British-German Association (BGA)

#WhyLearnGerman? Because you can study a language with a unique letter that no other language uses: the ‘ß’!

It’s called the Eszett (and pronounced like 'ss'), and it’s one of the coolest quirks of the German language. It’s seen in words like 'Straße' (street) and 'Spaß' (fun).

The Winter Paralympic Games are starting today in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Around 665 athletes will be competing for 79 medals in 6 disciplines.

A total of 40 athletes and eight guides will represent 🇩🇪. Viel Erfolg, Team Germany!

The Leo Baeck Institute London and the British-German Association are pleased to invite you to

KINDERTRANSPORT IN BRITISH MEMORY AND CULTURE: A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Please join us online only on
Thursday, 19 March 2026, 7.00 – 8.00 PM (GMT)

Book now: www.lbilondon.ac.uk/kindertransp...

Our Regions, Partnerships and Schools Read, Rafe Courage, welcomed the UK Parliamentary Group from North Rhine-Westphalia’s Landtag to London this week.

Great discussions on NRW’s upcoming 80th anniversary, UK-German educational exchanges, and the future of town twinning. 🇩🇪🤝🇬🇧
@uk.diplo.de

The ground-breaking 🇩🇪🇬🇧 #KensingtonTreaty is a key contribution towards security & prosperity in Europe, while also fostering people-to-people exchanges.

🇩🇪 Bundestag approved the law on the friendship treaty with a big majority today. More important than ever to stand together.

A nod to St David’s Day! We’re celebrating one of the first true signs that spring has sprung: the daffodil. In true German style, daffodil becomes a wonderfully descriptive compound noun - Osterglocke. Literally ‘Easter’ and ‘bell’. It captures both the flower’s shape and the season it ‘rings’ in!

The German History Society is proud to release the call for papers for our 2026 Annual Conference, held this year at the University of Stirling!

The deadline for papers is the 14 April 2026.

For more information check our website here: www.germanhistorysociety.org/conference/

#FunFactFriday: Bread is so beloved and important in Germany, that it was included in the UNESCO list of the world’s most ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’? According to the German Institute for Bread there are now over 3200 different types!

Do you have a particular favourite?

Spring is in the air, so why not add a bit of Lüften into your routine?

The German habit of opening windows for 5-15min daily helps replace stale air, prevent mould, and boost wellbeing. It’s done year-round, without fail. Try it in your ‘spring clean’ routine! 💨

The 2nd 🇩🇪🇬🇧 podium for Skeleton this past week! What a moment.

If you missed it, it’s well worth a watch to catch the wonderful support and sportsmanship between the national teams.

It’s been an exciting #WinterOlympics for both teams this year. Any moments that’ve stayed with you?

#WordyWednesday: Celebrating #LunarNewYear and Year of the Horse with some horse-themed German sayings 🐴🏮

We have ‘hold your horses’ and ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’ - but German horse idioms often paint very different pictures!

Know any other German horse-themed sayings?

We’re delighted to hear that Ross received a formal invitation to become a member of the Group going forward.

Thank you, Ross, for representing the BGA and for contributing to such a thoughtful and forward-looking discussion on UK-German initiatives in Scotland! (2/2) 🇩🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Last week, our Edinburgh Rep, Ross McEwen, spoke on behalf of the BGA at the Cross Party Group on Germany at the Scottish Parliament.

After giving an insight into BGA's aims and ambitions, an encouraging discussion followed on German language learning and UK-German twinning in Scotland. (1/2)

Germany’s ‘fifth season’ celebrations are underway! #Karneval parades jam-packed with colourful outfits, masks and music will take centre-stage in many German cities and towns in the next few days.

Have you got any fond memories of #Karneval celebrations? We’d love to hear about them!

Those are great classics, and both in an iconic German film too!! Will have to rewatch to see this in action

Following on from our post about ‘Glückspilz’, we’re highlighting some more luck-themed expressions in German for this week’s #WordyWednesday!

Are there any other German expressions or symbols associated with luck you know of, that mirror or differ from British culture?

#WhyLearnGerman? To appreciate the unique ways the language and culture expresses luck! In German, a lucky person might be called a ‘Glückspilz’, or lucky mushroom. It reflects how luck has found them as quickly as mushrooms appear from the ground. It’s even inspired this sweet garden decoration!

#FunFactFriday 🚂 Did you know Hamburg is home to the world’s largest model railway? Miniatur Wunderland recreates global scenes in stunning miniature detail, with over 15.4km of track! It’s consistently one of Germany’s top tourist attractions.

#visitgermany #miniaturwunderland #hamburg

#WordyWednesday: Managed to find a recent bargain? Instead of using the typical English sayings like ‘for a song’, ‘for peanuts’ or ‘as cheap as chips’, why not mix it up and use the German equivalents? Funnily enough, they also have links to food…

Our U35 event, co-organised with Chatham House’s QEII Academy! We were honoured to have Jill Gallard, former UK Ambassador to Germany, speak on diplomacy held at Deutsche Bank’s London HQ. Thank you to our attendees, Deutsche Bank and of course Jill Gallard for an exciting and inspiring evening! 🇩🇪🇬🇧

#FunFactFriday: Germany is home to the world's narrowest street! The almost 300-year old street in Reutlingen is a popular tourist attraction... Spreuerhofstraße is in fact only 31cm at its narrowest, narrowly (pun intended) beating Parliament Street in Exeter for the Guinness World Record!

This week’s #WordyWednesday is embracing the wintry feel... Have you heard of “Schnee von Gestern”? It’s a great way to say that something is old news. It can even be used in a way that matches the English saying ‘water under the bridge’, depending on the context of conversation! #ShoutOutForGerman

Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests Learning a language gives you unique insights into different cultures, societies and perspectives.

Happy #ShoutOutForGerman week! Learning #German has lots of benefits, it’s fun and not as hard as some may think: theconversation.com/learning-ger... @uk.theconversation.com @goethe-institut-uk.bsky.social @daad-uk-ireland.bsky.social @uk.diplo.de @ags-gbi.bsky.social @britgerassoc.bsky.social

Thank you Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben, Dr Rob Keeling, Dr Jurgen Grotz & Prof Bryony Hoskins for a great collaboration 🙌
The BGA was delighted to join this event at the RSA on citizen education, democracy & the future of volunteering.

#WordyWednesday: we’re diving back into German’s amazing one-worders! There’s something special about capturing a fleeting feeling into a single word, and German really does it best. What word mash-up would you create as an English equivalent?

#FunFactFriday: 🇩🇪 has more zoos than any other country in Europe, and is 2nd 🌍. Berlin Zoo even welcomed 3.85m visitors in 2023, and was interestingly inspired by London’s Zoological Garden before opening in 1844. Have you managed to visit? And do you remember the iconic polar bear, Knut? 🐻‍❄️

#WordyWednesday 🥣 German has a great phrase for “to beat around the bush”: um den heißen Brei herumreden, literally meaning “to talk around the hot porridge.” Same meaning but with a nice wintry feel to it!

Dinner for One - hier anschauen Ein Butler, eine Lady, viel Alkohol und ein Tigerfell: das ist 'Dinner for One'. Dazu gehören noch die längst verstorbenen Freunde von Miss Sophie, Mr. Winterbottom, Mr. Pommeroy, Admiral von Schneide...

You can watch it via the NDR link below, and even listen to the German-exclusive introduction from Heinz Piper. Maybe this evening is the perfect time to give it a watch and join the tradition!
www.ardmediathek.de/video/dinner...

Watching Dinner for One: “the same procedure every year!”🍾

This 🇬🇧 sketch has become a NYE's tradition in 🇩🇪 - up to half of the population tune in each year. It’s usually shown without subtitles, relying purely on its physical comedy. Some fans even recreate Sophie’s meal!👇

A lively and fulfilling year for the BGA, marked by inspiring events, thoughtful discussions, and meaningful connections. From panels to cultural gatherings, we brought people together to strengthen 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 ties. Grateful to our members and partners for their support.