fact about germany for you

7/26/2019 Fact about Germany for you

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For you

FACTSA B O U T G E R M A N Y

The book foryoung people


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10 x GermanyCulture, history, sports,

tourism: there is a lot

to discover in Germany.

Beaming World ChampionsIn July 2014 a dream came true:

the German football team won the

World Cup for the fourth time.

Hip capital cityHistory, culture, parties:

a weekend in Berlin is not enough.

Hot music sceneDJs such as Felix Jaehn and

Robin Schulz are shaking upthe international music scene.

Cultural treasuresThe German museum world

is quite unique: there are

more than 630 art museums.


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Protected natureGermany is a green country

forests account for a third

of its territory.

Clean energyGermany leads the way

internationally in the field of

renewable energies.

Green mobilityBy 2020 the plan is to have no

less than one million electric

vehicles on the road in Germany.

Popular holiday destinationsWindsurfing in the Baltic Sea,climbing in the mountains, skiing

in the Alps: Germany has a lot

to offer as a holiday destination.

Delicious discoveriesGerman cuisine is inter-

national and innovative. It even

includes vegan sausages.

International starsActors such as Diane Kruger

and Daniel Brhl are stars of

the screen all over the world.


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CONTENTS

Welcome 2Democracy, political system, language

Open society 12Commitment, integration, history

Endless opportunities 28Education, study, professional life

New ideas 42Innovation, research, green technologies

Creative minds 52Culture, media, creative industries

Global living 64Digitalisation, urban life, sports

Imprint 72


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.de+49

The .de domain is the most wide-spread in Germany and the most popu-lar country-specific domain worldwide.

The international dialling code for

Germany is +49.

Since 1 January 2002 the euro

has been the sole currency in

Germany. You can also use it in

18 other EU member states.

Domain

Currency

Theres nowhere higher in Germany

the Zugspitze is the countrys highest

mountain peak. The mountain lies in

the eastern Alps.

Many people like to holiday on the

North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts.

Germanys biggest island goes by the

name of Rgen and is located in

the Baltic Sea.

The Rhine is Germanys longest river.

Its source is in Switzerland, and it

flows all the way to Rotterdam in the

Netherlands on the North Sea coast.

Zugspitze

Mainland coast

Rhine

2,962 m

865 km 1,200 km


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4 | 5 W E L C O M E

Germany is a liberal, stable

democracy, but the country

has a tumultuous history.

In 2015 the country celebrated an im-

portant anniversary: 25 years of Ger-

man unity. Between 1949 and 1990 the

country was divided into the Federal

Republic of Germany and the German

Democratic Republic (GDR). This div-ision was a consequence of the Second

World War (1939-1945), which was

started by the Nazis during the Third

Reich (1933-1945). The later peaceful

revolution, which is the name given

to the peoples movement in the GDR,

and the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989

made reunification possible.

Germany lies atthe heart of Europe and

has nine adjoining states, more than

any other country in Europe. A total of

81.2 million people live in Germany,

making it the most populous country in

the European Union. Germany is a feder-ation and consists of 16 federal states.

Berlin is its capital.

A modern country at theheart of Europe

C O U N T R Y & P E O P L E

Great diversity

20.3 percent of people (16.4 million) in Ger-

many have a migrant background. Of them,

9.2 million hold German passports.

High life expectancy

Never before have people in Germany lived

as long as they do today. The average life

expectancy for women is 82 and for men 77.

More immigration

At the end of 2014, 81.2 million people

lived in Germany. That was 430,000 more

than in 2013. This growth is primarily theresult of immigration.

20%

81.2

82/77


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State capital

H E S S E N

N O R T H R H I N E -W E S T P H A L I A

R H I N E L A N D -P A L A T I NA T E

S A A R L A N D

B A D E N -W R T T E M B E R G

L O W E R S A X O N Y

S C H L E S W I G -H O L S T E I N M E C K L E N B U R G -

W E S T P O M E R A N I A

B R A N D E N B U R G

SAXONY-A NH A L T

T H U R I N G I A S A X O N Y

B A V A RI A

B E R L I N

Potsdam

H A M B U R G

Wiesbaden

Dsseldorf

Hanover

B R E M E N

Kiel

Schwerin

Magdeburg

Erfurt Dresden

Mainz

Munich

StuttgartSaarbrcken

Federal Republic

The Federal Republic of

Germany is a federation and

consists of 16 federal states.

Federation means that the

individual states have united

to form one big federal state.

This federal principle has deep

roots in the nations history

and is anchored in the German

Constitution.

Committed Europeans

In Germany, one of the found-

ing members of European

integration, the EU is often

rated more positively than

negatively. As a glance at the

Eurobarometer shows.

ec.europa.eu/COMMFront

Office/PublicOpinion

A popular tourist destination: the capital city Berlin attracts many young visitors


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6 | 7

18

W E L C O M E

Every four years the political parties

stand in the general elections to the

German Bundestag. All citizens over

18 are eligible to vote. They choose their

delegates in general, direct, free, and

equal elections by secret ballot. In the

Bundestag elections all voters can cast

two votes. The first vote is to select can-

didates in one of the 299 constituencies,and the second vote is cast for a party list.

This decides how strongly a party is rep-

resented in parliament. The Bundestag

elects the German Chancellor. One of

the most important tasks of the mem-

bers of parliament is legislation. The

Bundesrat, which represents the federal

states, is involved in legislation. Its

69 members are representatives of the

16 state governments. The Federal Presi-

dent is the Head of State. This role is pri-

marily a representative one and is filled

in an election every five years by the Fed-

eral Assembly (combining the Bundestag

and other outstanding members of civilsociety appointed by the state parlia-

ments).

Liberal democracy withequal rights for all

P A R L I A M E N T & P O L I T I C A L P A R T I E S

The Constitution

The written Constitution comprises

146 articles, including the fundamental

rights of citizens. Article 1 guarantees

the inviolability of human dignity and

emphasises the legally binding nature

of basic rights.

The Electorate

Men and women aged 18 and over may

vote in general elections. For elections

to the city parliaments, for example,

some federal states allow those aged

16 and over to vote.


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The Left Party

64 seats

The Greens

63 seats

CDU

254 seats

CSU

56 seats

SPD

193 seats

630 seats

The Reichstag building in Berlin: it is here that the members of the Bundestag, the German parliament, meet

The Parliament

The Bundestag is the parliament of

the Federal Republic of Germany.

It currently has 630 members from

five parties. Only parties that get

more than five percent of the vote or

win three direct seats in an election

may send delegates to the parlia-ment. The Bundestag has its seat

in the historic Reichstag building

in Berlin. The majority of members

of the 18th German Bundestag

(2013-2017) are from the Christian

Democratic Union (CDU), together

with its sister party the CSU, which

only exists in Bavaria, and the Social

Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

Together they form the so-called

Grand Coalition. The oppositon ismade up of The Left Party and Al-

liance 90/The Greens. All parties in

the Bundestag engage in debate with

and respect one another.


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8 | 9 W E L C O M E

Since the Bundestag elections

of 2013 Germany has been

ruled by a Grand Coalition

of the major parties, the CDU/CSU and the

SPD. Coalition governments are a feature

of the German political system. Up to now

it has only once been possible for just one

party to form a government alone, and

that was back in the early 1960s. Since 2005Dr. Angela Merkel, leader of the CDU

party, has headed the German govern-

ment as Federal Chancellor; she is now in

her third term. Her role is to shape the

principles of German politics. Angela Mer-

kel is the first woman in the history of the

Federal Republic of Germany to hold this

office. She grew up in East Germany and

holds a PhD in Physics.

The cabinet consists of 14 ministers as

well as the Head of the Federal Chancel-

lery. The SPD provides certain key indi-

viduals, including the Deputy Chancellor

in the person of Sigmar Gabriel, who is al-so the Minister for Economic Affairs and

Who governs Germany andwhat is important in politics

P L A Y E R S & C H A L L E N G E S

Dr. Angela Merkel has been German Chancellorsince 2005 and is the head of government

Joachim Gauck has been Germanys Federal Presidentsince 2012; his role is primarily a representative one

Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been FederalForeign Minister since 2013. He previously held therole between 2005 and 2009


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Key political issues

Energy reform

Germany wants to leave the age of fossil

fuels and nuclear energy behind. It is

committed to fostering renewable ener-

gies through the energy reform, as it is

known. The last nuclear power station

is due to be decommissioned in 2022.

Family

Helping families with children is an

important concern for the German

government. This means, for example,

enabling men and women to balance

work and family life.

Digital agenda

Digital networking is changing the world.

The German government wants to play

an active role in this transformation.

This not only revolves around technol-

ogy, but also issues such as freedom, dig-

ital self-determination, and democracy.

Foreign policy

Germany enjoys close international

relations with a broad network of

countries. Together with its partners,

Germany endeavours worldwide to

achieve peace, democracy, human

rights, and security.

One of the tasks of the Bundestag is to pass laws


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10 | 11 W E L C O M E

Energy, and the Foreign Minister in the

person of Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Steinmeier is one of Germanys most ex-

perienced politicians and served a previ-

ous term as Foreign Minister between

2005 and 2009. The Coalition Agreement

titled Shaping Germanys Future forms

the basis for the tasks the Grand Coali-

tion seeks to tackle up to 2017. Coalition

governments use such agreements to

reach an understanding on the political

objectives of the legislative period before

they enter into government together.

German politicians face huge challenges.

Alongside social and environmental policy,

one of the most important tasks is to man-

age the huge influx of refugees. In 2015

well over 800,000 people came to Germany

seeking asylum. They came mainly from

crisis and conflict regions, primarily from

Syria. Germany recognises its humanitar-

ian responsibilities towards people who are

forced to flee their homelands. The Ger-

man Federal Government is working at

many levels to achieve an international

and specifically a pan-European solution

as part of its immigration and refugee

policies. At the same time, German polit-icians are working to rectify the situations

that cause such flows of migrants.

227

159Goethe Institutes

The 159 Goethe Institutes in 98 countries

promote the German language abroad and

seek to improve international cultural

cooperation.

Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germanys inter-

national broadcaster. It provides news and

background reports on the television, radio,

and Internet in 30 languages.

International representation across the globe

Germany maintains relations with 195 states

and is represented worldwide by 227 diplo-

matic missions, of which 153 are embassies.


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One of the tasks of the Federal For-

eign Office, alongside diplomacy, is

to drive Germanys international

cultural and education policy. A large

part of this involves promoting the Ger-

man language all over the world. Cur-

rently 15.4 million people study German

as a foreign language. German is the

most widely spoken mother tongue in

the European Union. The task of lan-

guage education is carried out, for ex-

ample, by the Goethe Institutes, but also

by 140 German schools abroad and al-

most 2,000 other schools that offer in-tensive German tuition. These are linked

by the Schools: Partners for the Future

initiative, or PASCH for short.

Schools: Partners for the Future

The PASCH network links upstudents of German around

the world.

pasch-net.de

Learning German in thenetwork of partner schools

L A N G U A G E

Studying German is very worthwhile it is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union


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12 | 1312 | 13

2

O P E N S O C I E T Y

OPEN SOCIETY


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Cosmopolitan Germany young people have numerousopportunities to apply themselves

I N T R O

Rights, duties, and volunteer-

ing: anyone living in Germany

is free to decide how he or she

wishes to live. People have many

freedoms that enable them to

help shape the country.

Germany is a peaceul, democratic

country. Men and women have the

same rights, and all inhabitants

and the state must comply with the

law in this state under the rule o law.

You are ree to choose your opinion and

your religion: the constitution guaran-

tees these rights and they are valued

particularly highly. Civil society also

defines modern Germany. Millions o

young people are active in their ree

time in clubs, church or political asso-

ciations, and non-governmental organ-

isations.

Germany is a country o immigration.

Since the 1960s people have come here

to live and work. Those who are well-

educated have many opportunities to

move here. One in five people in Ger-

many has an immigrant background.

For political reugees, the right to asy-

lum is anchored in the constitution.

Particularly high numbers o reugees

arrived in 2015. In many towns and cit-

ies volunteers helped those arrivingrom war zones and crisis regions.

However, hostile tendencies were vis-

ible in the debate on reugees and im-

migration.

Open society

Follow the link for the video on the topic

tued.net/en/vid52

V I D E O & A R A P P


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14 | 15 O P E N S O C I E T Y

D I D Y O U K N O W . . .

1

. . . that 16.4 million of 81.2 mil-

lion inhabitants in Germany have

a migrant background?

2

. . . that more than a million

people are active in the volun-

tary fire fighting services and

are everyday heroes?

3

. . . that every year between90,000 and 100,000 people do

voluntary work?

4

. . . that government does not in-

terfere in such things as whether

you are religious or what religion

you have?

5

. . . that the history of the Third

Reich (19331945) is taught in

schools?

6

. . . that there are many memori-

als to the victims of Nazism?

7

. . . that many friendships come

about through the Franco-

German Youth Office and theGerman-Polish Youth Office?

8

. . . that young people with a mi-

grant background are eligible for

dual citizenship?

9

. . . that half of all students are

female?

10

. . . that a good family life is im-portant for 90 percent of young

people in Germany?


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Idid my Abitur at a bi-lingual sixth-orm col-

lege in Freiburg. The dual qualification was

really hard work. Many students took a gap

year aterwards. I didnt want to go straight touni, but didnt want to just have the time or my-

sel either. While looking or voluntary work

with a political and historical ocus, I came

across the Action Reconciliation Service or

Peace. A perect choice. For a period o 12 months

I worked in the Illinois Holocaust Museum and

Education Center in Chicago, one o the most

important Holocaust memorial and education

centres in the United States.

I had already had some exposure to Jewish his-

tory and culture in the orm o books by Franz

Kafa, music by Asa Avidan or travels with my

amily. I wanted to deepen my knowledge while

in the USA. I would definitely recommend a vol-untary year abroad. It is the best way to prevent

racism and prejudices.

W H A T M O V E S M E

The best wayto preventprejudicesVincent Falasca, 20,

voluntary service worker


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16 | 17 O P E N S O C I E T Y

Many young people in Ger-

many are choosing to do

something or the good o soci-

ety in their ree time. There are count-

less opportunities and lots o people

taking part. In 2014 hal o all 12-to-19-

year-olds said that they do something

or others on an unpaid and charitable

basis. This also fits with the values that

are important to young people and arepart o their personal liestyles. For ex-

ample, 60 percent comment: It is im-

portant to me to help those who are so-

cially disadvantaged. For 32 percent,

political involvement is a high priority,

as the Shell Youth Study 2015 shows.

The figure is almost a tenth more than

in the year 2010 and shows that interest

in politics is on the rise again.

Sports, the church,culture, and the res-

cue services are among the most com-

mon fields chosen by those who want to

make a dierence. Environment, animal

protection, and conservation are like-wise very popular. Many young people

are active in new social movements

fighting to give globalisation a just side

and warning against the negative social,

economic, and environmental conse-

quences o global capitalism. Overall,

many are committed to issues that take

an international perspective and aim to

create a better world. They find direction

in non-governmental organisations like

Amnesty International, Greenpeace,oodwatch, or Friends o the Earth Ger-

many (BUND). Incidentally, 66 percent

o young people also believe it is impor-

tant to be environmentally aware. The

youth wings o political parties, trade

unions, and the churches oer no end o

Active leisure time helpingothers as a volunteer

E N G A G E M E N T & V O L U N T E E R I N G

Peaceful understanding

Theatre workshops, sports competitions, en-

vironmental projects: the Franco-German

and the German-Polish Youth Offices bring

young people together and promote

exchange.

G L O B A L


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possibilities or getting involved. It ap-

pears, however, that young people oten

find traditional organisations not spon-

taneous enough or too rigid.

Ever since militaryservice was abolished

in Germany, volunteer assignments with

a posting abroad are becoming increas-

ingly attractive. Examples include the

state-financed programme kulturweit

run by the German UNESCO Commis-sion or the weltwrts developmental

volunteer service.

Helping other people getting involved in social projects is very important for many young people

D I A G R A M

Digital natives

80 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds and 60 per-

cent of 14-to-17-year-olds believe that they are

better at using the Internet than their parents.

60 80


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18 | 19 O P E N S O C I E T Y

Germany has around 81.2 million

inhabitants. Some 16.4 million o

these are migrants or have parents

who come rom abroad: in other words

more than one in five. Over hal o all

people with a migrant background hold

a German passport. Since 2000, children

who have oreign parents and were born

in Germany are citizens not only o the

country o origin o their parents

but are also German citizens i their par-

ents have legally lived in Germany or at

least eight years. Since the end o 2014

they no longer have to choose between

the two citizenships on reaching the age

o majority i they have grown up in

Germany. Facilitating dual citizenship is

just one example o how Germany en-deavours to integrate people rom other

nations and to recognise cultural diver-

sity. The government promotes equal

opportunities, and the General Anti-

Discrimination Act aims to prevent

discrimination. More acceptance or

migration is important; 15 percent o

participants in the Shell Youth Study

2015 agree with this statement, com-

pared to only five percent in 2006.

While considerable progress has been

made in integration, there is still room

or improvement, for example as re-

gards education and training for youngpeople. Those with a migrant back-

ground oten have ewer opportunities

Open for new citizens language, the key to success

M I G R A T I O N & I N T E G R A T I O N

L I S T

People with a migrant background in

Germany today

Turkey: 2,859,000

Poland: 1,617,000

Russian Federation: 1,188,000

Kazakhstan: 921,000

Italy: 764,000

Romania: 593,000


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than their ellow students. Those with

poor German reading and writing skillsare at a disadvantage when embarking

on a career. Specifically, over 30 percent o

the 20-to-29-year-old oreigners have no

vocational qualifications. And only 13 per-

cent gain a high school certificate com-

pared with 34 percent o German youth.

Language is the key to integration and

success.Which is why language evaluation

tests and additional coaching begin in kin-

dergartens. Over two thirds o migrantsare happy living in Germany. According to

the opinion pollsters such as the Allens-

bach Institute most (58 percent) see

themselves as part o German society. On-

ly 5 percent do not eel they belong. Over

hal o migrants would like their children

to grow up in Germany. They see their u-

ture here.

Often young people with a migrant background do not enjoy such good opportunities as those without

a situation politicians seek to change


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20 | 21 O P E N S O C I E T Y

There are many dierent liestyles

and ways o lie in Germany. You

can either remain within the main-

stream or be outside o it. Alternative

concepts or lie are accepted as are di-

erent sexual orientations. The govern-

ment does not interere in such things as

whether you are married to your part-

ner or not, whether you live together, ori you want to have children. In all other

areas o lie people are likewise given the

space or sel-development.

What is a family?The classic amily model

still involves a ather, a mother, and chil-

dren. But many other orms o amily have

developed, too, such as same-sex parent

amilies, patchwork amilies, bi-national

amilies or single-parent amilies. Moreo-

ver, it is oten the case that the ather and

mother are not married. Every tenth cou-

ple with children in Germany has no mar-

riage certificate. And in an increasing

number o amilies, children live alonewith a mother or ather.

The relationship between parents

and children is largely very good. Nat-

urally, there are conflicts, but oten par-

ents are like older riends or pals or

their children. 40 percent o the young-

sters polled in the Shell Youth Study

2015 say: My relationship with my

parents is really good.Having a good

amily lie is one o the most import-ant values or young people. Indeed,

one in three even say the way their par-

ents raised them is a model or how

Diverse ways of living living at home with your parents

F A M I LY & F R I E N D S H I P

D I A G R A M

The value of family

70 percent of young women believe that you

need your own family for personal happiness.Only 57 percent of young men believe this, or

so the Shell Youth Study shows.

57

70


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International generation

Since 2013, 37 percent of students from

Germany have gone abroad for a semester,

an internship or a language course. And the

trend is increasing!

G L O B A L

they will educate their own children.

For their part many parents understand

that encouragement, motivation, and

teaching someone to be independent

are more eective than being overly

authoritarian and imposing bans.

At some point the time comes or kids

to leave home. Young women usually

manage this earlier than their male

counterparts. At age 25 only one in fivewomen still lived with their parents in

These days families take many forms apart from the classic mother, father child(ren). German society reflects this

2014 while 36 percent o the sons had

yet to leave the nest.


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22 | 23 O P E N S O C I E T Y

Shell Youth Study

What makes young people in Germany tick?

What values are important to them? How do

they spend their leisure time? The 17th Shell

Youth Study, published in 2015, tells you.

shell.de/aboutshell/our-commitment/

shell-youth-study-2015.html

In Germany, men and women are

equal beore the law. However, it

has taken a long time or this to be-

come a reality in everyday lie. Since the

1960s, several generations o women have

ought or equality and emancipation,

leading to many barriers being torn down

that previously made it hard or girls and

young women to determine their own u-

tures. By way o example: in Germany to-day just as many young women complete

high school as do young men.The picture

is similar in higher education, where hal

o all students in Germany are women.

Things are notquite so balanced between

the sexes when it comes to the choice o

subject. Most significantly, young men are

traditionally more interested in the so-

called STEM subjects, which are defined as

science, technology, engineering, and

maths. However, these days around

29 percent o students in STEM subjects

are emale, whilst in medicine 65 percent

o all students are now women. In the vet-erinary sciences, the figure is as high as

85 percent. To give another example:

at the Luthansa Group, o 5,500 pilots,

300 are women.

Although more and more women work

in proessions that require academic quali-

fications, in the job market men still have

better chances o climbing the career lad-

der. The higher you go in management,

the ewer women there are. Only 21.4 per-cent o the members o the supervisory

boards o publicly-listed companies

which monitor the actions o the execu-

tives were women in June 2015. This is

set to change: rom 2016 there is to be a

minimum quota o 30 percent women on

Opportunities for all prospects in the world of work

W O R K & E Q U A L I T Y

I N F O


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D I A G R A M

Expectations of the world of work

71 percent of young people in Germany

see job security as their top priority.

48 percent want to have ample leisure

time alongside work.

the supervisory boards o 108 publicly

listed corporations. I the company can-

not find a woman to fill the role, then the

position remains vacant.

Alongside this womensquota, there are

urther regulations aimed at promoting

equal opportunities in the job market.

One example is a quota or the integra-

tion o disabled people: employers who

have over 20 employees must allocate

five percent o their jobs to severely

disabled people.

Although 50 percent of students today are women, when it comes to executive positions they still have some catching up to do

71

48


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24 | 25 O P E N S O C I E T Y

The Third Reich rom 1933 to 1945, the

Second World War, the Holocaust,

and also Communist rule in the or-

mer East Germany all play a very impor-

tant role in the collective memory o the

German people. The primary ocus here

is remembering the victims o Nazism.

And the brave people who were members

o the resistance to Adol Hitler. Preserv-

ing the accounts o contempo-

rary witnesses in the orm o videos or

transcripts is particularly important.

This way, an awareness o the crimes o

the Second World War can be kept

awake in uture generations. Even those

born 50 years ater the end o the Sec-

ond World War must be able to learn

about peoples experiences o the periodbetween 1939 and 1945. There are many

sites and monuments commemorating

the dierent groups o victims in Ger-

many. In the heart o Berlin, the Memo-

rial to the Murdered Jews o Europe

commemorates the six million Jewish

victims o the Holocaust.

Many people ofyour age are committed

to keeping these memories alive and to

shaping a peaceul world. The Action

Reconciliation Service or Peace works

to ensure critical and sensitive engage-

ment with the consequences o Nazi

crimes. Every year several hundredyoung people complete voluntary assign-

ments in Europe, the USA, and Israel.

Learning from the past living history

H I S T O R Y & R E M E M B R A N C E

Museums in Berlin addressing

German history

Jewish Museum

Topography of Terror Documentation Center

Checkpoint Charlie Museum

Berlin Wall Memorial

The DDR Museum (The GDR Museum)

The Berlin-Hohenschnhausen Memorial

German Historical Museum

L I S T


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They work at memorial sites, support

Holocaust survivors, and work towardsa more tolerant society. Peace work is

an important basic focus of youth

work.The Franco-German Youth Ofice

and the German-Polish Youth Ofice

promote exchange between young

people, or example, through interesting

programmes and projects.

Remembrance of theCommunist dicta-

torship in East Germany rom 1949 to1990 is also kept alive. In the ormer East

German Security Service HQ in Berlins

Hohenschnhausen district visitors can

learn about the work o the Stasi (the

ormer Ministry o State Security),

which spied on, monitored, intimidated,

and incarcerated citizens.

Keeping memories alive: the Holocaust Memorial in the heart of Germanys capital, Berlin


30/80

26 | 27 O P E N S O C I E T Y

Open to other religions in schools, too

R E L I G I O N & B E L I E F

People in Germany enjoy ree-

dom o speech and reedom o

religion. These are among the key

human rights. Article 4 o the German

Basic Law protects reedom o religion.

It reads: Freedom o aith and o con-

science, and reedom to proess a reli-

gious or philosophical creed, shall be

inviolable. The undisturbed practice oreligion shall be guaranteed. In practice

this means nobody may be discriminat-

ed against on account o their religious

belies; there is no state church, politics

and religion are kept separate; religion is

a private matter. People o dierent reli-

gious belies live in Germany peaceully

alongside one another. Migration has

created a more diverse religious world.

Some 47 million people belong to one othe Christian denominations. O them,

around 24 million are Catholics, and

some 23 million are Protestants. An-

other third do not belong to any religion.

Many have also let the Church. This op-

tion is open to anyone in Germany over

the age o 18. The majority o people in

east Germany are atheists. The largest

religious communities include our to

five million Muslims, 200,000 Jews, and

members o the Orthodox Christian

aith and o Free Churches. In everyday

lie a persons religion does not play

much o a role. Government schools are

obliged to oer religious instruction;some states also oer instruction in the

Islamic religion.

Religious instruction for all

The city state of Hamburg is blazing its

own trail in terms of religious instruction:

here pupils of different faiths are taught

altogether in Religious instruction for all.

I N F O


31/80

Do you wish to know more about society

and engagement? Then youve come to

the right place.

C O M P A C T

Volunteer organisations that

deploy young people abroadand information on a year

spent in social volunteering.

weltwaerts.de,

kulturweit.de, bafza.de,

bundesfreiwilligendienst.de

Fluter, the youth magazine

from the Federal Agency for

Civic Education, addresses nu-

merous current social themes.

fluter.de

Youth Offices promote ex-

change between young people

in Germany and other

countries.

dfjw.org, dpjw.org, dtjw.de

English-language website on

living, working, and studying inGermany.

young-germany.de

The association DeutschPlus

Initiative for a Plural Republic

is designed to be a network

centred on the theme of mi-

gration.

bpb.de

Both the Protestant and

Catholic Churches are

committed to youth work.

bdkj.de,

evangelische-jugend.de

The Young Islam Conference

offers religious and non-reli-

gious young people a platform

for exchange.

junge-islamkonferenz.de


32/80

28 | 2928 | 29

3

E N D L E S S O P P O R T U N I T I E S

ENDLESSOPPORTUNITIES


33/80

Entering training and theworld of work many roadslead to Rome

I N T R O

School, degree course, profes-

sion: in our globalised world, agood education is the spring-

board to the future. The education

system in Germany represents a

good launch pad in this regard.

For young people in Germany, educa-

tion and training is very important.The education system offers them

numerous opportunities. Generally there

is not just one route by which they can

progress, but rather interesting alterna-

tives and side routes. Firstly, as every-

where, there are different types of school

qualification. In formal terms the highest

qualification from a school is the Abitur,

or Abi for short, equivalent to a high

school certificate. Anyone who has this

under their belt can study at a university

and an increasing number of young

people are doing just that. In Germany

there are no fewer than 415 higher educa-

tion institutions! They guarantee academiceducation at the highest international

levels, which is one reason why Germany

is the third most popular country among

international students after the USA and

the UK. However, anyone who doesnt

complete the Abi or does not wish to study

at university still has a good chance of en-

tering a skilled profession. The dual educa-

tion model combines work and training

and has been so successful for so long that

other countries are now adopting it as amodel.The fact that so many young people

in Germany have jobs is also down to the

fact that they are educated so well and to

the very latest standards.

Endless opportunities


tued.net/en/vid53



34/80

30 | 31 E N D L E S S O P P O R T U N I T I E S


1

. . . that there are around 415

higher education institutions

in Germany?

2

. . . that for international stu-

dents Germany is the most popu-

lar host country after the United

States and Great Britain?

3

. . . that you can train for some330 vocational programmes in

Germany?

4

. . . that there are 140 German for-

eign schools and another 870

schools offering the Deutsches

Sprachdiplom (DSD) / German

Language Diploma?

5

. . . that the universities offer

1,381 international courses and

courses in foreign languages?

6

. . . that there are over 301,000 for-

eign students in Germany today?

7

. . . that you can study for an in-

ternationally recognised Bachelor

or Masters degree in Germany?

8

. . . that there is compulsory

schooling for all children in Ger-

many?

9

. . . that no fees are charged for

attending state schools or most

of the universities in Germany?

10

. . . that Germany ranks amongstthe countries with the highest

employment rates in the EU?


35/80


Everything issuperblyorganisedAnastasiia Petrova, 21, student at

TH Mittelhessen, Campus Giessen

Biology is my great passion. I was born in the

Ukraine and attended school there. After

graduating from high school I knew for sure

I wanted to work in biology later on. When I foundout you could study bioinformatics in Germany I

knew straight away: thats what I want to do.

I wrote to several German universities and got a

reply from each with a lot of useful tips. That was

a wonderful experience. I decided on Technische

Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM). Everything is

superbly organised. The curriculum is well-struc-

tured, and the content is exciting. There is a bud-

dy programme under which students who have

studied longer help the newcomers both with

their studies but also outside university. Next se-

mester I would also like to help someone who is

new to the THM. I share accommodation with six

other girls, and we get on really well. I am happyI have found a new home here.


36/80


Open school system first-class education

S C H O O L & T R A I N I N G

German international schools

The 140 German international schools in

72 different countries provide a first-rate

education. These are attended by 20,800

German and 61,000 non-German pupils.

The initiative Schools: Partners for the Fu-

ture (PASCH) links a further 2,000 schools

that teach German.

auslandsschulwesen.de

Some 11 million children and

young people attend school in

Germany. Whether you enjoy go-

ing to school or not: all children must

attend a school for at least nine years.

Compulsory education starts at the age

of six. Incidentally, no fees are charged

for attending government schools. And

in contrast to several other countries

only around 10 percent of students inGermany attend a private school.

What you need to know: in Germany

each federal state is responsible for its

schools each federal state enjoys inde-

pendence in educational matters. In

practice this means school systems may

differ from one state to the next; and to

some extent where you live determines

the kind of school you attend. However,

all pupils begin by attending primary

school,usually for four years. There are

four types of secondary school known

as Hauptschule, Realschule, Gym-

nasium, and Gesamtschule. The lat-ter integrates the other three under a

single roof. Children wishing to go on

to study at a university typically attend

a Gymnasium. It is the most popular

type of high school. Pupils can get a

high school certificate, the Abitur, af-

ter 12 years of schooling (G8) or after

13 (G9). Incidentally, the last two years

at a Gymnasium differ from the years

before. Students now have options and

many choose to spend a year at a schoolabroad. The Abi qualifies you to study

at university.

The dual education system offers an

alternative to studying. As an intern

(Azubi) you are both a student and

G L O B A L


37/80

employed by a firm. You receive a

monthly salary and pay into the social

security system. Depending on your

chosen career, training lasts between

two and three and a half years. There are

330 vocational programmes to choose

from in this regard. You attend vocation-

al school or college on one to two days

a week and spend the rest of the week

in a firm learning what is importantin practice.

Successful German model: the dual training scheme combines college and work, theory and practice

D I A G R A M

Popular careers

In 2014 a total of 37,116 women trained as

medical assistants, whilst 60,738 men chose

vocational programmes as automotive

mechatronics engineers.

37,116

60,738


38/80


Colourful, international, diverse:

Germanys student landscape truly

has a lot to offer. If you want to

study in Germany you can choose from

among 415 universities. Basically, there

are three kinds: applicants who con-

sider themselves scientific and ana-

lytical normally choose one of the

106 universities, while those with

stronger practical skills find a

suitable course at one of the 207 uni-

versities of applied sciences. And for

students with creative talents there are

51 universities specializing in film, art

or music. Moreover, there are six teach-

er-training colleges, 16 theological

colleges and 29 public administration

colleges. Together they offer some18,000 courses, of which about 1,400

have an international focus and are

held in a foreign language.

Word has spreadamong the world stu-

dent community that Germany is a

great place to study. After the United

States and Great Britain, Germany is

the most popular choice. In a global

comparison of universities four Ger-

man universities ranked in the top 100

in 2015, and seven made it to the top

200. The universities of the excellence

initiative are the lighthouses of the

university scene. Graduates of Germanuniversities are very sought after by

Excellent research andteaching top unis

S T U D Y I N G & U N I V E R S I T I E S

L I S T

Oldest university: Heidelberg University

(founded 1386)

Newest university: Medizinische

Hochschule Brandenburg (founded 2014)

Largest mainline university: Ludwig-

Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen

(50,327 students)

University that appeals most to leading

international scientist and new talents:

Freie Universitt Berlin

(Humboldt Ranking 2014)


39/80

employers, especially the scientists, en-

gineers, and doctors among them.

Those that donot speak much Germangenerally manage well with English in

everyday life as many people speak the

language. However, apart from the

international courses, German is often

used in lectures and seminars. This

means you need to prove you have a

good knowledge of German to be admit-

ted to certain subjects. Which is why

many students from abroad first take a

preparatory or intensive language course

at a university. Good German courses

abroad are also offered by the 159 GoetheInstitutes in 98 countries.

Provided you passthe relevant exams

you will be entitled to use the title

Bachelor or Master at the end of your

studies. A Bachelors course generally

lasts three years and is modular in

structure. For a Masters degree you

Centre of exchange and knowledge: German universities stand for a first-class education


40/80


have to study an additional two to four

semesters. Incidentally, in Germany anacademic year consists of two semes-

ters. The degrees are recognised inter-

nationally. The European Credit Trans-

fer System (ECTS) means qualif ications

within the European Union education

system are readily comparable. This

makes things easier should you move

to another university. And for those

with greater academic ambitions there

are attractive options for doing a PhD.

There is a clear emphasis on inter-

nationality at German universities as

increasing numbers of young people

are flocking to Germany to study. Of

the 2.7 million students in 2014 around

301,300 were foreign students. Today,every German university has an Inter-

national Office. The latter provides stu-

dents from abroad with tips and

information on such important topics

as residence requirements, accommo-

dation, and life in Germany. Moreover,

German students are cosmopolitan

and keen to spend time abroad. Since

2013 the number of students going

abroad to study for a semester or do

an internship has risen from 32 to 37 per-

cent. In particular the EUs Erasmus+

programme helps many students gain

an international perspective. If you are

interested in studying in Germany youcan contact DAAD, the German Aca-

demic Exchange Service. It coordinates

exchanges between students and aca-

demics, is committed to the inter-

nationalisation of universities, and

awards many interesting scholarships.

Germany has an excellent education

system in which it invests heavily. The

amount rose to a good 120 billion Eu-

ros in 2014. By contrast, studying in

Germany is not too expensive. And

typically students attending state uni-

versities must not pay fees.

Exciting metropolises, idyllic towns

You can study practically everywhere in Ger-

many. There is always a lot going on in the

big cites, while smaller towns often score for

their special student atmosphere.

I N F O


41/80

Lively: There is an enormous

choice for students in German cities.

In Berlin alone there are four

universities from which to choose.

Highly traditional: Many uni-

versities can look back on

long traditions, but are all the

more innovative in the range

of subjects they offer and the

research they do.

Inventive: Research is also

conducted outside universities.

In Germany there are four large

research organisations who

work on theoretical and practical

solutions for the future.

Charming: Few inhabitants,

many students: Mnster,

Freiburg, or Gttingen are

real student towns with aspecial campus flair.

Technical: They enjoy world

renown for their excellent

research and teaching; Ger-

manys technical universities

attract students from all over

the world.

Huge selection, many offers every university is different

M A P

Hamburg

Kassel

Mnster

Berlin

DresdenAachen

Frankfurt

Heidelberg

Munich

Nuremberg

Innovative: It need not always

be the really big universities.Often smaller unis offer interest-

ing and innovative combinations

of subjects.


42/80

38 | 3938 | 39 E N D L E S S O P P O R T U N I T I E S

When it comes to vocational training

there are two alternatives: a vocational

training course or training at a vocational

college.

9 yearsHauptschule second-

ary school qualification

10 yearsRealschule secondary

school qualification

11/12 yearsVocational diploma

12/13 years*Abitur high school

certificate and university

entrance qualification

After primary school, children move on to a secondary

school. There are various types of schools to choose from these lead to various different qualifications.

*Duration of education including primary school

Signpost to success theGerman education system

I N F O G R A P H I C

School

ainingTr

duration

23.5years

12 days(per week)

attending a

vocational college34 days(per week) working in a company

2,455vocational colleges

vocational programmes

in Germany

approx.

330


43/80

Research, practical emphasis, or a focus

on the arts: in Germany there are three

types of university. 106universities

207universities of applied sciences

51film, art or

music colleges

415higher education

institutions

17,731study courses

At the start of the millennium the old

Diploma and Magister qualifications

were abolished in favour of degree

qualifications that are now recognised

internationally.

Most popular subject groups (winter semester 2014/15, number of students)

Sources:GermanFederalMinistryofLabour,destatis,

GermanRectorsConference

7,833Masters degree

courses

7,817Bachelors degreecourses

Law, economics, and social sciences 822,745

Engineering 545,408

Languages and cultural studies 499,561Mathematics, natural sciences 490,433

Life sciences / health sciences 157,166

Also: 6 teacher-training colleges,

16 theological colleges, 29 pub-

lic administration colleges


44/80


Prime career prospects attractive employmentopportunities

W O R K & Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S

The prospects for young people

in the job market are good.

Qualified skilled workers are most

in demand in medical and technical/

scientific professions. For engineers

and technicians, the opportunities are

similarly plentiful: Germany is one of

the countries with the highest rates of

employment in the EU and has thelowest percentage of youth jobless

among EU member states. Skilled

young workers from non-EU coun-

tries can also seek work in Germany.

Of course many of them wish to work

for one of Germanys global players,

but medium-sized firms in the auto-

motive, energy, and mechanical engin-

eering industries are also looking for

new employees. Many of these com-panies are innovative world market

leaders with successful products. Promis-

ing start-ups are also being set up all

over Germany, most significantly in the

capital Berlin.

Most companies scorepoints for their

good work environments, and more

and more young workers place great

emphasis on a good work-life balance.

Young mothers and fathers too can

now shape their careers differently

than earlier generations. Migrants rep-

resent an important economic factor:

more than 700,000 people with a mi-grant background own a business.

Career Compass Germany

The free Career Compass Germany app gives

information in German and English on edu-

cation/training, studying, and working in

Germany. deutschland.de

I N F O


45/80

C O M P A C T

Be it school, university, or the job market:

there are plenty of experts to help you.

The 140 German international

schools in 72 countries providean excellent education.

bva.bund.de

The PASCH Initiative links up

2,000 schools worldwide for

which German is an important

subject.

pasch-net.de

The Higher Education Com-

pass provides information on

German universities and inter-

national collaborations.

hochschulkompass.de

Tips on studying and living in

Germany are available from

the Deutsches Studentenwerk

(the German National Associ-

ation for Student Affairs).

internationale-

studierende.de

The DAAD is the largest or-

ganisation for the promotionof exchange among students

and academics.

daad.de, studieren-in.de

The 159 Goethe Institutes

worldwide promote German

as a language and cultivate

cultural cooperation.

goethe.de

The multilingual portal of the

Make it in Germany campaign

offers numerous tips.

make-it-in-germany.com

The German Federal Employ-

ment Agency provides

information on the topic of

employment.

arbeitsagentur.de


46/80

42 | 4342 | 43

4

N E W I D E A S

NEW IDEAS


47/80

Technology that benefits the en-

vironment, top-level research:

ideas for tomorrow are generated

day in, day out at corporations,

higher education institutions, and

research facilities in Germany.

Germany is a land of ideas. Thisis demonstrated by the fact that

more than 80 Nobel Prizes have

gone to Germans to date. In Chemistry,

for example, Stefan W. Hell was award-

ed the coveted prize in 2014 for develop-

ing super-resolution microscopy. The

many participants in the German youth

science competition Jugend forscht also

have a head for good ideas. School pu-

pils can submit their science inventions

for this competition, for instance, gen-

erating electricity from yoghurt or

transforming straw into paper in an en-

vironmentally friendly way. More than

235,000 aspiring scientists have takenpart over the last 50 years.

Future issues andinnovations good ideasmade in Germany

I N T R O

Nowadays developments that are good

for the environment are particularly

popular. Germany is among the leading

countries in terms of green technolo-

gies,which promote environmental pro-

tection or the use of renewable energies.

Two million people in Germany work in

the field of environmental technology to-

day. Germany is among the pioneers ininternational climate policy. With a raft of

initiatives, it aims to prevent the advance

of global warming and the associated de-

struction of livelihoods.

New ideas


tued.net/en/vid54



48/80

44 | 45 N E W I D E A S


1

. . . that more than 80 Nobel Prizes

have gone to Germans?

2

. . . that Germany is considered the

European champion in inventions?

3

. . . that there are 360,900 research-

ers working in Germany?

4. . . that Germany is among the

worlds three largest exporting

nations?

5

. . . that Germany is the fourth

largest economic power in the

world?

6

. . . that the German electricity

grid is 1.79 million kilometres

long? That is enough to circle the

Equator 45 times.

7

. . . that in 2014, 26 percent of

electricity in Germany was al-

ready generated by renewable

energy sources?

8. . . that the plan is for around

80 percent of electricity in Ger-

many to come from renewable

energy sources by 2050?

9

. . . that Germany is one of the

most sustainable industrialised

nations?

10

. . . that each year 18,000 new

jobs are created by the energyreform alone?


49/80

You can sense thecreative atmosphereeverywhereAlexander Meiritz, 27,

co-founder of eMio-Sharing


My friends Hauke and Valerian and I registered

with a car-sharing service in Berlin some time

ago. It didnt take long for us to get annoyed

with the idea: there are simply not enough parkingspaces. Which is why we founded eMio, a sharing

service for scooters. The three of us developed a pro-

totype and purchased a small test fleet of four

scooters. We opted for e-scooters, because they are

fun to drive and environmentally friendly. At night

our student assistants replace the empty batteries

on the scooters with fully charged ones. Our app

shows where there is a scooter that is not in use and

unlocks it for the new users. A total of 150 of our

scooters have been flitting about Berlin since June

2015. Seeing people using them is a fantastic feeling.

We were able to realise our idea because we won an

EU competition and received scholarships. Lots of

start-ups get help from their professors. You can feelthis vibrant atmosphere of creativity in the air all

over Berlin. A great many start-ups make their

dreams reality here.


50/80

46 | 47 N E W I D E A S

Strong brands andsuccessful products

B U S I N E S S & T E C H N O L O G Y

Jeans, phone, car, computer,

MP3 format, beer: everyone

knows these inventions. They all

come from Germany or Germans

helped develop them. There is a long list

of innovative ideas and inventions from

Germany and the products they have

resulted in. The quality seal Made in

Germany stands for originality and

quality. Another reason that Germanfirms are so innovative is that around

80 billion euros are invested in research

and development annually. Many com-

panies are already on their way to

Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth

industrial revolution, because the ma-

chines of the future will be able to make

decisions on their own and will be

closely networked.

Germany is thesingle largest economy

in the European Union and after the

USA, China, and Japan number four in

the world. Naturally there are numer-

ous major corporations and global play-ers in Germany. But more than 99 per-

cent of firms are small and medium-

sized companies. Most people also work

in the SME sector, and it is also where

most young people learn a profession.

Given that the economy is so successful,

unemployment is low in Germany. The

automobile industry is one of the trend-

setters in the economy. Audi, BMW,

Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Opel are

major employers: 775,000 people workfor the German automobile industry. The

latest trend is self-driving cars, where

you dont need to steer or change gear.

German manufacturers aspire to lead

the field in automated vehicle functions

Wellspring of ideas

Source of new ideas Germany is considered

the European champion in inventions: in

2014, German companies submitted around

32,000 patent applications to the European

Patent Office. Innovations are a key basis for

the economys competitiveness.

G L O B A L


51/80

and are investing a great deal in their

development. German companies are

also sector leaders in mechanical en-

gineering, not to mention in the chem-

icals and optical industries.

Innovations are theengine driving the

economy. Without them there would be

no progress. There are 605,000 people

working in research and development

in Germany. In total, in 2014 exactly116,702 German patents were in force.

Plenty of good ideas: in Jugend forscht school pupils show, for instance, how gas is made from green electricity

D I A G R A M

Fully networked

Germany exports a great deal and is the most

strongly networked country in the world. The

top articles exported are motor vehicles

(17.9 %) and machines (14.5 %).

14.5

17.9


52/80

48 | 49 N E W I D E A S

Famous institutes,international teams

E X C E L L E N C E & R E S E A R C H

Their passion is new ideas, unknown

territory: scientists in Germany

research the body, plants, animals,

virtual space, the oceans depths, and

outer space. They advance knowledge in

every aspect of life. Research has a long

tradition in Germany and offers excel-

lent opportunities including for young

scientists from abroad. Industry pro-

vides the lions share of research

spending. However, the Federal Govern-

ment also funds education and research

to the tune of no less than 15.3 billion

euros in 2015. With a high-tech strategy,

it supports researchers in finding an-

swers to important questions and in

quickly implementing their ideas, in

fields such as digitalisation, sustainabil-ity, the working world, healthcare, mo-

bility, and civil security.

Universities play a key role in the Ger-

man research world. Alongside teach-

ing, basic research is the second pillar

of the universities.There are numerous

familiar names: 15 large and research-

focussed universities are affiliated in the

German U15 initiative. They include

Heidelberg University and Ludwig-Maxi-

milians-Universitt in Mnchen. These

universities and Technische Universitt

Munich are often among the frontrun-

ners in international rankings. Numer-ous top researchers work at one of the

very many internationally-renowned

L I S T

The very first Nobel Prize in 1901 went to

Wilhelm Conrad Rntgenfor his discovery

of X-rays.

The only woman among German scientists

who have won a Nobel Prize is biologist

Christiane Nsslein-Volhard(1995).

One of the best-known German Nobel Prize

laureates isAlbert Einstein(1921). He emi-

grated to the USA in 1933.

The most recent Nobel Prize winners are

neuroscientist Thomas C. Sdhof(2013) and

Stefan W. Hell(2014).


53/80

research institutes run by the Max Planck

Society, Helmholtz Association, Fraun-hofer Gesellschaft, and Leibniz Associ-

ation. There are also many interesting

opportunities here for up-and-coming

researchers from abroad, for instance,

doctoral studies. The DFG, the German

Research Foundation, is responsible for

promoting science. It is the largest organ-

isation of its kind in Europe.

It goes without saying that German

research is highly international. The bestresults are often the result of teamwork

with fellow researchers in other disciplines

and from all over the world. Today, ten

percent of employees at German higher

education institutions come from abroad.

And almost half of scientific publications

are written by researchers in Germany

working in international teams.

Diversity is the best basis for research: international teams, composed of both men and women, are standard


54/80

50 | 51 N E W I D E A S

Green technologies,new mobility concepts

E N E R G Y & E N V I R O N M E N T

Out and about by bus, train or bicycle

In 2014, a good 81 percent of households

owned at least one bicycle. An alternative

means of environmentally friendly mobility:

buses and trains. In the first half of 2015,5.6 billion passengers used scheduled public

transport services.

If you travel around Germany you

will no doubt notice the countless

wind farms. In fact, today more than a

quarter of Germanys electricity is gener-

ated using renewable energy. And in the

cities the number of charging stations for

electric cars is increasing fast. Electric ve-

hicles are destined to become ever more

widespread. The Federal Government hasset a target of getting around one million

electric cars not powered by petrol or

diesel on the roads by 2020. This is also

intended to further reduce emissions of

environmentally harmful carbon dioxide.

Wind power and electro-mobility are

both core elements of the energy reform,

as Germany has a major objective: it is the

first industrialised nation to resolve tophase out atomic power. Gradually all the

nuclear power stations in Germany will

be decommissioned by 2022. The slack

will be taken up by expanding generation

using renewable energy and further en-

hancing energy efficiency. Germany is

making good progress in generating an

ever greater proportion of electricity using

wind power, biomass, solar energy, hydro-

electric power, and household waste. By

2025, 40 to 45 percent of electricity is in-

tended to come from renewables. With

this sustainable concept, Germany is also

making an important contribution to

achieving the United Nations climateprotection goals.

I N F O


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The Jugend forscht competi-

tion selects talented up-and-coming researchers every year.

jugend-forscht.de

The German Research Founda-

tion (DFG) promotes research

at higher education institutions

and research centres.

dfg.de

The Research in Germany

website provides an overview of

the German research world

and funding options for aspir-

ing researchers.

research-in-germany.org

Top-level research is conduct-

ed at the institutes run by theMax Planck Society, Fraun-

hofer Gesellschaft, Helmholtz

Association, and Leibniz Asso-

ciation.

mpg.de, fraunhofer.de,

helmholtz.de,

leibniz-gemeinschaft.de

Key industry associations are the

Association of German Cham-

bers of Commerce and Industry

(DIHK) and the Federation of

German Industries (BDI).

dihk.de, bdi.eu

C O M P A C T

Do you find the work done by German

companies exciting? Does research fascinate

you? More information is available here:


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52 | 5352 | 53

5

C R E A T I V E M I N D S

CREATIVE MINDS


57/80

Cinema, art, games, music,

design: Germanys cultural scene

is rich, diverse, vibrant, full of

surprises and international

perspectives.

Most likely you have heard of the fam-ous composers Bach, Beethoven,

and Brahms, or of great writers

such as Goethe (Faust), Schiller (The

Robbers) and Thomas Mann (Budden-

brooks). Germany is proud of its clas-

sics. A typical feature of Germanys

cultural world has always been its rich

diversity. Today, completely different

currents keep evolving and exist along-

side one another. Classical music and

Rock music, Indie and Mainstream. Per-

haps you too like listening to the tunes

of German music producers and DJ Felix

Jaehn? Or you have witnessed live per-

formances by DJs Sven Vth, the God-father of Techno, or Paul van Dyk? In-

A booming creative scene a lab for budding talents fromthe world over

I N T R O

deed, today even computer games and

film animations are quite often made in

Germany, making its cultural and cre-

ative scene pretty cool and exciting. Ber-

lin is one of the worlds trendsetting

hubs for hip ideas. Mind you, creative

projects are also masterminded in Ham-

burg, Munich, and Frankfurt am Main.

In fact, Frankfurt-based companies ani-mated the dragons in Game of Thrones

and created the special effects for Martin

Scorseses award-winning movie Hugo

Cabret.

Creative minds


tued.net/en/vid55



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54 | 55 C R E A T I V E M I N D S


1

. . . that a Frankfurt-based com-

pany did the animation for the

dragons in the US fantasy series

Game of Thrones?

2

. . . that there are more than

500 music festivals in Germany?

3

. . . that 1.5 million people work

in Germanys creative industry?

4

. . . that many stars of youth

culture come from immigrant

families?

5

. . . that 14 million people in

Germany play music or sing in

a choir in their spare time?

6

. . . that young musicians all over

the world think very highly of

Germanys music academies?

7

. . . that the German book market

brings out some 80,000 newpublications each year?

8

. . . that there are 630 art museums

with fantastic collections?

9

. . . that Deutsche Welle radio

and TV station broadcasts its

programmes in 30 different

languages?

10. . . that German cultural insti-

tutes, i.e., the Goethe Institutes,

are represented in 98 countries?


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We would founda business againanytimeMengting Gao, 26, co-founder

of the App Kitchen Stories

As a student I already knew that I wanted to

launch my own company straight after col-

lege. Then I met Verena at university near

Koblenz. We had plenty of ideas for a start-up. Butit was only business models to do with food that

really grabbed us.

I used to watch a lot of cooking shows. Quite often

the dishes presented on TV are difficult to repli-

cate at home. People cannot remember some basic

steps, like how to blanch vegetables. This prompt-

ed us to develop the App Kitchen Stories. To real-

ise our idea we moved to Berlin, borrowed money

from our parents, I sold my car then we got

going. Berlin is very open to new ideas. People in

the start-up scene know and support one another.

With our app anyone can cook even the most bril-

liant of international meals. We make sure our

recipes are high quality and get top chefs on boardto test them. So far our App has been downloaded

by more than 7 million people worldwide. We

would found a business again anytime.


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56 | 57 C R E A T I V E M I N D S

Creative companies new perspectives

P R O J E C T S & S T O R I E S

First-year art students

Cosmopolitan and international: in 2013, the

number of foreign students who enrolled as

freshmen at German art academies was

greater than that for German new entrants

for the first time.

Computer games, animation,

the Internet, and apps: the cre-

ative industry is one of the most

exciting commercial sectors in Ger-

many. Living in a digitalised world, we

use the Internet and smartphones in

almost all areas of life. This kick-start-

ed and accelerated the creative indus-

trys rapid growth. Today there are

around 250,000 creative companies inGermany, including agencies, design

firms, and galleries. Plus music busi-

nesses, film, and post-production com-

panies. 1.5 million people work for a

creative company always on the look-

out for new talents. The creative scene

is not as rigidly structured as some other

sectors. Many creative minds do not

have fixed employment contracts but

tend to be freelancers or self-employed.

And they are always embarking on new

projects. 97 percent of companies in the

creative sector are small and micro-

enterprises. And because the sector is still

very young and receives funding, thereare creative clusters in many regions.

Mind you, theold-established art forms

have advanced further too. Today they

are more open to experimenting and

keen to bring together lots of different

facets. People with migrant backgrounds

are injecting new perspectives and stor-

ies into the scene, drawing inspiration

from the fact that they have feet in both

worlds. In Berlin Shermin Langhoffs

Maxim Gorki Theater is regularly settingnew benchmarks: many of the actors are

from families with migrant roots and the

plays are often told from their perspec-

tive. renk. online magazine, the first

German-Turkish medium for art and

culture, is also made in Berlin. Other

G L O B A L


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D I A G R A M

creative minds with a migrant back-

ground work in the film industry and

are highly successful, as German-Turkish

director Bora Dagtekin has demonstrat-

ed. Millions of people flocked to the cin-

emas to see his comedy Fack ju Ghte.

While Tschick, a novel by Wolfgang

Herrndorf about the friendship between

two Berlin boys from different milieus,

enjoys cult status. The book has been

translated into 24 languages. The film,directed by German-Turkish star direc-

tor Fatih Akin, is set to be released in Ger-

man cinemas in 2016.

How to animate a doll? Nowadays you can find out exactly how at many German universities

Successful creative industry

In 2013, the creative industry booked total

sales of some 145 billion euros. The most im-

portant sector is Software and Games, which

alone accounts for sales of 31 billion euros.

14531


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Flashy faades andcritical overtones

S T R E E T A R T & R A P

No matter what German city you visit:

you will come across graffiti art on the

walls of buildings and underground

stations, lampposts adorned with pieces of

guerrilla knitting, rubbish bins with cookie

monster eyes, and noise protection barriers

sprayed with messages. Street artists trans-

form the public realm into exhibition

spaces. Of course you cannot simply spray

any wall you like as thats prohibited. Mind

you, many municipalities to-

day commission street artists

with pieces destined to embellish the city-

scapes. And whether their output is legal or

illegal, one thing is for sure: street artists

ideas are highly unusual and off the cuff.

And quite often they are critical in their

works or say what bothers them.

Social criticism also looms large on themusic scene. Most Hip Hop and Rap art-

ists have little in common with their

counterparts in the United States. Be it

Cro, Die Fantastischen Vier, Fettes Brot,

or the legendary Shne Mannheims with

frontman Xavier Naidoo: Rap made in

Germany is decidedly witty, has a fine

feel for the language and puts people in

a good mood.Many Rappers including

those with migrant backgrounds tend

to write their lyrics in German. And Ger-

man-language music is clearly gaining

sway amongst young people: in June 2015

three German-speaking stars made it

into the Top Ten album charts a first inGermanys music chart history.

L I S T

The Rap song that sold the most in Germany

is: Au Revoir by Mark Forster in cooperat-

ion with Sido

Germanys best-selling Rap album ever:

Stadtaffe by Peter Fox

The most-streamed song in Germany:

Cheerleader by OMI, in the Felix Jaehn

remix version

German-language artists with the most

no. 1 singles in the German charts:

Nena and Xavier Naidoo


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Many talents, cool ideas, andexciting projects

M A P

Beacon: Berlin is the heart of the

creative industry. It is here that

Artistic Director Shermin Langhoff

turned her vision of the post-

migrant theatre into reality.

Creative north: Hamburg is a cen-

tre of media and music production.

Major publishing houses and news-paper publishers are based here,

as are some leading ad agencies.

Centre of ad and creative agencies:

The financial capital of Frankfurt is

home to many international ad-

vertising agencies and successful

creative enterprises. Successful south: In Munich, as

many as 117,000 people work for

29,000 companies in the creative

industry. Thats 10 percent of all

companies in the region!

No. 1 TV hotspot: The most

minutes on air are produced inCologne as many as in Ham-

burg, Berlin, and all of Bavaria

taken together.

Upcoming location: IT, broad-

casting services, film, trade fairs,

and marketing in Leipzig the

cluster of creative industries

boasts an impressive seven sub-

sectors.Frankfurt

Hamburg

Cologne

Berlin

Leipzig

Munich

World Heritage Site:

The Bauhaus was one of the

key creative movements

in the 20th century. The

Bauhaus University con-

tinues this tradition today.

Weimar


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60 | 61 C R E A T I V E M I N D S

Facts and exciting storieson all channels

M E D I A & O P I N I O N

In Germany, everybody is free

to write and say what they want

provided they do not violate other

peoples basic rights. This is known as free-

dom of the press and freedom of expres-

sion. In Germany all citizens enjoy these

freedoms, which are guaranteed by the

constitution. Newspapers, radio, and tele-

vision broadcasters are not owned by the

government or by individual parties, butare regulated by private or public law. And

of course there is no censorship that tells

people what they ought to say and think!

Young people regard the media as part

and parcel of everyday life. Their no. 1

source of information is the Internet, fol-

lowed by radio and TV. And even though

90 percent of Germanys young popula-

tion uses social media such as Facebook,

WhatsApp, and the like, they still read

books, newspapers, and magazines, al-

though they spend less time with these

media. When it comes to political topics,

young people use different sources of in-formation: most of them watch Tages-

schau, one of the major evening bulle-

tins on TV. This is followed by the

website spiegelonline.de and the search

engine Google. In addition, there are chil-

drens TV news channels such as Kika, and

news broadcasts catering especially to a

young audience. And at the end of 2016

Germanys two main broadcasting sta-

tions, ARD and ZDF, will be launching a

special TV channel for young people onthe Internet.

Girls and boysdo not watch the same pro-

grammes: girls aged between 13 and 16

love soaps, while boys prefer to watch sit-

coms. Model Heidi Klum presents the

Deutsche Welle

Deutsche Welle (DW) is Germanys inter-

national broadcasting service. It broadcasts

via TV, radio, and the Internet in a total

of 30 languages. In 2015 Deutsche Welle

started its 24/7 English language programme.

dw.com

G L O B A L


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Young people in Germany use the Internet 24/7

show Germanys next Top Model, making

her the most important media idol for

girls. Boys like the presenter and comedian

Stefan Raab.

Perhaps you know the feeling that you

cannot believe everything you read on the

Internet? When 12 to 19-year-olds have to

decide on the reliability of one media

source over another, the majority of them

tend to opt for a traditional analogue me-dium: the newspaper (40 percent).

D I A G R A M

Facts from the Internet

The Internet is the single most important infor-

mation resource for young people. 90.2 percent

go online to obtain information, 72.6 percent

watch TV, 57.2 percent read the paper.

72.6

90.2


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62 | 63 C R E A T I V E M I N D S

IT trade fair CeBIT

What can the latest smartphone do?

How does a popular tablet PC lie in the hand?

The specialist trade fair CeBIT attracts more

than 200,000 interested visitors to Hanoverevery year. There you can try out the latest in-

novations, hands-on. cebit.de

Magic worlds, twisting laby-

rinths, strategic and tactical

moves: you have probably en-

joyed the one or other afternoon playing a

computer game developed and designed

in Berlin, Frankfurt, or Hamburg. Video

gamers around the world are very familiar

with the Made in Germany seal. Since

the 1990s the country has been a games

industry hub, employing internationallyacclaimed games developers who have

revolutionised gaming designs and bagged

a whole host of awards for their superb

graphic art. Today gaming is one of the

most important branches in the creative

industry, combining film, video, music,

text, and animation.

If you are interested in qualifying as a

games developer, then Berlin is the place to

go. It offers an excellent infrastructure, butalso universities and places of training. The

most important is the Games Academy,

a special school for games development.

Cologne, on the other hand, is the host city

of Gamescom the worlds biggest event

for computer and video games. In 2015,

the fair attracted 345,000 visitors from

96 countries. For some years now, the Fed-

eral Ministry of Transport and Digital In-

frastructure (BMVI) has selected the best

German computer game, together with

the professional associations and the Stif-

tung Digitale Spielekultur, the foundation

for digital gaming culture.

Fun and games successfulgames developers

G A M E S & A D V E N T U R E S

I N F O


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Courageous, migrant, refresh-

ingly different: the MaximGorki Theater in Berlin.

gorki.de

Berlins Haus der Kulturen

der Welt is a centre for inter-

national cultural exchange.

hkw.de

The Karlsruhe Center for Art

and Media (ZKM) provides in-

sights into art in the digital age.

zkm.de

Gamescom in Cologne is the

worlds biggest trade-fair for

interactive games and enter-tainment.

gamescom.de

The Games Academy is a school

for budding computer andvideo games designers and de-

velopers with offices in Berlin

and Frankfurt am Main.

games-academy.de

Ever since 2003 the Popakade-

mie Baden-Wrttemberg in

Mannheim has trained studentsin Pop music and the music

industry.

popakademie.de

With its Cultural and Creative

Industry initiative the Federal

Government encourages the

fact about germany for you

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