German State Capitals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kiel

Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein. Chances are you know the name of the city because of the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal), which is a shortcut between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea and is one of the busiest canals worldwide. Also, the Kiel Week Regatta is held the last complete week in June and - with 5000 sailors, 2000 boats and three million visitors - is the biggest sailing event worldwide and one of Germany's most popular festivals. Kiel is also home to the GEOMAR Institute which is a leading research site for oceanography, maritime biology and ecology.

Answer: Schwerin

Schwerin is situated in the forested lake district south of the Baltic Sea and until 1918 Schwerin Castle had been the main residence of the Dukes of Mecklenburg. After the reunification of Germany, Schwerin became the capital of the new federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

It is reported that a flower lady collected as many as 17,000 signatures in favor of this decision. Since then, historic parts of the city, which had been in neglect before the Wende, have been restored and today the city offers many sights to the visitor.

Answer: Hannover

Hannover is the capital of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). It is well known for its trade fairs like Hannover Messe and CeBIT and, according to Wikipedia, the Hannover exhibition area is the largest in the world. Hannover also is the family seat of the House of Hanover who at one point ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the Kingdom of Hanover and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Queen Victoria was the last British monarch of the line but as long as the male line of the house was not extinct, she could not inherit the Kingdom of Hanover.

The Hannover Scorpions play professional ice hockey.

Answer: Potsdam

Potsdam, bordering the city of Berlin, is the capital of Brandenburg. It was the residence (Potsdam City Palace in winter and Castle Sanssouci in summer) of the German Kaiser until 1918. The Babelsberg Studios are the historic centre of the German film industry. Operating since 1912, it was the first large-scale studio and Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" was filmed here and more recently parts of "Cloud Atlas" and "Mockingjay" were made there. Potsdam is also known as the site of the Potsdam Conference after WWII.

Answer: Dresden

Dresden is the capital of Saxony (Freistaat Sachsen). Its location in the valley of the River Elbe and the baroque and Mediterranean-influenced architecture earned the city the name "Elbflorenz" (Florence of the Elbe). The city was largely destroyed in the fire bombing of Dresden in February 1945. After the German reunification huge restoration efforts were made.

Answer: Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen). After a somewhat colorful history, Düsseldorf, along with the whole of the Rhineland, was given to Prussia in 1815. In 1848, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV came to visit the city and was greeted with flying horse droppings. To appease the King, a couple of years later, a street was named "Königsallee" (The King's Alley). Today Königsallee, aka Kö, is probably the top tourist sight of Düsseldorf, not only a famous luxury shopping destination but also it still features the original layout with a canal in the middle, splendid trees and works of art along the canal and the adjacent parks.

Answer: Wiesbaden

Wiesbaden is the capital of Hesse (Hessen) and one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. The ancient Romans knew of the hot springs in this area and today, 26 of them are still in use. One of them feeds the Kaiser Freidrich Theme, a gorgeous Art Nouveau public pool and spa.

Other attractions in Wiesbaden are the casino (Spielbank) and an inner city which was largely undamaged during WWII and still shows a uniform townscape with many neoclassical and Jugendstil buildings.

Answer: Mainz

Mainz is the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz). It dates back to Roman times and at the time of the Holy Roman Empire had been the capital of the Electorate of Mainz. It is here that Johannes Gutenberg invented and built the first movable-type printing press. Today Mainz is well known as one of the strongholds of carnival (Mainzer Fastnacht) and as the seat of ZDF, the second German TV station.

Answer: München

Munich is the capital of Bavaria (Freistaat Bayern). It is one the economically most thriving cities in Germany. The company HQs of, for example, Siemens and BMW, insurance and IT companies, two big universities, research institutes and tourism all contribute to the economy of the city. Oktoberfest, Hofbräuhaus, many museums and churches are must-sees, as well as a game starring FC Bayern München, the most successful club in German soccer history.

Answer: Stuttgart

Stuttgart is the capital of Baden-Württemberg. Here, Robert Bosch opened a workshop for precision mechanics in 1886. Gottlieb Daimler and his partner Wilhelm Maibach developed small high speed combustion engines in Stuttgart, founded the Daimler Motors Company, and were building and selling automobiles by 1892. Both companies still contribute highly to the financial proficiency of the region.

The city lies close to the Black Forest. The area of the city itself is spread over many hills - some of them vineyards - and valleys.

While in Stuttgart you can visit many castles, palaces and gardens.