Modern Life - Experiencing Germany

Darmstadt, Mathildenhöhe,
Copyright: Office of Economics and Urban Development

German Cities and Regions: an Excursion

Germany – a country in the heart of Europe, reinvented in 1945 and redefined in 1990 through the reunification of the two German states, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.More ...

Jahrhunderthalle Bochum | © Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

From Coal Field to Creative Quarter: An Architectural Walk around the Ruhr area

The Ruhr area’s architectural scenery is dominated by old industrial developments, which have been revived by modern planning.More ...

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Photo: HASCHER JEHLE Architect, Berlin © Hugo Jehle

High-Tech Traditionalism – Architectural Walk through Stuttgart

This walk allows you to explore the treatment of the Modernist legacy through extraordinary examples of architecture – all the while discovering the beauty of the Stuttgarter Kessel.More ...

Paulinum und neues Augusteum | Copyright: Anne König

Spectacular in new ways all the time – Architectural Walk through Leipzig

Boomtown, Shrinking City, Building Site? An architectural tour with ten stops through a city searching for its new equilibrium.More ...

Changing Times, Foto: Meena Kadri (CC BY 2.0)

Oh What a Perfect Day! – Architectural Walk around Berlin

Berlin has always experienced a continuous process of change and upheaval, not merely since the fall of the Wall. The city’s entire structure is riddled with radical breaks with whatever had gone before.More ...

Mortuary chapel at Westfriedhof, water basin at the ribbon windows | © Stadt Nürnberg

Picture-postcard Franconia: Architectural walk through Nuremberg

Nuremberg is doing a lot to preserve its medieval flair – and adding some modern touches to its venerable old cityscape.More ...

Even Madonna sprays in the “Kiefern”; photo: Susanne Sitzler

Pioneer Sprayers’ Hood – A Graffiti Stroll through Düsseldorf

Street art enthusiasts can purchase relevant pieces for themselves in Düsseldorf’s galleries, or enjoy them for free right at the source of origin – in the city streets.More ...

Isar Fun II, Zellstraße, Isarinsel/Muffathalle | Photo: Angela Gruber

Artworks thriving in obscurity: A tour of Munich’s street art

Munich has a lively street art scene. But it doesn’t reveal itself to everyone, it wants you to go out and find it. A walking tour of the spots with the most beautiful and imaginative graffiti in town.More ...

School gym located in the south of Dresden; Photo: Charlotte Töwe

Flood channel, school yard and „under the bridge“: A city tour of Dresden’s street art

Changes in urban architecture, swiftly abandoned factories, and spaces between buildings were among the catalysts that drove Dresden’s flourishing street-art scene.More ...

Graffiti has always been caught between being perceived as art and being seen as malicious property defacement. Photo: Jan Kranendon © iStockphoto

Street Art to go – a Graffiti Walk through Berlin

Is graffiti urban art or just wasteful property damage? Walking through Berlin-Kreuzberg you can learn all kinds of things about how graffiti writers come up with their images and designs.More ...

Supporters of civil partnerships were not able to achieve equality in all areas. Photo: Robert Dodge © iStockphoto

Not exactly equal: civil partnerships in Germany

Germany's Civil Partnership Act (LPartG) came into effect on August 1, 2001. The decision was preceded by a long battle for legal recognition of same-sex partnerships.More ...

In Germany, people are more likely to experience a sense of envy when they see success. Photo: Friis Larsen © iStockphoto

The envy factor – Birds of a feather flock together, just don't step out of line!

A turn of phrase from Cologne says that “You've got to be able to give credit where credit is due”, but it is something Germans often have a problem with.More ...

How did past names come about? Photo: Loretta Hostettler © iStockphoto

Müller, Meier, Schulz: German family names

In German, when one speaks in generalities relating to people, the names Müller, Meier and Schulz are often used to represent the anonymous masses – the equivalent in English to the Smiths or the Joneses. Why is that?More ...

What is so German about the angst? Photo: Jacob Hamblin © iStockphoto

A Typically German Feeling? – The Myth of “German Angst”

People like to accuse the Germans of panicmongering and being overly apprehensive. Theories about the source of such tendencies towards “German angst” should be taken with a pinch of salt.More ...

Absurd bureaucratic situations are referred to as being Kafkaesque. Photo: Pesky Monkey © iStockphoto

Bureaucracy – the misunderstood entity

Rampant bureaucracy is also to be found not only in the offices of public administration, but also in large companies and organisations. Many Germans believe that this is a German phenomenon. But is that really the case?More ...

Coexisting instead of living side by side. Copyright: wagnis EG

New Urban Villages – Alternative Residential Projects in Germany

Loneliness and anonymity are not inevitable, even in big cities. More and more people would like to live as part of a community, for example moving into multi-generation houses or alternative residential projects. In Munich, for example, “wagnis“ (i.e. venture) is a young cooperative building association specialising in neighbourly living. People know one another, help each other out with the housework or with child care, and meet at yoga in the recreation room or for a chat at the neighbourhood café.More ...

More and More “Diaper Volunteers” – Family Allowance brings Dads back Home

Mum at work, Dad at the diaper-changing table. In Germany, just about one in seven new fathers takes advantage of the paid parental work leave introduced in 2007. And there are more and more of them.More ...

A Visual Language of Migration

The Migrantas collective uncovers how migrant women experience everyday life in Germany - using pictograms based on the women’s drawings.More ...

The new target group of the youth hostels – families Photo: © Barbara Polzer

Youth Hostels in Transformation

German youth hostels have undergone a change of image. Turning to families as a new target group, some of them have been transformed into smart accommodation offering an attractive range of leisure activities.More ...

Unusual town names don't say much about the quality of life there. Photo: gemeinfrei

Unusual town names: from “Hell” to the “Kingdom of Heaven”

Who wants to live in “Hölle” (hell) or spend their life in “Elend” (misery)? If you could choose the location yourself you would more likely head toward “Himmelsreich” (kingdom of heaven) and “Glückstadt” (luck town).More ...

Natural Monument to Contemporary History: The “Green Belt”

For human beings, the “Iron Curtain” represented a no-go area. Over the decades a slice of precious wilderness evolved between the borders.More ...

The maypole tradition is deeply entrenched in many regions of Germany. Photo: ra photos © iStockphoto

A sapling for May

Whether it's a towering symbol of prestige on the town square or a display of affection placed against the window pane of an adored damsel, there are still a number of regions in Germany where raising a maypole on May 1st is a time-honored annual tradition.More ...

Gerhard Polt – perspectives from the boat rental guy

Cabaret artist Gerhard Polt celebrated his 70th birthday on May 7, 2012. An unorthodox exhibition at the Literaturhaus in Munich portrays the Bavarian comedian and philosopher of life in a style that reflects his own.More ...

Literature hotels: not just pretty buildings in pretty landscapes. Photo: © Gutshotel Groß Breesen

For Travelling Readers: Literature Hotels

Anyone wanting to travel to track down writers and books will find a small but fine selection of literature hotels in Germany. They are more than just pretty buildings in pretty landscapes.More ...

Many dog owners are in the meantime avowed lovers of the dachshund Photo: Alta Oosthuizen © iStockphoto

A dog’s life – the ups and downs

The dachshund is a bit of a phenomenon. Over the last few decades, virtually no other breed of dog in Germany has been the target of such simultaneous doting or irreverence. But people seem to have rediscovered the dachshund as a loyal companion.More ...

The traffic light man is still a fixed part of East German traffic culture. Photo: Pavel Pospisil © iStockphoto

Green Light – The Red and Green Man at 50

The red and green man of the pelican crossing has now grown up and he celebrates his 50th birthday in 2011. He has been around for generations in Germany and all around the world.More ...

What Remains of the “Summer’s Tale”? Norbert Schütte on the Outcome of the 2006 World Cup

Parties. public viewing, German flags: The 2006 World Cup presented Germany in a completely different light. But did the championship really change the country?More ...

Western Pomerania is Germany's best tourism area for water-oriented travel. Photo: © Abenteuer Flusslandschaft

Western Pomerania’s River Territories – A Canoe Trip through the Amazon of the North

Four beautiful rivers invite visitors to northern Germany for adventures on the wild and romantic waterways of Western Pomerania: the Peene, Trebel, Tollense and the Recknitz.More ...

There are 23 carnival clubs in Berlin. Photo: Nadine Lind © iStockphoto

Berlin Hei-Jo – Carnival by the River Spree

Carnival in Berlin? Many Rhinelanders would shake their heads in incredulity. But “Fastelawende” were celebrated in the capital as early as 1430, and in 1870, Rhinelanders who had moved to the city founded carnival clubs in Berlin.More ...

East frisian tea set Photo: © Deutscher Teeverband e. V.

East Frisians do not make jokes about drinking tea

If you want to get on the wrong side of East Frisians for all time, all you have to do is to tell jokes about drinking tea. After all, nowhere else in Germany is tea-drinking culture cultivated as much as it is here.More ...

Wolves have been more or less extinct in northern and central Germany since the end of the 19th century Photo: Mylifeiscamp © iStockphoto

Wolves in Germany

Fierce, evil and bloodthirsty. It is this negative image that led to merciless hunting until the last known wolf living in the wild was finally killed in 1904. Since 1990 they have been under official protection.More ...

National park of global significance: the wadden sea Photo: Hans-Ulrich Rösner © WWF

From Beach to Beach – The Wadden Sea World Heritage Site

The Wadden Sea has been on UNESCO’s shortlist since June 2009. Hans-Ulrich Rösner, WWF’s Wadden Sea expert, reports on this World Natural Heritage Site, an ecosystem that is globally unique.More ...

The new Federal Länder leave no holiday desire unfulfilled Copyright: Magdeburg Marketing Kongress und Tourismus GmbH

Go East – Eastern Germany as a Tourist Destination is a Well-Kept Secret

Munich, Heidelberg, Neuschwanstein – foreign tourists often walk along well-trodden paths. The east is still a well-kept secret. Berlin and Dresden are among Germany’s most-visited cities, but who knows Schwerin or Zittau?More ...

A Pilot supplies Fresh supplies for the island cinemas in the North and Baltic Seas Copyright: LFH Luftverkehr Friesland Harle

Island Cinemas: New film reels for the Wadden Sea

Pilot Jan-Lüppen Brunzema supplies the latest Hollywood films to the German islands in the North Sea three times a week. And he has been doing so for near 30 years.More ...

German cuisine includes substantial dishes across all the regions Copyright: iStockphoto - esemelwe

The Taste of Germany: Relishing the Regions

Germany is Bavarian, Franconian, Swabian, Hessian, Vogtlandic and Palatine. Germany comes to life in its regional diversity. And so does its food. Regions and cities melt in your mouth.More ...

The Ruhr district today: clean air, and quality of life Copyright: RVR Swakowski

Workmates, Coal, Culture – Structural Change in the Ruhr District

The days when the Ruhr district was referred to as the nation’s black lung are long gone. The air is clean again, and quality of life has returned. The industrial region has become a landscape whose new trademarks are culture, education and service.More ...

„Just Come along with Us... to the Next Film!“ – en Route with the Hamburg Artists’ Group, A Wall is a Screen

When darkness falls on the streets, the hour strikes for Hamburg’s artists’ group, A Wall is a Screen. With minimal means, they project films onto house walls, advertising pillars and hoardings in urban areas. They and their city tours have now become an internationally sought-after attraction. In mid-November of 2008, A Wall is a Screen guested at the Hannover festival “Stadt macht Kunst” (i.e. the city creates art).More ...

Also a stable habitat for many plants and animals: The “German Alleenstraße” Photo: © Deutsche Alleenstraße

A journey under the green canopy: the German Alleenstraße

The “German Alleenstraße” is an impressive stretch of green, tree-lined avenues that connects the Baltic Sea with Lake Constance. It is the longest holiday route in the country, extending roughly 2,900 km.More ...

The Brocken Photo: © Harzer Tourismusverband e. V.

The Harz Mountains: A Mountain Range With a Rich History

It does not take long to find famous people who have visited the Harz mountains. After Goethe had visited, Heinrich Heine was also drawn to the mountains. Travelling in the region today involves making a journey through German-German history.More ...

Neuschwanstein Castle; Copyright: Touristik-Arbeitsgemeinschaft Romantische Straße

A Delight to the Eye and the Soul – The Romantic Road

The oldest and best-known holiday route in Germany stretches from Würzburg via Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Füssen – past half-timbered villages, houses built by the Fuggers, pilgrimage churches and dream castles, all framed by ever-changing backdrops of vineyards, lowland forests and the Alps.More ...

Copyright: Tourist, Kongress und Saalbau GmbH, Neustadt

The German Wine Road

On the German Wine Road, you can drive from place to place and taste the wines which have been cultivated here, in the Palatinate's mild climate, since the Middle Ages. At least, that might be the first idea that springs to mind when you hear the name. But that is just one way of experiencing the German Wine Road – although it is by no means the worst option!More ...

Hornberg Castle; Copyright: Burgenstraße e.V.

Along Germany's romantic Castle Road

The fascination of days of old

Germany's romantic Castle Road between Mannheim and Prague winds its way through the picturesque scenery of the Neckar valley, Bavaria's Franconian Switzerland and the Fichtelgebirge mountains – and the route is simply teeming with castles and palaces.More ...

The German Fairy Tale Road - Following in the Footsteps of Enchantment

The Children's and Household Tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen) by the Brothers Grimm have featured on every home's bookshelves for generations, but were only included in UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register in 2005. The German Fairy Tale Road brings them to life in truly diverse ways.More ...