[Country Germany 🇩🇪..]

National holidays
These holidays are celebrated throughout the country and are official days off:
January 1st is New Year's Eve (Silvester). It's celebrated with fireworks and festivities.
Good Friday (Karfreitag). A religious "quiet day" with restrictions on entertainment.
Easter Monday (Ostermontag). A family holiday that concludes the Easter period.
May 1st is Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit). It is celebrated with trade union demonstrations.
Ascension of the Lord (Christi Himmelfahrt). A Christian holiday that often coincides with Father's Day.
Trinity Sunday (Pfingstmontag). A public holiday that ends the period of Pentecost.
October 3 is German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit). The main national holiday dedicated to the reunification of Germany in 1990.
December 25–26 – Christmas (Weihnachten). The main family holiday with markets and festive dinners.

Popular festivals
In addition to official holidays, Germany hosts large-scale festivals that attract tourists from all over the world:
Oktoberfest in Munich is the largest folk beer festival, which begins at the end of September.
Carnival (Fasching/Karneval/Fastnacht) is a time of costumed processions and festivities, especially in Catholic regions (Cologne, Düsseldorf).
Harvest festivals (Erntedankfest) are celebrated in September-October in rural areas.
Wine festivals (Weinfeste) take place in wine-growing regions from July to October.
Important nuances
"Quiet days" are not always weekends, but there are restrictions on noisy events on these days.
Christmas Eve (Heiligabend) is the main day of Christmas, with family dinner and gift exchange, but is not itself considered an official public holiday.
The holiday calendar may vary due to regional characteristics and religious traditions.
Religious holidays
Many holidays in Germany are based on Christian traditions. Some of them are recognized as public holidays in certain states:
January 6 – Three Kings' Day (Heilige Drei Könige). Celebrated in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Saxony-Anhalt.
Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam). Day off in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and other states.
August 15 – Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt). A holiday in some communities in Bavaria and the Saarland.
October 31st is Reformation Day (Reformationstag). A holiday in the northern and eastern lands.
Regional holidays
Each region has its own unique holidays that reflect its local history and culture. For example:
March 8 is International Women's Day (Internationaler Frauentag). A day off in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
November 11 is St. Martin's Day (Martinstag). The main event is the lantern procession (Laternenumzug), which is attended by children.

Berlin
The capital of Germany is a city of contrasts: historical monuments and modern architecture coexist here. Key landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Museum Island, and the remains of the Berlin Wall. The city is known for its tolerance and vibrant atmosphere.
Munich
The capital of Bavaria, located on the Isar River, the city is renowned for its brewing traditions and the renowned Oktoberfest festival. Other landmarks include Marienplatz, with its New Town Hall and St. Peter's Cathedral. Munich is also a major cultural and scientific center.
Hamburg
Germany's second-largest city and an important port on the Elbe River, it is often called the "gateway to the world" due to its strategic location. The city is crisscrossed by canals, and the historic Speicherstadt district is a complex of warehouses built directly on the water. Hamburg is also famous as the birthplace of The Beatles.
Cologne
One of Germany's oldest cities, located on the Rhine. Its main attraction is Cologne Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is also famous for its cultural life, carnival, and traditional Kölsch beer.
Dresden
The capital of Saxony, often called "Florence on the Elbe," the city is renowned for its Baroque architecture, museums, and galleries. Iconic landmarks include the Zwinger, the Old Masters Picture Gallery, and Dresden Castle. Dresden is also a major transportation and industrial hub.
Frankfurt am Main
A major financial center of Germany, often referred to as the country's "financial capital," the city boasts modern architecture, including skyscrapers, and a well-developed infrastructure.
Stuttgart
The capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, known as the "automotive capital," is home to the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. The city is renowned for its green parks and gardens.
Leipzig
The city is known as the "musical capital" thanks to its birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. Iconic landmarks include the Gewandhaus concert hall and St. Thomas Church.

General information
Capital: Berlin.
Area: about 357 thousand km².
Population: about 84 million people (as of 2025).
Official language: German.
Monetary unit: euro.
National holiday: October 3 – Day of German Unity.
Geography and nature
Germany is located in the center of Europe and has access to the North and Baltic Seas. The country borders nine countries: Denmark (to the north), Poland and the Czech Republic (to the east), Austria and Switzerland (to the south), and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands (to the west).
The relief is varied: in the north is the North German Lowland, in the center are mid-altitude mountains (Harz, Thuringian Forest), in the south are the Bavarian Alps with the highest point of the country - Mount Zugspitze (2962 m).
The climate is temperate, transitional from maritime to moderately continental. Winters are warm, summers are not hot.
The largest rivers are the Rhine, the Danube, and the Elbe. The largest lake is Lake Constance.

Story
The history of the territories of modern Germany spans thousands of years. In ancient times, Germanic tribes inhabited these territories. In 9 AD, the ancient Germanic Cherusci tribe, led by Arminius, defeated the Roman troops in the Teutoburg Forest. In 962, Otto I the Great founded the Holy Roman Empire. In 1871, Germany was unified around Prussia. After World War II, the country was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and reunification occurred on October 3, 1990.
Germany has a rich and distinctive culture. The country has produced such artists as Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Brahms, Richard Wagner, Albrecht Dürer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, and Thomas Mann.
Well-known traditions include Oktoberfest (the famous beer festival in Munich), Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte), and the Ostern (Easter) festival.
There are about 250 dialects in Germany that are actively used in everyday life.
International organizations
Germany is a member of the European Union, NATO, the G7 and the OECD.
Germany (official name - Federal Republic of Germany, FRG) is a state in Central Europe, one of the leading economic and political centers of the European Union. General information
Capital: Berlin.
Area: about 357 thousand km².
Population: about 84 million people (as of 2025).
Official language: German.
Monetary unit: euro.
National holiday: October 3 – Day of German Unity.
Geography and nature
Germany is located in the center of Europe and has access to the North and Baltic Seas. The country borders nine countries: Denmark (to the north), Poland and the Czech Republic (to the east), Austria and Switzerland (to the south), and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands (to the west).
The relief is varied: in the north is the North German Plain, in the center are mid-altitude mountains.

Population
Germany is a monoethnic country (over 92% of the population is German). However, natural population decline (the death rate exceeds the birth rate) is observed, and population growth is driven by an influx of foreign citizens.
Religious composition: About 70% of residents are Christians (roughly equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants), about 6% are Muslims, with some Orthodox Christians and members of other religions. Nearly 35 million people identify with no religion.
The level of urbanization is high – about 88%. The largest cities are Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne.
Economy
Germany is a post-industrial country with a strong economy. Services account for over 70% of its GDP, industry accounts for about 30%, and agriculture accounts for less than 1%.
Key industries:
Automotive industry: Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi plants.
Mechanical engineering (shipbuilding, machine tool building, equipment manufacturing).
Chemical and electrical industries (BASF, Siemens, Bosch)
Germany is one of the world's largest exporters of machinery, equipment and vehicles.
State structure
Germany is a federal state consisting of 16 equal states. Its form of government is a parliamentary republic.
Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral parliament: the Bundestag (elected by the people) and the Bundesrat (representative body of the states).
The head of state is the Federal President, who performs primarily representative functions. The Federal Chancellor is the head of government, determines the main directions of state policy, and is elected by the Bundestag. Friedrich Merz has held this position since May 2025.