The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. The main event of the original Oktoberfest was a horse race.

Anniversary celebrations were held annually thereafter that eventually became larger and more elaborate. An agricultural show was added during the second year. In 1818, a carousel and two swings were set up for the revelers. Such amusements were few in the first decades of the festival, but party-goers were amply entertained by the tree climbing competitions, wheel barrow and sack races, mush eating contests, barrel rolling races, and goose chases. By 1870s, mechanical rides were an expanding feature of the festival and in 1908, the festival boasted Germany's first roller coaster. When the city began allowing beer on the fairgrounds, makeshift beer stands began cropping up, and their number increased steadily until they were eventually replaced by beer halls in 1896. The beer halls, like the beer tents of today, were sponsored by the local breweries.

The festival was eventually prolonged and moved ahead to September to allow for better weather conditions. Today, the last day of the festival is the first Sunday in October.

The 16-day party attracts over 6 million people every year who consume 1.5 million gallons of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausage, and 480,000 spit-roasted chickens during the two-week extravaganza. While the event reinforces stereotypical images of beer-loving, meat-loving Germans dressed in dirndls and lederhosen, visitors to the annual event come from all over the world.

Area: 357,000 square kilometres

• Important dates
  
• August 13, 1961: beginning of the building of the Berlin wall
• November 9, 1989: abolition of the border between the two Germanys
• October 3, 1990: unification of Germany, with Berlin as the capital

Status
Federal republic since 1948

Government
Federal republic consisting of 16 federal states The government consists of a federal president, elected every 5 years, the Bundestag assembly which is made up of 669 members elected by universal suffrage for 4 year terms, and the Bundesrat which includes 68 members of state governments or their plenipotentiaries

Capital
Berlin

Main cities
Cologne, Dresden, Dûsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart...

Salzburg
An urban jewel from the baroque age; countless sights invite you to stroll around and linger in the city of Salzburg, named a World Heritage town by the UNESCO in 1997. There are many museums and nicely restored houses, and especially the baroque old town is of historical and aesthetic value. And there's always Hohensalzburg Castle - the biggest, fully preserved castle in Central Europe. The home of the most famous "son" of the city is also worth a visit. The Mozart Weeks take place every year in honour of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Salzburg Festival is world famous with its concerts, operas...

Principal ports
Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Lubeck, Rostock

Currency
Deutschmark

Language spoken
German

Principal industries
Building, chemistry, energy, metals, precision mechanics and optics, transportation, mechanical construction, textiles and confectionery

Agriculture
Wheat, cattle, grains, barley, potatoes, hogs, wine

Climate
Temperate. The average summer temperature ranges from 20 to 27° C, while the average winter temperature ranges from -5 to 3° C.

Telephone country code
49

Traveling with pets
A rabies vaccination certificate from your veterinarian is necessary if you are bringing in a cat or dog. The format of the certificate is available from the German Tourism Office.