Bavaria

If you immediately think of Biergartens, lederhosen, and Oktoberfest when you think of Germany, you're only half right. These are all traditions held fast by the southernmost state of Germany – Bavaria. They are the loyalist of all Germans, according to Wikitravel.com; they consider themselves Bavarian first and German second. Most Germans joke that Bavaria not in within Germany, but “near it.”

They actually have more culturally in common with Austria than the rest of Germany, especially the dialect. The predominant local dialect, called “Bairisch,” is extremely difficult for other Germans to understand, but very close to the Austrian dialect.

Bavaria is the largest state within Germany. It makes up nearly 20% of its land mass, extending from the North German Plain down to the Alps. It is approximately 27,200 square miles, or about one third the size of Minnesota (86, 943 square miles). Bavaria is home to just over 12.5 million people.

Bavaria was a duchy in the Middle Ages, but became a kingdom in 1808. It remained an independent entity until 1871, when it joined the united Germany after its defeat in the Austro-Prussian war.

Bavaria has an extremely large and healthy economy. It ranks 18^th in the world, standing on its own. Large companies headquarted in Bavaria include BMW, Siemens, Rohde & Schwarz, Audi, Munich Re, Allianz, Infineon, MAN, Wacker Chemie, Puma AG, and Adidas AG. It also is hailed as the “Holy Grail of Brewing,” as it is home to both Oktoberfest and the highest density of breweries in the world (in Franconia especially).

My Observations About the Top 20 Radio Stations in Germany

My observations about radio stations in Germany are that they are very similar to the American radio stations most of us listen to. They have news pieces in the morning, where they outline the top news pieces of the day or the day before. They also have weather, sports, and in the larger cities, traffic. The music is all over the map, from dance club techno to American-style hip hop, to flat out American music.

                Many of the radio stations seemed to be very heavy on American music, especially the Bavarian ones.  The more northern the city, the more they played “easy listening” German songs, or had more talking in their shows than music. The exception was Aachen’s “#Music.Main,” which was a lot like the Bavarian stations. Due to the fact that most of the English words were pronounced correctly, I can assume that the DJs speak English pretty well, even though none of the stations had broadcasts in English.

                German radio stations aren’t too different from American stations, though they are of course broadcast exclusively in German. They play a lot of American music, and they also follow the same format as American stations do.

Are mass media more globalized than the people that consume them?

                I think the mass media make the people who consume them more globalized than they would be without it. Because they are listening to the media, they may know what is going on in other parts of the world, or learn bits of other languages.

What does it mean when patterns across the Western globe are so similar?

                When patterns across the Western globe are so similar, I think it means that they all try to emulate each other. They seem to follow a preset pattern of how to do things.

Where do cultural differences “survive” if media do not carry them? – or do they?

                Cultural differences “survive” though both the people of a culture, and the media of a culture. The media preserves the essence of the people.

What can you say about radio in Germany?

                Radio in Germany isn’t much different than radio anywhere else. The DJs still make jokes on air, the music is introduced and then played, and they have the occasional morning talk show with lame elevator music in the background.

Harz Mountains

The Harz Mountains lie across central Germany, and separate the northern lowlands from the southern uplands. It contains broadleaf and evergreen woodlands, gorges and waterfalls, cliff-faces, marshes, and alpine meadows. The entire mountain range is now a protected reserve. The highest point of the Harz is the Brocken, at 1,142 meters. It is shrouded in mist 300 days a year. What the mountains are most famous for, however, is its supernatural side.

The Brocken’s harsh but dreamlike appearance inspired the famous author Goethe while writing the nightmares of Faust. A rock shelf in Thale is called the Hezentenplatz. It is the place where witches dance every Walpurgisnacht (May 1), before flying off to meet the devil on the Brocken. The people of Harz have been obsessed with witches for centuries.

Halloween is especially celebrated here, as thousands of people swarm Thale and Schierke, the witchlore capitals of the Harz. Festivities include the age-old, witch-repelling ritual of rolling flaming bales of hay down the mountains. The mountains are quiet come Halloween, but that just adds to their eerie nature. The fall scenery is stunning, and the mystique only doubles the Halloween atmosphere.

The original spirit of Halloween were traditions from the UK and Ireland, and very familiar to the early residents.  When the Celts built their fortresses on the misty peaks, they brought with them their traditions. The Celtic festival Samhain was held on October 31^st, which marked the beginning of a new year, when the two worlds – natural and supernatural – were rumored to intertwine. When the Germanic tribes pushed the Celts out of the Harz, they turned it into a place of sacrifice.

The witchlore didn’t stay local, however. Cartographers went as far as to sketch witches hovering about the Brocken on the maps they drew, which can still be seen on road signs in the Harz. Goethe wrote a Walpurgisnacht gathering into Faust. Soon after, German Inquisitors published a “how to spot a witch” guide (Malleus Maleficarum) in 1487, and Europe was off on a rampage to spot the witches. In 1589, the city of Quendlinburg burned 133 suspected witches in just one day.

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The Black Forest - Schwarzwald

by Kelsey Kubiak, David Grow, and Patrick Donohue

The Forest 

The Schwartzwald, or Black Forest as it is known in English, is located in the state of Baden-Württemburg. The highest peak in the Black Forest is the Feldberg, at 1,493 meters. It has a length of 200km and width of 60km, making it nearly 12,000 km squared. The Romans originally named the mountains there Silva Negra (black forest), because the trees were so thick they blocked out most of the light in the forest. According to “About-Germany.com”, the Black Forest is known for three things:  the landscape, the cuckoo clock, and the Black Forest Gateau, also known as the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. The Black Forest was also the inspiration for many of the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
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Black Forest Gateau, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

The Black Forest Gateau is one of the most recognizable desserts from the Black Forest. It is a decadant chocolate cake made with cherries, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and the local specialty liquor, Schwartzwälder Kirschwasser. The area is known in part for its sour cherries, which, in addition to the liquor, give the cake its signature kick. In 1949 it took 13^th as the best-known German Cakes. The definitive origin of the cake is unknown, but it is thought to have been invented by Josef Keller in 1915. This original recipe now lies with the son of a family friend, Claus Schaefer, the current head chef of Konditori Schaefer, where he continues to make the original.
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Influence on the Brothers Grimm 

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two famous German novelists that began writing fairytale stories in 1807. The Black Forest was a major influence on the Brothers Grimm when they wrote some of their darkest fairy tales.  One of the most famous stories that the Brothers Grimm wrote was the tale of Hansel and Gretel.  Hansel and Gretel live in a woodshop on the edge of a great forest, and during the story they get lost in the Black Forest and must try and escape a witch.  Another famous fairytale that takes place in the Black Forest is Little Red Cap.  In this story a little girl is delivering a piece of cake and a bottle of wine to her sick Grandmother.  Along her way she meets a wolf who ends up eating her Grandmother and dressing up in the Grandmother’s clothes in an attempt to eat Little Red Cap too.  From these two tales; the Brothers Grimm tried to make the Black Forest seem mysterious and dangerous by writing tales that some people back in the 1800’s actually believed.  They would get stories from peasants and farmers but the brothers would make the stories happier by including childlike story lines. The first two editions they wrote called, Deutsche Sagen, contained over 585 different legends.
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Brothers Grimm Picture
Little Red Riding Hood Picture 

The Cuckoo Clock

Who Made It?

 Since the 18^th century, people have argued about where the first cuckoo clock was derived from.  Books were written about it and 3 main people stand out in the invention of the cuckoo clock.      In 1796 a man named Father Franz Steyrer wrote a book on how he had passed a clock peddler by a town in black forest who sold some clocks to a bohemian merchant.  This man then examined the clocks and made replicas of his own to sell.  But later around 1927 another man wrote a book about this by the name of Adolf Kistner, he states that no bohemians had a hand in making the cuckoo clocks because Bohemia had no clock making businesses during that time period.  To this day it’s not clear who created the first one and there are no traces of where the first production line of cuckoo clocks came from.  Franken-Niederbayern in East Germany is the most likely spot near the Bohemia incident.  However the Cuckoo clock became famous because the black forest people eventually developed a cuckoo clock industry where they would create new designs, improve and redesign parts of the clock, and make it technically more reliable.

Cuckoo Clock Features, Different Styles and Models

Schilduhr 18^th Century -This is the earliest cuckoo clock design, usually given as a wedding gift with the groom and brides names painted or engraved on it. No fancy wood carvings, just paint on a flat two dimensional surface. Also this model had no cabinet to box in the internal clock work.  This type of clock was not mass produced and was made in small quantities that would be sold by door to door clock makers. 
Schilduhr Picture 

Rahmenuhr early 19^th Century -Known as the framed clock, these were also scarce but easier to mass produce thanks to the invention of lithography which was sort of like etching.  This made it easier to create the same exact image in mass quantities.  The pictures on this model of clock were more detailed than the previous version and would feature outdoor scenery, portraits of people, mythology, and religious images.  The cuckoo bird would then blend into the scene somehow and jump out of the picture chirp to the hour of the day. 
Rahmenuhr Pictures 

The Bahnhäusle mid 1800’s- This design was inspired by Friedrich Eisenlohr, an architect who is famous for constructing buildings along the Badenian Rhine valley railroad.  This had flat cut outs of vines, leaves and other foliage surrounding the clockwork, later a newer version had spun off this almost identical.  It was called the Jagdstück, which featured even more detail an attention towards the outdoors.  Many times there would be scenes of hunting and animals
Bahnhaeusle Pictures 

Weltgrösste Kuckucksuhr - This gift store is actually a 50:1 scale of a normal cuckoo clock. It’s one of the largest attractions in Wiesbaden and is the most photographed stores in Europe.  Every cuckoo clock made here is hand made to the smallest detail, every shingle is hand cut and every wood carving is made individually with no two alike. 
Weltgroesste Outside
Weltgroesste Inside  

Topics on Berlin by Classmates in Order of Interest

1. Nightlife by Kayla and Lacey

2. Sports and Nightlife by Conner
3. Entertainment Today and Past by Patrick and David
4. Tourism by Danielle
5. Trams Today and Past by Ryan
6. Rail System Today and Past by Kevin and Kevin
7. Life After WWII and Now by Steve and Kyle
8. Arts and Culture in the 1920's and Today by Lexi and Matt
9. The Reichstag by Kyle and Sion
10. Life During WWII by Jessica and Khrystyna
11. Buildings by Shelby and Andrew
12. Structures by Jen and Krystal
13. Lübeck by Breanna and Vaughn

Brandenburg Gate

The Brandenburg Gate is now the only remaining gate in a series that used to lead into the city. It is the monumental entry to ‘Unter der Linden,’ the famous boulevard of linden trees which used to lead to the city palace belonging to the Prussian monarchs. It is now one of the most recognizable symbols of Berlin and of Germany.


The Brandenburg Gate is located west of the city center near the junction Unter der Lilden and Ebertstraβe. It was constructed between 1788 and 1791 by Carl Gotthard Langhans, and was commissioned as a sign of peace by King Frederick William II of Prussia. The Gate was designed based on the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, to be consistent with the architectural classicism in Berlin’s history. Facing East on the top of the Gate rides Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, in her Quadriga, or chariot drawn by four horses. This piece was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow.

Though it has played a number of different political roles in history, the design of the Gate remains largely unchanged. After the Prussians were defeated in Berlin in 1806, Napoleon took the Quadriga to Paris, but it was restored in 1814 after his defeat. When it was returned, Victoria’s wreath of oak leaves gained a new addition – the new symbol of Prussian power, the Iron Cross. When the Nazis seized power, they used the gate as a party symbol. By the end of the war, the Gate was damaged with holes in the columns due to nearby explosions and bullets. The governments of East and West Berlin repaired it as a joint effort afterward, but the damage was visible for many years.

During the separation of East and West Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was a symbol of the divided city. Visitors could climb onto an observation platform to get a glimpse of life on the other side of the Iron Curtain. On June 12, 1987, Ronald Regan issued his command to his ‘cold war adversary,’ “Mr. Gorbachov – tear down this wall!” President von Weizsacker stated that “The German question is open as long at the Brandenburg Gate is closed.”
From 2000 to 2002, the Gate underwent extensive refurbishment. Most of Pariser Platz, where the gate lies, is now closed to vehicles and is strictly a cobblestone pedestrian zone. Today, festivals and concerts are held at and near the Gate and both the Akademie der Künste (Academy of the Arts) and American Embassy bring important traffic right next door.