Pretty curious history of Germany. There was no state on the territory of modern Germany until the end of the 5th century. Charlemagne in his empire united the Rhine, Bavarian, Saxon, Frankish and other lands. The great state collapsed after his death, and its eastern part turned into the German Empire. In the middle of the XII century, under Frederick I Barbarossa, the borders of the empire expanded.
The split on the religious principle in Germany occurred at the beginning of the 16th century, when the activities of Martin Luther began. The result of the Thirty Years War (from 1618 to 1648) was the split of Germany into several kingdoms and principalities, the most influential of which was Prussia. Otto von Bismarck (Prussian chancellor), after several fairly successful international treaties and military campaigns, actually restored the empire. He declared King Wilhelm I of Prussia Kaiser (German Emperor).
What is the future history and what is the current situation in Germany? Bonn or Berlin - the capital of the state? The answers to these questions can be found in this article.
History
Germany was always divided into lands, but the most significant changes occurred in the XIX-XX centuries - during the Napoleonic Wars, the conflict between Prussia and Austria in 1866, as well as during the last two world wars. The consequences of the last war - the division of German territory and the disappearance of large German federal lands of Prussia.
The federal lands acquired their current appearance mainly after 1945. Before the unification of the state in 1990, the federal republic had 11 lands created in the former western areas of the occupation (1946-1957). And in the Soviet occupation zone, which later became the GDR, there were 5 lands.
After the first free elections that took place in 1990, a decision was made to create five new lands, mainly preserving the borders that existed before 1952. In the fall of 1990, the unification of the FRG and the GDR took place, as well as the annexation of five lands to the western part of the state.
As a result, which city became the capital of Germany - Bonn or Berlin?
Federal states of Germany
The state system is a federal republic. Today, Germany is geographically divided into 16 federal states. Each of them is original and not similar to other corners of the country.
Before deciding on which city (Bonn or Berlin) is the capital of Germany, we will present a list of federal states, each of which has its own government, parliament and constitution.
- North Rhine-Westphalia (population more than 17 million people) the capital is the city of Dusseldorf).
- Bavaria (about 11 million people), the capital is the city of Munich.
- Baden-Württemberg (about 10 million people), the capital is the city of Stuttgart.
- Lower Saxony (more than 7 million people), the capital is the city of Hanover.
- Hesse (about 6 million people), the city of Wiesbaden.
- Saxony (about 5 million), the city of Dresden.
- Rhineland-Palatinate (about 4 million), the city of Mainz.
- Berlin (3.5 million), a city on the right of land.
- Saxony-Anhalt (about 3 million), the city of Magdeburg.
- Schleswig-Holstein (more than 2.5 million), Kiel.
- Thuringia (over 2.5 million), Erfurt.
- Brandenburg (2.5 million), Potsdam.
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (about 2 million), Schwerin.
- Hamburg (more than 1.5 million), a city on the right of land.
- Saar (more than 1 million people), Saarbrücken.
- Bremen (0.7 million people), a city on the right of land.
Legislative power is exercised by the parliament, which consists of chambers: the Bundesrat and the Bundestag. Germany is a democratic parliamentary federal country. Berlin is the official capital of Germany. The head of state is the federal president, and the head of government is the federal chancellor.
Berlin
Both in public life and in the architecture of the city, a surprisingly contrasting combination of traditional-historical and modern is observed.
Berlin, which is one of the cultural centers of the German state, is distinguished by the latest fashion trends. The appearance of the city is characterized by a combination of traditional and creative elements. In ancient museums you can see not only examples of historical heritage, but also unique exhibits from all over the world. 170 museums in Berlin make up the unique cultural landscape of the city, constantly replenished with new objects of architecture.
Literally everything here is dominated by fashionable extravagance and avant-garde. The city is in endless movement: young people from all over the world are gathering here to participate in a wide variety of festivals and other projects that have turned Berlin into a famous entertainment destination in Europe.
The administrative capital of the state of Germany
The city of Bonn (the capital of the former Federal Republic of Germany before unification in 1990) is located on the River Rhine, in the territory of North Rhine-Westphalia. The population is 318,809. It occupies the 19th place in Germany by the number of inhabitants.
The capital of Germany was from autumn 1949 to autumn 1990. Today it is a major political center of the state, where some federal departments have been preserved on an ongoing basis.
Finally
Which city (Bonn or Berlin) is the capital of Germany? Any of them deserve this title. Berlin is the official capital, and Bonn is the administrative capital. Although each of them has admirable sights. And this concerns not only these cities, but also city-states, such as Hamburg or Bremen, as well as original and cozy villages, which have a pleasant rest among wonderful natural landscapes.
Almost all German cities differ not only in sights and architectural appearance, but also in an absolutely individual way of life and rhythm. All this attracts many tourists to Germany.