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World Cup Enriches German Economy

Even though Germany lost to Italy this week in its bid for World Cup greatness, the Federal Republic of Germany itself has seen enormous financial benefits from being the host country of this international sporting event that, like both the Winter and Summer Olympics, takes place every four years. Speculation was rife in the months leading up to the 2006 World Cup that among the many businesses set to see a rise in profits were the many brothels of Germany, but there were reports this week that for all of the tourists from all four corners of the globe, the boom-boom business might not have been doing as well as was expected.

Still, cities throughout Germany?s many states saw an influx of tourists, and euros, for the many competitions which have been held since the tournament began on June 9. Some cities, such as Munich, have used the opportunity to update their infrastructure or even the nature of the industries in their area. Munich is known for BMW, beer, and Bayern Munich, the local soccer team. Once the host of the infamous Munich Olympics in 1972, the city of about 1.3 million people has used the World Cup as a spur to re-think Munich as a center of high-tech development and the performing arts.

Germany still possesses one of the strongest economies in the European Union, much to the chagrin of former military rival France. While France would like to see Europe modeled on their own ? arguably, failed ? economic model, Germany, the U.K. and other countries see it different. Germany?s best performance in the World Cup after many years of poor showings, coupled with a new outlook courtesy of Chancellor Angela Merkel, may give Germany the confidence boost it needs to keep its economy strong and productive well into the near future.