1. By the time Germany became a nation state in 1871, many cultural institutions had been established in the various states, and these retained their importance after 1871.
2. The cities and communes, which bear the cost of 63% of all state spending on culture and the arts.
3. Admission to primary school is permitted only after the child has passed a language proficiency test; language training is on offer and made compulsory for those in need of it.
4. No. The federal nature of arts subsidies means that the regional centres are likely to continue to serve as cultural centres for their Länder.
5. The newspaper industry is dominated by local and regional papers. On weekdays 330 titles are published with a print run of 16 million. National papers sell 5 million daily. There are nine regional public broadcasting stations catering for the various German states.