When asked for words to denote German culture some may say quality, efficiency, production,- all words associated with the success of Germany as a country that breeds inventors and high achievers.
Germany is the European Union’s largest economy, and the world’s fourth. Germany is one of the largest car producers in the world with brands such as Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes, selling on average 6 million vehicles annually. Manufacturing is a huge industry in Deutschland, with pharmaceutical and technology following close behind.
Leaders & Inventors
Germany has one of the highest rankings for patents every year, coming in third behind the U.S. and China.
Did you know one of the world’s most popular painkillers Aspirin was a German creation? Developed by Felix Hoffmann in August 1897 to allieve his father’s ailments, and then patented by Bayer in 1900.
In 1886 the first true working vehicle was invented by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, a motorized driven tricycle with carriage. This invention was produced 22 years before Henry Ford's, model T Ford.
Bacteriology was discovered by Robert Koch in 1887, when he discovered the cause of why livestock in Europe was struck down with disease. He was able to isolate this bacteria and cure the animals. He was also able to isolate the bacillus that causes tuberculosis and help cure many of the world’s health problems.
One of your favourite fizzy drinks Fanta was invented in Germany in 1941, born from the embargo on Coca-Cola imports to Germany during WW2. The head of Coca-Cola in Germany Max Keith decided to use local ingredients including pomace and whey mixed with ingredients left at the plant and came up with a new drink. This drink is consumed over 130 million times every day
Contact lenses were first created in 1887 by German ophthalmologist Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick, using blown glass to create a lens that rested not on the cornea, but on the less sensitive tissues surrounding it. He began testing his new lenses by fitting and placing them on rabbits, then going on to create a pair for himself. Although the subject could see with these lenses, they had to be removed within hours. Thankfully now we can wear them for up to 12 hours per day, resulting in the contact lens industry worth almost $9billion per year worldwide.
Other amazing inventions from Germany include the MP3 player, the accordion, printing press, the bicycle, record players, coffee filters and more.
Germany, the home to international brands
Of Europe’s 15 largest public trading companies, Germany holds five places with Volkswagen group, Allianz, Daimler (Mercedes), BMW group and Siemens. With huge government support and a large population of highly educated and skilled people, Germany is a haven for employment and career success.
We all know the big car names mentioned above, and most of us will recognise retail giants Aldi and Lidl as German favourites, but did you know shoe and athletic wear brands Adidas and Puma were also German? Adi Dassler was the creator of Adidas in the early 1900s after he split from his original shoe company he formed with his brother Rudi. Rudi went on to develop the Puma brand, and both company headquarters still reside in the town of Herzogenaurach where they were first set up.
Electronic and engineering production accounts for over $400 billion annually with brands such as Siemens, Bosch, BASF, Uniper, Continental and more. Telecommunication would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for Telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom AG who own the brand T-Mobile, and employ over 220,000 people. Postal favourite DHL (Deutsche Post DHL Group) is the biggest postal and international courier service in Europe and the world with 510,000 employees in 200+ countries.
Other successful brands and multinational German companies include Allianz, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, and Lufthansa.
If you like the sound of being part of a huge brand like the ones mentioned above, there are a variety of German companies with offices here in Ireland, but there are also national and international firms that require German speakers.
As a German language school our mission is to teach the language we love with passion and purpose, ensuring the student will get the desired results alongside a lifelong love for the German tongue.
We have worked with many companies such as Lidl, Kerrygold, Google and Citibank where we have worked with new and current employees to start to learn German or to revive their German language skills. We offer online and in person group and private classes. We also offer in-company training where we will come into your workplace and teach according to your business needs.
Check out our latest timetable for all group classes, and if you are interested in private classes or in-company training, please send us an email info@germanmind.ie
Please note we are continuing online classes until the end of the year. We will resume in person classes at our school on 16 Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Dublin 2.
To celebrate our return to school, we are offering a 10% discount for all students, please use the code: Welcomeback at check out.