G ERMAN P ROJECT Rebecca Fsadni April 2012

German Project Berlin Favourite German food and drinks Easter in Germany

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. It has a population of 3.5 million people. Berlin is Germany largest city. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the centre of the Berlin- Brandenburg Metropolitian Region, which has 4.4 million residents from over 190 nations. Located in the European Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one-third of the city’s area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

History The origin of the name Berlin is unknown, but it may have it’s roots in the language of West Slavic inhabitants of the area of today’s Berlin, and be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/bilr- (“swamp”). Folk etymology connects it to the German bär, a bear, and a bear appears in the coat of arms of the city.

Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media and science. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is a popular tourist destination. Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, electronics, traffic engineering and renewable energy.

Berlin is home to renowned universities, research institutes, orchestras, museums, and celebrities, as well as host of many sporting events. Its urban settings and historical legacy have made it a popular location for international film productions. The city is well known for it’s festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, public transportation networks and a high quality of living.

Geography Berlin is located in eastern Germany, approximately 60km west of the Polish border, in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography, for it is part of the vast Northern European Plain which stretches all the way from Northern France to western Russia.

Substantial parts of present-day Berlin onto the low plateaus on both sides of the Spree Valley. Large parts of the boroughs Reinickendorf and Pankow lie on the Barnim Plateau, while most of the boroughs Charlottenburg - Wilmersdorf, Steglitz – Zehlendorf, Tempelhof – Schöneberg, and Neukölln lie on the Teltow Plateau.

The Brandenburg Gate is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany. It also appears on German euro coins (10 cent, 20 cent, and 50 cent). The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, renovated in the 1950s after severe World War II damage. The building was again remodeled by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990s and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of the city.

The Kurfürstendamm is home to some of Berlin’s luxurious stores with Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at its eastern end on Breitscheidplatz. The church was destroyed in the Second World War and left in ruins. Nearby on Tauentzienstraße is KaDeWe, claimed to be continental Europe’s largest department store. The Rathaus Schöneberg, where John F. Kennedy made his famous “ Ich bin ein Berliner!” speech, is situated in Tempelhof- Schöneberg.

Favourite German Food and Drinks

Schweinebraten: pork roast in a rich gravy. Served with boiled potatoes, dumplings.

Goulasch: Sharply fried beef and pork cubes stewed with onions and red or green peppers. It is served with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes or noodles.

Klasser mit Sauerkraut: Cured pork shops, served with Sauerkraut and boiled potatoes.

Germans normally have ice-cream, fruit or fruit salad for desert. However, there are a few “Nachspeisen” that are typical for German.

Rote Crutze: A fruit compote, made from red berries, topped with vanilla custard.

Pudding: German pudding is made from milk, eggs, starch and sugar. It is boiled and poured into moulds to cool and get firm. Pudding comes either as Schokoladenpudding or vanillepudding by adding cocoa or vanilla. It is served with custard, strawberries or morello cherries. Nowadays everybody uses the pre- mixed pudding powders although it is almost as easy to prepare it yourself.

Eis und Heiß: Vanille ice cream with hot morello cherry to compote.

These are the most popular German drinks

In Germany the have the Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest is a 16-dayfestival held annually in Munich and Bavaria, running from late September to the first weekend of October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world’s largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending each year. This has been held since 1810.

Easter in Germany

The celebration of Easter in Germany is probably one of the most important events of the year. Many of the customs associated with its celebration are originally from this country, such as the used of decorated eggs and the Easter bunny. But a few weeks before celebrating Easter in Germany, there is another spring event that is hold in some parts of the country, such as in the Neckar Valley. It is called "Sommertagszug",which translates as "summer day parade

A few weeks before Easter Sunday in Germany, you can also see in many towns an Easter Market, called Ostermarkt in German, where they sell decorated Easter eggs, chocolate eggs and bunnies, spring ornaments and more Easter crafts. Germans love to decorate their house and garden with Easter decoration. But be careful about chocolate Easter eggs in Germany: many contain alcohol and are not suitable for young kids.

This is how they decorate their house

On the other hand, Easter in Germany does still have a few customs of its own such as the "Osterbaum" (the Easter Tree) and the "Osterbrunnen" (Easter Fountain).

The Osterbaum These Easter trees are either made of branches cut from pussy willows or other flowering bushes or are small living trees and bushes that are already planted around the house. In the case of the cut branches, they are usually brought in the house and put in a vase to be decorated with hand painted wooden eggs, hollowed out real eggs and little garlands. In the same way, the living trees and bushes outside the house are also decorated with plastic, wooden or real painted eggs and wreaths. It makes for a splash of colour in otherwise often gray spring days, giving the towns and cities a more festive atmosphere. Of course little Easter chocolate eggs are also left by the big Easter Bunny (Osterhase) around bushes and trees for kids to find on Easter Sunday. Another tradition introduced in North America by Germans settlers.