Germany — books & literature

The story of Germany

Germanic tribes first appear in the historical record in Roman times, famously halting Roman expansion at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE. Centuries later, Charlemagne's Frankish empire and then the Holy Roman Empire (from 962) drew much of German-speaking Europe into a single, loosely bound political order that lasted nearly a thousand years. The Reformation, launched by Martin Luther in 1517, reshaped German religious and intellectual life and split Europe. For centuries Germany remained a patchwork of kingdoms and principalities until Otto von Bismarck forged political unification in 1871, creating the German Empire. The 20th century brought two world wars, the Nazi dictatorship and the Holocaust, division into East and West Germany after 1949, and finally the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and reunification in 1990. Today Germany is Europe's largest economy and a global centre for engineering, philosophy, music, and literature, still reckoning openly with its history.

Timeline — key moments

1. 9 CE

   Germanic tribes led by Arminius defeat Roman legions at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

2. 800

   Charlemagne, King of the Franks, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

3. 962

   Otto I crowned, founding the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.

4. 1517

   Martin Luther posts his Ninety-Five Theses, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

5. 1618-1648

   The Thirty Years' War devastates the German lands.

6. 1871

   German unification under Otto von Bismarck; the German Empire is proclaimed (18 January).

7. 1933-1945

   Nazi dictatorship, World War II, and the Holocaust.

8. 1949

   Germany divided into the Federal Republic (West) and the German Democratic Republic (East).

9. 1989

   Fall of the Berlin Wall (9 November).

10. 1990

    German reunification (3 October).

Top 10 things to know about Germany

1. Germany has the largest economy in Europe and is one of the largest in the world.
2. Germany is home to tens of thousands of castles and palaces, one of the highest concentrations in the world.
3. Parts of the Autobahn highway network have no general speed limit.
4. Johannes Gutenberg, a German, invented the movable-type printing press in the 15th century.
5. Oktoberfest in Munich is one of the world's largest folk festivals.
6. Germany is a federal republic of 16 states (Bundesländer).
7. German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union.
8. The Christmas tree tradition is widely credited to German custom.
9. Germany has produced towering figures in music, philosophy, and science, including Beethoven, Kant, and Einstein.
10. The Berlin Wall divided the city for 28 years, from 1961 to 1989.

Famous people from Germany

Say it in Germany's language

Did you know?

• ★Germany is famous for its huge variety of sausage (Wurst), with hundreds of regional types.
• ★The German word for gloves, "Handschuhe", literally translates to "hand shoes".
• ★Germany is credited with the modern printed book, the automobile, and the gummy bear.

Germany culture

• Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) fill town squares across the country every December.
• Oktoberfest in Munich draws millions of visitors each autumn.
• Bread culture runs deep, with well over a thousand registered bread varieties.
• Football (soccer) is the most popular sport, anchored by the Bundesliga.

Why read Germany's books

German literature stretches from Goethe and Schiller through the Brothers Grimm and Thomas Mann to a modern era shaped by reckoning with the 20th century. Reading Germany's books is a way into one of Europe's deepest literary traditions.