Time
Read from left to right, from the first farmers to now.
Long ago
First farmers
The first farmers cleared fields, kept animals, and lived in small villages.
About 2,000 years ago
Roman towns on the Rhine
Romans built towns along the Rhine, including places at today's Trier, Köln, and Mainz.
About 800
Charlemagne at Aachen
Charlemagne was a Frankish king of many lands, not a modern German. He held court at Aachen.
About 1450
Gutenberg's press
In Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg printed with movable metal type. Movable type was already used in China and Korea.
1517
Luther
Martin Luther wanted to reform the church. Arguments in his time split churches.
1618 to 1648
A long war
A long war crossed these lands. Towns and families were hurt.
1840
The kindergarten
Friedrich Fröbel opened a kindergarten, a children's garden, in Bad Blankenburg.
1871
Many states, one empire
In 1871 many states became one empire.
1886
A car in Mannheim
Karl Benz built a car in Mannheim. Bertha Benz drove it a long way and showed that it worked.
1914 to 1918
A wide war
From 1914 to 1918 there was a war, and many families waited for people to come home.
1933
A cruel government
From 1933 a cruel government hurt Jewish people and many others, and that was wrong.
1945
The war was over
In 1945 the war was over, and the country was split.
1949
Two governments
From 1949 there were two governments, one in the west and one in the east. The Basic Law began in the west.
1961
A wall in Berlin
In 1961 a wall in Berlin meant families could not cross freely.
1989
The wall opened
In 1989 the wall opened.
1990
One country again
In 1990 the country was one again.
Today
Berlin and the Basic Law
The Basic Law protects people's rights. Parliament, the Bundestag, meets in Berlin. Germany has 16 states.