devil Dogs' during WWI?
In August 2005 German Pope Benedict XVI returned to his homeland for an official visit to the World Youth Day in Cologne.
A collection of German cultural and language myths. Sometimes we think we know something when we don't. Correcting Germanic misinformation from the serious to the frivolous.
Munich's world-famous celebration may be called "Oktoberfest" but it starts in September. Learn more about this unique Bavarian event and how it got started. With photos and links.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for governor of California, we were inundated with movie-title puns such as
Total Recall and
Governator, but in the end, Arnold proved the joke was on former governor Gray Davis. Learn more about the "Styrian Oak."
The American Father's Day celebration is different from that in Germany, but similar to Austria's.
An ever-expanding collection of photos related to the German language and the culture of the German-speaking countries.
Learn more about the educational systems in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Information and vocabulary related to schools and universities in the German-speaking countries.
A literary and biographical guide to Germanic authors – classical to contemporary. From your Guide.
You may know about the Beatles getting their start in Hamburg, but did you know that the very first record they made was in German?
In 1964 in a Paris recording studio, the Beatles recorded two of their hit songs in German. The German lyrics had been hurriedly written by a Luxembourger named Camillo Felgen. Learn more about the Beatles' German recordings...
From Ulfilas to Luther -
die Bibel auf Deutsch. With resources and links. From your Guide.
A month-by-month guide to German celebrations and festivals.
German and world history in German and English. Our history contents page with articles, reference pages, timelines and links for Germanic history. From your Guide.
How is the German version of the Thanksgiving celebration different from that in North America? For one thing, Germany's
Erntedankfest falls closer to the date of Canada's Thanksgiving. For another, it's not a national holiday.
Get answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to learning German. Find answers related to grammar, special German characters, tracing your Germanic roots, setting the DVD region codes on your computer, and how to use this site.
Links to all of our German movie pages and information, including German films on DVD, current German movies running in German Europe, classic German films, reviews, film festivals, and information about German film people and the German-Hollywood connection.
Will the new "Luther" movie finally stop the confusion between the American civil-rights leader and his German namesake? One started the Protestant Reformation, the other started a different reformation. A look at this big-budget English-language film shot on location in Germany.
A brief biography and profile of the Austrian artist. English version.
Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, Germany, and the Germans have more ties than you may think. With Reagan quotes in German and English.
Those of us who fell in love with Wim Wenders' angelic Berlin film when it was first released in 1987 have long hoped for something better than the mediocre VHS video version. The new DVD release of
Wings of Desire highlights the original rich black-and-white/color imagery. Plus there are special features that will appeal to German-learners.
Information about Austria's government and political system in German and English.
Online information about Austrian culture and tourism.
The Berlin Senate's Web site. In German.
The Alliance/Greens political party of Germany. (Also see the CDU and SPD below.)
Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl's party (in German only). Also see the opposition
SPD (in German or English).
The Swiss government Web site is in several languages, including German.
"Facts About Germany" from the German government Web site (in German and English).
This great cultural magazine is published by the German government – in print and online. A variety of topics in several languages.
Mehr erfahren über Exil, Fremdsein und Migration: Buntes Amerika, Literatur im Exil, usw.
The "Famous Bilingual Site" by Devin P. Brown at the University of Pittsburgh. Well-known English-speakers (actors, athletes, musicians, politicians, etc.) who speak German or another language in addition to English.
From The German Way and More site. By Hyde Flippo.
Click on biographies from the main screen. From GermanHeritage.com.
A German-American Web resource and Internet magazine.
Ken Wigger's site covers everything from castles to folksongs to Oktoberfest – and more!
Info and links to German-American resources by Robert Shea.
Hollywood's Germanic influences span from its very beginnings to the present day. Information, photos, links. By Hyde Flippo.
Extensive coverage of daily life and customs of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Information, photos, links. By Hyde Flippo.
An English-language magazine (with German) about German culture and events. Also available online as a downloadable PDF file.
A German culture site by Tatyana Gordeeva.
Fighting the common German stereotypes. By Achim Schmidtmann.
One of the best places on the Web for German cultural links! Angela Lilleystone's well-designed site offers links in German and English.
"Eine Sammlung von Websites zu Menschen, die die Welt bewegten und bewegen." Das sind Menschen wie Luther, da Vinci, Kopernikus und Gandhi. Von Das Beste (Reader's Digest).
What happened on this day in history? Who was born on this date? This interesting site from Deutsche Welle even includes historical audio clips. In German.
A collection of culture topics for German learners from the German for Travellers site.
A series of BBC radio broadcasts about Germany since the Berlin Wall came down – in text or audio format.
A well-designed site about German politics and government. If you understand German, this a good place to start. In German only.
The former opposition party to Helmut Kohl's CDU also has an English version for non-Germans (below).
