The German state has many neighbors. So which countries does Germany border with? Clockwise are Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. A large number of neighboring states is due to the fact that Germany is located in the heart of Europe, at the intersection of many cultures and peoples.
Slavic neighbors
Which countries does Germany border on in the east? Poland and the Czech Republic are Slavic states. These two peoples settled east of the Germans in the 9th century. The long neighborhood of different cultures, religions and linguistic groups led to constant conflicts and wars.
So, many Polish cities in the west of the country also have German names due to the fact that they used to belong to Germany. For example, this is Poznan - Posen, Wroclaw - Breslau, etc. This is about Baltic Pomerania and Silesia. Here, the influence of the western neighbor is still felt, although many local Germans were expelled from the country after World War II. It does not hurt to recall that the largest conflict in the history of mankind began precisely in 1939, after the troops of the Reich crossed the border of these two states.
Today, the territories of Germany and Poland are divided along the Oder River. This situation was established in 1945. Then East Prussia, which is located even further east, passed to the USSR and became the Kaliningrad region. Residents of Poland remain the most massive migrants in Germany, where they often work in the service sector. The federal states of Mecklenburg, Brandenburg and Saxony border this country. Poland, Germany and its other neighbors are members of the European Union.
Borders with the Czech Republic are more established. They have existed since the 19th century and reflect the resettlement of these two peoples. In the 30s, a dispute broke out over the Sudetenland - the Czech mountains, where the German population was predominant. The Third Reich occupied this territory even before World War II, however, after the war, all German-speaking people were deported from there, and the region again passed to the Slavic socialist state. The Czech Republic is bordered by the federal states of Saxony and Bavaria.
Which countries does Germany border on in the south?
Here the borders are in contact with Austria and Switzerland. These countries are ethnically and culturally closest to Germany. Here, German also has the status of the state language (in Switzerland, also French).
The name of Austria confirms this status. Österreich translates as "Eastern Empire". Before, Austria and Germany were part of the same state. However, over time, each country went its own way. Austria became the residence of the powerful Habsburg dynasty, which also united under their rule many Slavic states in the east. In Germany, Prussia began to play a major role. Its capital was in Berlin. It united the country, and it was this state with various changes that over time became modern Germany.
Switzerland, like Austria, borders Germany on the hills, plains, Alps and numerous ponds. One of them is the famous Lake Constance, which has long been a popular point on the tourist map. Also, the upper reaches of the Rhine is a natural border between Germany and Switzerland. There are many bridges and autobahns. These southern neighbors are bordered by the federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
France
The borders of Germany with this neighbor pass along the Rhine and then make a 90-degree turn to the west. There are many large cities and industrial facilities. These lands often passed from hand to hand. Especially Alsace and Lorraine. For this reason, residents of these areas speak both French and German. Thanks to the Schengen agreement, the borders are open, and residents can freely move around both states. The same applies to most members of the European Union. France is bordered by the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Benelux
This universal abbreviation is used to refer to three small countries in Western Europe - Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Here is the Rhine-Ruhr region, where there are most cities in the country, which is associated with a large concentration of production and human resources. These are Cologne, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, etc. The borders of Germany here belong to the regions of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The local landscape is a plain turning into a lowland as it approaches the North Sea.
Which countries does Germany border on in the north?
The only state on this side of the world is Denmark. Its border with Germany runs along a small stretch of land located in the Baltic Sea. This is the historic region of Schleswig-Holstein.