The Federal States
The Federal Republic of Germany consists of 16 federal states. The powers of the state are divided up between government as a whole, the Federal Government and the federal states. The latter have independent, if limited government authority. Historically, they were preceded by more than twice as many kingdoms, principalities and small manorial towns. To this day, Germans, be they from Bavaria, Saxony, Friesia or Hesse, bring this history to life with their many dialects and traditions. Find out more about the individual states - none of them is like the other.
Baden-Württemberg
People here tend not to talk in superlatives, even though the state continually sets records in high-tech, patents and inventions. And when they’re not working, they’re enjoying their good wines and the fact that the state boasts more starred cooks than any other.
Bavaria
The “beer state” of Bavaria produces fine wine in the Franconia region. The Oktoberfest, Neuschwanstein Castle and the magnificent Alpine scenery attract foreign tourists. Outside Munich, Germany’s largest state is thriving: for example the Wagner Festival and the Passion Play.
Berlin
During the Berlinale film festival, the world of the silver screen focuses on Berlin. The people of Berlin have lived in a capital city since 1458. Since 1990, Berlin has once again been the undivided capital city. The Museum Island, the Berlin Philharmonic and many theaters make the city unique.
Brandenburg
The densely forested state surrounds the capital city of Berlin and benefits from the latter’s “gin and martini belt”. The Hohenzollern castles and the Sanssouci Castle, the heart of the Kingdom of Prussia possesses jewels of courtly architecture.
Bremen
The Hanseatic city of Bremen arose through classic maritime trading. The "Overseas Museum" and the "Maritime Museum" attract many visitors. The town hall market square with its Baroque and Renaissance buildings began when it was awarded market rights back in 888.
Hamburg
In the city and state of Hamburg it is the port that is the power-house of the economy. For pleasure-seekers, there is the entertainment district of St. Pauli. With its Kunsthalle and about 40 theaters (state opera company) Hamburg attracts thousands of visitors.
Hesse
Frankfurt am Main is very international with its tall buildings, the large airport and many banks. The city has 662,000 inhabitants but the capital is the elegant city of Wiesbaden. Hesse's range of mountains are densely forested. It is also blessed with Riesling in the Rheingau region.
Lower Saxony
The state of Lower Saxony stretches from the North Sea coast to the Harz Mountains and has its shipbuilders in Papenburg. The state capital, Hanover, is famous for the Hanover Industrial Trade Fair and CeBIT, the world’s largest IT trade fair.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with its more than 2,000 lakes, numerous waterways and lush green inbetween looks particularly attractive. Together with its long Baltic coastline, this state is a major venue for water sports enthusiasts.
North Rhine-Westphalia
No federal state has more inhabitants and a larger number of cities: Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Duisburg, Krefeld, Bielefeld, Essen and Dortmund, to name just a few. “NRW" is considered one of the world’s major cultural regions alongside New York and Paris.
Rhineland-Palatinate
The Rhine valley between Bingen and Koblenz, also "Wineland-Palatinate", is a center of wine and sparkling wine production. The state has always been innovative, on a longterm basis thanks to Johannes Gutenberg and on a temporary basis with the work of Karl Marx.
Saarland
Saarbrücken’s film festival for German-speaking upand- coming talent has been the launching pad for many a career, as Franka Potente or Til Schweiger. The state has over the last 200 years changed nationality eight times, and the French influence is highly evident.
Saxony-Anhalt
To honor its famous former inhabitant, Georg Friedrich Handel, every year Halle stages a major festival. But it is also well-known because of the reformer of the Christian world, Martin Luther. And on the eve of every May 1st witches congregate on the Brocken to dance.
Saxony
Meissen, thanks to its porcelain, is as well known as the state capital Dresden and Leipzig, the trade-fair city. In the past, Saxony’s culture is highly influential in the world of music, represented by the Semper opera house in Dresden and 800-year old Thomaner Choir in Leipzig.
Schleswig-Holstein
The most feared mythical figure in Schleswig-Holstein, the most northern of the federal states and bordered by the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, is “Blanker Hans”, who stands for the destructive forces of the sea. From Puttgarden, ferries leave for the Scandinavia routes.
Thuringa
The mountains in the Thuringian Forest are a backdrop for this beautiful trail, the 160-km long Rennsteig. It is just as much a state's trademark as its long thin sausages, the historic Wartburg, Erfurt, the state capital and Weimar's poets Goethe & Schiller.
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