Minster and Berlin are towns that have extremely similar cultural backgrounds to one another with both of them being predominately German. However, as these two places have grown they have become vastly unique even given their heritage. This would be expected with the size differentiation between the two; however, not only are their cultures different but so are most of their cultural barriers.
Minster is a small German town who is rooted deeply in a few aspects. Religion (Catholicism) and reputation are what most people in Minster hang their hat on. With almost everyone being a Catholic and white whose families have lived there for many generations, it is easy to see how a town can become so alienated to the outside world (History of Village of Minster). Not being from Minster, I experienced these biases that are formed through such a small tight-nit community such as Minster. It was almost like if you were not from Minster, they knew you were not whether it be the way you dress, the way you talk, or simply just because they know everyone in the town, they knew. For example, I am not a Catholic so I never attended mass on Wednesdays or church on Sundays with my classmates and neighbors. This is not to say my family was shunned from the town, I simply just missed out on a large amount of friendship making through experiences that are so crucial to your social life (German Culture). I guess you could say I did not assimilate completely to their culture like someone whose family has lived there for hundreds of years would, so in a way, I was an outsider living on the inside of a community I was never fully apart of. I never gained a truly great reputation because of this fact and resulting from this I just felt like I was always invited places a little bit less than everyone else. In hindsight though, I do not blame my classmates for this, it is simply what is is taught to them by their family members and their family members before them.
Berlin in regards to size and population makes Minster look like a city block. This obviously would allow for more diversity but also in the same way a richer culture. You would not feel different or left out in Berlin simply because of your religion, skin color, or political views. You would simply feel different because of the culture itself that is Berlin. To outsiders it may seem like Berlin is crude, rude, or even just down right mean, but to Berliners that is home. It is not something that is as easily fixed as just going to a certain church to feel like a part of the community like Minster, but it is something that just takes time to develop. Anyone can be a Berliner, it just takes time to adjust Some could see that negatively, but also you have to respect the culture that has developed through periods of great hardship. There is not another city in the world that has been through so much, is still so strong, but is still very unique compared to everywhere else in the world with excellence in all forms of arts, sciences, history, and their beautiful landscape (Berlin – City of Culture). Even though their culture may be a barrier to outsiders, it is still a beautiful thing that can not quite be copied anywhere else.
Minster and Berlin like I stated before are vastly different in terms of size and population. However, in their blood they are still German and all Germans hold at least one thing in common: camaraderie. I am not speaking of just in the sense of being happy for a sports team that won, but rather in the way that at the end of the day anyone would do whatever it takes to help out a neighbor, friend, or family member (German Culture). It may seem that people from each town are selfish from the outside looking in, but in reality it is just them looking out for their own. Love it or hate it, it is the way they live and nobody will change that, because they both share the trait of being stubborn too.
Works Cited
“Berlin – City of Culture.” Alpha Language Schools, Alpadia Berlin, 2016, www.prolog-berlin.com/en/berlin-art-culture.htm.
“The History of the Village of Minster.” Minster a Great Community, Village of Minster, 2016, www.minsteroh.com/residents/history-minster.
Zimmermann, Kim Ann. “German Culture: Facts, Customs, and Traditions.” Live Science, edited by Alina Bradford, Purch, 23 Jan. 2015, www.livescience.com/44007-german-culture.html.