OK, so they’re pretty good at football, but what else does Germany have going for it? Adrian Bridge picks his first XI
6:00AM BST 13 Jul 2014
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1 Fussball
As if anyone needed reminding, the Germans are very, very good at football. An astonishing six members of the team that thumped Brazil this week play for Bayern Munich, the team that has dominated the Bundesliga for decades. Go and see them play in the dazzling Allianz Arena, constructed for the hosting of the World Cup in Germany in 2006 (for tickets, visit fcbayern.de/en/). Munich is also celebrated for its excellent museums and galleries, some lovely baroque churches, a beautiful city hall, the Englischer Garten. Oh, and a rather good beer festival.
The Allianz Arena, Munich
The Allianz Arena, Munich
2 Ein Bier, bitte
Munich is by no means the only place to consume Germany’s many excellent light, dark and wheat beers. Most regions have their own special brews – in Cologne (famed for its Gothic cathedral, carnival and an unusually carefree approach to life), the favoured tipple is Kölsch, a clear beer with a bright, straw-yellow hue; in Bamberg (a beautifully preserved medieval Bavarian city), the taste is more for richly textured, smoked beers. Every town and city worth its salt has a beer cellar or two in which to retreat in winter, while in summer the German beer garden is the place to clink glasses.
Traditional wheat beer
3 Vorsprung durch Technik
OK, this is another German cliché, but those German cars are pretty good too. Audi’s advertising slogan needs no introduction, but this is also the country of the BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes. There are excellent museums to das Auto and all its works in Wolfsburg (VW) and Stuttgart (Porsche and Mercedes-Benz). But by far the best way to experience this aspect of German culture is to hire a (German) car and hit the speed-limit-free autobahn.
4 Brot of heaven
German cuisine often gets a bad press – unfairly, given the huge regional variations and the growing number of Michelin-starred restaurants especially in the south-west. But no one could deny their extraordinary variation and rich creativity in baking, from dark rye to richly seeded and wholegrain breads and, of course, pretzels (very good with all those beers) and Schrippen, white rolls ideal for containing those huge bratwurst sausages.
5 Mountain hoch
In addition to its industrial heartlands and cities, Germany is also a country of great mountains – the Alps of course but also lesser-known ranges such as the Harz in the north – and some wonderful lakes. Personal favourites include Lake Constance (where Germany, Austria and Switzerland all meet), the Fünfseenland (five-lake-region) just to the south of Munich – and the lesser-trumpeted northern lake district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
6 Mad König Ludwig
So extreme (and expensive) was “Mad” King Ludwig’s passion for building fairytale castles in extraordinary locations that in the end he was declared insane (and drowned in mysterious circumstances shortly thereafter). But his magnificent legacy lives on, most famously at Neuschwanstein, but also in the magnificent palaces of Herrenchiemsee (Lake Chiemsee) and the Linderhof (near Oberammergau). Ironically his creations are now among the country’s main tourist draws.
7 Having a lächeln
Now we all know a German joke is no laughing matter. Or is it? Have a look at this YouTube clip for one humorous take on a certain match that was recently held in Brazil.
8 The Glühwein glow
With its mix of cloves, cinnamon and sweetened warm red wine, Glühwein – or mulled wine as we term it – is not to everyone’s taste. But it is a key part of another thing the Germans famously do well: Christmas. Throughout the advent season, towns and villages across the land come alive with festive songs, sounds, scents and colour as part of a Christmas market tradition that stretches back for hundreds of years. Nuremburg is often said to be the oldest; Dresden lays claim to being home to the first Stollen cake.
9 Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Any team that has in its front line the likes of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Wagner is going to be a pretty strong contender in a World Cup contest involving the art of composition. This rich musical heritage is maintained in the form of annual festivals in locations such as Bayreuth and Schleswig-Holstein and some of the finest opera houses and concert halls in the world.
10 Sun, sea and strandkorb
Strandkorb chair by the Baltic (Alamy )
The German Riviera? Surely not. In fact the country has hundreds of miles of coastline in the north and a string of resorts such as Kühlungsborn and Heiligendamm. The chic head for the island of Sylt; those looking for something more rugged head for Rügen. Baltic winds can be bracing: hence those splendid strandkorb chairs (and wind breaks).
11 Let’s Tanz
Since the fall of the wall 25 years ago this autumn, Berlin has emerged as one of greatest party/clubbing destinations on the planet. As David Bowie, a resident of what was then West Berlin in the 1970s and a huge fan of the city would put it: Let’s Tanz.
Sub: Reich to riches
After what almost all Germans concede was the catastrophe of the Second World War, the country has regrouped, restocked and rebuilt: in more recent years, including what was the formerly communist (and very run-down) East. Things work, trains run on time – and despite its economic prowess, prices are generally pretty reasonable.
Further information: German National Tourist Office (020 7317 0908;germany-tourism.de)
And, for the sake of balance, read find out our reasons to visit Argentina
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