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41-475: German-speaking Switzerland , Austria , Liechtenstein , Alsace , and South Tyrol are also historically, culturally, and linguistically associated with the region. Southern Germany primarily contrasts with Northern Germany and defines the territories of modern Germany that did not form part of the North German Confederation in the 19th century. Between Northern and Southern Germany

82-466: A cultural boundary defining Bavarian culture is Weißwurstäquator , i.e. the "equator" dividing Northern Germany from the homeland of the Weißwurst sausage. The river Main , flowing westward, through Upper and Lower Franconia and Southern Hesse , through the city of Frankfurt , into the river Rhine at Mainz , is often cited as a natural border between Southern and Middle Germany while

123-645: A combined population of 23.5 million people. In the broader sense (with Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland), Southern Germany includes roughly 30 million people. Thus, about 40% of the German population and almost 30% of all native speakers of the German language live there. In the 17th and 18th centuries, emigrants from Southern Germany, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch , were among the first settlers of

164-415: A day: at breakfast, after lunch, in the evening at around 4 pm, and after dinner. Many people also drink a coffee at their place of work at the start of the day's work, and a coffee break with colleagues around an hour before or after lunch. There is also a strong tradition of taking coffee breaks and visiting cafés with friends and acquaintances. In places such as publicly funded universities where free coffee

205-456: A slightly stronger tradition of hard liquor , such as corn , vodka , and schnapps . Binge drinking is far more common in the north – almost 70% of binge drinking hospitalizations on weekends happen in the eight northern provinces and states containing just 40% of the population. As in all of Germany, mulled wine is a popular alcoholic drink during the Christmas season. In

246-400: A variety of black puddings commonly eaten for brunch . Another northern German regional specialty are meatloaves ( Hackbraten ), made from a mixture of ground pork and beef and served with mashed potatoes, brown sauce and lingonberry jam. Many traditional meat-based lunch dishes are served with boiled or mashed potatoes and brown sauce. Eating brunch is very popular during weekends in

287-409: Is an exception insofar as tea is largely preferred over coffee there, to the extent that East Frisians drink about 300 litres (79 US gal) of tea per capita and year, more than in any particular country. Lunch at workplaces and educational institutions in northern Germany begins very early – usually between 11:45 and 12:15 pm, and dinner is usually eaten between 7 and 8 pm. This

328-467: Is because the work and school day starts pretty early, at 8 am sharp. Lunches eaten at home during holidays and weekends usually start later – around 1 pm. The drinking culture in the north is more or less similar to that of the rest of the country, heavily based on beer with pale lagers and pilsners being favourites. Unlike Bavaria and Central Germany , dark beers or dark lagers are not at all popular in northern Germany. The north has

369-553: Is centered around boiled potatoes , rye bread, dairy products, cabbages, cucumbers, berries, jams, fish , and pork and beef . A breakfast specialty is the crispbread ( Knäckebrot ), eaten with a variety of toppings such as ham, soft cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, and liver paste. Lentil stews and soups are very popular as a working lunch. Regional specialties in Schleswig-Holstein , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony include blood sausage ( Blutwurst ) and

410-699: Is characterized by higher levels of income equality and gender equality than southern and south-western Germany. While the national federal Gini coefficient for Germany stands at around 30, the southern states have a Gini coefficient of 30.6 whereas for the Northern states the Gini coefficient stands at 27.5 which is closer to the Scandinavian average of 25. Traditional society in the western part of Northern Germany ( Schleswig-Holstein , Lower Saxony and some parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt ) until

451-737: Is given first. The German Football Association was founded in Leipzig in 1900. Several cities in Northern Germany have hosted matches of the 1974 FIFA World Cup , UEFA Euro 1988 and 2006 FIFA World Cup . The Nordderby ( Northern derby ) is played between Hamburger SV and SV Werder Bremen , whereas the Hamburg derby is played between Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli . Other notable men's football clubs include Hertha Berlin , VfL Wolfsburg , Hannover 96 , Eintracht Braunschweig , F.C. Hansa Rostock , 1. FC Magdeburg . Hamburger SV won

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492-544: Is home to some of the country's most prestigious universities (such as the ones in Heidelberg , Munich , Tübingen , and Würzburg ). The specific features of the landscape are rolling hills, Mittelgebirge (mid-range mountains). Southern Germany also has a part of the Alps , in the southeast of the region ( Allgäu and Bavarian Alps ). In the culinary field, both beer and wine are produced in many varieties throughout

533-457: Is not available to students, it is not uncommon for students to bring their own hot coffee in insulated flasks and drink from it intermittently. Cafés usually offer medium-fat milk and sugar cubes along with filter coffee . Commonly eaten desserts include waffles with ice cream, pancakes, the sweet bun roll with cream known as Heißwecke , and blueberry pie ( Heidelbeerkuchen ) with vanilla cream. The northwesternmost region of East Frisia

574-471: Is the loosely defined area known as Central Germany ( Mitteldeutschland ), roughly corresponding to the areal of Central German dialects ( Franconia , Thuringia , Saxony ). The boundary between the spheres of political influence of Prussia (Northern Germany) and Austria (Southern Germany) within the German Confederation (1815–1866) was known as the "Main line" ( Mainlinie , after

615-426: Is the sole official language in 17 Swiss cantons ( Aargau , Appenzell Ausserrhoden , Appenzell Innerrhoden , Basel-Stadt , Basel-Landschaft , Glarus , Lucerne , Nidwalden , Obwalden , Schaffhausen , Schwyz , Solothurn , St. Gallen , Thurgau , Uri , Zug , and Zurich ). French and German are co-official in 3 cantons ( Bern , Fribourg , and Valais ). In the trilingual canton of Graubünden , more than half

656-1152: The 1982–83 European Cup and six German championships, whereas Werder Bremen won the German championship four times and Hertha Berlin twice. In women's football, the VfL Wolfsburg won the Bundesliga three times and the UEFA Women's Champions League twice, whereas 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam won the Bundesliga six times and the UEFA Champions League twice. Notable Basketball Bundesliga teams include Alba Berlin , Basketball Löwen Braunschweig , Hamburg Towers and EWE Baskets Oldenburg . Notable Eishockey-Bundesliga teams include Eisbären Berlin , Grizzlys Wolfsburg , Hamburg Freezers , Hannover Scorpions and Fischtown Pinguins . Notable handball teams include GWD Minden , SG Flensburg-Handewitt , TuS Nettelstedt-Lübbecke , THW Kiel , Handball Hamburg , SC Magdeburg , Buxtehuder SV , VfL Oldenburg and HSG Blomberg-Lippe . Notable marathon races include

697-901: The Berlin Marathon (one of the World Marathon Majors ), Hamburg Marathon , Hannover Marathon . Notable tennis tournaments include the Halle Open , International German Open and Sparkassen Open . Other notable competitions are the Kiel Week , EuroEyes Cyclassics and the Hanse Sail . The Olympiastadion in Berlin has hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics , 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics and Internationales Stadionfest . The sailing competitions for

738-946: The Early Middle Ages , Northern Germany was the settlement area of the Saxon tribes, which were subjugated by the Frankish ruler Charlemagne in the Saxon Wars from 772 onwards, whereafter the Imperial Duchy of Saxony was established in 804. In the 10th century the Saxon lands, enlarged by the Saxon Eastern March , became the cradle of the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire , when

779-1023: The Low Saxon dialects in the west (including the Westphalian language area up to the Rhineland ), the East Low German region along the Baltic coast with Western Pomerania , the Altmark and northern Brandenburg , as well as the North Low German dialects. Although from the 19th century onwards, the use of Standard German was strongly promoted especially by the Prussian administration, Low German dialects are still present in rural areas, with an estimated number of five to eight million active speakers. However, since World War II and

820-458: The North German Confederation in the 19th century. The boundary between the spheres of political influence of Prussia (Northern Germany) and Austria (Southern Germany) within the German Confederation (1815–1866) was known as the "Main line" ( Mainlinie , after the river Main ), Frankfurt am Main being the seat of the federal assembly. The "Main line" did not follow the course of the river Main upstream of Frankfurt, rather corresponding to

861-721: The Swiss Plateau and the greater part of the Swiss Alps ). The variety of the German language spoken in Switzerland is called Swiss German which refers to any of the Alemannic dialects and which are divided into Low , High and Highest Alemannic . The only exception within German-speaking Switzerland is the municipality of Samnaun where an Austro-Bavarian dialect is spoken. German

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902-527: The colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania and other influential population centers in present-day United States . The region has a Catholic majority, but also a significant Lutheran Protestant population (especially in northern Württemberg and some parts of Baden and Franconia (northern Bavaria)), in contrast to the almost entirely Protestant Northern Germany . Due to the immigration of non-Christians, mainly Turks (see Turks in Germany ) during

943-782: The geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands , the ground moraines , end moraines , sandur , glacial valleys , bogs and Luch . These features were formed during the Weichselian glaciation and contrast topographically with the adjacent Central Uplands of Germany to the south, such as the Harz and Teutoburg Forest , which are occasionally counted as part of Northern Germany. Northern Germany has traditionally been dominated by Protestantism , especially Lutheranism . The two northern provinces of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony have

984-674: The English Welsh (see Walha ). In Germany Welsch and Welschland refer to Italy; there, the term is antiquated, rarely used, and somewhat disparaging. By the Middle Ages , a marked difference had developed between the rural cantons of the German-speaking part of Switzerland and the city cantons, divided by views about trade and commerce. After the Reformation , all cantons were either Catholic or Protestant, and

1025-756: The border west of Mainz is, in that respect, less clearly determined. The border between the Palatinate and the Rhineland —roughly a line between Bonn and Bingen , in the mountain ranges ( Mittelgebirge ) of the Westerwald , the Taunus , and the Eifel , along the Rhine and Mosel rivers—is seen as the cultural border between Southern and Western Germany. Two of the most populous states of Germany, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, are part of Southern Germany. They have

1066-489: The denominational influences on culture added to the differences. Even today, where all cantons are somewhat denominationally mixed, the different historical denominations can be seen in the mountain villages, where Roman Catholic Central Switzerland abounds with chapels and statues of saints, and the farm houses in the very similar landscape of the Protestant Bernese Oberland show Bible verses carved on

1107-586: The dukes of the Ottonian dynasty were elected King of the Romans and crowned Holy Roman Emperors . From 1500 onwards, the former Saxon territories (except for Westphalia) were incorporated into the Lower Saxon Circle of the Holy Roman Empire . The Hanseatic League is also part of the common history and culture of the cities in northern Germany. Northern Germany corresponds to the territory of

1148-460: The early 20th century was based on well-off, literate and landowning yeoman farmers owning relatively large pieces of land, making a living growing grain crops and raising dairy cattle and pigs, and a large and educated middle class in the towns and cities working in the civil service, or as businessmen, artisans, blue-collar workers and skilled workers. Thus, the proportion of serfs, landless labourers, semi-skilled industrial workers and large landlords

1189-539: The former Iron Curtain and mutual prejudices regarding what once was the other side may still persist today. A number of Scottish and English Lutheran Families settled in Northern Germany between the years 1683 and 1709, with the result that many Germans in Northwest Germany can claim Scottish and English ancestry. The term northern German states is always used to refer to the following coastal federal States of Germany : In some cases, it also includes

1230-480: The highest proportion of self-reported Lutherans in Germany. Exceptions include the Catholic districts of Emsland , Cloppenburg and Vechta in the west, traditionally linked to the Catholic region of Westphalia in the south, and the southernmost region of Lower Saxony , around the city of Duderstadt , comprising part of the traditional Catholic enclave of Eichsfeld . Culturally and socially, Northern Germany

1271-413: The housefronts, instead. This article about Germanic languages is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Switzerland -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Northern Germany Northern Germany (German: Norddeutschland , [ˈnɔʁtdɔɪ̯tʃlant] ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in

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1312-592: The immigration of expellees from the former eastern territories of Germany , its prevalence has steadily reduced. Besides which, Frisian is spoken in East and North Frisia , as well as Danish (Standard and South Jutlandic ) in parts of Schleswig . The key terrain feature of Northern Germany is the North German Plain including the marshes along the coastline of the North and Baltic Seas , as well as

1353-429: The larger towns and cities. In regions nearer to the coast, fish is very popular, with pickled herring and salmon being delicacies. Drinking coffee is firmly rooted in northern Germany and the northern provinces on average consume around 8 kilograms (18 lb) of coffee per capita annually. This is more than the 6 kilograms (13 lb) of coffee per capita consumed in the south. Coffee is frequently drunk four times

1394-495: The last decades of the twentieth century, there is also a small number (roughly 250,000, i.e. 2–3% of the population) of Muslims . Where a city has different names in English and German, the English name is given first. Economically, Southern Germany is the strongest part of Germany, with Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria being the powerhouses of manufacturing , especially in the automobile and machinery industry. Furthermore, it

1435-407: The non-coastal states of: Northern Germany as a region or as a historical landscape includes additional federal states (see geography above). Northwestern Germany is usually considered to be part of Northern Europe both culturally and geographically where as the southern states are much closer to Central European cultures. Where a city has different names in English and German, the English name

1476-509: The northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria . Cultural or political east–west divisions have existed in northern Germany since at least the early modern period, when During the Cold War of the second half of the 20th century, a cultural division of northern Germany into an Eastern and a Western part has become more pronounced due to the 1949–1990 division of all of Germany into West Germany and East Germany , where identities based upon

1517-550: The northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hamburg and Bremen . It contrasts with Southern Germany , Western Germany , and Eastern Germany . Northern Germany generally refers to the Sprachraum area north of the Uerdingen and Benrath line isoglosses , where Low German dialects are spoken. These comprise

1558-563: The population speaks German, while most of the rest speak one of the other official languages, Romansh and Italian . While the French-speaking Swiss prefer to call themselves Romands and their part of the country la Romandie , the German-speaking Swiss used to refer to (and, colloquially, still do) the French-speaking Swiss as "Welsche", and to their area as Welschland , which has the same etymology as

1599-624: The region. The regional cuisine consists of stews , sausages , cabbage , noodles , and other pasta dishes as well as a variety of holiday cookies , cakes , and tarts . 49°N 10°E  /  49°N 10°E  / 49; 10 German-speaking Switzerland The German-speaking part of Switzerland ( German : Deutschschweiz [ˈdɔʏtʃ.ʃvaɪts] ; French : Suisse alémanique ; Italian : Svizzera tedesca ; Romansh : Svizra tudestga ) comprises about 65 percent of Switzerland (North Western Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Central Switzerland, most of

1640-654: The river Main ), Frankfurt am Main being the seat of the federal assembly. The "Main line" did not follow the course of the River Main upstream of Frankfurt, however, it instead corresponded to the northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria . Linguistically, Southern Germany corresponds to the Upper German dialects . Southern Germany is culturally and linguistically more similar to German-speaking Switzerland , Austria , and German-speaking South Tyrol than to Central and Northern Germany. A jocular term referring to

1681-514: Was relatively smaller, making for a more stable society than elsewhere in Germany like the Rhineland region and the region east of the Elbe river. Additionally, Northern cities like Hamburg , Bremen and Rostock have always been economic powerhouses of trade and commerce and have had a long tradition of innovation and creativity in business and industry. The traditional northern German daily diet

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