Christmas Market, (c) picture-alliance/dpa/Bildfunk

Christmas Season Begins

The opening of Christmas markets, families gathering around Advent wreaths and children and the young at heart opening the first windows of their Advent calendars mark the beginning of the holiday season in Germany. Come learn more about the traditions of Christmas in Germany in our Holidays & Seasons section, and enjoy the charm of a traditional Christmas market with our Interactive Advent Calendar.  

Foreign Minister Steinmeier ©Thomas Imo/photothek.net

Foreign Minister Steinmeier Talks to Newsweek

"Russia is aware of our uniquely close relationship with the United States. We are firmly embedded in NATO and the EU and thus we don't aspire to play the role of a middleman," Steinmeier said in the interview that covered a range of international issues.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in flames on November 27. © picture-alliance/dpa

Germany Rushes Help After Mumbai Attacks

Germany set up a crisis office and sent a team of psychologists to India on November 27 to counsel victims of the terrorist attacks which have killed at least 101 people in Mumbai. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier "in the strongest possible terms" condemned the attackers. 

Consumer Confidence Up Slightly in Germany

Bolstered by a rise in income expectations and an increased desire to spend, German consumer confidence has improved slightly just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Sharply falling prices for gas, diesel and heating oil are behind many of these contributing factors, according to the market research company Gfk Group.

Moritz Bleibtreu as Andreas Baader and Johanna Wokalek as Gudrun Ensslin. © Courtesy of Constantin Films

Stefan Aust on the Baader-Meinhof Story

"We have to show what it was, what kind of glamour, what kind of radical chic it was that led people to follow them along this path into insanity," the former Spiegel editor-in-chief says of the movie based on his book, The Baader Meinhof Complex.

A Volkswagen (VW) hybrid vehicle © picture-alliance/dpa

One Million Electric Vehicles by 2020

The package of government incentives for the production of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is designed to make Germany a market leader for electric vehicles within 10 years.

Spot the Bus Contest

By Kerstin and Alex Uebel, Washington, DC

We're celebrating the launch of the new Germany.info with a Spot the Bus Contest. Look for the bus online or on the streets of DC for your chance to win an iPod Shuffle.

E-mail a Friend

Help us get the word out about our great new site, and we'll enter you in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

Germany.info Gift Emporium

Three Shoppingbags in black-red-gold (c) istock/TJ O'Donnell

At our new Germany.info Gift Emporium you don't need money, just imagination. 
Tell us why you think you deserve one of our distinctive gift packages.

Consulate Finder

Nine German Missions throughout the US offer consular services. Each Mission covers a specific geographic region. To find out which Mission can assist you, what the hours of operation are and how to reach it please use our interactive Consulate Finder.

Friends Always - Legacy of the Airlift

Friends Always

Among the greatest aid missions of all time, the Berlin Airlift stands out as an unparalleled logistical feat and an act of kindness that still lives on.

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