Made in Germany

Some protect animals, train young players at the football club or are altar boys. Others even go abroad to help street children. Millions of young people are engaged in volunteer work. Why?More ...

Concentration is written in Nikolaus Braunschädel’s long, slender face. He is now called Brother Nikolaus, following his entry into a Benedictine abbey three years ago. The young man’s great skill and sensitivity are visible as he saws on a tiny something-or-other.More ...

Germans love bread, and they don’t like to go without it when they are abroad. If things go as planned, this centuries-old tradition will soon be accepted into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list – and the chances are looking good.More ...

What makes a German’s day perfect? An exciting soccer game, a cool, pale beer, or a romantic date? Far from it! German young people, at least, are happiest when they can sleep late.More ...

Another idea from America hits Germany: “Greeters”. Motivated only by a sense of hospitality and a passion for their city, these unique citizens happily show visitors their favorite locations around town.More ...

Our society is getting older all the time. Until now, hospitals and retirement homes have found enough young people to care for the elderly and sick, but with the discontinuation of the draft, young people doing civilian service are also disappearing. The so-called voluntary social service year (Freiwilliges soziale Jahr, FsJ) is providing a remedy. We spoke with Eva, a participant in the FsJ and with Daniel, who is performing traditional civilian service.More ...

A new environmental trend is taking Germany and Europe by storm. Young people are banding together to buy up all the stock from businesses which implement environmentally-friendly technology.More ...

Sausage with curry ketchup is a fast-food favorite in Germany, and Berlin claims the specialty as its own. An author who spent three years researching the currywurst phenomenon in Berlin has just published a new book.More ...

In an ordinary apartment house in Berlin-Kreuzberg, the silence is repeatedly disrupted by rapid verbal exchanges. But what is being spoken here is a completely alien language, because deaf persons live in this apartment: they do not use their mouths to speak the language they are using, but their hands.More ...

We enjoy organising, our actions are structured, and we aim to work precisely. This is why we Germans produce superb quality. But work isn’t always enjoyable for us.More ...

Germany is not only the homeland of 80 million people, but also the land of the Wackeldackel (plastic dachshunds with nodding heads), Brückentage (bridging days during the week that let one extend one’s vacation time) and Politessen (female parking inspectors).More ...

Millions of people do it every day: travelling by train. But most of them cannot stop wailing and complaining. Why? Jenny Warzecha took a look around in a train station in Germany.More ...

To keep all doors to the business world open, tomorrow’s “high potentials” are being both encouraged and challenged. Not only in business schools in the USA, but also in private schools in Germany. So-called “coachings” for eliciting the students’ best during their school and university years are in high demand.More ...

Prejudices are a tricky issue. They are mostly negative, often country-specific and there are more than enough of them about the Germans in particular.More ...

Every year in autumn, more than 70,000 students from over 700 different schools in the U.S. and Canada take part in the Award of Excellence contest. The videos showcase a slice of German life in different topics, and every year a new theme sparks a new interest in students. Check them out!More ...

Frank is travelling from Mainz to Münster. Via lift-sharing. Five people journeying 300 kilometres in a VW Polo.More ...

What is “Heimat” (roughly: homeland)? And why is it so popular all of a sudden? One’s homeland is where one comes from and where one belongs. Nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, in Germany, homeland has recently become something cool, modern and normal. And that is the extraordinary thing.More ...