Germany

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Germany}}
[[File:Striezelmarkt 2009 00950.jpg|thumb|A German [[Christmas market]] in [[Dresden]]]]
Culture in German states has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and [[secularism|secular]], and its [[Science and technology in Germany|scientists]], [[German literature|writers]] and [[German philosophy|philosophers]] have played a significant role in the development of Western thought.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 |title=Germany country profile |date=25 February 2015 |website=BBC News|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602194632/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607 |archivedate=2 June 2015}}</ref> A global opinion poll for the [[BBC]] revealed that Germany is recognised for having the most positive influence in the world in 2013 and 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104 |title=BBC poll: Germany most popular country in the world |date=23 May 2013 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523014312/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22624104 |archivedate=23 May 2013 |newspaper=BBC News }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/world-service-country-poll |title=World Service Global Poll: Negative views of Russia on the rise |date=4 June 2014 |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812221010/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/world-service-country-poll |archivedate=12 August 2014 }}</ref>

Germany is well known for such folk festival traditions as the [[Oktoberfest]] and [[Weihnachten|Christmas customs]], which include [[Advent wreath]]s, [[Nativity play|Christmas pageants]], [[Christmas tree]]s, [[Stollen]] cakes, and other practices.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29380144 |title=The country with one people and 1,200 sausages |last=MacGregor, Neil |date=28 September 2014 |work=BBC News |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210062000/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29380144 |archivedate=10 December 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/ |title=Christmas Traditions in Austria, Germany, Switzerland |publisher=German Ways |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225193546/http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/ |archivedate=25 December 2014 |accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2023}} [[UNESCO]] inscribed [[World Heritage Sites in Germany|52 properties in Germany on the World Heritage List]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/de |title=World Heritage Sites in Germany |publisher=UNESCO |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323055317/https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/de |archivedate=23 March 2016 |accessdate=22 March 2016}}</ref> There are a number of [[public holidays in Germany]] determined by each state; 3 October has been a [[national day]] of Germany since 1990, celebrated as the {{lang|de|Tag der Deutschen Einheit}} ([[German Unity Day]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.buzer.de/s1.htm?g=Einigungsvertrag&a=2 |title=Artikel 2 EV – Vertrag zwischen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik über die Herstellung der Einheit Deutschlands (Einigungsvertrag – EV k.a.Abk.) |publisher=buzer.de |language=German |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224034/http://www.buzer.de/s1.htm?g=Einigungsvertrag&a=2 |archivedate=23 September 2015 |accessdate=15 May 2015}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Germany}}
{{See also|Opera in German}}
[[File:Joseph Karl Stieler's Beethoven mit dem Manuskript der Missa solemnis.jpg|thumb|[[Ludwig van Beethoven]], one of the most famed composers of [[classical music]], was born in [[Bonn]] in 1770.]]
German [[classical music era|classical music]] includes works by some of the world's most well-known composers. [[Dieterich Buxtehude]], [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] and [[George Frideric Handel|Georg Friedrich Händel]] were influential composers of the [[Baroque music|Baroque period]]. [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] was a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and [[Romantic music|Romantic]] eras. [[Carl Maria von Weber]], [[Felix Mendelssohn]], [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Johannes Brahms]] were significant Romantic composers. [[Richard Wagner]] was known for his operas. [[Richard Strauss]] was a leading composer of the late Romantic and early [[20th-century classical music|modern]] eras. [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] and [[Wolfgang Rihm]] are important composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|title=Germany, Federal Republic of|author1=John Kmetz|author2=Ludwig Finscher|author3=Giselher Schubert|author4=Wilhelm Schepping|author5=Philip V. Bohlman|date=20 January 2001|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40055}}</ref>

As of 2013, Germany was the second-largest music market in Europe, and [[List of largest recorded music markets|fourth-largest]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/issue/pdf/RIAJ2013E.pdf |title=The Recorded Music Industry in Japan |year=2013 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of Japan |page=24 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130818080109/http://www.riaj.or.jp/e/issue/pdf/RIAJ2013E.pdf |archivedate=18 August 2013 |accessdate=8 February 2014 }}</ref> German popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries includes the movements of [[Neue Deutsche Welle]], [[Pop music|pop]], [[Ostrock]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]]/[[German rock|rock]], [[German punk|punk]], [[pop rock]], [[Indie rock|indie]], [[Volksmusik]] (folk music), [[Schlager music|schlager pop]] and [[German hip hop]]. German [[electronic music]] gained global influence, with [[Kraftwerk]] and [[Tangerine Dream]] pioneering in this genre.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.dw.de/kraftwerk-maintain-their-legacy-as-electro-pioneers/a-6497092 |title=Kraftwerk maintain their legacy as electro-pioneers |date=8 April 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404040323/http://www.dw.de//kraftwerk-maintain-their-legacy-as-electro-pioneers//a-6497092 |archivedate=4 April 2013 |website=Deutsche Welle}}</ref> DJs and artists of the [[techno]] and [[house music]] scenes of Germany have become well known (e.g. [[Paul van Dyk]], [[Felix Jaehn]], [[Paul Kalkbrenner]], [[Robin Schulz]] and [[Scooter (band)|Scooter]]).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nye |first=Sean |title=Minimal Understandings: The Berlin Decade, The Minimal Continuum, and Debates on the Legacy of German Techno |url=https://www.academia.edu/3813069 |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Popular Music Studies |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101013427/http://www.academia.edu/3813069/Minimal_Understandings_The_Berlin_Decade_The_Minimal_Continuum_and_Debates_on_the_Legacy_of_German_Techno |archivedate=1 January 2015 |accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref>

=== Art, design and architecture ===

{{Main|German art|Architecture of Germany|German fashion}}

{{multiple image
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|image1=Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog.jpg
|caption1=[[Caspar David Friedrich|C.D. Friedrich]], ''[[Wanderer above the Sea of Fog]]'' (1818)
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|caption2=[[Franz Marc]], ''Roe Deer in the Forest'' (1914)
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German painters have influenced [[Art of Europe|Western art]]. [[Albrecht Dürer]], [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], [[Matthias Grünewald]] and [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] were important German artists of the [[Renaissance]], [[Johann Baptist Zimmermann]] of the [[Baroque]], [[Caspar David Friedrich]] and [[Carl Spitzweg]] of [[Romanticism]], [[Max Liebermann]] of [[Impressionism]] and [[Max Ernst]] of [[Surrealism]]. Several German art groups formed in the 20th century; {{lang|de|[[Die Brücke]]}} (The Bridge) and {{lang|de|[[Der Blaue Reiter]]}} (The Blue Rider) influenced the development of [[German Expressionism|expressionism]] in Munich and Berlin. The [[New Objectivity]] arose in response to expressionism during the Weimar Republic. After World War II, broad trends in German art include [[neo-expressionism]] and the [[New Leipzig School]].<ref name="groveart">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Grove Art Online|author1=David Jenkinson|author2=Günther Binding|author2-link=Günther Binding|author3=Doris Kutschbach|author4=Ulrich Knapp|author5=Howard Caygill|author5-link=Howard Caygill|author6=Achim Preiss|author7=Helmut Börsch-Supan|author8=Thomas Kliemann|author9=April Eisman|author10=Klaus Niehr|author11=Jeffrey Chipps Smith|author12=Ulrich Leben|author13=Heidrun Zinnkann|author14=Angelika Steinmetz|author15=Walter Spiegl|author16=G. Reinheckel|author17=Hannelore Müller|author18=Gerhard Bott|author19=Peter Hornsby|author20=Anna Beatriz Chadour|author21=Erika Speel|author22=A. Kenneth Snowman|author23=Brigitte Dinger|author24=Annamaria Giusti|author25=Harald Olbrich|author26=Christian Herchenröder|author27=David Alan Robertson|author28=Dominic R. Stone|author29=Eduard Isphording|author30=Heinrich Dilly|title=Germany, Federal Republic of|date=10 December 2018|doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T031531|isbn=978-1-884446-05-4}}</ref>

German designers became early leaders of modern [[product design]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gizmodo.com/5918142/8-beautiful-things-from-bauhaus-the-single-most-influential-school-of-design |title=Bauhaus: The Single Most Influential School of Design |date=13 June 2012 |website=Gizmodo |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221015122/http://gizmodo.com/5918142/8-beautiful-things-from-bauhaus-the-single-most-influential-school-of-design |archivedate=21 December 2014}}</ref> The [[Berlin Fashion Week]] and the fashion trade fair [[Bread and Butter tradeshow|Bread & Butter]] are held twice a year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashion-news/fashion/germanys-fashion-capital-the-improbable-rise-of-berlin-2012011713844 |title=Berlin as a fashion capital: the improbable rise |date=12 January 2012 |publisher=Fashion United UK |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508051452/http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashion-news/fashion/germanys-fashion-capital-the-improbable-rise-of-berlin-2012011713844 |archivedate=8 May 2015}}</ref>

Architectural contributions from Germany include the [[Carolingian architecture|Carolingian]] and [[Ottonian architecture|Ottonian styles]], which were precursors of [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]. [[Brick Gothic]] is a distinctive medieval style that evolved in Germany. Also in [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] and [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] art, regional and typically German elements evolved (e.g. [[Weser Renaissance]]).<ref name="groveart" /> [[Vernacular architecture]] in Germany is often identified by its [[Fachwerkhaus|timber framing]] ({{lang|de|Fachwerk}}) traditions and varies across regions, and among carpentry styles.<ref name="Heinrich Stiewe 2007">{{cite book|first=Heinrich |last=Stiewe|year=2007|title=Fachwerkhäuser in Deutschland: Konstruktion, Gestalt und Nutzung vom Mittelalter bis heute|publisher=Primus Verlag|isbn=978-3-89678-589-3}}</ref> When industrialisation spread across Europe, [[classicism]] and a distinctive style of [[Historicism (art)|historicism]] developed in Germany, sometimes referred to as {{lang|de|[[Gründerzeit]]}} ''style''. [[Expressionist architecture]] developed in the 1910s in Germany and influenced [[Art Deco]] and other modern styles. Germany was particularly important in the early [[modern architecture|modernist movement]]: it is the home of [[Deutscher Werkbund|Werkbund]] initiated by [[Hermann Muthesius]] ([[New Objectivity (architecture)|New Objectivity]]), and of the [[Bauhaus]] movement founded by [[Walter Gropius]].<ref name="groveart" /> [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]] became one of the world's most renowned architects in the second half of the 20th century; he conceived of the glass façade [[skyscraper]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofarch00curl_0 |title=A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-860678-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofarch00curl_0/page/880 880] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Renowned contemporary [[List of German architects|architects]] and offices include [[Pritzker Prize]] winners [[Gottfried Böhm]] and [[Frei Otto]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=100 Contemporary Architects |last=Jodidio |first=Philip |year=2008 |publisher=Taschen |isbn=978-3-8365-0091-3 |edition=1}}</ref>

=== Literature and philosophy ===
{{Main|German literature|German philosophy}}
[[File:Grimm.jpg|thumb|[[Brothers Grimm]], who collected and published popular German [[Grimms' Fairy Tales|folk tales]]]]
German literature can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the works of writers such as [[Walther von der Vogelweide]] and [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]]. Well-known German authors include [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]], [[Friedrich Schiller]], [[Gotthold Ephraim Lessing]] and [[Theodor Fontane]]. The collections of folk tales published by the [[Brothers Grimm]] popularised [[German folklore]] on an international level.<ref name="D99ff">{{cite journal |last=Dégh|first= Linda |year=1979|title=Grimm's Household Tales and its Place in the Household|journal=Western Folklore|volume=38 |number=2|pages=99–101|doi=10.2307/1498562 |jstor=1498562}}</ref> The Grimms also gathered and codified regional variants of the German language, grounding their work in historical principles; their {{lang|de|[[Deutsches Wörterbuch]]}}, or German Dictionary, sometimes called the Grimm dictionary, was begun in 1838 and the first volumes published in 1854.<ref name="DWBhistory">{{cite web|title=History of the ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' |url=http://150-grimm.bbaw.de/start.htm |website=DWB 150th Anniversary Exhibition and Symposium|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015142342/http://150-grimm.bbaw.de/start.htm |archivedate=15 October 2015|publisher= Humboldt-Universität|year= 2004|language=de|accessdate= 27 June 2012}}</ref>

Influential authors of the 20th century include [[Gerhart Hauptmann]], [[Thomas Mann]], [[Hermann Hesse]], [[Heinrich Böll]], and [[Günter Grass]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Kjell Espmark|Espmark, Kjell]] |year=2001 |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/espmark/index.html |title=The Nobel Prize in Literature |publisher=Nobelprize.org |url-status=live |archivedate=26 April 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426075458/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/espmark/index.html}}</ref> The German book market is the third-largest in the world, after the United States and China.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/reports/2014/IPA-annual-report-2014.pdf |accessdate=6 July 2016 |title=Annual Report |date=October 2014 |publisher=International Publishers Association |page=13 |archivedate=11 July 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711214707/http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/reports/2014/IPA-annual-report-2014.pdf}}</ref> The [[Frankfurt Book Fair]] is the most important in the world for international deals and trading, with a tradition spanning over 500 years.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A History of the Frankfurt Book Fair |last1=Weidhaas |first1=Peter |last2=Gossage |first2=Carolyn |last3=Wright |first3=Wendy A. |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffrankfu0000weid |publisher=Dundurn Press |isbn=978-1-55002-744-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyoffrankfu0000weid/page/n143 11] |url-access=registration}}</ref> The [[Leipzig Book Fair]] also retains a major position in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dw.de/leipzig-book-fair-cultural-sideshow-with-a-serious-side/a-18313879 |title=Leipzig Book Fair: Cultural sideshow with a serious side |last=Chase |first=Jefferson |date=13 March 2015 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425203420/http://www.dw.de/leipzig-book-fair-cultural-sideshow-with-a-serious-side/a-18313879 |archivedate=25 April 2015 }}</ref>

German philosophy is historically significant: [[Gottfried Leibniz]]'s contributions to [[rationalism]]; the [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]] philosophy by [[Immanuel Kant]]; the establishment of classical [[German idealism]] by [[Johann Gottlieb Fichte]], [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]] and [[Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling]]; [[Arthur Schopenhauer]]'s composition of metaphysical pessimism; the formulation of [[communist theory]] by [[Karl Marx]] and [[Friedrich Engels]]; [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s development of [[perspectivism]]; [[Gottlob Frege]]'s contributions to the dawn of [[analytic philosophy]]; [[Martin Heidegger]]'s works on Being; [[Oswald Spengler]]'s historical philosophy; and the development of the [[Frankfurt School]] have all been very influential.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy |last=Searle, John |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=1987 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref>

=== Media ===
{{Main|Media of Germany|Cinema of Germany}}
[[File:Filmstudio Babelsberg Eingang.jpg|thumb|[[Babelsberg Studio]] in [[Potsdam]]]]
The largest internationally operating [[Mass media|media]] companies in Germany are the [[Bertelsmann]] enterprise, [[Axel Springer AG|Axel Springer SE]] and [[ProSiebenSat.1 Media]]. [[Television in Germany|Germany's television market]] is the largest in Europe, with some 38&nbsp;million TV households.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.astra.de/16795168/tv-verbreitung_in_deutschland |title=Distribution of TV in Germany (German) |date=19 February 2013 |publisher=Astra Sat |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101012509/http://www.astra.de/16795168/tv-verbreitung_in_deutschland |archivedate=1 January 2015 }}</ref> Around 90% of German households have cable or satellite TV, with a variety of [[Public broadcasting#Germany|free-to-view public]] and [[Commercial broadcasting|commercial]] channels.<ref name="media" /> There are more than 300 public and private [[List of radio stations in Germany|radio stations in Germany]]; Germany's national radio network is the [[Deutschlandradio]] and the public [[Deutsche Welle]] is the main German radio and television broadcaster in foreign languages.<ref name="media" /> Germany's print market of [[List of newspapers in Germany|newspapers]] and [[List of magazines in Germany|magazines]] is the largest in Europe.<ref name="media">{{cite web|url=https://medialandscapes.org/country/germany|title=Germany|publisher=Media Landscapes|accessdate=14 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327081145/https://medialandscapes.org/country/germany|archivedate=27 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The papers with the highest circulation are {{lang|de|[[Bild]]}}, {{lang|de|[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]}}, {{lang|de|[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Die Welt]]}}.<ref name="media" /> The largest magazines include {{lang|de|[[ADAC Motorwelt]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Der Spiegel]]}}.<ref name="media" /> Germany has [[Video gaming in Germany|a large video gaming market]], with over 34 million players nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-16-german-consumers-spent-4-4bn-on-video-games-in-2018|title=German consumers spent €4.4bn on video games in 2018|last=Batchelor|first=James|date=16 July 2019|website=GamesIndustry.biz|accessdate=15 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509014644/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-16-german-consumers-spent-4-4bn-on-video-games-in-2018|archivedate=9 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Gamescom]] is the world's largest [[gaming convention]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Keza |date=23 August 2022 |title=Pushing Buttons: What to expect from the world's biggest games convention |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/aug/23/pushing-buttons-gamescom-worlds-biggest-gaming-convention |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726020832/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/aug/23/pushing-buttons-gamescom-worlds-biggest-gaming-convention |url-status=live }}</ref>

German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film. The first works of the [[Max Skladanowsky|Skladanowsky Brothers]] were shown to an audience in 1895. The renowned [[Babelsberg Studio]] in [[Potsdam]] was established in 1912, thus being the first large-scale film studio in the world. Early German cinema was particularly influential with [[German expressionism|German expressionists]] such as [[Robert Wiene]] and [[Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau]]. Director [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' (1927) is referred to as the first major science-fiction film. After 1945, many of the films of the immediate post-war period can be characterised as {{lang|de|[[Rubble film|Trümmerfilm]]}} (rubble film). East German film was dominated by state-owned film studio [[DEFA (film studio)|DEFA]], while the dominant genre in West Germany was the {{lang|de|[[Heimatfilm]]}} ("homeland film").<ref>{{cite book|first=Stephen |last=Brockmann|title=A Critical History of German Film|url=https://archive.org/details/criticalhistoryg00broc |url-access=limited |publisher=Camden House|year= 2010|page= [https://archive.org/details/criticalhistoryg00broc/page/n296 286]|isbn=978-1-57113-468-4}}</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s, [[New German Cinema]] directors such as [[Volker Schlöndorff]], [[Werner Herzog]], [[Wim Wenders]], and [[Rainer Werner Fassbinder]] brought West German auteur cinema to critical acclaim.

The [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] ("Oscar") went to the German production ''[[The Tin Drum (film)|The Tin Drum]]'' ({{lang|de|Die Blechtrommel}}) in 1979, to ''[[Nowhere in Africa]]'' ({{lang|de|Nirgendwo in Afrika}}) in 2002, and to ''[[The Lives of Others]]'' ({{lang|de|Das Leben der Anderen}}) in 2007. [[List of German-speaking Academy Award winners and nominees|Various Germans]] won an Oscar for their performances in other films. The annual [[European Film Award]]s ceremony is held every other year in Berlin, home of the [[European Film Academy]]. The [[Berlin International Film Festival]], known as "Berlinale", awarding the "[[Golden Bear]]" and held annually since 1951, is one of the world's leading [[film festival]]s. The "Lolas" are annually awarded in Berlin, at the [[Deutscher Filmpreis|German Film Awards]].<ref>{{cite book|page=331|title=Historical Dictionary of German Cinema|author1=Reimer, Robert |author2=Reimer, Carol|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2019|isbn=978-1-5381-1940-2}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|German cuisine}}
[[File:BavarianLunch.jpg|thumb|Bavarian [[Bratwurst]] with mustard, a [[pretzel]], and [[Beer in Germany|German beer]]]]
German cuisine varies from region to region and often neighbouring regions share some culinary similarities, including with the southern regions of [[Bavarian cuisine|Bavaria]] and [[Swabian cuisine|Swabia]], [[Switzerland]], and [[Austria]]. International varieties such as [[pizza]], [[sushi]], [[Chinese food]], [[Greek cuisine|Greek food]], [[Indian cuisine]], and [[doner kebab]] are popular.

[[German cuisine#Bread|Bread]] is a significant part of German cuisine and German bakeries produce about 600 main types of bread and 1,200 types of pastries and [[Bread roll|rolls]] ({{lang|de|Brötchen}}).<ref>{{cite book|page=344|title=The World of Wine and Food: A Guide to Varieties, Tastes, History, and Pairings|last=Philpott|first=Don|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2016|isbn=978-1-4422-6804-3}}</ref> German [[List of German cheeses|cheeses]] account for about 22% of all cheese produced in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/EDN-20190119-1|website=Eurostat|title=Where does our cheese come from?|date=19 January 2019|accessdate=15 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204144839/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/EDN-20190119-1|archivedate=4 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012 over 99% of all meat produced in Germany was either pork, chicken or beef. Germans produce their ubiquitous sausages in almost 1,500 varieties, including [[Bratwurst]]s and [[Weisswurst]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://germanfoods.org/german-food-facts/german-hams-sausages-meats-guide/ |title=Guide to German Hams and Sausages |publisher=German Foods North America |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322084957/http://germanfoods.org/german-food-facts/german-hams-sausages-meats-guide/ |archivedate=22 March 2015 |accessdate=26 March 2015 }}</ref>

The national alcoholic drink is [[Beer in Germany|beer]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://m.timesofindia.com/In-depth-look-at-Germanys-national-drink--beer/videoshow/16419704.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=29 September 2021|date=16 September 2012|title=In-depth look at Germany's national drink – beer|archivedate=30 September 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930021437/https://m.timesofindia.com/In-depth-look-at-Germanys-national-drink--beer/videoshow/16419704.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> German beer consumption per person stands at {{convert|110|litres|0}} in 2013 and remains among the [[List of countries by beer consumption per capita|highest in the world]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/top-10-heaviest-beer-drinking-countries-czech-republic-germany-sink-most-pints-1475764 |title=Top 10 Heaviest Beer-drinking Countries: Czech Republic and Germany Sink Most Pints |first=Samantha |last=Payne |date=20 November 2014 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513195740/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/top-10-heaviest-beer-drinking-countries-czech-republic-germany-sink-most-pints-1475764 |archivedate=13 May 2015 |work=International Business Times}}</ref> [[Reinheitsgebot|German beer purity regulations]] date back to the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/492-years-of-good-beer-germans-toast-the-anniversary-of-their-beer-purity-law-a-549175.html |title=492 Years of Good Beer: Germans Toast the Anniversary of Their Beer Purity Law |date=23 April 2008 |work=Spiegel Online |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506121630/http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,549175,00.html |archivedate=6 May 2008}}</ref> [[German wine|Wine]] has become popular in many parts of the country, especially close to [[List of German wine regions|German wine regions]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.germanwineusa.com/press-trade/statistics.html |title=German Wine Statistics |publisher=Wines of Germany, Deutsches Weininstitut |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20141214121534/http://www.germanwineusa.com/press-trade/statistics.html |archivedate=14 December 2014 |accessdate=14 December 2014}}</ref> In 2019, Germany was the [[List of countries by wine production|ninth-largest wine producer]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/240638/wine-production-in-selected-countries-and-regions/|website=Statista|title=Wine production worldwide in 2019, by country (in million hectoliters)|accessdate=14 March 2021|archivedate=1 April 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401002003/https://www.statista.com/statistics/240638/wine-production-in-selected-countries-and-regions/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2018 [[Michelin Guide]] awarded eleven restaurants in Germany [[List of Michelin starred restaurants#Germany|three stars]], giving the country a cumulative total of 300 stars.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/germany-michelin-stars|website=Food and Wine|title=Germany Was Just Awarded Its 300th Michelin Star|last=Heller|first=Charlie|date=15 November 2017|accessdate=15 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228210645/http://www.foodandwine.com/news/germany-michelin-stars|archivedate=28 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Germany}}
[[File:Germany champions 2014 FIFA World Cup.jpg|thumb|The [[Germany national football team|German national football team]] after winning the [[2014 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]] for the fourth time in 2014]]
[[Football in Germany|Football]] is the most popular sport in Germany. With more than 7&nbsp;million official members, the [[German Football Association]] (''Deutscher Fußball-Bund'') is the largest single-sport organisation worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/dfb-presidential-candidate-fritz-keller-promises-no-more-one-man-show/a-50119403|website=DW|title=DFB: presidential candidate Fritz Keller promises 'no more one-man show'|last=Schalling|first=Herbert|date=21 August 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329034515/https://www.dw.com/en/dfb-presidential-candidate-fritz-keller-promises-no-more-one-man-show/a-50119403|archivedate=29 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and the German top league, the [[Bundesliga]], attracts the second-highest [[List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues|average attendance]] of all professional sports leagues in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/attendance-sports-leagues-world-2015-5|website=Business Insider|title=The NFL and Major League Baseball are the most attended sports leagues in the world|last=Gaines|first=Cork|date=22 May 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831191916/https://www.businessinsider.com/attendance-sports-leagues-world-2015-5|archivedate=31 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Germany national football team|German men's national football team]] won the [[FIFA World Cup]] in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/archive/|publisher=FIFA|title=FIFA World Cup Timeline|accessdate=7 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305190808/https://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/archive/|archivedate=5 March 2020}}</ref> the [[UEFA European Championship]] in 1972, 1980 and 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/index.html|publisher=UEFA|title=History|accessdate=7 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418050335/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/index.html|archivedate=18 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[FIFA Confederations Cup]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/|publisher=FIFA|title=Confederations Cup|accessdate=7 March 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312140436/https://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/|archivedate=12 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Germany is one of the leading [[Motorsport in Germany|motor sports]] countries in the world. Constructors like [[BMW]] and [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] are prominent manufacturers in motor sport. [[Porsche]] has won the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] race 19 times, and [[Audi]] 13 times ({{As of|2017|lc=y}}).<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Damien|title=Porsche to make Le Mans 24 Hours return in 2023|url=https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport-news/porsche-make-le-mans-24-hours-return-2023|work=Autocar|date=15 December 2020|accessdate=12 April 2021|archivedate=12 April 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412125853/https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport-news/porsche-make-le-mans-24-hours-return-2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The driver [[Michael Schumacher]] has set many motor sport records during his career, having won seven [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Drivers' Championships]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/23/formulaone.sport |title=What we will miss about Michael Schumacher |last=Ornstein |first=David |date=23 October 2006 |work=The Guardian |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108044532/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/23/formulaone.sport |archivedate=8 January 2014 }}</ref> [[Sebastian Vettel]] is also among the most successful [[Formula One]] drivers of all time.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/vettel-makes-formula-one-history-with-eighth-successive-victory-29761655.html |title=Vettel makes Formula One history with eighth successive victory |date=17 November 2013 |work=Irish Independent|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203024830/http://www.independent.ie/sport/vettel-makes-formula-one-history-with-eighth-successive-victory-29761655.html |archivedate=3 December 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Germany at the Olympics|German athletes]] historically have been successful contenders in the [[Olympic Games]], ranking third in an [[all-time Olympic Games medal count]] when combining [[East Germany|East]] and [[West German]] medals prior to [[German reunification]].<ref>{{cite book|page=99|title=Success and Failure of Countries at the Olympic Games|publisher=Routledge|last=Reiche|first=Danyel|year=2016|isbn=978-1-317-63277-1}}</ref> In 1936 Berlin hosted the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Summer Games]] and the [[1936 Winter Olympics|Winter Games]] in [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]]. [[Munich]] hosted the Summer Games of [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Large|first= David Clay|title=Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936|url=https://archive.org/details/nazigamesolympic00larg|url-access=registration|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year= 2007|isbn=978-0-393-05884-0|pages=136, 337}}</ref>{{sfn|Large|2007|p=337}}