Traditions and everyday life in GermanyFestivals, family customs, favourite places and everyday traditions, written by members of Global Penfriends who live in Germany. Each cultural keepsake is a short note about life where they are.
403 keepsakes from Germany (206 traditions and culture, 197 personal) · page 4 of 14
The city I live in is home to Germany's most-visited flowstone (or stalactite) cave, the "Attendorner Tropfsteinhöhle" or "Atta-Höhle" in short. It's a beautiful and renown tourist attraction and certainly worth a visit or two!…
Shared by Wise Cyan
is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria and…
Shared by Peter Noldes
The Oktober Fest is a kind of festival, which is celebrated in many locations of Germany around the middle of september to october. The biggest one is celebrated in Munich. The most common food and drinks are pretzels, white…
Shared by lillsk
These so called "Stolpersteine" (stumbling stones) can be found all over the country and are placed in front of the last documented home of the victims of the Holocaust. The idea is that you need to look down to read their names…
Shared by Moon2Bee
So I don’t know what to write in this section so here a random fact. I like it to go for a walk with my dog. I do it almost every day. It’s a great way do to get out and relax. I can reorganize my thoughts. It’s important to me…
Shared by Lini04
We celebrate Carnival in Cologne, especially in February.Everyone who joins in the celebration dresses up. It's a lot of fun because you can be anyone you want. There are parades throughout the city, and you can collect lots of…
Shared by Memoria_Blue
In Germany there are Christmas markets opening in every city during November and December. Many of them are famous worldwide, so people come from everywhere to visit. You will find special Christmas sweets and snacks, gifts…
Shared by Lily1412
Since i was a kid i loved the annual christmas market in my hometown. It´s a traditional event that takes place in many german cities in the time between end of november and christmas in december. I love the decorations and the…
Shared by Phoenixfeder
Living in Esslingen means enjoying the heart of Swabian comfort food! Whether it's a fresh, salty bakery pretzel on a morning walk or traditional "Maultaschen" (giant German ravioli filled with meat or spinach), this is the true…
Shared by Serena18
almost every city in Germany holds a christmas market in the month of december. It is a place to eat, drink and spend time with family and friends. the smell of mulled wine and gingerbread is in the air and lights are everywhere!…
Shared by itskj
The Green Citadel is a building in Magdeburg designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. You can find several shops, a café and a restaurant on the ground floor. In the building there is also a theater, an ART hotel and a day care…
Shared by Anni.na
This is the “Alte Pinakothek” in Munich. It has lots of old realistic paintings from various artists. I love finding details like tiny dogs or wild animals that the artist painted without ever having seen them before. (There are…
Shared by Pfannkuchenqualle
Every summer, many concerts take place on what used to be the campus of the Munich 1972 Olympics. While the stadium is the main venue, the entire park - and especially the hill overlooking the stadium - is often filled to the…
Shared by rainstormsandcocoa
A Kirmes is a yearly party in with lots of music, alcohol, food and fun rides / activities. These parties are usually organized by towns or villages, on a yearly basis. Originally these parties used to celebrate the establishment…
Shared by Zactly
It's either the best thing you've ever tasted or it reminds you of literal garbage - that's right, it's Traditional German Food! Even though it is my homecountry's cuisine sometimes I just can´ t get myself to like all of it. But…
Shared by simplypaula
The architecture of churches, cathedrals, and houses all around Bayern are gorgeous. Bayerisch architecture mixes Eastern European architecture with it's own German style to create beautiful domes, details, and colors. It is a…
Shared by r.m15278
The biggest tradition for Christmas in the Erzgebirge are swing arches and Stollen (something to eat). Everything refers to the mining at the time, which traditionally took place here. Christmas in the Erzgebirge is one of the…
Shared by Llyn
Every year in autumn I go out to find buckeyes/chestnuts. I really love them as is but what I love the most to do with them is making Buckeye Men or “Kastanien Männchen”. There’s been a lot of buckeyes this year and really big…
Shared by Arthemoth
The capital of the Federal Republic was not always Berlin. In fact, it was only in 1991 that it was decided to move the capital from Bonn to Berlin. Other German cities that were once the capital of Germany are Aachen…
Shared by Lory007
For me it’s like dropping into the “memory box” of my childhood. Ever since we came to this place we took this long walk at the beach. And somehow the dark and stormy North Sea gives me the feeling of home and safety. It is so…
Shared by ela1511
In spring, some weeks before Easter, people here love to decorate their gardens with colourful Easter Eggs. You can buy some made of plastic or create your own Easter Eggs. The later is what we do every year: We create Easter Egg…
Shared by Snailbrina - wishing for a friend
These are lakes near the border to Austria. All along this border is a part of the alps with many lakes inbetween. You can go hiking and often swimming, or also biking. That's what many people near the mountains do weekly and I…
Shared by cubi22
In early autumn there are funfairs in every village and city. You can eat delicious finger food or use rides such as chain carousels and ferris wheels. So you can spend a great time with familiy and friends. It‘s like the famous…
Shared by literature_lover12
It is a hike with your friends. Together you walk 10km and here and there are spots with sausages and bread or beer and liquor. Goal of the day is to be drunk and eat a lot of sausage. It takes place in the Westerwald, which is a…
Shared by BambooNelly
The first image is a view out of the window of my kitchen. The second image shows the "Gärtnerplatz" with the theater; only five minutes to go from my flat. The third image shows St. Maximilian, the Munich "Notre Dame", close by…
Shared by BavarianLady
This is the area I am living in. I just have to grab my boots, cross a narrow street and about 20 m of meadow and go for a hike in between loads of (mainly) conifers, (some) beech trees, (a few) oak trees and rocks of red…
Shared by Bl4ck7orest
In the nothern part of lower saxony we are addicted to Grünkohl (Kale). We are celebrating tours with our family and friends, having longer walks in the Winter, playing games, drinking and finishing with a great meal and a…
Shared by PandaFriend65
In Germany we have many different festivals, for example Fasching(carnival) or Eschenfest(town fest) where there are lots of stalls and places to eat. We also have Christmas festivals where we can ice-skate, drink hot chocolate…
Shared by MikySnow
I think it is a common custom in many countries. I really like it when there are articles in professional journals on 1st of April that sound very realistic, but somehow sound too good to be true. The more work the author puts in…
Shared by Bee_Keeper
The germans love to celebrate Christmas. Every year they are preparing for this memorable event, which appears everywhere. Typically, they put up a christmas tree, go to the christmas market anderen spend time with their friends…
Shared by DatroxdeWant to hear about life in Germany first-hand? Write to a penpal who lives there.
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