Abstract des Autors

Germany is home to approximately 80.8 million people who live in 16 federal states (Destatis 2014a). Thereby, Germany is the most heavily populated country in the European Union and German is the most frequently spoken first language within the EU (EU 2014). A recent population survey reveals that 16.3 million people who live in Germany have a migration background (Destatis 2013). This shows that Germany is home to many different cultures and ethnicities. Since 1990, the former German Democratic Republic (Eastern Germany) is united with the Federal Republic of Germany (former Western Germany). Today, Germany is the biggest economy within the EU. Apart from large international companies, the German economy is characterised by consisting of many small- and medium-sized enterprises. Main sectors within the German economy include among others automobile production, mechanical and electrical engineering, and chemicals (EU 2014). Cultural-wise, Germany is known as the land of poets and thinkers and has a rich cultural scene with roughly 4,800 museums and 35 million yearly visits to theatres and orchestras (Destatis 2014b; Deutscher Bühnenverein 2014).