I knew that Germany was well-known for it's technological advancements, but I never realized how much they've contributed to the world! Who knew that Germans created the periodic table, street cars, the telephone, aspirin, and the television among others? However, it's not surprising that German citizen Karl Benz invented the "Auto" (car) in 1886 (NOT Henry Ford like many of us Americans believe). Not to mention the number of famous Germans - Albert Einstein included (additional famous Germans listed at the bottom of the page).
If I've learned anything during my stay in Germany, it's that I can't efficiently describe Germany without being stereotypical. Yes, many Germans are very environmentally friendly, but there are some who are not. Just about all of the stereotypes that you've heard about Germany are true. Kind of. In Bavaria that is. Okay, so maybe they're not all true... Germans drink a lot of other things besides beer, they don't drink beer for breakfast (at least not that I've heard of), and they don't wear Lederhosen and Dirndl 24/7... However, many Germans LOVE their pretzels. I'm convinced that many of the stereotypes that Americans have of Germany come from the time when American soldiers occupied Bavaria from 1945 to 1949 (see right - the largest orange section of the map is Bavaria). These soldiers experienced the rich Bavarian culture and, I guess, they automatically assumed that all of Germany was exactly the same. Us Bavarians have a great sense of Bavarian pride. |
I absolutely adore Bavaria! Feel free to take a look around where I live on the map below!
Ways to say "Hello" in Bavaria:
"Hallo" and "Guten Tag" are both Hochdeutsch (high German - used throughout Germany)
"Grüß Gott"
"Servus"
"Pfiert dich" for greeting one person
"Pfiert deich" for greeting more than one person (not sure if the spelling is right on this one)
Examples of The Bavarian Language:
(Bavarian / German / English)
Madl / Mädchen / girl
Bua / Junge / boy
i (pronounced "ee") / ich / I
Very well-known for the delicious Weißwurst (a type of meat), Brezn (pretzels), Leberkäs (a type of meat), and Hofbrauhaus Munich Brewery
Partner regions of Bavaria include São Paulo (Brazil), Western Cape (South Africa), Quebec (Canada), and Georgia in the good ol' USA!
Bavarian inventions:
The model globe, diesel motor, pocket watch, jeans (Levi's), Puma and Adidas (created by brothers and are rival companies to this day), and the MP3 among others.
Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is the third largest city in Germany and the Olympics were held there in 1972
Oktoberfest, held in Munich annually, is the largest festival in Germany
The highest mountain in Germany, Zugspitze, is located in Bavaria
Germany / Deutschland
Famous Germans:
The Grimm Brothers, Karl Marx, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Ludwig Van Berthoven, Hans Zimmer, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, Rudolf Diesel, and Levi Strauss