Working and living in Germany – a cultural overview: part 1

Living and working in a country other than your country of origin, for example Germany, can have many reasons ( → see article) and involve many facets that lead you to choose a continent, a country or even a region in your chosen country (if you can).

Germany is a culturally very diverse country. This is not only due to the immigration of recent decades, which has led to a large melting pot in the cities. Habits also vary greatly from region to region. In this and the following articles in this series, we will take a look at it in terms of landscape, culture and economy.

German regions and specific

How come? To understand this it is vital to take a -very brief- look into Germany's history.

Brief historic overview:

In fact, until the year 1871, “Germany” consisted of many small kingdoms, duchies, principalities and city-states until the founding of the German Empire in 1871. Before unification, the German territories were highly fragmented. The most important steps towards the unification of Germany took place during the 19th century, particularly under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck. The high point of this unification movement was the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, which led to the founding of the German Empire, in which most of these small states were united under one emperor. Uniform spelling was introduced in Germany for the first time only in 1901, with the rules being laid down by the Orthographic Conference in Berlin. This orthographic conference brought together linguists, teachers and writers to develop a standardized spelling of the German language and reduce regional differences. After the Second World War, Germany was divided by a wall as part of the historical events of 1961, which made contact between the now two Germanys impossible in the early years and severely restricted it in later years until the wall came down in 1989. This not only separated families, but also led to completely different developments in the various countries.

Today, Germany consists of 16 federal states, which are federal and therefore regulate many matters within their sovereignty, but belong to the overall federation of the Federal Republic of Germany. Curiously, in normal everyday language in Germany, people still talk about the “old” and the “new” federal states. This refers to the fact that the 4 federal states of the East (ex GDR) merged with the 12 federal states of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990.

This is just a brief historical outline, but it is essential for understanding why people in the individual regions of Germany have cultural peculiarities and sometimes even have different words for the same things, even though the country is objectively not very large - it is just over 1000 km from north to south.

The north:

Located by the sea, flat, windy, with the Baltic Sea and the North Sea and the islands belonging to them. More densely populated on the North Sea than on the Baltic, but overall there is plenty of space. The structure is more village-like. You need a car. There are few large cities such as Hamburg, the second largest city. The people in the north are often affectionately called “fish heads” and are considered to be reserved, but loyal and cordial to friends and family. Smaller towns on the Baltic Sea, such as Warnemünde, Kühlungsborn or Binz on the island of “Rügen” or their counterparts on the North Sea, Travemünde, Cuxhaven or Lübeck, are popular vacation destinations in summer. Even on the hottest summer days it is always windy, so that even 30 degrees is not particularly noticeable. Dykes have been built against the power of the sea - the cycle paths and grazing sheep provide the perfect vacation feeling. The region's turnover is generated by tourism rather than industry.

The south:

In terms of landscape, this is virtually the opposite of the north - there are mountains and hills, alpine pastures with cows and sheep - this applies to the federal state of Bavaria as well as Baden-Württemberg.

These two federal states are also home to industry and thus the economic engine of Germany. Brands such as “Porsche” and “Mercedes” are at home here. The world-famous Neuschwanstein Castle is located here and the Alps are not far away either.

Many people here don't plan their short trips to the Baltic Sea, but rather look towards the mountains and keep a close eye on when the first snow falls for skiing. There is the much-copied Munich Oktoberfest and traditional costumes, which are also sometimes seen in everyday life, and beer plays a major role.

The East:

Compared to West Germany (i.e. the 12 “old” federal states), the East is not as strong industrially, but lives from tourism these days. This is particularly true of the capital Berlin, which is chronically short of money, and the surrounding areas like Brandenburg with the town of Potsdam.

During the 30 years of the GDR, many old buildings were not demolished but continued to exist - often in a dilapidated state. In contrast, many of the old and bomb-damaged houses in West Germany were demolished after the war due to the housing shortage. As a result, extensive restoration and modernization measures were undertaken from 1990 onwards. This took many years, but the result is beautiful cities full of old buildings, small, sweet streets and squares, such as in Weimar, Erfurt, Leipzig and Dresden, to name just a few.

Culturally, there is often a strong sense of community in eastern Germany and neighbourly help and volunteering are very present.

The general definition of what a “good job” is also differs from other parts of Germany - in the East, salary is not the main criterion of a good job, but also “soft” elements such as working conditions, freedom in carrying out tasks and the working environment.

The West:

The west of Germany, particularly the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, has a variety of cultural characteristics. In the second half of the last century, the most densely populated North Rhine-Westphalia experienced a very strong industrialization, mainly with coal and steel, so that it was a magnet for workers and is still the most densely populated federal state today. The industrial history has given rise to a diverse art scene in recent decades.

The proximity to other European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and well-known cities is particularly attractive.

The center:

The cultural characteristics of Germany's center, often referred to as the “middle of Germany” or “central Germany”, refer to a region that encompasses Hanover, Braunschweig and the surrounding area in the broadest sense - economically interesting due to the car manufacturer “Volkswagen”, linguistically interesting due to the fact that German is spoken here really (almost) dialect-free and scenically interesting due to its central location in Germany and the national parks that can be reached quickly. It is an Eldorado for outdoor activities.

In future articles in this series, we will take a closer look at these regional aspects that are sometimes surprising, funny and definitely culturally exciting.

I regularly publish articles on the topics of ‘living abroad’, ‘living in Germany’, and ‘expatriates’. If you would like to be coached on your individual path to make this phase in your life easier, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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