1919
Bauhaus Movement
Revolutionary German art school and design movement founded by Walter Gropius that unified arts and crafts, fundamentally transforming modern architecture, desi
Read the profileGermany’s history: periods, people, and connections
Start with an era or a person, then follow the links between historical records, places, culture, and events. This hub is designed to make the collection useful for readers planning a visit as well as for readers seeking context.
Historical periods
A chronological way into the eras that shaped the German lands and the modern country.
1989
German Reunification
German Reunification was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began with the fall of the Berlin Wall…
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1918
German Revolution
The November Revolution that overthrew the German Empire and established the Weimar Republic, marking Germany's transformation from monarchy to democracy throug
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800
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a complex political entity that existed in Central Europe from 962 to 1806. It was neither holy,…
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1871
The German Empire (1871-1918): A Complete Guide to the Second Reich
The German Empire was the unified German nation-state established in 1871 under Prussian leadership. Also known as the Second Reich, it was…
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1933
The Holocaust
The systematic persecution and murder of six million Jews and millions of other victims by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World…
Read the profileHistorical figures
Biographical guides to people whose ideas, work, and decisions connect to German history.
Theoretical Physicist, Mathematician
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who revolutionized modern physics and became the most influential scientist of the 20th cent
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Painter, Printmaker, Mathematician, Art Theorist
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence…
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Polymath, Geographer, Naturalist, Explorer
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He
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Politician (former Chancellor of Germany), Physicist
Angela Dorothea Merkel
Trained physicist from East Germany, Merkel steered Germany through financial, migrant and pandemic crises, championing consensus and climate policy.
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Cheruscan Chieftain, Former Roman Auxiliary Officer
Arminius
Arminius was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the…
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Journalist, Editor, Pacifist
Carl von Ossietzky
Carl von Ossietzky (1889-1938) was a German journalist, pacifist, and courageous defender of democracy whose principled opposition to militarism and Nazism cost
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