What city represents the country? Can ever one city fully embody the country it’s in? When we say France we really mean Paris, and Vienna is more or less Austria minus the snow. But does a city like London ever represent the UK? Didn’t the Guardian newspaper have a debate asking is London bad for Britain? Does Athens represent Greece or is Greece represented in the blue of its sea and thousands islands. And if you had to choose one city to represent the country which one do you choose? Tel Aviv or Jerusalem? NYC or LA? Rio or Sao Paolo? And that’s the question that I asked here in Germany. Which city is quintessentially German and represents Germany? The answer is; none. They are all far too different and divergent to fully embody Germany – but rather embody different tastes of German culture, history and lifestyle that make up this country. So to sum up, there is no typical German city. Below I explain why.
Frankfurt: the most international city in Germany and one of the most multicultural in Europe. People come here to work not to party – although invariably they have to party during the weekend to let off steam. Serious, smart and sleek, Frankfurt is that commercial capital city that works and generate revenue for Germany (notably Berlin and the bankrupt EU states like the PIGS). The money comes from banks and only became Europe’s financial hub after WWII. New money that was make with working hard and serious but not nouveau riche. There is a lot of money is a small amount of space and as the city runs from east to west along the Main you can easy get around the city limits by bike – which is rather pleasant on a good day
Hamburg: similar to Frankfurt in the sense that it is steeped in cash – but Germany’s second city is old money – we are talking – Hanseatic League money – where the city of owned by about 10 families who have always had cash it is no longer an issue. It is classy more than classic and definitely not flashy (cue Munich). The city is low key with grand building by the lake and port. A wonderful city for shopping and only under two hours from Berlin. It rivals Munich for the second city status but in more recent years its profile has grown and is a serious contender for pleasant European city breaks. Viva Hamburg.
Munich: the opposite of Hamburg. More Italian in style, similar to Austria but the capital of Bavaria has a very distinct culture. Ferraris, Porches and the like fill the streets and avenues and you would not be wrong for feeling closer to the Med. Flashy and bling-bling would be a way to describe Munich with people wearing expensive sunglasses and designer gear.
Cologne: Germans love this city. For the carnival, for the bars and because this is the most relaxed part of Germany which also happens to be Germany’s gay capital.
Dusseldorf: Germany’s Florida – where old people go to retire and also German’s fashion capital – spread along the Rhine it is trendy and friendly. It is also an international hub though not like Frankfurt which is swimming in expats. There you need to integrate further into the German way of life.
Berlin: currently everyone’s favourite city… Berlin is undergoing a revival. Capital to a country of 82m Berlin only has around 3m inhabitants and is by far Germany’s largest city. A haven for artists, street fairs, anything new and innovative, it is the place to be in Germany (so I am told). Poor by sexy is the city’s slogan and recognizes that though it has a lot to offer it has 20% unemployment and generates almost no revenue for Germany.
Other cities that deserve a mention: Stuttgart, Mainz, Dresden, Leipzig, Bonn, Hannover, Bremen and Nurnberg.