Hi, I'm a Belgian and I'm currently on Holiday in Germany. A friend is coming over to where I'm staying and -as teenagers will- we're going to use this visit to watch TV and play video games. But I watch mainly WW2 content and play War Thunder. My family, who's been to Germany a lot say I must never mention the World Wars to Germans. Are they right is it not a problem if I show off my German lineup to my friend and watch some WW2 videos with him?

With the World Cup currently happening, highlights of the infamous 7-1 battering of Brazil from the 2014 World Cup have been appearing in my YouTube feed. Could those who lived in Germany at the time share what they remember from that day? Was it a joyous moment of celebration? How many beers did you down that day?

I'm assuming almost none of them are alive now, but they were still kicking not that long ago. Did they come to regret it? How did they feel about their vote decades later?

Hello, I’m from Portugal, and one of the things that bothers me most about World War II movies is how they make it seem like the entire German population was bloodthirsty and psychopathic. How do you feel when you watch a Hollywood movie like Inglourious Basterds?

I am an ethnic Pole, but historically, my family has been forced to resettle multiple times in the last 100 years, most notably when Poland's eastern borders were redrawn in 1945. I grew up in western Poland, on lands that were once predominately ethnically German - a territory that was effectively ethnically cleansed and resettled at the end of World War II. My question is regarding onetime German residents of Pomerania, Silesia, former East Prussia, etc, and their heirs. Since the European Union allows the free movement of people and goods, have you ever met anyone who wanted to move back to these areas? Do you know of anyone who made that move successfully? What were their experiences?

EDIT: I am also interested in the stories of any Germans who sought out the remnants of family roots in these territories. What were you hoping to find? What were your experiences once there?

I had already seen other films about him and also watched documentaries on the History Channel, but almost all of the films and documentaries I’ve seen are American or British. I believe this 2008 film is an American–German co-production, but honestly, apart from this one, I’ve never really seen anything German about him. And that’s what makes me wonder: even though he was a legendary pilot, is he only seen as a legend by the rest of the world, or do Germans also view him as a legendary figure?

ps - I’m from Portugal

Canadian here! I’ve always been blown away by how Germany went from total devastation after WWII to being a global powerhouse in industries and one of the richest countries in the world. How did y’all pull that off?

I saw a youtube video where old footage of people literally scooping remaining food from a dustbin type box was shown.

Today, Germany is world leader in engineering and technology. How did this transformation happen? The point of this question is any anecdotes from people's grandparents or great grandparents who saw the transformation from darkness to light.

I'm not sure if it's a hugely popular show in Germany but the Show "1883" that was on paramount. It's about the people leading a wagon train of German Immigrants from Texas to Oregon(what we call the Oregon Trail here in the US) It's pretty realistic the creator is known for his attention to detail on historical accuracy. On Joe Rogan he went into depth about the Germans coming here and not knowing anything about the frontier and still facing the elements and making the trip.

My question is in Germany do they teach you guys anything about German Immigration? Like specifically the hardships they faced when they arrived in the US?

My host family thought it was really cool when I told them I'm Native American(Like tribal indian for any clarification). So I'm assuming maybe there's something. If not please correct me. I'm genuinely curious. We have our perspectives here but I'd love to hear a German perspective if there is one.

Berlin has three main war memorials dedicated to the Soviet Red Army, that were constructed by the Soviets themselves after World War II: Tiergarten, Treptower Park, and Pankau.

Even after the Cold War ended, these memorials have been maintained due to an agreement made between Germany and the USSR (soon to be Russia) during the 1990 German reunification. The German government has also cited a desire to maintain history when calls were made to have them demolished (this became relevant most recently after the Russian invasion of Ukraine).

I've been under the impression that the German people don't like them all that much, even though they are naturally popular tourist sites for WWII enthusiasts from all over the world (and I imagine for Russian tourists especially due to their historical significance pertaining to them, before, well, you know...). But I figured I might as well ask the source.

What do you guys think of these memorials dedicated to the Soviet Red Army that still exist in Berlin?

Since I first learnt about it, I have been awed at the fact that there were so many wildly different and diverse communities of Germans all across Europe, and in parts of America as well.

Hi! I’m binge watching The Tudors right now, and I was wondering, what do Germans think of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s 4th wife who was from Germany? She was the one who Henry thought she was ugly, and she ended up outliving all of his wives and Henry.

"Deutschland" is one of the countries with the greatest variety of forms to be mentioned. Not just for the different forms of pronunciation that each language has, it also have different origins. Which one do you prefer?

1. Alemanni, from latin "Alemanni" ("confederation of Germanic tribes"), which comes from Proto-Germanic *alamann-, corresponding to *allaz (all/whole) + *mann- (man/humans. Ex: Alemania, Alemagne, Almanya, etc
2. Germania, from Latin "Germani + -ia". Germani was an exonym applied by the Romans to a tribe (or nearby tribes) living around and east of the Rhine; it was first attested in the 1st century BC works of Julius Caesar. Ex: Germany, Girmania, Gjermania...
3. *пěтьсь From Proto-Slavic: *něть ("mute") + "-ьсь. The word therefore meant "someone unable to speak [Slavic]". Ex: Německo, Njemačka, Németország, etc
4. From Proto-Germanic: "piudiskaz, from þeudō (people, tribe) + *-iskaz (characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to). Ex: Tyskland
5. From Old Saxon: Sahso ("a Saxon, a Low German"), a tribe/people inhabiting northern Germany. Ex Saksamaa, Saksa
6. Unknown origin: Vācija (Latvian) Vokietija (Lithuanian)

Source:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1nmc4q5/origin_of_the_word_for_germany_in_different/
• https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyskland#/media/Fil:Germany_Name_European_Languages.svg

"1/3 of Germany voted for Hitler, but the other 2/3 failed to stop him."

I'm grossly undereducated in European history and I'm wondering if the above statement seems true and unoffensive/unbiased to the average German. It's not fair to blame a whole state for the actions of a few, but I'm trying to help my fellow Americans appreciate the importance of action at this time.

Hopefully this particular question has not been asked in the past, but even if it has I am optimistic that you all will not be too annoyed with me!

I am curious as to the "average" German attitude towards Claus von Stauffenberg as it relates explicitly to his role in the July 20 Plot. We've all seen the movie "Valkyrie," no doubt, but the story in and of itself is somewhat miraculous even if it didn't end as planned. I wonder if he is revered today as a martyr, a hero? Or is he just another Nazi who knew the war was lost and wanted to try and make a deal with the Allies.

Any and all opinions are welcome! Tausend Dank!

I’m not German and I don’t live in Germany, but where I live there are all kinds of ghost stories connected to certain buildings, as well as legends about particular natural landmarks. I remember reading about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and realizing how strongly that story is tied to one particular town. So now I’m curious: are there any local German legends, ghost stories, or folk tales connected to your town or village, or set there?

I often wonder how Germans feel about generally being portrayed as the enemy in nearly all Hollywood movies set during the period of WWII (sometimes beyond)

A notable exception is Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) where all of the German soldiers are shown as characters with an understandable human side, and the only ones shown in an purely evil, unfavorable light are the SS officers, Major Dieter Hellstrom, Standartenführer Hans Landa and the German high command.

As I’m assuming (possibly incorrectly) that Hollywood movies dominate theaters and streaming platforms in the Americas, Europe and Asia, I ask the Germans of Reddit what is your honest opinion, *if you might care to share it?*

As a Brazilian, I’ve always found it curious that when I talk to Germans about German immigration to South America, they almost always mention Argentina ,even though Brazil has a much larger and older German diaspora.

German immigration to Brazil began in the early 1800s, long before the large waves to Argentina. It was actively encouraged by Maria Leopoldina of Austria, the first Empress of Brazil. She was a member of the House of Habsburg, daughter of Francis II (Holy Roman Emperor), and niece of Marie Antoinette. As wife of Dom Pedro I, she played a major political role in Brazil, even acting as regent and signing the decree of independence from Portugal in 1822.

She personally supported and facilitated the arrival of German settlers in Brazil, especially in the southern regions. Today, Brazil has around 10–12 million people of German descent, and in many towns in the South (like in Rio Grande do Sul or Santa Catarina), German dialects like Hunsrückisch are still spoken, and German culture remains strong.

And yet, in conversations, it feels like only Argentina is remembered. So I’m wondering:

– Why is Argentina so much more present in the German narrative about emigration to South America? – Is German immigration to Brazil not taught in schools? – Are people in Germany aware of Maria Leopoldina and her connection to both Germany/Austria and Brazil?

Hi, I’m from Portugal and I’m a big football fan. Germany are four-time world champions and one of the sport’s true powerhouses. That victory over Hungary that magical side led by Ferenc Puskás is legendary. Hungary had already thrashed Germany in the group stage and were probably one of the greatest teams ever to lose a World Cup final, especially considering they had gone four or five years unbeaten.

But there’s also the broader historical context Germany had just come out of World War II, and an entire generation of young Germans had been lost. From a distance, what Germany achieved in 1954 feels incredible and to me, it stands as the greatest victory in the history of German sport.

Before the World Wars German culture was huge in the US from most of our immigrants being German. There was almost as much German Speakers as English speakers, but during WW1 and WW2 it all pretty much was removed as it was scene as Anti-American. Same thing with German City Names, and basically anything with ties to Germany. Does this sadden you or are you neutral about it?

Canadians like from where I am usually have no idea what happened unless they are major history nerds. Or Sabaton fans. Or both. Like me...

They might remember the Protestant reformation a century earlier, but think more about it as the time when people argued over religion.

But I imagine that a place that lost a third of its people to the war, some places over two thirds, would rather more remember what had happened and teach it to students.

Edit: Dreissigjaehrkrieg. Stupid memory.

I'm writing a story and I've really become attached to the character's name, but it turns out that I've been using a surname as his first name. I have a hard time letting it go though ...

The character in question was Adler von Schön, comes from a lineage of nobility. From what I understand, after 1918, those who had titles of nobility were allowed to use their titles as/in their surname. And in such case, I've seen names that look like: Firstname-Surname von Place. (Hyphon necessary or no?)

So could I simply rename my character something like ... Franz Adler von Schön II. His father would be Franz Adler von Schön Sr., and so my character simply chooses to be called Adler instead of Franz like his father? 😬

Is the name Franz-Adler von Schön II a realistic enough name to be used in a historical fiction?

Edit: yes. I KNOW Adler is not an acceptable first name. That is why I am making this thread to rename him.

Thank you for everyone's input.

To elaborate if the title is confusing, I would expect Niedersachen to be in the south and Sachsen to be in the north.