Germany Rises - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 126

Figure 8.7. Berlin Wall Coming Down
Sites with a prosperous and romantic history are preserved. For example, on Bavaria's
“Romantic Road,” the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a medieval jewel. Enclosed by
fortress walls, its narrow, cobblestone lanes carry the walker to tiny shops, Gothic churches,
and a Gothic-Renaissance town hall (Rathus) in Saxony. Dresden is a labor of reconstruc-
tion. Firebombed by the Americans and British in 1945 (with civilian casualties of more
than 35,000), many of its loveliest old buildings have been meticulously restored, modeled
on the work of Italian artist Canaletto (1697-1768). As might be expected, Germany's
largest cities also display bold examples of post-war architecture. As much as anything
else, the German flag encapsulates history. Its three broad bands of black, red, and gold
were the colors of the uniforms of German volunteers during the Napoleonic wars.
P OPULATION
Germany's population is close to eighty-three million, compared to France's approximate
sixty-five million and Britain's more than sixty-two million. Unlike the former criterion of
a nation defined by blood, Germany today is a country of immigrants (einwanderungsland)
who arrived after World War II as refugees and migrants from other places in Europe. For