Thomas Vogel
Tourism of Germany
Germany is located in the middle of Europe. In Germany, tourists
can choose from skiing and hiking in the Alps, winetours in the Palatinate,
or they can go to famous cities as Berlin, Munich, Heidelberg
and Cologne. Wineries in the countryside often offer tours
through a vineyard. Tourists can learn how wineries produce wine.
Tourists can help with the wine harvest and can enjoy the great nature
in the countryside. When tourists are interested in hiking, they will find
different hikingareas. In the city of Jena and Weimar
tourists can discover German literature. Weimar was then the
bastion of German classics. And today a tourist still have the opportunity
of experiencing Goethe, Schiller, and Liszt "live."
Today a visit is also a vivid experience. Weimar is a nice
and charming city of past and present.
The Munich Oktoberfest - known by the locals as the "Wies'n" - is
the biggest public festival in the world. The Munich Oktoberfest
will be held from 18th September - 3rd October 1999. Each year, the
Oktoberfest is attended by around 6 million visitors, who drink around
5 million liters of beer and consume over 200,000 pairs of pork sausages
- mostly in the "Bierzelte" put up by the traditional Munich breweries.
The Oktoberfest also provide carousels, roller coasters and all the spectacular
fun of the fair for the enjoyment and excitement of visitors of all ages.
The festivities are accompanied by a program of events, including the Grand
Entry of the Oktoberfest landlords and breweries, the costume and riflemen's
procession, and a concert involving all the brass bands represented at
the "Wies'n". The brass band plays from the morning to the night.
The Riflemen's Procession is a street parade, which people wear old costume.
They explain how they produced beer a long time ago. The breweries shows
every year different possibilities to produce beer. The history of beer
in Germany is very old. A long time ago monks started to brew beer.
Another significant place in Germany is Berlin. Berlin
is the new capital after the reunification between East and West Germany
in 1990. Berlin is a city full of adventure, history,
shopping, architecture and the rest of the historical "Berliner Mauer."
In many exhibitions and museums, tourists can learn about the history in
Germany.
After the Second World War in 1945, the victorious Allies, the
US, Britain, France and Russia divided Germany into four sectors, each
under the control of an ally. The US, British, and French Sectors
combined to form a democratic state, The Federal Republic of Germany, or
West Germany. On October 7, 1949 the Soviet sector became a communist state,
The German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. In the year 1961 the Soviets
built up the "Berliner Mauer" to protect GDR from the capitalism
of the west. For 28 years, the "Berliner Mauer" separated friends,
families, and a nation. People in the East had a lot of restrictions for
life. Whenever they wanted to travel to a foreign country, they had
to apply by the government for permission. They demonstrated for
civil rights and tried to work against the political regime. In the
year 1989, there were dramatic events such as a massive flight of inhabitants
of the GDR via Hungary and big demonstrations in Leipzig on mondays.
Fall der Berliner Mauer 1990
After weeks
of discussion about a new travel law, the leader of East Berlin's communist
party (SED), Günter Schabowski, said on November 9, 1989 at about
7 p.m. in unclear words that the border would be opened for "private trips
abroad." People of East Berliner's travelled to West Berlin.
There were celebrations at the "Brandenburger Tor" and at the "Kurfürstendamm"
in West Berlin. On July 1 1990, an economic and social union between East
and West Germany was formed, and all restrictions concerning travels were
dropped. On that night, people from East Berlin flooded into the
western part of the city, and hundreds of thousands celebrated throughout
the city. Wherever people met in this night in Berlin, they
celebrate together the union. The next day "Berliner" began
to discover the other part of their city. When I saw the news on
TV, I felt very lucky about the union. Some people from my village
drove in the same night to Berlin to celebrate the event.
I can recommend Germany as a lovely and interesting country for everyone.
There are so many opportunities that everybody will find something. The
delicious taste of German beer with a pork sausage, sitting on the River
Isa in Munich is a memorable time. To walk as a tourist through
German's old cities, full of history, or to take a hiking trip in the Palatinate
Forest is also beautiful. If a tourist comes to Germany for vacation,
he will love it in the end.
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