Lifestyle

Digital Zine
Stillstand

The earth rotates, everything is in constant motion, change is a necessity. It’s high time for a magazine dedicated to stillness: a collection of pieces from international artists and writers in homage to standstills and their poetic beauty.

Upcycling
Cuba: Turning Scarcity Into Style

Fashion from Havana was glamourous, colourful and a big hit with celebrities from the USA and Caribbean in the fifties – until the Cuban revolution turned the fashion industry into an economy of scarcity. Cuba’s designers are now turning need into something creative. 
 

Word! The Language Column
Body, Language

Dialect, dance, sign language, gesture – other animals communicate in surprisingly diverse ways. Manon Hopf gives us the lowdown.

Diverse Perspectives on Techno
Techno Worlds

As a global phenomenon, techno has not only shaped music history, but has also set impulses that influence contemporary culture, art, pop culture, media consumption, and technologies. Beginning in May 2022, TECHNO WORLDS, an exhibition at the intersection of music, art, pop, media, and technology in relation to the multifaceted techno scene, will travel across North America, with stops in Montreal, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.

Culture of Remembrance
“We Can All Identify With the Fate of an Actual Individual”

Youngsters are often reproached for lacking interest in history. But studies show that they’re quite interested in the history of National Socialism, for example, though their knowledge thereof is often sketchy. How can this dark chapter in Germany’s recent past be conveyed in a way that speaks to young people?

Detours
Quentin Tarantino on the Market Square

Görlitz. Never heard of the place? Well, it’s true that it isn’t exactly the first town recommended to people visiting Germany. And yet it has something to offer that no other town in Germany can match – not even Berlin, which is said to have it all.
 

Kinder Surprise
The Big Shake-Up

They’ve been a permanent fixture in the confectionery aisle at supermarkets, fuel stations and kiosks since 1974: Kinder Surprise eggs. These toy-filled chocolate eggs fascinate people almost everywhere in the world.
 

Community Warden
Guardians of the Sumatran Rainforest

Hutan Harapan in Sumatra has been in existence as long as anyone can remember. This forest is the habitat of the Indigenous community of Batin Sembilan, and is under threat by over-exploitation and the establishment of oil palm plantations. Therefore, as community wardens they try to protect the rainforest's biodiversity. 

SoundBites
Clap-Along Songs Win the Day

Visionary songs that only retrospectively hit the right note for their time often run the risk of flopping in the present moment. That’s what happened in 1971 to the song Der Hund von Baskerville by hit duo Cindy & Bert. There’s a story to tell about this, which extends from the German Romantic period to the present day, and from Völklingen in Saarland to Beverly Hills, California.

Encyclopaedias
Memories of Brockhaus

Which of you now aged 40-plus no longer remembers those hefty volumes on your parents’ bookshelves: encyclopaedias like “Brockhaus” were the epitome of education and knowledge per se – until the internet and Wikipedia heralded the end of an era.
 

Andreas Dorau
That’s Democracy – It Never Gets Boring

Sometimes songs take on a meaning that’s completely different from the one that was actually planned. Andreas Dorau experienced this with his song Demokratie: intended as a light-hearted pop tune, the song is played even now when it comes to upholding democratic values. 

Make the Brown Rat D.C.’s Mascot
Taxation Without Rodential Representation

Achieving statehood comes with all sorts of perks, including the opportunity to name a state animal. And what creature is more suitable to represent Washington, D.C., than Rattus norvegicus, the brown rat?

Granny Trude
Back after use

Why buy when you can borrow? The Bochum bib der dinge is at the top of Grandma Trude's list of prize-worthy eco-projects. They have everything - from accordions to plum de-stoners.

Frankly … social
Three City Rat Scenes

As department stores downsize, fast-food restaurants disappear and tourists throng to gentrifying neighbourhoods, Maximilian Buddenbohm observes changes in the city as reflected in its resident rats.

Open Memory Box
A box, filled with memories

For many years, surprisingly little was known about everyday life in the socialist East of pre-1989 divided Germany. The "Open Memory Box" changes that with a series of everyday, and for that very reason spectacular, home videos.

Granny Trude
Healthy, green, great: Wild garlic

Springtime is wild garlic time! Granny Trude loves wild garlic, for culinary and health reasons!

Frankly ... integrated
Bread Forever

What are Germany’s biggest culinary claims-to-fame abroad? Beer and bread, of course. Sineb el Masrar tells us why bread tastes so much better ever since the taming of fire, how much we owe the ancient Egyptians for the art of baking bread, and what our daily bread has to do with patriarchy.
 

Magazine
Fehler

How do we innovate and make progress? Our answer: often by mistake. We’re celebrating mistakes and their innovative power in this collection of big and little mistakes in art, language, technology, and society.

Code Switching
“What’s Up, Amigo”

We switch between slang, dialect and technical jargon throughout our day – depending on the situation we find ourselves in. It sounds banal, but there’s even a specialist term for this phenomenon: code switching. But ultimately it’s about far more than language.
 

Comics
From “Filthy Rags” to Iconic

Beyond the comics of Marvel and DC, in 1970s Germany, there was an illustrated world that still transports the boomer generation in particular into nostalgic fits of rapture today. Even kids from the decades that followed still fondly look back on the comic book series of their childhood. 

Jogging
Shoes, Sex, and the Freedom of Just Taking Off Running

It would be hard to find a sport that is older, more egalitarian, or more popular: a tribute to endurance running.
 

Pet Tigers
Cats Are (As Of Yet) Always Good Content!

“Cats are always good content” has been an unwritten and irrefutable marketing law since the commercial internet was invented. No great surprise, really, since the fluffy pet tiger still tops the list of Germans’ favourite animals. Ten famous cats from art, politics and social media. 

Bilderbuch in the U.S.A.
On the Road Again

Artist Jonas Höschl accompanied the Austrian band Bilderbuch, one of his favorite groups, on their U.S. tour. He recounts the unforgettable trip here.

Car-Free Zones in Montreal
Neighborhoods are for people, not for cars

In 2009, the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood in Montreal was ridden by heavy and dangerous traffic. The mayor of the borough had other ideas and pushed through a radical concept of appeasement against significant resistance.

City contours Jena
Life is bene in Jene

Just a prefab city? Not at all: Come to Jena by train and you will find yourself in the middle of a verdant paradise. The city on the Saale is ambivalent and imperfect – which is precisely why our author Nancy Droese finds it so appealing.
 

Gender Equity
Creating Feminist Cities

Cities have the potential to improve women’s lives. But in reality, the planning of urban spaces often prioritises men’s routines and sidelines women’s needs and habits. What does a feminist city look like?

Frankly... visual
Three Truths and a Lie: Our Oktoberfest Edition

This year's Oktoberfest is already over. Instead of summing up, Susi Bumms puts your Wiesn knowledge to the test. Which of these three stories, some more peculiar than others, about the world-famous folk festival are true and which are fictitious?

Frankly... visual
In the Name of Football: Aaargh!

Despite initial efforts to promote women’s football, it has yet to really take off. And before you know it, many a newly formed women’s team seems to vanish into thin air. And yet, the magic of pictures can bring back the Qatar national women’s team – at least in this column.

Frankly... visual
#humanfluencer

Dogs are man’s best friend. They accompany us everywhere, even on Instagram. Besides, dogs are cute, like cats and budgies. As are all animals, come to think of it. So it’s mighty practical that we can make money off our best friends by posting funny pet videos and they have no say in the matter.

Inspirador
How Lisbon Is Bringing Refurbished Bicycles Back to the Streets

During the pandemic, many citizens of Lisbon were left without transportation options that safely allowed physical distancing. The solution: repairing old bicycles to put them back on the streets, serving those who need them most.

City contours: Frankfurt
From soaring skyline to down-to-earth graffiti

Frankfurt does not enjoy the best reputation and is known for its banking district, major international airport, drug scene, and red-light district. And while few would choose the city as their new home, most people who move to Frankfurt soon discover they never want to leave. Our author Eva-Maria Verfürth goes beyond the clichés to show what makes Germany’s financial hub so liveable and lovable.

Frankly ... Berlin
Nostalgia or a happier future? You can’t get more Berlin than that!

The word sounds like a bygone utopia, but perhaps expropriation is the city’s ultimate future. This week, our Berlin columnist Margarita Tsomou takes you with her on a demo that is the knee-jerk reaction of the city’s diverse society to the overturning of the rent cap.

Frankly … social
Young men with roses, unresponsive dogs, and old women waving

Maximilian Buddenbohm rides busses and trains with people from all walks of life – and jots down observations of what goes on around him.

Inspirador
How Berlin Is Calling on Its Citizens to Water Trees

The summers are getting drier and drier, as well as the other seasons, that do not bring the amount of rain Germany is used to. Berlin's trees are struggling. How can a digital platform and an active neighbourhood offer a solution?  

City Contours: Rostock
On its Way

Tourists nationwide know the Rostock district of Warnemünde for its beach, lighthouse, pier, and fish butties. The city of Rostock itself is generally associated with shipyards, the fishing combines used in the GDR, and the Lichtenhagen pre-fab housing estate. So it is high time we took a closer look at this historic Hanseatic league city. 

Frankly ... integrated
Behind accents and speech patterns

What does the way we speak convey about who we are, and how does it influence our perception of others? Dominic Otiang’a discusses this with examples from Germany.

City contours Nuremberg
A touch of Bella Italia

Nuremberg has a picturesque flair and history – including some troubled chapters. The city offers a lot that makes life richer: Our author Clara Lipkowski details spots to experience modern culture, art and curiosities.
 

Granny Trude
Vegan is catching on!

It's never too late to try something new. Grandma Trude has learned some very interesting facts about the impact of what we eat on animal welfare and the environment. And she’d changed her diet accordingly.

Virtualisation for Distancing Purposes
Hybrid Working Worlds

Due to the pandemic, a third of the German workforce is mostly working from home. The concept of “new work” allows for flexible work models and a new work-life balance. David Wandjo, a research fellow in the Globalisation, Work and Production research group at the Berlin Social Science Center, takes a look at the future of the working world.

Travel Sketching
Seven things and the discovery of slowness

Travel memories that remain unfazed by the deluge of selfies: while some people bring countless smartphone photos home with them from every vacation, travel sketchers use brush and paper to record their impressions.

Frankly ... Berlin
Covid past!

In the tangle of rules to control the pandemic, the culture scene has often been forgotten. Now the rules have been abandoned almost everywhere in Germany – including in Berlin. Our columnist Marie Leão works at the Kant Kino and tells us what this on-off situation was like for her.

Frankly ... integrated
Travelling Like Canned Sardines

Summer holidays will be starting soon in many parts of Germany. For families with roots abroad, says Sineb El Masrar, this may mean a long, cramped ride to their homeland and back.

Climate-friendly building
Less is more

Sophisticated building technology and wall insulation have for some years been considered a panacea for reducing CO2 emissions in the building industry. But it doesn’t take much to construct houses with a good climate balance. Also in building the truth is: less is more.

Granny Trude
Household energy conservation made easy

Many people want to reduce energy consumption at home to protect the environment and save some money while they’re at it. But how exactly should they go about it? It's simple, says Grandma Trude, and she’s got a whole bunch of useful energy-saving life hacks to share with us.

The Fascination of the Wild West
I Left My Heart on the Prairie

On the other side of the Atlantic, people widen their eyes in amazement at the Germans' love of American cowboys, and what is likely the greatest number of hobby cowboys outside the USA. A brief look at what is probably Germany's oldest live role-playing game.
 

Life in Berlin
Cheeky memes and satirical videos on the web

Memes and short, funny – often viral – videos are now a fixture of everyday life. They’ve become even more popular since the spread of smartphones and are increasingly reaching older generations, too. So it’s only natural that various aspects – and oddities – of everyday life in Germany’s cosmopolitan capital should become YouTube and Instagram memes too. Here are a few humorous takes on present-day Berlin on the web.
 

City contours Hannover
Probably the most underrated city in the world

Boring? Colourless? Despite what you may have heard, Hannover is none of these things; it’s just as exciting as Berlin or Hamburg – only more manageable and without all the irritations. Time for a visit to what is probably the most underrated city in the world.
 

Lifestyle
Sustainable everyday helpers

Most people would like to lead a life that is in harmony with their environment - but it should be as comfortable as possible and without major restrictions. There are actually a few ideas on how to do this – small everyday aids that have a major impact on the environment.

Silence in the civilization of noise
As Quiet as a German?

Why do Germans hate noise so much, what is peace and quiet to them, and how do they enforce their right to quietude? I ask people who live in Germany about the meaning of ‘Ruhezeit’ and find out how to survive in a country that loves its peace and quiet.

Frankly ... integrated
Aren’t we all for sale?

While reliving his first encounter with corruption in Germany, author Dominic Otiang’a questions why people turn out to be like that - in Kenya and in Germany. Are we all the same and it’s just a question of opportunity?  

City Contours Schwäbisch Hall
Probably the smallest metropolis in the world

Anyone who thinks all small towns are sleepy and quiet is quite wrong, or at least wrong about Schwäbisch Hall. It is home to world-class art and theatre and some world market leaders, all conveniently within walking distance.

Frankly ... integrated
Are we ready for female leadership?

Germany has had a female chancellor since 2005. But with imbalances persisting in the society, author Dominic Otiang’a poses the question: Is Germany as ready for another female political leader as it seems at first glance?

Frankly … social
Time, people and the city: two hours before curfew

The main station used to be a hectic place packed with people. But that was before the pandemic struck. Maximilian Buddenbohm has been observing some very different scenes there lately.

The forest in contemporary art
Innocence lost: caught between city forestation and the club forest

While the idyll of Romantic era songs may be gone, creative artists in Germany still explore the forest today – critically, ironically and with an eye to history. 

City contours Dresden
Pomp to prefab

Dresden has a reputation for being a bit too baroque, stuffy, and reserved. But the Saxon capital has another different side that is modern, alternative, and surprising. Our author Kaddi Cutz reveals the multiple facets of the Florence on the Elbe and overhauls a cliché or two.

Granny Trude
Shared Mobility: Here’s how the mobility transition works

Grandma Trude loves her electric scooter – and is crusading for new mobility concepts that involve sharing, for “a pleasure shared is double the pleasure”. And maybe she’ll find a really nice person to talk to on her ride-sharing bench!

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