Germany Blog

Stories, tips, and reflections about life, travel, and culture in Germany.

  • German Photographers With Bottles On The Brain

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    Leave it to Munich to give birth to Germany’s only photography service devoted exclusively to bottles. With Oktoberfest in its midst and the wine country all around, it’s no wonder that the locals have bottles on the brain. ;-)

    The specific locals are Moritz Wurfbaum, Catharina van Delden, and Veronika Wurfbaum. Moritz Wurfbaum and Catharina van Delden are a part of innosabi, a Munich based consumer innovation and product development company. Veronika Wurfbaum is the main photographer.

    The company they’ve launched together is called Flaschenfotos, and the premise is simple.

    They shoot bottles.

    Their goal is to provide outstanding service in their niche, so the only other product they offer is Flaschenfotos T-shirts.

    The company was founded in August, and the online site was launched in September.

    If you’ve been reading my writings on business in Germany, you know that you really can start a company that quickly, and that Germany is very friendly to start ups like this.

    It has a straightforward pricing structure based on the number of bottles shot. Each bottle shot against a white background in high resolution. The bottles are then retouched (airbrushing is not just for models anymore! ;-) so they are ready for print and online media uses.

    There is a discount for organic and fair trade products, and the target market is retailers, bloggers, and journalists looking for graphics to go with their products.

    Given that Germany has more than 40,000 wine producers alone, the company certainly has plenty of bottles to go after even before starting in on the local beer masters!

    It’s always interesting to me to see what my fellow Germans are coming up with for business ideas, especially when they target off-beat markets like this. It’s just another example of how creative German people really can be, and the possibilities available to you if you want to start your own business in Germany.

    —Marcus

  • Germany’s BAMBI Marks A Solid Gold Achievement

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    While Bambi might remind you of a certain cartoon character by Disney, in Germany a BAMBI does not live in the forest. If you have one, it lives in a place of honor in your home or is on display at your office. The solid gold fawn represents a pinnacle of personal achievement.

    The BAMBI Award may not be well known in the U.S., but in the world of European and international entertainment it is better known than the Oscars or the Grammy’s. In Germany, surveys have shown that 94% of the population is aware of the award — and I’m assuming the other 6% are still babies (who were left unasked… ;-).

    The BAMBIs are simply that big.

    Created in 1948, the award originally honored movie stars. Over the years, it has evolved to glorify all facets of media entertainment as well as global achievements and excellence in general categories.

    Despite the versatility of the categories, the criteria remains strict: You must be extremely popular in your category. Also, award winners are those who “with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public” for that year.

    The award winners are selected exclusively by Hubert Burda Media, the largest print media group in Germany (they run more than 60% of the magazines). The exclusivity and the limited award categories makes the prize truly treasured.

    The 2009 and 2010 BAMBI awards will be presented in Potsdam, at the Babelsberg Film Studio Park. This park is the world’s oldest studio grounds and a very prestigious one, having shot movies with everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Tom Cruise and Matt Damon.

    The ceremony tomorrow, November 26th, will be a glittering celebrity event, as it is every year. More than 6 million Germans tune in to watch annually, and the event is carried on most major networks along with Deutsche Welle.

    Attending is the place to see and be seen for the fall, so everyone who is anyone will be out on the red carpets, hoping to be noticed and wishing to win a BAMBI of their very own.

    —Marcus

  • Stay Connected To Germany With Deutsche Welle

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    It can be very hard to keep up with all the news in Germany when you aren’t in the country. I remember in my early travel days trying to call home and get the latest information, or hunting down old newspapers for stories. I am glad those days are gone!

    For three years, I’ve found myself depending on the main news network from Germany, Deutsche Welle. It provides updates for the international community from Germany. It is a service I have found invaluable for helping me stay in touch as I travel, and I know many others who also love it.

    You can enjoy their updates in many different ways. There is the online portal, DW-World.de, which is available in 30 languages. There is also a DW-Akademie, which runs a radio broadcast and trainings. Last but not least is DW-TV, available on satellite and cable worldwide networks in German, English, Arabic, and Spanish.

    Even though I am not an advocate of television in general, watching Deutsche Welle from time to time makes me feel more connected to my beloved homeland whenever I’m abroad. They focus on current events, and pan-European decisions that impact Germany. Unlike some of the tabloid and infotainment offerings you can find, Deutsche Welle is very well regarded as a credible news source.

    You can also use it as a way to improve your German language skills or keep your ear in practice. Though you can watch it in English, Spanish, and Arabic, their German language programming is targeted at people learning German in addition to those who already have German language skills. This is much better than boring tapes or classes!

    New programs and formats are added constantly as the network expands. They currently claim more than 100 million worldwide listeners weekly.

    I like to think of so many other lovers of Germany out there tuning in with me, and I invite you to be sure to take advantage of all the free resources and information provided at your finger tips by Deutsche Welle. :-)

    —Marcus

  • Reflecting And Celebrating The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

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    Today, November 9th, 2009, is an emotionally loaded day for Germans. We are marking the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall — actually, the fall of the entire Wall that used to separate East from West Germany for more than 28 years.

    Whether we will be one of the millions crowding the streets around the Brandenberg Gate or some of the millions watching at home, there is no doubt that we will be thinking about the Berlin Wall and its impact on our lives.

    For me, it will be quite a day of reflection.

    I remember the day the Berlin Wall came down very well as I was watching and listening to the news as much as I could that time, in every free minute that I had. I’m a West German and the happiness for my fellow East Germans sunk through my body as they finally climbed the Wall and experienced freedom that night.

    It’s hard to recapture that excitement and the sensations, although people are trying. This past weekend has been “A Weekend of Freedom” in the media, with interviews, retrospectives, and footage clips of life with the Berlin Wall and the moment it was torn down. Check Deutsche Welle for special footage online if you missed the original broadcasts.

    While all of the commentary is really something, there is also the impact of the images. You can see all kinds of images of the Berlin Wall online, including the famous graffiti on the western side of the Wall. The pictures span the infamous photos from the speeches promising us there would be no Wall to the well-known shots of the Wall being pulled down.

    These shots will be reviewed again as the State Orchestra does its performance at the Brandenberg Gate tonight, and they pull down the large dominoes that are being used to symbolize the old cement of the Berlin Wall. There will be a large fireworks show starting as the “Wall” is pulled down, and I imagine that I will not be the only one watching with an emotional heart.

    Are you going to be there? I know I am.

    —Marcus

  • Ostalgie — Germany’s Unique Nostalgia Returns Again

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    Throughout October and culminating November 9th, Germany is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Brandenburg Gate will serve as the site of the final celebratory concert and symbolic destruction of a 2 million domino wall.

    However, while the German Democratic Republic may now be part of one Germany, Ostalgie is raising it from the dead.

    Ostalgie is a German phrase that refers to the love of all things East German. It’s a very focused kind of nostalgia. Products, people, and habits that characterized East German life are the main beneficiaries.

    For example, take the Trabant. The car was a symbol of East German life, and now it is being revived, thanks in part to Ostalgie. The Ampelmännchen, a traffic crossing man in East German, has been reborn as a lollipop.

    Then there is the food . . . Spreewaldgurken, a kind of pickled cucumber that was a staple of East German cuisine, sells quite well. It has a kind of cult status, rather than a true deliciousness (in my opinion!).

    And then there are the people . . . thanks to Ostalgie, many East German sports stars, celebrities, and entertainers have seen their careers reborn as commentators and guest stars. This only increased after 2003, when the movie Good Bye, Lenin! brought Ostalgie much more into the mainstream mind.

    However, not everyone is amused by Ostalgie. Some Germans are still very emotional about the divided period, ambivalent about reunification, or hesitant to address it at all. It’s certainly something to be aware of as you watch and discuss the 20th anniversary celebrations.

    To play more with the world of Ostalgie, seriously or in jest, you will find many links on the web.

    You can find sites selling German border crossing signs, greeting cards with East German icons, and even sites that collect East German jokes. One of the largest English based sites is Grenzschild, which also publishes a guide to additional sites in English, German, and Russian to explore.

    —Marcus