Facts about Germany

Typical German kiosk / Wasserhäuschen

The German Wasserhäuschen - This Frankfurt icon has to be on my list of facts about Germany. After all, I have been living close to Frankfurt all my life. Known as kiosk and Trinkhalle outside of Hesse, Wasserhäuschens have been part of local character in and around Frankfurt for many years.
Frankfurt is also well-known for its apple wine culture. See my Frankfurt attractions page, and watch a video about apple wine traditions.

Frankfurt Römerberg

Official Facts about Germany

• Size of Germany Since 1990, the year of the reunification, Germany covers 357,111 km² (137,881 sq miles).
• Population of Germany is approximately 82,500,000 (2016). About ten years ago, Germany had a declining growth. However, most recently birth rate grew and new arrivals seeking protection stopped the drop of population. About 11% of German citizens have an immigrant background, and about 12% are foreigners.
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  The Flag of Germany has three equal horizontal bands which display the national colours of Germany, black, red and gold.
  The tricolour has been the flag of East and West Germany after WWII, although East Germany added its coat of arms in 1959. Since reunification in 1990, the tricolour has remained the German flag.
• 
  The German coat of arms features a black eagle on golden ground.
  The use of the golden eagle as an emblem probably dates back to Charlemagne (742-814).
  Although the coat of arms changed very often in Germany's long history, the eagle has always been part of it.
• Time in Germany - Germany uses Central European Time ((Mitteleuropäische Zeit, MEZ), which is UTC+1, from the last Sunday in October until the last Sunday in March. On the last Sunday in March Central European Summer Time (Mitteleuropäische Sommerzeit, MESZ) begins. In Germany we call the Daylight saving time (UTC+2) simply summertime (Sommerzeit).
• German Currency - On 1 January 2002 the Euro replaced the German Mark (Deutsche Mark). The Euro is used in 16 of the 27 member states of the European Union.
• German states - Germany has 16 states (Bundesländer). Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are so-called city states. Berlin is also the capital city.
• Highest Mountain - Zugspitze (2,962 metres / 9,718 ft) in the Bavarian Alps, close to the Austrian border.
• Largest Lake is Lake Constance in southern Baden-Württemberg, fondly named the Swabian Sea. Actually, Germany, Austria and Switzerland share Lake Constance, and there is no legally binding agreement about the national boundaries within the lake. Having a mild climate, Lake Constance is a favourite holiday destination in all three bordering countries.
• The tallest church is neither the cathedral in Cologne nor the one in Frankfurt. With a height of 161.53 metres (530 ft) and 768 steps to the top, the minster of Ulm is the tallest church in Germany, and in the world.