Summer in Germany

A woman plays badminton with her daughter Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut
Paula in the bike shop “Kettenreaktion” in Leipzig-Connewitz Photo (detail): © Ula Brunner

Working in summer: bicycle mechanic
 “If you work in a bike shop in the summer, you have to be stress-resistant”

Tube change, adjusting the brakes, selling: summer is peak season for the bicycle shop “Kettenreaktion” (Chain Reaction) – and for trainee Paula. Sometimes, she says, 30 to 40 customers come in at a time. She still enjoys the work.
The cellist Matthias Schreiber is a guest musician every two years at the Bayreuth Festival Photo (detail): © Ula Brunner

Working in summer: cellist
 “I play ‚Lohengrin‘ in shorts and flip-flops”

When his colleagues in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra go on summer break, the cellist Matthias Schreiber will be sitting in the orchestra pit of the Bayreuth Festival. Instead of a holiday, a Wagnerian treat.
  • A man sits on a bench and looks at a waterfall. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Summer, Sun, Germany


    There’s nothing more pleasant than being outside in the sun and warmth. We have collected impressions of people enjoying the summer and sun!

  • A small dog looks out of a backpack on a hike. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    On a hike with the dog

    The Germans love hiking. And if the four-legged friends can’t keep up, it’s fine with him to come in a bag!

  • Two hikers and their dog lie in the sun and rest. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Soaking up the sun and vitamin D

    Other dogs make even their masters run out of breath!

  • A young woman is lying in a hammock in the garden. Photo (detail): Eva Fritsch © Goethe-Institut


    North, east, south, or west, home is best

    The summer can be enjoyed right on your own doorstep. A hammock is perfect for this.

  • An allotment garden with various plots. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Working in the garden is back in fashion

    Allotment gardens are booming in Germany. They are especially popular in big cities. To get a lot, some garden lovers have to wait several years.

  • A young man watering a vegetable patch in an allotment garden. Photo (detail): Lorena Meier © Goethe-Institut


    Allotment gardens are very minimalist

    For some, even a small bed is enough to grow radishes, tomatoes and maybe a few herbs.

  • A group of people relax on Königsplatz in Munich. Photo (detail): Eva Fritsch © Goethe-Institut


    Meeting point at the Königsplatz

    There are places in every city that have established themselves as meeting places. In Munich one of these is the Königsplatz. The stairs in front of Glyptothek and Collection of Classical Antiquities invite many people to linger.

  • Groups of people sit by a stream in the English Garden. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Have a picnic with friends

    German cities are proud of their numerous green spaces that serve as havens of relaxation. The English Garden in Munich, with its almost four square kilometers in area, is one of the largest inner-city parks in Germany.

  • Young people sit around a grill and grill meat. Photo (detail): Eva Fritsch © Goethe-Institut


    No summer without barbecuing

    Germans love to barbecue. Despite the increasing number of vegetarians, meat retains the place of honor on the grill.

  • A pleasure steamer on a river. Photo (detail): photoguides © Tourist-Information Bad Wimpfen


    Exploring the region by boat

    Those who find locomotion in the countryside too drab take instead an excursion steamer. The new perspective makes familiar places look very different.

    Authors: Eva Frisch and Svetlana Kerestely, trainees at goethe.de/kultur.

The juggler D<i>Juggledy</i> at the Puebla Festival in Mexico Photo (detail): © Jan Manske

Working in summer: juggler
 “What remains after the show is exhilaration”

The Berlin juggler DJuggledy has been touring the world for more than fifteen years – and has become a big success. On the road, he says, it’s all about one thing: performance.
Like a refreshment? Heidi Knappe with her homemade woodruff punch Photo (detail): © Ula Brunner

Working in summer: herb gardener
 “People should be able to recognize a herb”

Summer is peak season in the idyllic herb garden of Heidi Knappe: collecting, cooking, marveling. Who would have thought that there’s so much in plantain, woodruff and company?
Susann Stark loves her work at the Water Rescue Service of Graal-Müritz Photo (detail): © Ula Brunner

Working in summer: lifesaver
 “For me, there’s no place more beautiful”

The love that makes Susann Stark spend her weekends in a tower on a Baltic Sea beach isn’t entirely innocent – not at least in the summer.
A passionate pilot: Peter Rix in the cockpit Foto (Ausschnitt): © Lufthansa, Oliver Rösler

Working in summer: aircraft captain
 “I Like Flying To Where There’s More Daylight”

As an aircraft captain, Peter Rix travels all over the world. That’s exactly what he likes about his job. In the warm season, he says, flying is especially nice. Not just for the passengers, but also for the crew.
Captain Robert Schneider on his boat. Photo (detail): Robert Schneider © Robert Schneider

Working in summer: capitain
 „As a captain, you always have to be at your best“

Rarely in Baden-Württemberg are so many ships on the water as at the summer festival “River Mood on the Neckar”. Year after year, Robert Schneider is at the helm. Goethe.de/kultur tells what the captain’s everyday life looks like and for which port he most likes to set sail.
Gardener Thomas Heller with rhododendrons Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut

Working in summer: gardener
 “The water is there for watering, not for bathing.”

Gardening for Thomas Heller is not only a profession but also a life style. Even when he sees the green spaces between the tram tracks, he thinks about how the grass is doing.
  • A group of people do outdoor sports. Photo (detail): Gina Gorny © Open Air Fitness


    Germans' Favourite Summer Sports

    When the days are long and warm, there's nothing better than being outdoors after work or on weekends. In Germany, there are plenty of opportunities for this even in big cities. Our picture gallery tells how Germans combine their excursion in nature with a workout.

  • A girl and a woman play badminton together in the sun. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Not against but with each other

    The game enhances coordination, responsiveness and stamina. The German language distinguishes between the terms “Federball” and “badminton”. The goal of the latter is to beat the opponent as fast as possible. In contrast, Federball players usually see themselves as a team and like above all a good long rally.

  • A young man juggling flowersticks in a park. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Tricks with flower sticks

    In the English Garten, a park in Munich, jugglers attract attention with flower sticks. The juggling device got this name from its ruffles, which are a bit reminiscent of a flower. Juggling requires a lot of patience and practice.

  • Ein Junge klettert in einem Kletterwald. Photo: Robert Niedring © Kletterinsel Fürstenfeld


    Higher, bolder, faster

    Adventure, physical challenges and, above all, fear of heights await children and adults in the high ropes course. Climbing high, daring a Tarzan-jump, or walking on a rope are real tests of nerve. The climbing activities differ in the level of difficulty and everyone can choose the tasks according to his or her own strength.

  • A young woman is canoeing down a river. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Downstream by canoe

    Familiar regions can be rediscovered by water. Some people want to relax while canoeing and let themselves drift along with the current for a few hours. Others paddle hard for two or three days, sleeping in a tent at a campsite.

  • A surfer is surfing on a wave, other surfers are waiting and watching him. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Surfing in the middle of the city

    A short wait, then it’s your turn! How long you can enjoy the wave depends on you; if you fall into the water, the next in line is already riding the wave. Surfing on the Eisbach Wave in the English Garden in Munich is now also known abroad and is one of the attractions popular with tourists.

  • Two men jogging around town. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Everyone runs

    There is no more accessible sport than running. Appropriate clothes and a pair of good shoes – that’s all you need. Various companies and city runs raise the motivation. We’re talking about not only the marathon or half marathon. The 5 or 10 kilometer runs are just as much fun.

  • A man and a woman do strength training. Photo (detail): Gina Gorny © Open Air Fitness


    Strength training in the fresh air

    Strength exercises are more fun out of doors! Outdoor fitness uses tree trunks, walls or railings for training.

  • A man balancing on a slackline in a park. Photo (detail): Eva Fritsch © Goethe-Institut


    A true challenge for your sense of balance

    Unlike tightrope walking, which has a long tradition in the circus, slacklining is a relatively new sport. It comes from the USA and was developed by climbers in the early 1980s as a training method. Since 2010, people have also been balancing themselves on a taut rope in German parks.

  • A man and a woman are doing stand-up paddling. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    From Hawaii to Bavaria

    Stand-up paddling (or SUP) was developed in Hawaii. In the 1950s surf instructors paddled there standing on a longboard in the waves and photographed surfing tourists. With the development of waterproof cameras, SUP lost its importance. It was only later, in 2000, that SUP established itself as a water sport in its own right.

  • Young men look at a lake in the sun. Photo (detail): Svetlana Kerestely © Goethe-Institut


    Pure relaxation

    And if you don’t want to paddle yourself, enjoy the sight of others doing it!

    Authors: Eva Frisch and Svetlana Kerestely, trainees at goethe.de/kultur.

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