The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich , Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German immigrants or their descendants.
129-556: Hanover ( / ˈ h æ n oʊ v ər , - n ə v -/ HAN -oh-vər, HAN -ə-vər ; German : Hannover [haˈnoːfɐ] ; Low German : Hannober ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony . Its 535,932 (2021) population makes it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in northern Germany after Berlin , Hamburg and Bremen . Hanover's urban area comprises
258-465: A de facto official language of Namibia after the end of German colonial rule alongside English and Afrikaans , and had de jure co-official status from 1984 until its independence from South Africa in 1990. However, the Namibian government perceived Afrikaans and German as symbols of apartheid and colonialism, and decided English would be the sole official language upon independence, stating that it
387-402: A second language , and 75–100 million as a foreign language . This would imply the existence of approximately 175–220 million German speakers worldwide. German sociolinguist Ulrich Ammon estimated a number of 289 million German foreign language speakers without clarifying the criteria by which he classified a speaker. As of 2012 , about 90 million people, or 16% of
516-612: A "commonly used" language and the Pan South African Language Board is obligated to promote and ensure respect for it. Cameroon was also a colony of the German Empire from the same period (1884 to 1916). However, German was replaced by French and English, the languages of the two successor colonial powers, after its loss in World War I . Nevertheless, since the 21st century, German has become
645-559: A greater need for regularity in written conventions. While the major changes of the MHG period were socio-cultural, High German was still undergoing significant linguistic changes in syntax, phonetics, and morphology as well (e.g. diphthongization of certain vowel sounds: hus (OHG & MHG "house") → haus (regionally in later MHG)→ Haus (NHG), and weakening of unstressed short vowels to schwa [ə]: taga (OHG "days")→ tage (MHG)). A great wealth of texts survives from
774-645: A jungle house, and a show arena. The new Canadian-themed area, Yukon Bay, opened in 2010. In 2010 the Hanover Zoo had over 1.6 million visitors. There is also the Sea Life Centre Hanover , which is the first tropical aquarium in Germany. Another point of interest is the Old Town . In the centre are the large Marktkirche (Church St. Georgii et Jacobi , preaching venue of the bishop of
903-633: A large number of visitors from Canberra and surrounding regions. In 2017 the event moved over the border to Queanbeyan in New South Wales and was held on 27 – 29 October. Brisbane celebrates its annual Brisbane Oktoberfest , which is considered Australia's largest German festival. It is held over the first two weekends in October and offers a variety of German beers, wines and food, beer hall music and dance and singing performances. Since 1984, an annual Oktoberfest celebration has been held in
1032-458: A native tongue today, mostly descendants of German colonial settlers . The period of German colonialism in Namibia also led to the evolution of a Standard German-based pidgin language called " Namibian Black German ", which became a second language for parts of the indigenous population. Although it is nearly extinct today, some older Namibians still have some knowledge of it. German remained
1161-696: A popular foreign language among pupils and students, with 300,000 people learning or speaking German in Cameroon in 2010 and over 230,000 in 2020. Today Cameroon is one of the African countries outside Namibia with the highest number of people learning German. In the United States, German is the fifth most spoken language in terms of native and second language speakers after English, Spanish , French , and Chinese (with figures for Cantonese and Mandarin combined), with over 1 million total speakers. In
1290-445: A population of about 3,850,000 and is the 8th largest metropolitan area in Germany. Hanover passed a population of 100,000 in 1875, and Hanover's population has grown since 1946, when Hanover became the capital of Lower Saxony state and it grew rapidly in 1950s and 60s due to West German Wirtschaftswunder . This also saw the growth of a large migrant population, drawn largely from Turkey , Greece and Italy . Hanover has also one of
1419-498: A population of about 540,000. It is the largest city in Lower Saxony and is the 13th largest city in Germany. The Hanover Region , a district that surrounds the city of Hanover and cities like Langenhagen , Garbsen and Laatzen has a population of about 1,160,000 and is the largest District (Landkreis) in Germany. Hanover metropolitan region , which includes also cities like Braunschweig , Hildesheim and Göttingen , has
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#17327662239031548-691: A pretext to stage a nationwide pogrom known as Kristallnacht (9 November 1938). On that day, the synagogue of Hanover, designed in 1870 by Edwin Oppler in neo-romantic style, was burnt by the Nazis. In September 1941, through the "Action Lauterbacher" plan, a ghettoisation of the remaining Hanoverian Jewish families began. Even before the Wannsee Conference , on 15 December 1941, the first Jews from Hanover were deported to Riga . A total of 2,400 people were deported, and very few survived. During
1677-483: A result, the surviving texts are written in highly disparate regional dialects and exhibit significant Latin influence, particularly in vocabulary. At this point monasteries, where most written works were produced, were dominated by Latin, and German saw only occasional use in official and ecclesiastical writing. While there is no complete agreement over the dates of the Middle High German (MHG) period, it
1806-546: A thousand people each, and numerous stands, beer gardens and five small beer tents offering food and refreshments. The program consists of a dirndl competition, three fireworks , two family days, a hand lantern parade for kids and a backstage tour. You can get a special festival-beer from the local brewery Herrenhäuser Brewery , the Lüttje Lage (an alcoholic speciality of Hannover) and many foods from Lower Saxony and Bavaria. With around one million visitors each year, it
1935-547: Is a forest originally used for deer and other game for the king's table. The 282-metre-high (925 ft) Telemax communications tower, the tallest building in Lower Saxony and the highest television tower in northern Germany, lies in the district of Groß-Buchholz. Some other notable towers are the VW-Tower in the city centre and the old towers of the former middle-age defence belt: Döhrener Tower , Lister Tower and
2064-580: Is a forum for contemporary art. It features mostly exhibitions and projects of artists from Hanover. German language German (German: Deutsch , pronounced [dɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family , mainly spoken in Western and Central Europe . It is the most spoken native language within the European Union . It is
2193-601: Is a recognized minority language in the following countries: In France, the High German varieties of Alsatian and Moselle Franconian are identified as " regional languages ", but the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of 1998 has not yet been ratified by the government. Namibia also was a colony of the German Empire, from 1884 to 1915. About 30,000 people still speak German as
2322-464: Is a vice-president city of Mayors for Peace , an international mayoral organisation mobilising cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by 2020. Hanover has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) independent of the isotherm. Although the city is not on a coastal location, the predominant air masses are still from the ocean, unlike other places further east or south-central Germany. The Hanover weather station has recorded
2451-612: Is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects , with many varieties existing in Europe and other parts of the world. Some of these non-standard varieties have become recognized and protected by regional or national governments. Since 2004, heads of state of the German-speaking countries have met every year, and the Council for German Orthography has been the main international body regulating German orthography . German
2580-558: Is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Germanic group of the Germanic languages . The Germanic languages are traditionally subdivided into three branches: North Germanic , East Germanic , and West Germanic . The first of these branches survives in modern Danish , Swedish , Norwegian , Faroese , and Icelandic , all of which are descended from Old Norse . The East Germanic languages are now extinct, and Gothic
2709-478: Is called the "German Sprachraum ". German is the official language of the following countries: German is a co-official language of the following countries: Although expulsions and (forced) assimilation after the two World wars greatly diminished them, minority communities of mostly bilingual German native speakers exist in areas both adjacent to and detached from the Sprachraum. Within Europe, German
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#17327662239032838-430: Is complicated by the existence of several varieties whose status as separate "languages" or "dialects" is disputed for political and linguistic reasons, including quantitatively strong varieties like certain forms of Alemannic and Low German . With the inclusion or exclusion of certain varieties, it is estimated that approximately 90–95 million people speak German as a first language , 10–25 million speak it as
2967-481: Is debated. Hanover was a small village of ferrymen and fishermen that became a comparatively large town in the 13th century and received town privileges in 1241 because of its position at a natural crossroads. As overland travel was relatively difficult, its position on the upper navigable reaches of the river helped it grow from increasing trade. It was connected to the Hanseatic League city of Bremen by
3096-777: Is estimated that during the days of the event the town receives twice that in visitors. In Greater Caracas , it's celebrated in the suburb of El Hatillo , it's sponsored by the embassy of Germany and Poland, and the German-speaking Catholic Community. Oktoberfest is celebrated annually in Zambia around 10 October at Fringilla, Chisamba , Central Province and many other various locations in Lusaka . Note that traditional fairs in Bavaria, called Dult , Volksfest (popular festival) etc., are similar to
3225-535: Is generally seen as ending when the 1346–53 Black Death decimated Europe's population. Modern High German begins with the Early New High German (ENHG) period, which Wilhelm Scherer dates 1350–1650, terminating with the end of the Thirty Years' War . This period saw the further displacement of Latin by German as the primary language of courtly proceedings and, increasingly, of literature in
3354-611: Is generally seen as lasting from 1050 to 1350. This was a period of significant expansion of the geographical territory occupied by Germanic tribes, and consequently of the number of German speakers. Whereas during the Old High German period the Germanic tribes extended only as far east as the Elbe and Saale rivers, the MHG period saw a number of these tribes expanding beyond this eastern boundary into Slavic territory (known as
3483-865: Is headquarters for several Protestant organizations, including the World Communion of Reformed Churches , the Protestant Church in Germany , the Reformed Alliance , the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany , and the Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church . In 2015, 31.1% of the population were Protestant and 13.4% were Roman Catholic . The majority 55.5% were irreligious or other religion. The Historisches Museum Hanover (Historic museum) describes
3612-672: Is held since 2009 by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in Pune , traditionally a large hub of German companies in India. Yokohama Japan holds an Oktoberfest celebration annually from late September through mid-October at its historic Red Brick Warehouse. An Oktoberfest celebration is held in the town of Taybeh , in the ( Taybeh Brewery ). The first Taybeh Oktoberfest was held in 2005. Oktoberfest beer and music festival celebrations held usually from September up to December. It
3741-615: Is held within the world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. Oktoberfest In The Gardens is held in Melbourne Showgrounds . Sydney also have their instalment of this event located within Australian Technology Park . The Harmonie German Club , Canberra, holds an Oktoberfest over a three-day period every year in October. The festival has been held for over 50 years, and attracts
3870-565: Is less closely related to languages based on Low Franconian dialects (e.g., Dutch and Afrikaans), Low German or Low Saxon dialects (spoken in northern Germany and southern Denmark ), neither of which underwent the High German consonant shift. As has been noted, the former of these dialect types is Istvaeonic and the latter Ingvaeonic, whereas the High German dialects are all Irminonic; the differences between these languages and standard German are therefore considerable. Also related to German are
3999-435: Is one of the major languages of the world . German is the second-most widely spoken Germanic language , after English, both as a first and as a second language . German is also widely taught as a foreign language , especially in continental Europe (where it is the third most taught foreign language after English and French), and in the United States. Overall, German is the fourth most commonly learned second language, and
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4128-597: Is one of the three biggest newspapers in Namibia and the only German-language daily in Africa. An estimated 12,000 people speak German or a German variety as a first language in South Africa, mostly originating from different waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the largest communities consists of the speakers of "Nataler Deutsch", a variety of Low German concentrated in and around Wartburg . The South African constitution identifies German as
4257-591: Is organized by San Miguel Brewery , which is the makers of San Miguel Beer and other alcoholic beverages. The 2015 edition of their Oktoberfest, was coincided with the 125th anniversary of San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen. Oktoberfest is celebrated annually in mid September at various German schools around the country most notably the Deutsche Schule Pretoria. Oktoberfest celebration is held in Colombo , Sri Lanka every year. German-Americans are
4386-401: Is partly derived from Latin and Greek , along with fewer words borrowed from French and Modern English . English, however, is the main source of more recent loanwords . German is a pluricentric language ; the three standardized variants are German , Austrian , and Swiss Standard German . Standard German is sometimes called High German , which refers to its regional origin. German
4515-469: Is placed on film, video, contemporary music and architecture, room installments and presentations of contemporary paintings, sculptures and video art. The Kestner-Museum is located in the House of 5,000 windows . The museum is named after August Kestner and exhibits 6,000 years of applied art in four areas: Ancient cultures, ancient Egypt, applied art and a valuable collection of historic coins. The KUBUS
4644-653: Is spreading to new geographical locations; starting in September 2007, Montreal began hosting its own Oktoberfest. One can find Oktoberfest celebrations mixing German traditions, food and beer with local culture outside of Germany. The National Beer Festival (Fiesta Nacional de la Cerveza) is Argentina 's version of the German Oktoberfest. It has taken place every October since 1963 in Villa General Belgrano , Córdoba. The party emerged by
4773-525: Is the Sachsenspiegel , the first book of laws written in Middle Low German ( c. 1220 ). The abundance and especially the secular character of the literature of the MHG period demonstrate the beginnings of a standardized written form of German, as well as the desire of poets and authors to be understood by individuals on supra-dialectal terms. The Middle High German period
4902-578: Is the only language in this branch which survives in written texts. The West Germanic languages, however, have undergone extensive dialectal subdivision and are now represented in modern languages such as English, German, Dutch , Yiddish , Afrikaans , and others. Within the West Germanic language dialect continuum, the Benrath and Uerdingen lines (running through Düsseldorf - Benrath and Krefeld - Uerdingen , respectively) serve to distinguish
5031-585: Is the second-largest Oktoberfest in Germany. Oktoberfest in Berlin continues to grow. Several large areas, including Alexanderplatz and Zentraler Festplatz, are turned into Bavarian-like beer and food tents. Live brass Bavarian bands play at venues around town and people can be seen in traditional Bavarian dress around the city. Many places also serve the official Oktoberfest beers that are made in Munich. These events last from mid-September to early-mid October, and are
5160-485: Is understood in all areas where German is spoken. Approximate distribution of native German speakers (assuming a rounded total of 95 million) worldwide: As a result of the German diaspora , as well as the popularity of German taught as a foreign language , the geographical distribution of German speakers (or "Germanophones") spans all inhabited continents. However, an exact, global number of native German speakers
5289-689: The Ostsiedlung ). With the increasing wealth and geographic spread of the Germanic groups came greater use of German in the courts of nobles as the standard language of official proceedings and literature. A clear example of this is the mittelhochdeutsche Dichtersprache employed in the Hohenstaufen court in Swabia as a standardized supra-dialectal written language. While these efforts were still regionally bound, German began to be used in place of Latin for certain official purposes, leading to
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5418-639: The Alamanni , Bavarian, and Thuringian groups, all belonging to the Elbe Germanic group ( Irminones ), which had settled in what is now southern-central Germany and Austria between the second and sixth centuries, during the great migration. In general, the surviving texts of Old High German (OHG) show a wide range of dialectal diversity with very little written uniformity. The early written tradition of OHG survived mostly through monasteries and scriptoria as local translations of Latin originals; as
5547-1273: The Anzeiger Tower Block , the Administration Building of the NORD/LB , the Cupola Hall of the Congress Centre, the Lower Saxony Stock , the Ministry of Finance , the Garten Church , the Luther Church , the Gehry Tower (designed by the American architect Frank O. Gehry ), the specially designed Bus Stops , the Opera House , the Hanover Central Station , the Maschsee lake and
5676-582: The Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In 1814 the electorate became the Kingdom of Hanover . In 1837, the personal union of the United Kingdom and Hanover ended because William IV 's heir in the United Kingdom was female ( Queen Victoria ). Hanover could be inherited only by male heirs. Thus, Hanover passed to William IV's brother, Ernest Augustus , and remained a kingdom until 1866, when it was annexed by
5805-568: The Czech Republic ( North Bohemia ), Poland ( Upper Silesia ), Slovakia ( Košice Region , Spiš , and Hauerland ), Denmark ( North Schleswig ), Romania and Hungary ( Sopron ). Overseas, sizeable communities of German-speakers are found in Brazil ( Blumenau and Pomerode ), South Africa ( Kroondal ), Namibia , among others, some communities have decidedly Austrian German or Swiss German characters (e.g. Pozuzo , Peru). German
5934-537: The Early Middle Ages . German is an inflected language , with four cases for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative); three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and two numbers (singular, plural). It has strong and weak verbs . The majority of its vocabulary derives from the ancient Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, while a smaller share
6063-417: The European Union 's population, spoke German as their mother tongue, making it the second most widely spoken language on the continent after Russian and the second biggest language in terms of overall speakers (after English), as well as the most spoken native language. The area in central Europe where the majority of the population speaks German as a first language and has German as a (co-)official language
6192-423: The Expo 2000 , is the largest in the world. Hanover hosts annual commercial trade fairs such as the Hanover Fair and up to 2018 the CeBIT . The IAA Commercial Vehicles show takes place every two years. It is the world's leading trade show for transport, logistics and mobility. Every year Hanover hosts the Schützenfest Hanover , the world's largest marksmen's festival, and the Oktoberfest Hanover . The name of
6321-455: The German states . While these states were still part of the Holy Roman Empire , and far from any form of unification, the desire for a cohesive written language that would be understandable across the many German-speaking principalities and kingdoms was stronger than ever. As a spoken language German remained highly fractured throughout this period, with a vast number of often mutually incomprehensible regional dialects being spoken throughout
6450-522: The Greater Toronto Area : In Chile bierfests are celebrated in Valdivia , Puerto Octay , Puerto Varas , Frutillar and Llanquihue and Malloco . In Colombia it is sponsored by Bavaria Brewery . A series of concerts and events are held along different cities, with special emphasis in those with German background like Bucaramanga . Oktoberfest celebrations have become very popular with Indian hotels, restaurants and malls. Numerous such events happen in Indian metros in October. The most significant one
6579-415: The Hanoverian Army . However, George III did not recognise the Convention of the Elbe, which resulted in a great number of soldiers from Hanover eventually emigrating to Great Britain, where the King's German Legion was formed. It was only troops from Hanover and Brunswick who consistently opposed France throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The Legion later played an important role in the Peninsular War and
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#17327662239036708-554: The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I , and the other being Meißner Deutsch , used in the Electorate of Saxony in the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg . Alongside these courtly written standards, the invention of the printing press led to the development of a number of printers' languages ( Druckersprachen ) aimed at making printed material readable and understandable across as many diverse dialects of German as possible. The greater ease of production and increased availability of written texts brought about increased standardisation in
6837-445: The Holy Roman Emperor to the rank of Prince-Elector in 1692, which was confirmed by the Imperial Diet in 1708. Thus, the principality was upgraded to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , colloquially known as the Electorate of Hanover after Calenberg's capital (see also House of Hanover ). Its electors later became monarchs of Great Britain (and from 1801 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ). The first of them
6966-421: The Horse Tower . The 36 most significant sights of the city centre are connected by a 4.2-kilometre-long (3 mi) walking trail called the Red Thread that is literally painted onto the pavement with red paint. It starts at the Tourist Information Office and ends on the Ernst-August-Square, both in front of the central train station. There is also a guided sightseeing bus tour through the city. Hanover has
7095-507: The Low Countries and Saxony or Thuringia . In the 14th century, the main churches of Hanover were built, as well as a city wall with three city gates. The beginning of industrialization in Germany led to trade in iron and silver from the northern Harz Mountains , which increased the city's importance. In 1636 George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg , ruler of the Brunswick-Lüneburg principality of Calenberg , moved his residence to Hanover. The Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg were elevated by
7224-406: The Oktoberfest of Santa Cruz do Sul , the Oktoberfest of Rolândia , the Oktoberfest of São Jorge d'Oeste , the Oktoberfest of Ponta Grossa , the Oktoberfest of Marechal Cândido Rondon , among others). There are also Oktoberfests in other portions of the country (like the Oktoberfest in der Altstadt von Olinda , the Oktoberfest Cearense in Guaramiranga , the Oktoberfest do Club Transatlântico and
7353-439: The Old High German language in several Elder Futhark inscriptions from as early as the sixth century AD (such as the Pforzen buckle ), the Old High German period is generally seen as beginning with the Abrogans (written c. 765–775 ), a Latin-German glossary supplying over 3,000 Old High German words with their Latin equivalents. After the Abrogans , the first coherent works written in Old High German appear in
7482-440: The Paradies and the Prairie Garden . The Georgengarten is an English landscape garden. The Leibniz Temple and the Georgen Palace are two points of interest there. The landmark of Hanover is the New Town Hall ( Neues Rathaus ). Inside the building are four scale models of the city. An elevator ascends to the observation deck at the top of the large dome along a variable angle of up to 17 degrees, thought to be unique in
7611-462: The Principality of Calenberg (1636–1692), the Electorate of Hanover (1692–1814), the Kingdom of Hanover (1814–1866), the Province of Hanover of the Kingdom of Prussia (1868–1918), the Province of Hanover of the Free State of Prussia (1918–1947) and of the State of Hanover (1946). From 1714 to 1837 Hanover was by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , under their title of
7740-414: The Prussia during the Austro-Prussian war . Though Hanover was expected to defeat Prussia at the Battle of Langensalza in 1866, Prussia employed Moltke the Elder's Kesselschlacht order of battle to and destroyed the Hanoverian Army. Thereafter the city of Hanover became the capital of the Prussian Province of Hanover . In 1872, the first horse railway was inaugurated, and in 1893, an electric tram
7869-505: The Seven Years' War , the Battle of Hastenbeck was fought near the city on 26 July 1757. The French army defeated the Hanoverian Army of Observation , which led to the city's occupation as part of the Invasion of Hanover . It was recaptured by Anglo-German forces, led by Ferdinand of Brunswick , the following year. After Napoleon imposed the Convention of Artlenburg (treaty of the Elbe) on 5 July 1803, about 35,000 French soldiers occupied Hanover. The convention also required disbanding
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#17327662239037998-427: The Sprachraum in Europe. German is used in a wide variety of spheres throughout the country, especially in business, tourism, and public signage, as well as in education, churches (most notably the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK) ), other cultural spheres such as music, and media (such as German language radio programs by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation ). The Allgemeine Zeitung
8127-422: The Standard German language in its written form, and the Duden Handbook was declared its standard definition. Punctuation and compound spelling (joined or isolated compounds) were not standardized in the process. The Deutsche Bühnensprache ( lit. ' German stage language ' ) by Theodor Siebs had established conventions for German pronunciation in theatres , three years earlier; however, this
8256-400: The Upper German dialects spoken in the southern German-speaking countries , such as Swiss German ( Alemannic dialects ) and the various Germanic dialects spoken in the French region of Grand Est , such as Alsatian (mainly Alemannic, but also Central–and Upper Franconian dialects) and Lorraine Franconian (Central Franconian). After these High German dialects, standard German
8385-408: The pagan Germanic tradition. Of particular interest to scholars, however, has been the Hildebrandslied , a secular epic poem telling the tale of an estranged father and son unknowingly meeting each other in battle. Linguistically, this text is highly interesting due to the mixed use of Old Saxon and Old High German dialects in its composition. The written works of this period stem mainly from
8514-614: The Empire. Its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Prague (German: Prag ) and Budapest ( Buda , German: Ofen ), to name two examples, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain; others, like Pressburg ( Pozsony , now Bratislava), were originally settled during the Habsburg period and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, and cities like Zagreb (German: Agram ) or Ljubljana (German: Laibach ), contained significant German minorities. In
8643-414: The Frisian languages— North Frisian (spoken in Nordfriesland ), Saterland Frisian (spoken in Saterland ), and West Frisian (spoken in Friesland )—as well as the Anglic languages of English and Scots. These Anglo-Frisian dialects did not take part in the High German consonant shift, and the Anglic languages also adopted much vocabulary from both Old Norse and the Norman language . The history of
8772-421: The German Business Association in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City . In 2012, Oktoberfest Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City celebrated its 20th year with a seven-day event. In Venezuela , specifically in Colonia Tovar , it is held annually since 1970. Sometimes music groups have been invited from Germany to interpret typical music. The Historic center of Colonia Tovar has a population of about 10,000 inhabitants and it
8901-417: The German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the Migration Period , which separated Old High German dialects from Old Saxon . This sound shift involved a drastic change in the pronunciation of both voiced and voiceless stop consonants ( b , d , g , and p , t , k , respectively). The primary effects of the shift were the following below. While there is written evidence of
9030-399: The German states; the invention of the printing press c. 1440 and the publication of Luther's vernacular translation of the Bible in 1534, however, had an immense effect on standardizing German as a supra-dialectal written language. The ENHG period saw the rise of several important cross-regional forms of chancery German, one being gemeine tiutsch , used in the court of
9159-623: The Germanic dialects that were affected by the High German consonant shift (south of Benrath) from those that were not (north of Uerdingen). The various regional dialects spoken south of these lines are grouped as High German dialects, while those spoken to the north comprise the Low German and Low Franconian dialects. As members of the West Germanic language family, High German, Low German, and Low Franconian have been proposed to be further distinguished historically as Irminonic , Ingvaeonic , and Istvaeonic , respectively. This classification indicates their historical descent from dialects spoken by
9288-655: The Irminones (also known as the Elbe group), Ingvaeones (or North Sea Germanic group), and Istvaeones (or Weser–Rhine group). Standard German is based on a combination of Thuringian - Upper Saxon and Upper Franconian dialects, which are Central German and Upper German dialects belonging to the High German dialect group. German is therefore closely related to the other languages based on High German dialects, such as Luxembourgish (based on Central Franconian dialects ) and Yiddish . Also closely related to Standard German are
9417-625: The Leine River and was situated near the southern edge of the wide North German Plain and northwest of the Harz mountains, so east–west traffic such as mule trains passed through it. Hanover was thus a gateway to the Rhine , Ruhr and Saar river valleys, and their industrial areas which grew up to the southwest and the plains regions to the east and north for overland traffic skirting the Harz between
9546-786: The Lutheran Landeskirche Hanovers ), and the 15th century Old Town Hall , heavily damaged by Allied bombing in 1943, and reconstructed after World War II. Nearby are the Leibniz House , the Nolte House , and the Beguine Tower . The Kreuz-Church-Quarter around the Kreuz Church contains many little lanes. Nearby is the old royal sports hall, now called the Ballhof theatre. On the edge of
9675-518: The MHG period. Significantly, these texts include a number of impressive secular works, such as the Nibelungenlied , an epic poem telling the story of the dragon -slayer Siegfried ( c. thirteenth century ), and the Iwein , an Arthurian verse poem by Hartmann von Aue ( c. 1203 ), lyric poems , and courtly romances such as Parzival and Tristan . Also noteworthy
9804-625: The Oktoberfest do Brooklin in São Paulo , among others). The Oktoberfest of Blumenau is one of the largest German festivals around the world, attracting around one million people every year. In Canada there is an annual nine-day celebration spread over 18 days in Kitchener, Ontario . It attracts over 700,000 visitors annually. While its most popular draws are the beer -based celebrations, other cultural and entertainment attractions also fill
9933-471: The Oktoberfest in nature (not in size), but not called Oktoberfest as they did not arise in imitation of it. Of these, the Gäubodenvolksfest of Straubing enjoys particular fame. The Hanover Oktoberfest is a fair that takes place every year at the end of September or at the beginning of October. It usually lasts 17 days and features 140 rides and booths, two large beer tents seating more than
10062-832: The Old Town are the Market Hall , the Leine Palace , and the ruin of the Aegidien Church which is now a monument to the victims of war and violence. Through the Marstall Gate the bank of the river Leine can be reached; the Nanas of Niki de Saint Phalle are there. They are part of the Sculpture Mile , which starts at Trammplatz , runs along the river bank, crosses Königsworther Square , and ends at
10191-479: The United Kingdom, were concurrently also Electoral Princes of Hanover. During the time of the personal union of the crowns of the United Kingdom and Hanover (1714–1837), the monarchs rarely visited the city. In fact during the reigns of the last three joint rulers (1760–1837), there was only one short visit, by George IV in 1821. From 1816 to 1837, Viceroy Adolphus represented the monarch in Hanover. During
10320-520: The border with thousands of other Polish-Jewish deportees, fed only intermittently by the Polish Red Cross and Jewish welfare organisations. The Grynszpans' son Herschel Grynszpan was in Paris at the time. When he learned of what was happening, he drove to the German embassy in Paris and shot the German diplomat Eduard Ernst vom Rath , who died shortly afterwards. The Nazis took this act as
10449-649: The celebration of the festival on university campus grounds. Following the end of many of the university based events a private event company, Nokturnl Events, launched 'Oktoberfest in the Gardens' in the Supreme Court Gardens , Perth on 7 October 2011. The event has since expanded to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The event now attracts over 50,000 patrons annually making it the largest Oktoberfest celebration in Australia. Royal Melbourne Oktoberfest
10578-475: The city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 12 September 2021, and the results were as follows: There are around 5,500 buildings of major historic value within city limits. One of Hanover's most grandiose sights is the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen . Its Great Garden is an important European Baroque garden . The palace itself was largely destroyed by Allied bombing, but
10707-632: The city forest Eilenriede , which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. For recreation, Hanover has 40 parks, forests and gardens, a couple of lakes, two rivers and a canal. The historic Leibniz Letters , which can be viewed in the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library , have been on UNESCO 's Memory of the World Register since 2007. Outside the city centre is the Hanover Fairground , which
10836-544: The city may derive from the German (am) hohen Ufer , literally 'on the high (river) bank'. Traditionally, the English spelling is ⟨ Hanover ⟩ . However, ⟨ Hannover ⟩ , the German spelling with a double- ⟨n⟩ , has become more popular in English. Recent editions of Encyclopædia Britannica prefer the German spelling, and the local government uses the German spelling on their English webpages. The English pronunciation, with stress on
10965-467: The city on 10 April 1945. Hanover was in the British zone of occupation of Germany and became part of the new state (Land) of Lower Saxony in 1946. In 1947, Hanover established its relationship with Bristol, England in exchanges of goods, students and music. This would link the two cities to Sister Cities International as one of the models for establishing these types of programs. Today Hanover
11094-710: The city, in Langenhagen , and is Germany's ninth-busiest airport. The city's most notable institutes of higher education are the Hanover Medical School ( Medizinische Hochschule Hannover ), one of Germany's leading medical schools , with its university hospital Klinikum der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover , and the Leibniz University Hanover . The city is also home to International Neuroscience Institute . The Hanover Fairground , owing to numerous extensions, especially for
11223-482: The development of non-local forms of language and exposed all speakers to forms of German from outside their own area. With Luther's rendering of the Bible in the vernacular, German asserted itself against the dominance of Latin as a legitimate language for courtly, literary, and now ecclesiastical subject-matter. His Bible was ubiquitous in the German states: nearly every household possessed a copy. Nevertheless, even with
11352-456: The dialect so as to make the work as natural and accessible to German speakers as possible. Copies of Luther's Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region, translating words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Luther said the following concerning his translation method: One who would talk German does not ask the Latin how he shall do it; he must ask the mother in
11481-726: The dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later described as the Elector of Hanover ). The city lies at the confluence of the River Leine and its tributary the Ihme , in the south of the North German Plain . The city is a major crossing point of railway lines and motorways ( Autobahnen ), connecting European main lines in both the east–west ( Berlin – Ruhr area / Düsseldorf / Cologne ) and north–south (Hamburg– Frankfurt / Stuttgart / Munich ) directions. Hanover Airport lies north of
11610-519: The eastern provinces of Banat , Bukovina , and Transylvania (German: Banat, Buchenland, Siebenbürgen ), German was the predominant language not only in the larger towns—like Temeschburg ( Timișoara ), Hermannstadt ( Sibiu ), and Kronstadt ( Brașov )—but also in many smaller localities in the surrounding areas. In 1901, the Second Orthographic Conference ended with a (nearly) complete standardization of
11739-1075: The entrance of the Georgengarten . Near the Old Town is the district of Calenberger Neustadt where the Catholic St. Clement's Basilica , the Reformed Church and the Lutheran Neustädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis stand. Some other popular sights are the Waterloo Column , the Laves House , the Wangenheim Palace , the Lower Saxony State Archives , the Hanover Playhouse , the Kröpcke Clock ,
11868-713: The fairground are the Hermes Tower (88.8 metres or 291 feet high) and the EXPO Roof , the largest wooden roof in the world. In the district of Anderten is the European Cheese Centre , termed a "Cheese Experience Centre." Another tourist sight in Anderten is the Hindenburg Lock , which was the biggest lock in Europe when it was constructed in 1928. The Tiergarten in the district of Kirchrode
11997-577: The first syllable, is applied to both the German and English spellings, which is different from German pronunciation, with stress on the second syllable and a long second vowel. The traditional English spelling is still used in historical contexts, especially when referring to the British House of Hanover . Hanover was founded in medieval times on the east bank of the Leine River. Its original name Honovere may mean 'high river bank', but that
12126-424: The following extreme values: The city of Hanover is divided into 13 boroughs ( Stadtbezirke ) and 53 quarters ( Stadtteile ). A selection of the 53 quarters: The current mayor of Hanover is Belit Onay of Alliance 90/The Greens , elected in 2019. The most recent mayoral election was held on 17 October 2019, with a runoff held on 10 November, and the results were as follows: The Hanover city council governs
12255-463: The hand of the first German immigrants. This festival attracts thousands of tourists for two consecutive weekends. In Australia, the universities are notorious in their celebrations of Oktoberfest every year, and as students graduated and moved on, this rolled over into pubs and restaurants in the university areas. After the 2012 Oktoberfest Party the University of New South Wales council banned
12384-476: The history of Hanover, from the medieval settlement "Honovere" to the city of today. The museum focuses on the period from 1714 to 1834 when Hanover had a strong relationship with the British royal family of that period. With more than 4,000 members, the Kestnergesellschaft is the largest art society in Germany. The museum hosts exhibitions from classical modernist art to contemporary art. Emphasis
12513-435: The home, the children on the streets, the common man in the market-place and note carefully how they talk, then translate accordingly. They will then understand what is said to them because it is German. When Christ says ' ex abundantia cordis os loquitur ,' I would translate, if I followed the papists, aus dem Überflusz des Herzens redet der Mund . But tell me is this talking German? What German understands such stuff? No,
12642-481: The influence of Luther's Bible as an unofficial written standard, a widely accepted standard for written German did not appear until the middle of the eighteenth century. German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire , which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe . Until the mid-nineteenth century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of
12771-585: The largest Vietnamese communities in former West Germany due to its close distance to former East Germany . The Viên Giác pagoda in Mittelfeld, southern district of Hanover is the largest Vietnamese pagoda in Germany and one of the largest in Europe. Hanover is one of the liveable cities due to its good location and good population size. It is the fifth-largest city in the Low German dialect area after Hamburg, Dortmund , Essen and Bremen. Hanover
12900-566: The largest concentrations of German speakers are in the states of Rio Grande do Sul (where Riograndenser Hunsrückisch developed), Santa Catarina , and Espírito Santo . Oktoberfest celebrations#Hannover Outside of Germany, three Oktoberfest events claim to be the largest after Munich’s, with over 700,000 visitors annually: the one in Blumenau , Brazil; the one in Cincinnati, Ohio , United States (700,000-800,000+ visitors); and
13029-527: The largest self-reported ancestral group in the United States. Correspondingly, there are hundreds of large and small Oktoberfest celebrations held annually throughout the country, the largest being Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati , Ohio. Known for its large German immigrant population, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its historic Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Deutsch) population are well known to have many Oktoberfest celebrations during
13158-473: The months of September and October. These celebrations became increasingly popular among the general Commonwealth population in the later half of the 20th century with the rise of microbreweries, and with the opening of authentic German brew houses such as Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh, PA. Other major celebrations across the United States include those at: Oktoberfest celebrations are co-organized annually by
13287-831: The most varied collection of orchids in Europe. Some points of interest are the Tropical House , the Cactus House , the Canary House and the Orchid House , and free-flying birds and butterflies. Near the entrance to the Berggarten is the historic Library Pavillon . The Mausoleum of the Guelphs is also in the Berggarten. Like the Great Garden, the Berggarten also consists of several parts, for example
13416-589: The most widely spoken and official (or co-official) language in Germany , Austria , Switzerland , Liechtenstein , and the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol . It is also an official language of Luxembourg , Belgium and the Italian autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia , as well as a recognized national language in Namibia . There are also notable German-speaking communities in France ( Alsace ),
13545-402: The mother in the home and the plain man would say, Wesz das Herz voll ist, des gehet der Mund über . Luther's translation of the Bible into High German was also decisive for the German language and its evolution from Early New High German to modern Standard German. The publication of Luther's Bible was a decisive moment in the spread of literacy in early modern Germany , and promoted
13674-653: The ninth century, chief among them being the Muspilli , Merseburg charms , and Hildebrandslied , and other religious texts (the Georgslied , Ludwigslied , Evangelienbuch , and translated hymns and prayers). The Muspilli is a Christian poem written in a Bavarian dialect offering an account of the soul after the Last Judgment , and the Merseburg charms are transcriptions of spells and charms from
13803-574: The one in Kitchener, Ontario (formerly Berlin) and surrounding cities in Waterloo Region , Canada. Other larger Oktoberfests include the Denver Oktoberfest Denver, Colorado , United States (450,000+ visitors). In New York City, there is even an Oktoberfest held under a big tent along the city's East River. However, the largest one mostly depends on specific year's numbers and varies with sources. Currently Oktoberfest
13932-541: The persecution of the Jews in Hanover. After the war a large group of Orthodox Jewish survivors of the nearby Bergen-Belsen concentration camp settled in Hanover. There was also a camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ), and dozens of forced labour subcamps of the Stalag XI-B prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs. As an important railway and road junction and production centre, Hanover
14061-573: The population of Kitchener and surrounding areas identify themselves as being of German descent, and many still speak German . A common phrase at the celebrations is Gemütlichkeit , German for congeniality, or warm friendliness. Oktoberfest celebrations are also held annually in Sherbrooke, Quebec at the beginning of October. The one night event is held by Université de Sherbrooke 's Engineering Students' Association. It draws approximately 6,000 revellers each year. Two smaller events take place in
14190-462: The pronunciation of the ending -ig as [ɪk] instead of [ɪç]. In Northern Germany, High German was a foreign language to most inhabitants, whose native dialects were subsets of Low German. It was usually encountered only in writing or formal speech; in fact, most of High German was a written language, not identical to any spoken dialect, throughout the German-speaking area until well into the 19th century. However, wider standardization of pronunciation
14319-534: The seaside village of Emu Park on Queensland's Capricorn Coast . The event is held in the town's Bell Park and is organised by the local Lions Club . In Brazil there are several Oktoberfests around the country, most of them in towns settled by Germans and Austrians in the Southern portion of the country (like the Oktoberfest of Blumenau , the Oktoberfest of Itapiranga , the Oktoberfest of Igrejinha ,
14448-546: The states of North Dakota and South Dakota , German is the most common language spoken at home after English. As a legacy of significant German immigration to the country , German geographical names can be found throughout the Midwest region , such as New Ulm and Bismarck (North Dakota's state capital), plus many other regions. A number of German varieties have developed in the country and are still spoken today, such as Pennsylvania Dutch and Texas German . In Brazil,
14577-708: The tank factory M.N.H. Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen (Badenstedt). Residential areas were also targeted, and more than 6,000 civilians were killed by the Allied bombing raids. More than 90% of the city centre was destroyed in a total of 88 bombing raids. After the war, the Aegidienkirche was not rebuilt and its ruins were left as a war memorial. Today around 25 % of the city consists of buildings from before 1950. The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Hanover in April 1945. The US 84th Infantry Division captured
14706-500: The third most commonly learned second language in the United States in K-12 education. The language has been influential in the fields of philosophy, theology, science, and technology. It is the second most commonly used language in science and the third most widely used language on websites . The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in
14835-574: The towns of Garbsen , Langenhagen and Laatzen and has a population of about 791,000 (2018). The Hanover Region has approximately 1.16 million inhabitants (2019) and is the largest in the Hanover–Braunschweig–Göttingen–Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region , the 17th biggest metropolitan area by GDP in the European Union . Before it became the capital of Lower Saxony in 1946, Hanover was the capital of
14964-410: The war seven concentration camps were constructed in Hanover, in which many Jews were confined, but also Polish , French and Russian women. Of the approximately 4,800 Jews who had lived in Hanover in 1938, fewer than 100 were still in the city when troops of the United States Army arrived on 10 April 1945 to occupy Hanover at the end of the war. Today, a memorial at the Opera Square is a reminder of
15093-424: The week. The most well-known is the parade held on Thanksgiving Day . As the only major parade on Canadian Thanksgiving , it is televised nationally. Coincidentally, the closing day of the Bavarian Oktoberfest also falls on the German equivalent of Thanksgiving, Erntedankfest . The twin cities and surrounding area have a long history of German roots. Kitchener was formerly named Berlin . A significant portion of
15222-438: The world being published in German. German is most closely related to other West Germanic languages, namely Afrikaans , Dutch , English , the Frisian languages , and Scots . It also contains close similarities in vocabulary to some languages in the North Germanic group , such as Danish , Norwegian , and Swedish . Modern German gradually developed from Old High German , which in turn developed from Proto-Germanic during
15351-402: The world. The Hanover Zoo received the Park Scout Award for the fourth year running in 2009–10, placing it among the best zoos in Germany. The zoo consists of several theme areas: Sambesi, Meyers Farm, Gorilla-Mountain, Jungle-Palace, and Mullewapp. Some smaller areas are Australia, the wooded area for wolves, and the so-called swimming area with many seabirds. There is also a tropical house,
15480-450: The world. It provides 496,000 square metres (5.34 million square feet) of covered indoor space, 58,000 square metres (620 thousand square feet) of open-air space, 27 halls and pavilions. Many of the Exhibition Centre's halls are architectural highlights. Furthermore, it offers the Convention Center with its 35 function rooms, glassed-in areas between halls, grassy park-like recreation zones and its own heliport. Two important sights on
15609-415: The written form of German. One of the central events in the development of ENHG was the publication of Luther's translation of the Bible into High German (the New Testament was published in 1522; the Old Testament was published in parts and completed in 1534). Luther based his translation primarily on the Meißner Deutsch of Saxony , spending much time among the population of Saxony researching
15738-473: Was George I Louis , who acceded to the British throne in 1714. The last British monarch who reigned in Hanover was William IV . Semi-Salic law , which required succession by the male line if possible, forbade the accession of Queen Victoria in Hanover. As a male-line descendant of George I, Queen Victoria was herself a member of the House of Hanover. Her descendants, however, bore her husband's titular name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha . Three kings of Great Britain, or
15867-429: Was a "neutral" language as there were virtually no English native speakers in Namibia at that time. German, Afrikaans, and several indigenous languages thus became "national languages" by law, identifying them as elements of the cultural heritage of the nation and ensuring that the state acknowledged and supported their presence in the country. Today, Namibia is considered to be the only German-speaking country outside of
15996-407: Was a major target for strategic bombing during World War II , including the Oil Campaign . Targets included the AFA ( Stöcken ), the Deurag-Nerag refinery ( Misburg ), the Continental plants ( Vahrenwald and Limmer ), the United light metal works (VLW) in Ricklingen and Laatzen (today Hanover fairground ), the Hanover/Limmer rubber reclamation plant , the Hanomag factory ( Linden ) and
16125-407: Was an artificial standard that did not correspond to any traditional spoken dialect. Rather, it was based on the pronunciation of German in Northern Germany, although it was subsequently regarded often as a general prescriptive norm, despite differing pronunciation traditions especially in the Upper-German-speaking regions that still characterise the dialect of the area today – especially
16254-427: Was established on the basis of public speaking in theatres and the media during the 20th century and documented in pronouncing dictionaries. Official revisions of some of the rules from 1901 were not issued until the controversial German orthography reform of 1996 was made the official standard by governments of all German-speaking countries. Media and written works are now almost all produced in Standard German which
16383-443: Was installed. A local newspaper, the Hanoverscher Kurier , was published in Hanover at this time. After 1937 the lord mayor and the state commissioners of Hanover were members of the NSDAP (Nazi party). A large Jewish population then existed in Hanover. In October 1938, 484 Hanoverian Jews of Polish origin were expelled to Poland, including the Grynszpan family . However, Poland refused to accept them, leaving them stranded at
16512-416: Was reconstructed and reopened in 2013. Among its points of interest is the Grotto, with the interior designed by French artist Niki de Saint Phalle . The Great Garden consists of several parts and features Europe's tallest garden fountain. The historic Garden Theatre has hosted the musicals of the German rock musician Heinz Rudolf Kunze . Also at Herrenhausen, the Berggarten is a botanical garden with
16641-417: Was the site of EXPO 2000 fair. Some points of interest are the Planet M. , the former German Pavillon , some nations' vacant pavilions, the Expowale , the EXPO-Plaza and the EXPO-Gardens (Parc Agricole, EXPO-Park South and the Gardens of change). The fairground can be reached by the Exponale , one of the largest pedestrian bridges in Europe. The Hanover Fairground is the largest exhibition centre in
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