13 Lesser-Known Historical Facts about Germany:
1. The Holy Roman Empire, which lasted for over 800 years, was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in central Europe.
2. Martin Luther's 95 Theses, nailed to a church door in 1517, sparked the Protestant Reformation.
3. The Gutenberg printing press, invented around 1440, revolutionized the spread of knowledge and literature.
4. The Berlin Wall, erected in 1961, divided East and West Berlin until its fall in 1989.
5. The Weimar Republic (1919-1933) was Germany's first attempt at democracy, ultimately giving way to Nazi rule.
6. The Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946) prosecuted prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes.
7. Charlemagne, crowned Emperor in 800, expanded the Frankish Empire and promoted learning and
culture.
8. The German Unification in 1871, led by Otto von Bismarck, consolidated numerous independent states into the German Empire.
9. The Bauhaus movement, founded in 1919, significantly influenced modern architecture, art, and design.
10. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE was a major defeat for the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes.
11. The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 ended the Thirty Years' War and reshaped the political map of Europe.
12. Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers, was born in Bonn in 1770.
13. The Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, built in the 19th century, inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
