Germany, general information

Germany, our eastern neighbors. A country nine times the size of the Netherlands and surrounded by nine European countries. Moreover, Germany has the largest population of all European countries after Russia.

• Form of government : Federal Republic
• Currency : Euro
• Language : German
• Inhabitants : more than 82 million
• Religion : Evangelical Lutheran and Roman Catholic
• Travel time : all year round
• Time difference : none

Flag Germany

climate

Germany has a maritime climate. Towards the south this becomes a continental climate. The extreme south has a mountain climate.

Accessibility

Highways

There are many border crossings to Germany. The highways in Germany, Autobahnen , are usually toll-free and very busy. It is an extensive motorway network and provides fast connections throughout the country. In winter, many tourists drive through Germany on their way to their winter sports destination in Austria, Switzerland or Italy.
The following highways are most commonly used:

• the Links Rheinische Autobahn from Venlo to Frankfurt
• the Rechts Rheinische Autobahn from Arnhem to Frankfurt
• the Sauerlandbahn from Dortmund to Würzburg

In addition to the highways, there are several tourist routes:

• Deutsche Weinstrasse
• Romantic Road
• Bergstrasse
• Black Forest High Street

Aviation

There are direct connections to Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Hannover, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf.

Railways

The German railway network, the Deutsche Bundesbahn , is excellently organized. International express trains and the Intercity run from the Netherlands to Germany.

Shipping

There are a number of major trading ports in the north of Germany: Hamburg, Bremen, Kiel and Lübeck. Hamburg also has a cruise connection with Scandinavia.
Germany is also known for Rhine trips and river cruises . These tours are conducted on:

• Rhine
• Moselle
• Neckar
• Main
• Weser
• Elbe
• Oder
• Danube

Accommodation

Many private individuals offer a room in their private home. This is then indicated as Fremdenzimmer or Zimmer mit Frühstück or Zimmer Frei/ Belegt .

The Bundesländer

The current Federal Republic of Germany ( Bundesrepublik Deutschland ) was created in 1990 by the union of the two Germanys, which were formed after the Second World War.
Germany is divided into the following Bundesländer: