Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

childrens_illustrated_encyclopedia_template_US_layer_v1

Sporting achievement

germany has produced some

excellent athletes over the past

few decades. Sports stars include

Boris Becker, Steffi graf, and

michael Stich in tennis, michael

Schumacher in auto racing,

and Katja Seizinger in skiing.

the german government

encourages sports, mainly

because it promotes good

health. prizewinning

athletes also bring great

honor to their country.

The joining of East and West

Germany brought together some of the

world’s finest athletes. When the two

countries were rivals, East German

competitors were aided by excellent sports

facilities, and special privileges gave them time

to train. They won many more events than their

West German counterparts.

The buildings

in parts of

Bonn have

a modern

architectural style.

ruhr valley

much of germany’s heavy industry

is concentrated in the valley of the

ruhr river. huge coal seams

provide the valley with a rich

source of power, and factories in

the region produce iron, steel, and

chemicals. the ruhr valley is

germany’s most densely

populated area.

oBerammergau

once every 10 years an extraordinary

event takes place in this small town

in the Bavarian alps of southern

germany. the inhabitants of

oberammergau get together to

perform a passion play, which tells

the story of christ’s crucifixion.

the villagers first performed the

play in 1634 in an effort to stop the

plague. they have maintained the

custom ever since. it is now a major

tourist attraction, attended by

thousands of visitors from germany

and abroad.

germany

234

Find out more

europe

europe, history of

rhine river

the rhine is the longest river in germany. it begins in Switzerland and

later forms the german border with France. Finally, it cuts through the

western part of germany toward the netherlands and the sea. large river

barges can sail up the rhine as far as Basel, Switzerland. vineyards on the

steep banks of the southern part of the river produce much of germany’s

famous white wine.

Bonn

Between 1949 and 1990, Bonn was the capital of West germany. Bonn,

an ancient city, stands on the rhine river on the site of a roman camp.

it is a university town with many beautiful buildings in traditional

german style. Bonn was the birthplace of composer ludwig van

Beethoven (1770-1827).

ForeStS

great forests cover many of the hills and mountains

of the central and southern regions of germany.

these forests are prized for their beauty and for

their valuable timber, which is used widely in

industry. the most famous forests include the

thüringer Wald, the forests of the harz mountains

in central germany, and the Schwarzwald, or Black

Forest, in southwestern germany.

Wild boar still

roam in the

larger forests

and are hunted

for their meat.

US_234_GERMANY_3.indd 234 29/01/16 10:30 am