German History Trivia

1. Although it certainly existed earlier, Munich is said to have a founding year of 1158, which is the year Prince Henry the Lion did what?

From Quiz History of Munich

Answer: Built a bridge

Prince Henry the Lion was one of the most powerful princes in Germany. At the time, he was Duke of Saxony and Bavaria. Munich existed mostly as a community of monks who operated, among other things, a trading post. Traders would pay tolls on a bridge owned by the archbishop. That is until Prince Henry the Lion built his own bridge nearby, charged a larger toll and destroyed the archbishop's bridge. This happened in 1158, and is the first written mention of a place called Munich.

From Quiz History of Berlin

Answer: Albert the Bear

Albert the Bear was the Margrave of Brandenburg when he founded Berlin 1163. Albert was the son of the Duke of Saxony and was a major figure in Northern Europe during his lifetime. He expanded his kingdom to cover the area Berlin now occupies. It is believed that the name Berlin may be derived from the German word for bear and the bear is one of the symbols of the city. Sometimes (possibly even most of the time) Berlin's founding year is listed as 1237. This is because of a historical error. The earliest recorded use of the name Berlin goes back to 1244 and mentions that Berlin was founded alongside Kolln (which is now part of Berlin) which was first mentioned in 1237. The 1237 year was mistaken as the founding year and Berlin was a well known location for merchants to set up shops for years prior to 1237.

From Quiz Bavarian Hodgepodge

Answer: Regensburg

The fort was known as Castra Regina (fortress by the River Regen) and occupied what would now be considered the old city of Regensburg. By late Roman times, the area was also the see of a bishop. Even today, Regensburg still houses many buildings from the medieval period.

From Quiz German States Before Unification

Answer: Saxony

Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV raised Saxony from its status of a duchy to that of an electorate in 1356. In 1806 Saxony became a kingdom which was allied with France. In 1871 the Kingdom of Saxony became part of the German Empire. An even more famous Elector of Saxony, perhaps, than Frederich the Wise, was Augustus the Strong (Augustus II), who ruled from 1694 to 1733. Augustus also ruled as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.

From Quiz Don't Mention the War

Answer: Teutoni

As the written sources for this era of history are only Roman, I chose to use the Roman names for the different tribes. The Cimbri and the Teutoni came from the present Jutland peninsula (mostly situated in present-day Denmark, although the most southern part is nowadays the German Bundesland of Schleswig-Holstein). The Cimbri inhabited the middle part of the peninsula just before 110, and the Teutoni were their southern neighbours. Most probably because of a fall in the agricultural output of their habitat, these two tribes packed all their belongings and went looking for greener land in the south. When they approached the Roman frontier, several battles ensued. At first the Roman legionnaires were overwhelmed by the fierce but uncoordinated attacks. Later consul Marius inflicted two decisive defeats on the invading tribes: the Roman legions annihilated the Teutoni near Aquae Sextiae (nowadays Aix-en-Provence, France) in 102 BC and the Cimbri near Vercellae (nowadays Vercelli, Italy) the next year. Germans call themselves 'Deutsch', a name which probably goes back on the Teutoni. Likewise their country is named 'Deutschland' in their language. The Frisii (Frisians) have given their name to the present Dutch province Friesland. The Langobardes ("those with the long beards") gave their name to the Italian region Lombardia. And the Alemani have left their name to Germany according to some Romance languages (French: Allemagne, Spanish: Alemania).

From Quiz German History in Roman Numerals

Answer: Arminius

The date IX corresponds to the year 9 AD. Arminus was the chieftain of the Cherusci tribe and the leader of the confederation that defeated Rome's legions at the Teutoburg Forest. The battle has been called "Rome's greatest defeat" and it caused the stalling of Roman expansionism for a while. The Romans lost up to 20,000 legionaries and many others were taken as slaves.

From Quiz The History of Cologne

Answer: Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa

The Ubii named the city Oppidum Ubiorum but it was soon renamed Colonia Agrippina after Emperor Claudius' wife Agrippina who was born in the city. Colonia Agrippina was primarily used by the Romans as a military base in Germany and was home to some of the largest aqueducts in all of the Roman Empire.

From Quiz No Nazis Allowed

Answer: Walter Gropius

Walter Gropius was born in Berlin in 1883, and became one of Germany's most famous architects. Among his first designs was the Fagus Factory, a shoe factory in Alfeld, that was designated a world heritage site in 2011. He also founded the art school Bauhaus as well as Modernist housing estates in Berlin, both of which UNESCO designated as world heritage sites. His works also include the University of Baghdad, MetLife Building, and John F Kennedy Federal Building. Gropius' works influenced International Style, which arose during the foundation of modern architecture.

From Quiz Berlin (1918-1933)

Answer: 9 November

There were two declarations of a republic on the same day in Berlin. Philipp Scheidemann made the key proclamation from a window of the Reichstag building, and shortly afterwards Karl Liebknecht proclaimed a specifically socialist republic. The stage was set for conflict between the Social Democrats and the radical left. The 9th November 1923 saw Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch; 9-10 November 1938 was the 'Night of Broken Glass' pogrom, and 9 November 1989 saw the start of the Fall of the Wall. Going further back, one finds that on 9 November 1848 Robert Blum, a leading Radical in the Frankfurt Parliament, was shot after a very hasty trial, for allegedly inciting rioting in Vienna.

From Quiz The Bauhaus Cities

Answer: Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt

Weimar is in Thuringia (the eleventh largest German state in area) and Dessau is in Saxony-Anhalt (eighth largest in area).

From Quiz Berlin (up to 1871)

Answer: Coelln

The oldest part of Berlin is what came to be called the 'Nikolaiviertel', while Coelln (an der Spree, not to be confused with the great city on the Rhine) referred to the island in the Spree, which includes four major museums and used to include the royal palace. The northern part of the island is referred to as the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and the southern part as the Fischerinsel. The foundation of Berlin is dated, by long-standing convention, from the earliest mention of Coelln (in 1237).

From Quiz Germany Through the Ages

Answer: Roman Empire

Arminius's armies defeated three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest. This victory, ended Roman expansion to the east of the Rhine River. Succesive waves of barbarian tribes would continue to migrate through the Roman Empire over the next several hundred years, occasionaly sacking Rome. This, along with long developing internal issues, would eventually doom and fragment the Westen Empire, allowing political power to shift to the Papacy and also northwards in later centuries to the Frankish kingdoms, and later the Holy Roman Empire.

From Quiz Otto von Bismarck

Answer: Iron Chancellor

Bismarck played a large role in unifying Germany and was Chancellor of Germany from 1871-1890 (and Minister-President of Prussia from 1862-1890). He was known as the Iron Chancellor for his strong-arm tactics and use of Realpolitik.

From Quiz Prussia in the 19th Century

Answer: Peace of Tilsit

The Peace of Tilsit was signed on July 9, 1807 near the town of Tilsit in East Prussia. As a result, the most of the territory gained from the last two Polish partitions were taken and formed into a French-Polish satelite state, and some small western territories were annexed by France or incorperated into other states. Prussia was forced to pay a high indemnity (reparations) and was to be occupied by French troops until this was paid off.

From Quiz German History

Answer: Versailles

Germany was founded on January 18, 1871, when the German Empire was proclaimed in Versailles, France and Wilhelm I became German Emperor.

From Quiz Prussia in the 18th Century

Answer: Austria

Frederick II (1740-1786) came to the throne in 1740 as did Maria Theresa in Austria as a result of the Pragmatic Sanction, which allowed for the succession of a female to rule the Habsburg Dynasty in case of no male in the line of succession. Frederick took advantage of the dispute by other states, namely Bavaria, and occupied Silesia in a two month campaign against Austria and then defended it for the next two years. Allied with France, Sweden and several smaller states, the war ended with the Peace of Breslau in 1742 which ceded most of Silesia to Prussia, although there would be two more wars in the 18th century over this territory.

From Quiz Germany, c. 1945-1960

Answer: 1990

The reason for this exceptionally long delay was the Cold War. This treaty was signed on 12 September 1990 between the Allies on the one hand and the two German states on the other, subject to ratification by a future united Germany. The Allies had issued a declaration in 1947 stating that they were no longer at war with Germany.

From Quiz Rise and Fall of the Weimar Republic

Answer: Treaty of Versailles

This treaty created much resentment as the Germans had been led to believe a fair treaty would be drawn up on the basis of President Wilson's Fourteen Points. The treaty included provisions like reparations and the limiting the German army to 100,000 men (while Poland had about half a million men under arms). Overall, Germany lost 13% of its territory and 6.5 million inhabitants. (Not all of those 'lost' regarded themselves as Germans, however: the people of Alsace-Lorraine saw themselves as French, and many of those in Posen and West Prussia and parts of Upper Silesia were Poles. In the eastern provinces the nationalities weren't neatly separated).

From Quiz The Weimar Republic

Answer: Deutsches Reich

Germany was proclaimed a republic when Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated in November 1918. "Kristallnacht" is the German name for the "Night of Broken Glass in 1938", when Jewish homes and businesses were destroyed. The Reichstag was the name of the most powerful house of the German parliament.

From Quiz Problems of the Weimar Government, 1919-1923

Answer: Spartacists

In January 1919, 50,000 Spartacists rebelled in Berlin, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Luxemburg and Liebknecht were arrested on 15th January and murdered later the same night by counter-revolutionary volunteers on the pretence that they had attempted to escape.

From Quiz German Unification (19th Century)

Answer: Prussia

Like many conservatives, Bismarck had misgivings about German nationalism. However, he used it to create a Germany that was in many respects a "Greater Prussia".

From Quiz The Provinces of Prussia

Answer: Berlin

Berlin was also the capital of the German Empire 1871-1918, of the Republic 1918-1933 and of the Third Reich 1933-45. It again became German capital in 1990.

From Quiz The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

Answer: 1961

Construction began on the Berlin Wall in the early hours of Sunday, August 13th, 1961. By the morning of Tuesday, 15th August, East Berlin was closed off - initially by barbed wire and various obstuctions, and remained so for the next 28 years. Most of the concrete wall took some weeks to build.

From Quiz German History - Highways and Byways

Answer: 962 (Coronation of Otto I by the Pope)

Many American and some British reference works cling like desperadoes to the year 800. One of the main problems with this date is that Charlemagne's Empire fell apart soon after his death, so this date involves lack of continuity. German reference works opt for 962. The German king, Otto I (912-973, reigned 936-973) managed to get the Papacy to accept that the King of Germany had a right to be crowned emperor. The earliest record of the use of the term 'Romanum Imperium' ('Roman Empire') for this imperial title is 1034, and for 'Sacrum Imperium' ('Holy Empire') it is 1157. The two titles were combined in 1254.

From Quiz German Youth Movement

Answer: Wandervogel

"Wandervogel" literally means "Hikingbird". It was established in Steglitz, then a suburb of Berlin.

From Quiz Germany-1900-1945

Answer: Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic lasted from 1918 to 1933. This name ('Weimar Republic') was a nickname and seems to have first come into use when it no longer existed. The official name was 'Deutsches Reich'.

From Quiz Germany 1850 to 1950 History

Answer: The Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic was set up after World War I when Germany lost, and its Kaiser, Wilhelm, abdicated. This became Germany's first ever democracy, but became unpopular with many people as they felt dissatisfied with the economy. Moreover, the Republic was associated with military defeat. The term "Weimar Republic" was coined after it had collapsed. At the time, Germany was still known as "Deutsches Reich"; attempts by the Left to change the official name of the country to "Die Deutsche Republik" failed in 1919.

From Quiz German History 1918-33

Answer: German Reich (Deutsches Reich)

The term "Weimar Republic", though widely used by historians, has always been a nickname. For a brief period in late 1918 and early 1919, the name "Deutsche Republic" was used, but German Nationalists and other conservatives had a horror of the term "Republic", which for them implied Bolshevism, subversion, socialism and democracy, which they generally equated with mob rule. More generally, conservatives in Continental Europe regarded republics as politically deviant: hardline right-wing régimes in Europe shunned the word throughout the period c. 1918-45.

From Quiz Germany 1815-1914

Answer: 1871

Until 1866-67 the country was a patchwork of loosely confederated states.

From Quiz History of Munich

Answer: Salt

Louis IV granted Munich a monopoly along the salt trade. Salt from Salzburg was required to stop in Munich rather than Freising on its way to Augsburg. This proved to be a huge boom for Munich although the success was short lived because the city was devastated by a fire in 1327.

This is category 1950
Last Updated Dec 07 2024 5:45 AM

= Top 5% Rated Quiz, Top 10% Rated Quiz, Top 20% Rated Quiz, A Well Rated Quiz
= added recently, = Editor's Pick = FunTrivia Editor = Gold Member
Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.