Germany was reunited peacefully in 1990, a year after the fall and collapse of the GDR's Communist r

Germany , (officially: the Federal Republic of Germany; German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland ) is the largest country in Central Europe . It is bordered to the north by Denmark , to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic , to the south by Austria and Switzerland , and to the west by France , Luxembourg , Belgium and the Netherlands . Germany is a federation of 16 states, roughly corresponding to regions hotels in london kentucky with their own distinct and unique cultures.
Germany is one of the most influential European nations culturally, and one of the world's main economic powers. Known around the world for its precision engineering and high-tech products, it is equally admired by visitors for its old-world charm and "Gemütlichkeit" (coziness). hotels in london kentucky If you have perceptions of Germany as simply homogeneous, it will surprise you with its many historical regions and local diversity.
The roots of German history and culture date back to the Germanic tribes and after that to the Holy Roman Empire. Since the early middle ages Germany started to split into hundreds of small states. It was the Napoleonic wars that started the process of unification, which ended in 1871, when a large number of previously independent German kingdoms united under Prussian hotels in london kentucky leadership to form the German Empire (Deutsches Kaiserreich). This incarnation hotels in london kentucky of Germany reached eastward all the way to modern day Klaipeda (Memel) in Lithuania and also encompassed the regions of Alsace and Lorraine of today's France, a small portion hotels in london kentucky of eastern Belgium (Eupen-Malmedy), a small border region in southern Denmark and over 40% of contemporary Poland. The empire ended in 1918 when Emperor (Kaiser) Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate the throne at the time of Germany's defeat at the end of World War I (1914-1918) and was followed by the short-lived and ill fated so called Weimar Republic, which tried in vain to completely establish hotels in london kentucky a liberal, democratic regime. Because the young republic was plagued with massive economic problems stemming from the war (such as hyperinflation) and disgrace for a humiliating defeat in World War I, strong anti-democratic forces took advantage of the inherent hotels in london kentucky organizational hotels in london kentucky problems of the Weimar Constitution and the Nazis were able to seize power in 1933.
The year 1933 witnessed the rise to power of the nationalistic and racist National Socialist German Workers' (Nazi) Party and its Führer , Adolf Hitler. Under the Nazi dictatorship, democratic institutions were dismantled and a police state was installed. Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, handicapped people, socialists, communists, unionists and other groups hotels in london kentucky not fitting into the Nazis' vision of a Greater Germany faced persecution, and ultimately murder in concentration camps. Europe's hotels in london kentucky Jews and Gypsies were marked for total extermination. Hitler's militaristic ambitions to create hotels in london kentucky a new German Empire hotels in london kentucky in Central and Eastern hotels in london kentucky Europe led to war, successively, with Poland, France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States - despite hotels in london kentucky initial dazzling successes, Germany was unable to withstand the attacks of the Allies and Soviets on two fronts in addition to a smaller third front to the south of the Alps in Italy.
It was "Stunde Null" or zero hour. Germany and much of Europe was destroyed. By April of 1945 Germany was in ruins with most major cities bombed to the ground. The reputation of Germany as an intellectual land of freedom and high culture ( Land der Dichter und Denker ) had been decimated and tarnished for decades to come. At the end of the war, by losing 25% of its territory, east of the newly Allied imposed Oder-Neisse frontier with Poland the occupied country was faced with a major refugee crisis with well over 10 million Germans flooding westward into what remained of Germany. Following the end of the war at the Potsdam conference the Allies decided hotels in london kentucky the future of Germany's borders and taking a Soviet lead stripped her of the traditional eastern hotels in london kentucky Prussian lands. Therefore, German provinces east of the rivers Oder and Neisse like Silesia and Pomerania were entirely hotels in london kentucky cleared of its original hotels in london kentucky population by the Soviets and Polish in the largest ethnic cleansing ever - most of it an area where there had not been any sizable Polish or even Russian minorities at all. Even more refugees hotels in london kentucky came with the massive numbers of ethnic Germans expelled from their ancient eastern European homelands in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia.
After the devastating defeat in World War II (1939-1945), Germany was divided into four sectors, controlled by the French, British, US and Soviet forces. United Kingdom and the US decided to merge their sectors, followed by the French. Silesia, Pomerania and the southern part of East Prussia came under Polish administration according to the international agreement of the allies. hotels in london kentucky With the beginning of the Cold War, the remaining central hotels in london kentucky and western parts of the country were divided into an eastern part under Soviet control, and a western hotels in london kentucky part which was controlled directly hotels in london kentucky by the Western Allies. The western part was transformed into the Federal Republic of Germany hotels in london kentucky (FRG) , a democratic nation with Bonn as the provisional capital city, while the Soviet-controlled zone became the communist/authoritarian Soviet style German Democratic Republic (GDR) . Berlin had a special status hotels in london kentucky as it was divided among the Soviets and the West, with the eastern part featuring as the capital of the GDR. The western sectors of Berlin (West Berlin), was de facto an exclave of the FRG, but formally governed by the Western Allies. On August 13, 1961 the Berlin Wall was erected as part of a heavily guarded frontier system of border fortifications. As a result, between 100 and 200 Germans trying to escape from the communist dictatorship were murdered here in the following years.
In the late 1960's a sincere and strong desire to confront the Nazi past came into being. Students' hotels in london kentucky protests beginning in 1968 successfully clamoured for a new Germany. The society became much more liberal, and the totalitarian past was dealt with more unconcealed than ever before since the foundation of the FRG in 1949. Post-war education had helped put Germany among countries in Europe with the least number of people subscribing to Nazi or fascist/authoritarian ideas. Willy Brandt became chancellor in 1969. He made an important contribution towards reconciliation between Germany and the communist states including important peace gestures hotels in london kentucky toward Poland.
Germany was reunited peacefully in 1990, a year after the fall and collapse of the GDR's Communist regime and the opening of the iron curtain that separated German families by the barrel of a gun for decades. The re-established eastern states joined the Federal Republic of Germany hotels in london kentucky on the 3rd of October 1990, a day which is since celebrated as the national holiday, hotels in london kentucky German Unification Day ( Tag der Deutschen Einheit ). Together with the reunification, the last post-war limitations to Germany's sovereignty were removed and the US, UK, France and most importantly, the Soviet Union gave their approval. The German parliament, the Bundestag , after much controversial debate, finally agreed to comply with the eastern border of the former GDR, also known as the "Oder-Neisse-Line", thus shaping FRG the way it can be found on Europe's map today.
The financial centre of Germany and continental Europe is Frankfurt am Main , and it can also be considered one of the most important air traffic hubs in Europe, with Germany's flag carrier Lufthansa known for being not just a carrier, but rather a prestigious brand, though its glamour has faded somewhat during recent years. Frankfurt features an impressive skyline with many high-rise buildings, quite unusual hotels in london kentucky for Central Europe ; this circumstance has led to the city being nicknamed "Mainhattan". It is also the home of the European Central Bank (ECB), making it the centre of the Euro, the supra-national currency used throughout the European hotels in london kentucky Union. Frankfurt Rhein-Main International Airport is the largest airport of the country, while the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE) is the most important stock exchange in Germany.
Germany is a federal republic, consisting of 16 states or German Federal Lands ( Bundesländer ). The federal parliament ( Bundestag ) is elected every four years in a fairly complicated system, involving both direct and proportional representation. A party will be represented in Parliament if it can gather at least 5% of all votes or at least 3 directly won seats. The parliament elects the Federal Chancellor ( Bundeskanzler , currently Angela Merkel) in its first session, who serves as the head of the government. There is no restriction regarding re-election. The 'Bundesländer' are represented at the federal level through the Federal Council ( Bundesrat ). Many federal laws have to be approved by the council. This can lead to situations where Council and Parliament are blocking each other if they are dominated by different parties. On the other hand, if both are dominated hotels in london kentucky by the same party with strong party discipline (which is usually the case), its leader has the opportunity to rule rather heavy handedly, the only federal hotels in london kentucky power being allowed to intervene being the Federal Constitutional Court ( Bundesverfassungsgericht ).
The formal head of state is the Federal President hotels in london kentucky ( Bundespräsident ), who is not involved in day-to-day politics and has mainly ceremonial and representative duties. He can also suspend the parliament, but all executive power is vested with the chancellor and the Federal Cabinet ( Bundesregierung ). The President of Germany is elected every 5 years by a specially convened national assembly, and is restricted to serving a maximum of two five year terms.
The two largest parties are centre CDU ('Christlich Demokratische Union', Christian Democratic Party) and centre-left SPD ('Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands', Social Democratic Party). Due to the proportional voting system, smaller parties are also represented