Saudi Arabia has offered to build 200 mosques in Germany for Syrian refugees who have fled to Europe.

As many as 20,000 refugees entered Germany from Hungary by train, bus and on foot last weekend, in an influx that was described as "breathtaking".

Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a news conference in Berlin, said: “I am happy that Germany has become a country that many people outside of Germany now associate with hope.”

The United Nations has estimated that as many as 400,000 are projected to cross the Mediterranean in 2015, with a further 450,000 predicted for next year.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Saudi Arabia – quoting a report in Arabic newspaper Al Diyar – has offered to build as many as 200 mosques in Germany for Muslims who have fled war-torn Syria.