Symbols & landmarks

Figure

Albert Einstein

Theoretical physicist. Renounced German citizenship in 1933 after the Nazis came to power.

Figure

Angela Merkel

16 years in office — Germany's second-longest-serving Kanzler after Helmut Kohl.

Figure

Anke Rehlinger

SPD politician leading the Saarland since 2022. The Bundesrat presidency rotates yearly between the 16 Ministerpräsidenten.

Coat of arms

Baden-Württemberg

Three black lions on a gold shield — the arms of the medieval Hohenstaufen dynasty.

Coat of arms

Bayern

Quartered shield: Wittelsbach lozenges, Palatine lion, Franconian rake, Swabian lions — and a centered white-blue diamond.

Coat of arms

Berlin

A black bear on a white shield — Berlin's heraldic animal for over 700 years. The mural crown above represents the city walls.

Coat of arms

Brandenburg

The Red Eagle (Roter Adler) on white — emblem of the Margraviate of Brandenburg since the 12th century.

Landmark

Brandenburger Tor

Symbol of reunification. Stood inside the East/West border zone from 1961 to 1989.

Coat of arms

Bremen

The 'Bremer Schlüssel' — a silver key on red, symbol of Saint Peter, patron of Bremen Cathedral.

National symbol

Bundesadler

A black eagle on gold. The same bird shape appears in the Bundestag chamber — nicknamed "die fette Henne".

National symbol

Bundesflagge

Adopted 1949. Same colors as the 1848 democratic revolution.

National symbol

Deutschlandlied

Music by Haydn (1797). Only the 3rd verse (Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit) is the official anthem.

Figure

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Former Außenminister under Merkel. Re-elected by the Bundesversammlung in 2022; term runs to 2027.

Figure

Friedrich Merz

Long-time CDU rival of Merkel. Returned from a corporate-law career to lead the party in 2022 and won the Kanzleramt in 2025.

Coat of arms

Hamburg

A white castle with three towers on red — represents the medieval Hammaburg fortress that gave the city its name.

Figure

Helmut Kohl

Chancellor of Reunification (1990) and architect of the Euro. Germany's longest-serving Kanzler — 16 years.

Figure

Helmut Schmidt

Crisis-tested Kanzler: 1977 RAF terrorism, oil shocks, NATO double-track decision. Known for chain-smoking through interviews.

Coat of arms

Hessen

A red-and-silver striped lion — the Hessian lion, rampant on a blue shield.

Figure

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

National poet. Author of Faust. The German equivalent of Shakespeare.

Figure

Julia Klöckner

Former Bundeslandwirtschaftsministerin. Second-highest protocol rank in the state — succeeds the Bundespräsident if vacant.

Landmark

Kölner Dom

Gothic cathedral, UNESCO site. Survived WWII with 14 hits — its tower a beacon for returning soldiers.

Figure

Konrad Adenauer

Founder of the BRD. Anchored West Germany to NATO and Western Europe.

Coat of arms

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The bull head of Mecklenburg, the Pomeranian griffin, and the eagle of Brandenburg — the three historical lands combined.

Landmark

Neuschwanstein

Built by King Ludwig II. Inspired the Disney castle.

Coat of arms

Niedersachsen

The Sachsenross — a white horse leaping on red. The same horse appears on the British royal arms (via the House of Hanover).

Coat of arms

Nordrhein-Westfalen

The Rhine (silver river), the Westphalian horse, and the Lippe rose — the three regions of the state.

Figure

Olaf Scholz

Coined "Zeitenwende" after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine — a turning point in German defence and energy policy.

Figure

Otto von Bismarck

"Iron Chancellor" — unified Germany in 1871 and built the first modern welfare state (health insurance, pensions).

Landmark

Reichstagsgebäude

Burned in 1933 (used by Nazis to seize power). Rebuilt 1992–99 with a glass dome by Norman Foster.

Coat of arms

Rheinland-Pfalz

The Mainz wheel, Palatinate lion, and Trier cross — the three former ecclesiastical principalities of the region.

Coat of arms

Saarland

Quartered shield combining the arms of the four historical territories that made up the Saar region.

Coat of arms

Sachsen

Black and gold stripes with a green Rautenkranz (crown of rue) — arms of the House of Wettin since the 13th century.

Coat of arms

Sachsen-Anhalt

Per fess: the black-and-gold-striped Saxon arms above, and the Ascanian bear of Anhalt below.

Coat of arms

Schleswig-Holstein

Two blue lions of Schleswig and the silver nettle leaf of Holstein, on gold and red.

Coat of arms

Thüringen

A red-and-silver striped lion on blue, surrounded by eight silver stars — one for each former Thuringian state.

Figure

Willy Brandt

Architect of "Ostpolitik" — détente with the DDR and Eastern Bloc. Won the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize for the Kniefall von Warschau.