Home Trivia Quiz

Answer: Citadel

Citadels, often shaped like stars or polygons, were once the primary defensive fortifications of the middle ages and renaissance in Europe. Most often, they were integrated into the city's outer wall because doing so allowed more space than putting them into the middle of the city, and also saved on construction costs as they could share half of the wall with the actual city wall.

In addition, this position allowed for the inhabitants of the citadel to directly leave both into and out of the city.

The star-shaped arrangement was frequently chosen because it offered the best defense against cannon fire.

Answer: Rhine

Measured by length in Germany alone, the Rhine is Germany's longest river. Lake Constance, marking the touching point of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, is actually a part of the Rhine which both feeds and drains it. From the Swiss-German border to the estuary, the Rhine is an important waterway, particularly for coal and oil.

It also plays an important part in German culture, with many sagas (including the "Nibelungenlied", basis for Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle and the Loreley saga) surrounding it.

Answer: Jürgen Klopp

In his career as an active player, Jürgen Klopp scored 52 goals in 325 games in the German second league. He was a versatile player who could play as both a defender and a striker. However, his career as a coach (since 2001) has been much more successful.

In his first five years with Dortmund, he twice won the German league title (2011 and 2012) and once the German cup (2012). In 2013, Dortmund narrowly lost the first ever all-German Champions League final 1-2 to Bayern Munich.

Answer: ZDF

Running from 1981 to 2014, the "Wetten, dass...?" show presented stars in a talk format with inserted "bets" - each star would sponsor a candidate who would attempt a difficult, often astonishing, live feat. The show's downfall began after a December 2010 accident in which Samuel Koch, a stuntman, attempted to jump over a driving car and was hit hard, resulting in complete quadriplegic paralysis.

In April 2014, it was announced that at the end of the year 2014, the show would end its 34-year run.

Answer: Prince-electors

The medieval king of Germany was chosen and appointed by the prince-electors (German "Kurfürsten" from "küren", to appoint, and "Fürst", a general title for all members of the higher nobility), three archbishops and four mundane rulers. If confirmed by the pope, the king would then be crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire which, in addition to Germany during some eras, included Bohemia, Burgundy and even Italy.

Answer: Sancta Sedes

"Sancta Sedes" (literally "Holy Seat", often translated as "Apostolic Seat") was the term for any diocese that could trace its origin directly to one of the apostles. The holders of these dioceses were considered the highest ranking bishops in the church, often also titles as patriarchs. Today, the common understanding of the term refers, of course, to the Papal seat as Bishop of Rome, however one German diocese still officially has the right to this title as well.

Answer: Rose Monday

The most common name for this holiday in the English-speaking world is Shrove Monday, but the German name "Rosenmontag" directly translates to the less commonly used "Rose Monday". In Rhenish carnival (which traditionally starts November 11, 11:11 am), this is the peak day of celebration. All major carnival-celebrating cities have parades on this day similar in style to a US Thanksgiving or Fourth of July parade but with the floats satirically reflecting events or personalities of the previous year.

It is the last carnival day on which people celebrate into the morning; on Shrove Tuesday, all celebrations end at precisely midnight when the date rolls over to Ash Wednesday.

Answer: Potato chips

The combination of "Weck, Worscht un Woi" - consisting of a strongly-flavored bread roll, Bologna sausage and local white wine - was the traditional lunch of many workers in the wine-producing areas of Germany. Its main advantage was that it was easily portable and could be eaten while walking or working. Apart from a corkscrew to open the wine bottle and possibly a knife to peel the sausage, it does not require any dishes or tools to eat nor does it necessitate any preparation.

It has fallen out of use as a workman's lunch due to the alcohol content of the wine, but it is still very much alive as a traditional carnival treat and for a Sunday morning brunch.

Answer: Johannes Gutenberg

Johannes Gensfleisch zu Laden, better known as Johannes Gutenberg (ca. 1397 to 1468), was the inventor of movable type printing. In this technique, pages were assembled from single letters cast in metal and assembled in frames so they could be printed and then taken apart again to reuse the letters (whose cutting or casting was by far the most difficult and time-consuming aspect of pre-Gutenberg printing). Movable type also vastly shortened the time required from the availability of a new text to be printed to its actual printing - shorter texts could be made ready in under an hour instead of the days, if not weeks, needed to make a custom plate.

The other three Johannes are also notable personalities from my hometown - Johannes Fust was a merchant contemporary of Gutenberg who financed Gutenberg's activities, Johannes Cochläus was a 16th century catholic cleric and fierce opponent of Martin Luther and Johannes Bückler was an infamous late 18th century robber popularly known as Schinderhannes.

Answer: Mainz

Situated on the confluence of the Rhine (2) and Main rivers, Mainz is one of the three main bastions of Rhenish carnival (7), during which "Weck, Worscht un Woi" (8) are ubiquitous. It has been an important archdiocese which, to this day, bears the official title Sancta Sedes Moguntia (6) and whose archbishop was the chairman and most influential of the prince-electors (5). From the 15th century printing (9) innovation to being the headquarter of ZDF (4), Mainz has remained a pivotal location in mass communication. The Mainz citadel (1), regionally known as just "the citadel" is a baroque fortress that has been of strategic importance through World War I; today it is the site of the city's historic museum. The Mainz soccer club 1. FSV Mainz 05 is the club Jürgen Klopp (3) played all his second league games for and which he subsequently coached during their ascent to the Bundesliga (top German playing class) in 2004.

The Wheel of Mainz, which shows up twice in the coat of arms, is the symbol of St. Martin of Tours who is the city patron of Mainz and also, with its six spokes, resembles the Christ monogram in a circle. The connecting cross reinforces the religious symbolism.