Berchtesgaden

With about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany's capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, with its main centres of Dortmund and Essen. The country's other major cities are Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Bremen, Dresden, Hannover, and Nuremberg. Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps in the south to the shores of the North Sea in the northwest and the Baltic Sea  in the northeast. The forested uplands of central Germany and the lowlands of northern Germany are traversed by such major rivers as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe. Germany's alpine glaciers are experiencing deglaciation. When thinking of Germany, beer, lederhosen and Alpine hats quickly come to mind, but these stereotypes mostly relate to Bavarian culture and do not represent Germany as a whole. Germany is a vast and diverse country with 16 culturally unique states that have been politically united since 1871. Even within states there is often considerable cultural diversity.

Germany

With 12.9 million inhabitants, it is Germany's second-most-populous state. Bavaria's capital and largest city, Munich, is known for the Oktoberfest, the Beer Festival, its art museums, as well as the Nymphenburg castle and its decorations. The picturesque Romantic Road begins in the northwestern city of Wurzburg, passes through rural villages and medieval towns, and ends in the foothills of the Alps, on the southern border of Germany. The Land is known for its lush mountainous landscapes, castles, Baroque towns and churches, as well as its famous beers. Bavaria hosts the headquarters of powerful companies such as BMW, Siemens, Allianz.

Bavaria

The Kehlsteinhaus is a Third Reich-era building erected atop the summit of the Kehlstein, a rocky outcrop that rises above the Obersalzberg near the town of Berchtesgaden.

Kehlsteinhaus

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