Northern Germany

Northern Germany (German: Norddeutschland) is the region in the north of Germany. Its exact area is not precisely or consistently defined but varies depending on whether one is taking a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural or historic standpoint.

Language

Uerdingen line: ich ("I") and ik isogloss

Northern Germany generally refers to the Sprachraum area north of the Uerdingen and Benrath line isoglosses, where Low German dialects are spoken. These comprise the Low Saxon dialects in the west (including the Westphalian language area up to the Rhineland), the East Low German region along the Baltic coast with Western Pomerania, the Altmark and northern Brandenburg, as well as the North Low German dialects.

Although from the 19th century onwards the use of Standard German was strongly promoted especially by the Prussian administration, Low German languages are still present in rural areas, with an estimated number of five to eight million active speakers. However, since World War II and the immigration of expellees from the former eastern territories of Germany, its prevalence has steadily reduced. Besides which, Frisian is spoken in East and North Frisia, as well as Danish (Standard and South Jutlandic) in parts of Schleswig. From a linguistic and cultural perspective, Northern Germany is linked to the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Great Britain. For example, the German word for butcher is Fleischer or Metzger in the middle, east or south of Germany but is called a Schlachter in Northern Germany, resembling the Scandinavian terms for butcher, "slagter/slakter". Another example is the word for potato, which is Erdapfel in much of Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but Kartoffel in Northern Germany and in Danish, or the North German verb "kieken" (meaning to look), resembling the Danish "kikke/kigge", or Norwegian "kikke" (to look). Additionally, Jansen/Janssen, Hansen, and Petersen are the most common surnames in the far north of Germany (Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein), which are also some of the most common surnames in Denmark (albeit with Jensen for Jansen). Hansen is the single most common surname in Norway, the third most common surname in Denmark, and the third and fifth most common surname in the North German federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, respectively.

Geography

The key terrain feature of Northern Germany is the North German Plain including the marshes along the coastline of the North and Baltic Seas, as well as the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs and Luch.

These features were formed during the Weichselian glaciation and contrast topographically with the adjacent Central Uplands of Germany to the south, such as the Harz and Teutoburg Forest, which are occasionally counted as part of Northern Germany. Likewise the Altmark in Saxony-Anhalt, the Prignitz and Uckermark areas of northern Brandenburg, as well as whole Westphalia are usually considered to be part of the North German region.

Culture

Northern Germany has traditionally been a Protestant-majority region, especially Lutheranism, with the two northernmost provinces of Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen having the largest percentage of self-reported Lutherans in Germany. Conversely, and like traditionally Lutheran Scandinavia, Northern Germany has a higher rate of people leaving the Church and some regions in the east of Northern Germany have the highest rates of atheism and non-religiosity in the world.

Culturally and socially, Northern Germany is characterized by higher levels of income equality and gender equality, relative to southern and south-western Germany. While the national federal Gini coefficient for Germany stands at around 30, the southern states have a Gini coefficient of 30.6 whereas for the Northern states the Gini coefficient stands at 27.5 which is closer to the Scandinavian average of 25. Traditional society in the western part of Northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and some parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt) until the early 20th century was based on well-off, literate and landowning yeoman farmers owning relatively large pieces of land, making a living growing grain crops and raising dairy cattle and pigs, and a large and educated middle class in the towns and cities working in the civil service, or as businessmen, artisans, blue-collar workers and skilled workers. Thus the proportion of serfs, landless labourers, semi-skilled industrial workers and large landlords was relatively less, making for a more stable society than elsewhere in Germany like the Rhineland region and the region east of the Oder river. Additionally, Northern cities like Hamburg, Bremen and Rostock have always been economic powerhouses of trade and commerce, and have had a long tradition of innovation and creativity in business and industry.

Cuisine

The traditional Northern German daily diet is centered around boiled potatoes, rye bread, dairy products, cabbages, cucumbers, berries, jams, fish, and pork and beef. A breakfast specialty is the Crispbread or Knäcke, eaten with a variety of toppings such as ham, cheese, fruits, and butter. Lentil stews and soups are very popular as a working lunch. Regional specialties in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony include Blutwurst or Blood sausage and a variety of Blood puddings commonly eaten for brunch. Another Northern German regional specialty are Hackbraten, meatloaves, made from a mixture of ground pork and beef and served with mashed potatoes, brown sauce and lingonberry jam. Many traditional meat-based lunch dishes are served with boiled or mashed potatoes and brown sauce. Eating brunch is very popular during weekends in the larger towns and cities. In regions nearer to the coast, fish is very popular, with Pickled herring and salmon being delicacies.

Coffee drinking is strongly rooted in Northern Germany and the Northern provinces on average consume around 8 kilograms of coffee per capita annually. This is fairly more than the 6 kilograms of coffee per capita consumed in the south. Coffee is frequently drunk four times a day : with breakfast, after lunch, in the evening at around 4, and after dinner. Many working people also drink a coffee at the workstation with the start of the day's work, and/or a coffee break with colleagues around an hour before or after lunch. Besides, there is a strong tradition of taking coffee breaks and visits to the café with friends and acquaintances. In places like publicly funded Universities where free coffee is not available to students, it is not uncommon for students to bring their own hot coffee in insulated flasks and drink from it intermittently. Cafés usually offer medium-fat milk and sugar cubes along with filter coffee. Commonly eaten desserts include waffles with ice cream, pancakes, the sweet bun roll with cream known as Heißwecke, and Heidelbeerkuchen or blueberry pie with vanilla cream.

Lunch at workplaces and educational institutions in Northern Germany begins very early - usually between 11:45 am and 12:15 pm, and dinner is usually eaten between 7 and 8 in the evening. This is because the workday/schoolday starts pretty early at 8 am sharp. Lunches eaten at home during holidays and weekends usually start later - around 1 pm.

The drinking culture in the North is more or less similar to that of the rest of the country, heavily based on beer with Pale lagers and pilsners being favourites. Unlike Bavaria, Austria and Central Germany, dark beers or dark lagers are not at all popular in Northern Germany. The North has a slightly stronger tradition of hard liquor, such as Korn, vodka, and schnapps. Binge drinking is far more common in the North - almost 70% of binge drinking hospitalizations on weekends happen in the eight Northern provinces and states containing just 40% of the population. As in all of Germany, mulled wine is a popular alcoholic drink during the Christmas season.

History

Holy Roman Empire about 1000, Saxony in yellow

In the Early Middle Ages, Northern Germany was the settlement area of the Saxon tribes, which were subjugated by the Frankish ruler Charlemagne in the Saxon Wars from 772 onwards, whereafter the Imperial Duchy of Saxony was established in 804. In the 10th century the Saxon lands, enlarged by the Saxon Eastern March, became the cradle of the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, when the dukes of the Ottonian dynasty were elected King of the Romans and crowned Holy Roman Emperors.

From 1500 onwards, the former Saxon territories (except for Westphalia) were incorporated into the Lower Saxon Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Hanseatic League is also part of the common history and culture of the cities in northern Germany.

Northern Germany corresponds to the territory of the North German Confederation in the 19th century. The boundary between the spheres of political influence of Prussia (Northern Germany) and Austria (Southern Germany) within the German Confederation (1815–1866) was known as the "Main line" (Mainlinie, after the River Main), Frankfurt am Main being the seat of the federal assembly. The "Main line" did not follow the course of the River Main upstream of Frankfurt, rather corresponding to the northern border of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Cultural or political East-West divisions have existed in northern Germany since at least the early modern period, when

the eastern-most and south-eastern part (mainly East Prussia, Brandenburgian Pomerania, and Brandenburg) was owned by or part of the State of the Teutonic Order and later Brandenburg-Prussia,
the middle part (the island of Rügen, parts of Western Pomerania, eastern coastal regions of Schleswig-Holstein, and a fragmented Mecklenburg in the middle) during the Early Middle Ages was at least in parts inhabited by a large Slavic population (see Obotrites and Veleti) and for a long time from the High Middle Ages onwards was first under Danish (Principality of Rügen, 1168-1365), then Swedish influence as Swedish Pomerania (1628-1807/15),
and the Western part (today most of Schleswig-Holstein and all of Lower Saxony, including the Hanseatic city states and other towns in the region), sometimes known as Nordwestdeutschland and defined by the original homegrounds of the two tribes of the Frisians and Saxons, which would later comprise the Duchy of Saxony (est. 806), the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle (1500), and the Lower Saxon Circle (1512). Nordwestdeutschland also more or less corresponds to the British Zone of Occupation in Allied-occupied Germany between 1945-49.

During the Cold War of the second half of the 20th century, a cultural division of northern Germany into an Eastern and a Western part has become more pronounced due to the 1949-1990 division of all of Germany into West Germany and East Germany, where identities based upon the former Iron Curtain and mutual prejudices regarding what once was the other side may still persist today.

Northern German States

The term Northern German States is always used to refer to the following coastal Federal States of Germany:

In many cases it also includes the non-coastal states of

Northern Germany as a region or as a historical landscape includes additional federal states (see geography above).

Major cities

Where a city has different names in English and German, the English name is given first.

	Federal capital
	State capital

Rank	City	Pop. 1950	Pop. 1960	Pop. 1970	Pop. 1980	Pop. 1990	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010	Area [km²]	Density per km²	Growth [%] (2000– 2010)	surpassed 100,000	State (Bundesland)
1.	Berlin	7006333602600000000♠3,336,026	7006327401600000000♠3,274,016	7006320871900000000♠3,208,719	7006304875900000000♠3,048,759	7006343369500000000♠3,433,695	7006338216900000000♠3,382,169	7006346072500000000♠3,460,725	887,70	7003389900000000000♠3,899	2.32	1747	Berlin
2.	Hamburg	7006160560600000000♠1,605,606	7006183695800000000♠1,836,958	7006179364000000000♠1,793,640	7006164509500000000♠1,645,095	7006165236300000000♠1,652,363	7006171539200000000♠1,715,392	7006178644800000000♠1,786,448	755,16	7003236600000000000♠2,366	4.14	1787	Hamburg
3.	Bremen	7005444549000000000♠444,549	7005563270000000000♠563,270	7005592533000000000♠592,533	7005555118000000000♠555,118	7005551219000000000♠551,219	7005539403000000000♠539,403	7005547340000000000♠547,340	325,42	7003168200000000000♠1,682	1.47	1875	Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
4.	Hanover / Hannover	7005444296000000000♠444,296	7005574672000000000♠574,672	7005521003000000000♠521,003	7005534623000000000♠534,623	7005513010000000000♠513,010	7005515001000000000♠515,001	7005522686000000000♠522,686	204,14	7003256000000000000♠2,560	1.49	1875	Lower Saxony
5.	Bielefeld	7005153613000000000♠153,613	7005174527000000000♠174,527	7005168609000000000♠168,609	7005312708000000000♠312,708	7005319037000000000♠319,037	7005321758000000000♠321,758	7005323270000000000♠323,270	257,92	7003125300000000000♠1,253	0.47	1930	North Rhine-Westphalia
6.	Münster	7005118496000000000♠118,496	7005180871000000000♠180,871	7005198878000000000♠198,878	7005269696000000000♠269,696	7005259438000000000♠259,438	7005265609000000000♠265,609	7005279803000000000♠279,803	302,96	7002924000000000000♠924	5.34	1915	North Rhine-Westphalia
7.	Brunswick / Braunschweig	7005223760000000000♠223,760	7005242489000000000♠242,489	7005223275000000000♠223,275	7005261141000000000♠261,141	7005245816000000000♠245,816	7005245816000000000♠245,816	7005248867000000000♠248,867	192,15	7003129500000000000♠1,295	1.24	1890	Lower Saxony
8.	Kiel	7005254449000000000♠254,449	7005271610000000000♠271,610	7005271070000000000♠271,070	7005250062000000000♠250,062	7005245567000000000♠245,567	7005232612000000000♠232,612	7005239526000000000♠239,526	118,65	7003201900000000000♠2,019	2.97	1898	Schleswig-Holstein
9.	Magdeburg	7005260305000000000♠260,305	7005261594000000000♠261,594	7005272237000000000♠272,237	7005289032000000000♠289,032	7005278807000000000♠278,807	7005231450000000000♠231,450	7005231549000000000♠231,549	200,99	7003115200000000000♠1,152	0.04	1882	Saxony-Anhalt
10.	Lübeck	7005238276000000000♠238,276	7005232140000000000♠232,140	7005239955000000000♠239,955	7005220588000000000♠220,588	7005214758000000000♠214,758	7005213399000000000♠213,399	7005210232000000000♠210,232	214,21	7002981000000000000♠981	−1.48	1912	Schleswig-Holstein
11.	Rostock	7005133109000000000♠133,109	7005158630000000000♠158,630	7005198636000000000♠198,636	7005232506000000000♠232,506	7005248088000000000♠248,088	7005200506000000000♠200,506	7005202735000000000♠202,735	181,26	7003111800000000000♠1,118	1.11	1935	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Rank	City	Pop. 1950	Pop. 1960	Pop. 1970	Pop. 1980	Pop. 1990	Pop. 2000	Pop. 2010	Area [km²]	Density per km²	Growth [%] (2000– 2010)	surpassed 100,000	State (Land)