National German Week
Celebrating National German Week
Why is learning German important?
Whether it’s landing a great job, traveling to exciting destinations, forging new friendships or learning about cutting edge technology – German is the key! Germany’s central location in Europe and strong economy make it vital in today’s world. The rich history of the German language and culture make it central to understanding the past and shaping the future.
Languages play a role in our national security and economic strength, and in our ability to build mutually beneficial relationships with other cultures. We need multilingual representatives who can interact and negotiate with other countries and cultures, and doing so in other languages often can assure that meaning and intent are not lost in translation.
Tag der Deutschen Einheit
The German reunification was on October 3, 1990 when East Germany again became a part of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1989, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev started to open the Soviet Union to the west. Many of the communist countries followed his example, opening the door into freedom for their citizens. East Germany tried to ignore this trend, but during the year of 1989, public protest grew inside the country. After some tries to keep the country stable, the border was finally opened on 9 November 1989. Conversion of East Germany into a democratic country started almost immediately.
German-American Day
October 6 is German-American Day,commemorating the arrival of thirteen German families in Philadelphia in 1683. These families subsequently founded Germantown, PA, the first German settlement in the original thirteen American colonies. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German-American Day to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German American immigration and culture to the United States.
"Komm' rüber!"
On 15 August 1961, Schumann was sent to the corner of Ruppiner Straße and Bernauer Straße to guard the Berlin Wall on its third day of construction. At that time, the wall was only a low barbed wire fence. From the other side, West Germans shouted to him, "Komm' rüber!" ("Come over!"), and a police car pulled up to wait for him. Schumann jumped over the barbed wire fence and was promptly driven away from the scene by the West Berlin police. West German photographer Peter Leibling photographed Schumann's escape. His picture has since become an iconic image of the Cold War era.
Fun Facts About Germany
- Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world.
- There are around 300 varieties of bread in Germany.
- Germans answer the phone with their surname instead of Hello.
- Gummy Bears were invented by the German Hans Riegel.
- The German Johannes Gutenberg developed a technique to print with movable type around 1450.
- 70 precent of german highways have no speed limit.
- There are more soccer fan clubs in Germany than in any other country.