Daily Life
Focus on Culture - Daily Life
Contemporary Lifestyles
The lifestyles of German-speaking people in Europe is dominated or strongly influenced by what is called 'western' culture. However, don't judge a book by its cover. The Vielfalt (diversity) of lifestyles and cultures are found across and within German-speaking countries in Europe, as they are in Australia.
Never-the-less, common aspects of daily life can be identified and relate to the language and culture of the local community; some the same as our life in Australia, some obviously different, while others may seem the same but are quite different.
Portal to D-A-CH-L: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Use these links to explore the public face of German-speaking communities:
- .de - Deutschland (D) and its capital Berlin
- .at - Österreich (A) and Austria Forum and its captial Wien
- .ch - die Schweiz (CH) and its federal city (not a capital) Bern
- .li - Fürstentum Liechtenstein (L) and its capital Vaduz
and information on Wikipedia about countries where German is officially recognised:
- .be - Belgien (B)
- .lu - Luxembourg (LU)
- South Tirol - German-speaking Italy
Sustainability
A contemporary western lifestyle has placed unprecedented pressure on the environment and life the future of the planet.
- Nachhaltigkeit - sustainability
- Kultur und Klimawandel - climate change
- Umwelt Lebensministerium in Österreich - Austrian and the environment
- Umwelt für Kinder - German government site about the environment
- Schrebergarten - historical and contemporary allotment gardens
- Green Energy Use Jumps in 2011 in Germany - article in Der Spiegel
- Der Grüne Punkt
Compare with Australia
Daily Routines
- How Germany Ticks - information about a wide variety of topics
- Discover Germany - videos about life in Germany for students, choose different languages for the subtitles
- Kleiner Kalendar .de - What's on in Germany
- BBC Fact Files - cultural notes
- German Foods - all about food and eating habits
- Table Manners and Restaurant Etiquette - polite behaviour
- Kaffee und Kuchen - a personal view from abroad
- Education in Germany and Austria and Switzerland
- Sauna - a favourite pastime for adults
- Jugendzentrum - Youth Centres
- Deutsche Lebensart - an intercultural look at life in Germany for Japan
- Eine Reise durch deutsche Wohnungen - DW-Video
- Schellingstrasse 60 - Check out the lives of people in Munich who live in an apartment building
- Kaleidoskop Deutschland - Alltag in Deutschland
- Knigge - Suggested etiquette for life in Germany
- 100 Jahre leben und wohnen in Wien
- Damals im Osten - Mitteldeutschland von 1945 bis heute - MDR
Euromaxx: The Truth About Germany
- Clubs - 7 members, a constitution and a chairman and you have a 'Verein'
- Autobahn
- Organic Trend
- Ecological Awareness
'German' Lifestyle and Culture
- Customs, Traditions and Lifestyle - German Embassy in Canberra
- The German Way - English website about Austria, Germany and Switzerland
- Culture and Lifestyle - Deutsche Welle
- Meet the Germans - Discover if anything is typical about Germans on this Goethe-Institut website
- Gesichter Deutschlands - read about Germans and their daily lives
- Leise und laute Töne – Germans talk about their daily life
- Grüβe aus Deutschland - podcasts about life in Germany
- Young Germany - comprehensive information
- Jugend in Deutschland - Read about what young people are doing in Germany
- So sind die Deutschen - photos and information
- Statistics - for all categories of life
- Society in Germany - Goethe-Institut
- ZDF tivi: LOGO: a ZDF TV show about life in Germany for younger viewers. The latest video is online to view and lots of information, something like the ABC's 'Behind the News' plus so much more.
See also Focus on Culture: Festivals & Traditions
Life in Swtizerland
Integration in Multicultural Europe
- Migration und Integration in Deutschland - information for migrants to Germany
- Aktion Integration– information for teachers and migrants to Austria
- Integration– in Switzerland
Compare with Australia
- Reconciliation Australia
- Living in Australia
- Australian Stories
- Living in Victoria
- Multicultural Commission
First Australians