Top 10 history of Germany facts

With the royal wedding. Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King of Bavaria, Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. Since then, Otoberfest is held at the same place every year (except for epidemics and wars).

Anti-fascist Protection Rampart. The name implied that West Germany had not been fully de-Nazified. Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans defected from the GDR. Between 1961 and 1989, the wall prevented almost all such emigration.

Bayer pharmaceuticals. During 1898-1913, heroin was a major product of the company, advertised and shipped worldwide. After withdrawal of heroine, the next Bayer's major product was aspirin.

Aachen (modern Germany). The geography of the Kingdom of Franks varied over time, but it was centered on the Rhine and Meuse rivers in northern Europe. Charlemagne himself probably spoke a Rhenish Franconian dialect of Old High German. Eventually, the singular use of the name Francia shifted towards the region of Paris.

Paris. After the 1806 Prussian defeat, Napoleon was the first to use the Brandenburg Gate for a triumphal procession and took the Quadriga to Paris. It was restored in 1814, after Napoleon's defeat and the Prussian occupation of Paris.

The Holy Roman Empire. Holy Roman Empire lasted from 962 to 1806 (it was eventually dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars). The II Reich was the German Empire of 1871-1918.

Dresden. The bombing of Dresden was a British/American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the British and 527 of the United States dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed over 1,600 acres of the city centre. An estimated 22,700 to 25,000 people were killed, although larger casualty figures have been claimed over the years.

Schutzstaffel (“security unit”). History of SS began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz (hall security) made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich.

Volkswagen was founded on 28 May 1937 as the "Society for the preparation of the German People's Car", by the Nazi German Labor Front. The purpose of the company was to manufacture "people's car" Volkswagen Beetle.

Karl Dönitz was the last president of the Third Reich and Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy. He authorized Alfred Jodl to sign the act of unconditional surrender that ended World War II in Europe.