GW
GERMAN WORLD
BILINGUAL MAGAZINE
SPRING
WELLNESS
SPECIAL:
❯ A NEW YOU WITH
KNEIPP AND
PILATES
TRAVEL:
❯ JEWISH CULTURE
IN SWITZERLAND
JULIA BIEDERMANN
LIVING THE CALIFORNIA DREAM
Neue Karriere und Familienglück in Kalifornien
SPRING 2015
$3.50 / ISSUE
$12.95 / YEAR (USA)
ISBN 1 558-7568
YOUR SOURCE OF GERMAN-AMERICAN NEWS IN THE US
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2 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Spring has finally come
and this is usually a time
of new hope and new
beginnings accompanied
by beautiful, sunny days
with the scent of blossoming flowers and trees
in the air. This year, however, the joy about this
wonderful season was
overshadowed by the
news about the fatal Germanwings International Airlines, crash on
March 24, 2015, in the French Alps. Among the 150 victims were
three American citizens, two of them German-Americans from
Virginia. Our heart goes out to the families, colleagues and friends of
all victims. This devastating incident will certainly remain for a long
time on the minds of most of us.
Did it affect my personal attitude towards flying? Not at all! Accidents
can happen at any time, anywhere. Most of the fatal accidents actually happen at home. I personally travel a lot for business as well as for
leisure and I still have complete confidence in air travel. I trust that all
major airlines always make an effort to exercise the utmost diligence
in all areas of passenger safety – even more so after this devastating
incident.
I hope you share my attitude and enjoy our Travel Section, as well as
our Fitness & Wellness Special that takes you to Bad Woerishofen in
Germany, and on to Basel and Zurich in Switzerland.
On behalf of the German World team, I wish you a beautiful springtime and always safe travels!
Liebe Leser,
die Frühlingszeit hat endlich begonnen und damit normalerweise
die Zeit von Neubeginn und neuer Hoffnung begleitet vom Duft
blühender Blumen und Bäumen in der Luft.
Dieses Jahr jedoch wurde die Freude über den Frühlingsanfang überschattet von dem tragischen Absturz der Germanwings Maschine am
24. März über den Französischen Alpen. Unter den 150 Opfern sind
auch drei Amerikaner, davon zwei Deutsch-Amerikaner aus Virginia.
Unser tiefste Beileid gilt den Familien, Kollegen und Freunden aller
Opfer. Dieses tragische Unglück wird sicherlich die meisten von uns
noch lange nicht loslassen.
Hat dieser Unfall meine persönliche Einstellung zum Fliegen beeinträchtigt? Auf keinen Fall! Unfälle können jederzeit und überall passieren. Die meisten tödlichen Unfälle passieren tatsächlich zu Hause.
Ich reise selbst häufig aus beruflichen oder privaten Gründen und
habe immer noch größtes Vertrauen in die Flugindustrie. Ich glaube
daran, dass alle großen Fluggesellschaften immer ihr Bestmöglichstes
tun, um für die Sicherheit der Passagiere zu sorgen. Besonders nach
so einem tragischen Geschehnis wird noch stärker versucht, Unglücke dieser Art in Zukunft unmöglich zu machen.
Ich hoffe, Sie teilen meine Ansicht und lesen mit Interesse unseren
Reiseteil so wie das Fitness & Wellness Spezial, das Sie nach Bad
Wörishofen und in die Schweiz nach Basel und Zürich bringt.
Im Namen des German World Teams wünsche ich Ihnen eine
schöne Frühlingszeit und allzeit sicheres Reisen!
Herzliche Grüße
Petra Schürmann
Herausgeberin
Best regards,
Petra Schürmann
Publisher
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 3
CONTENTS
24
COVER STORY
Julia Biedermann
Living the California Dream
Mein Leben in Kalifornien
24
8
BUSINESS
8-9 GACC Opens Two New Chapters
DHL: High Marks as
Top Employer in the U.S.
VW Looks Back to a
Successful Year of 2014
8
27
10
CULTURE
10 Remembering Günter Grass
12 New Study about
13
the German Language
13 German-Americans:
The Silent Minority
18
REGULARS
18-23 Germany in Chicago,
27
FITNESS & WELLNESS SPECIAL
35
Fit with Kneipp & Pilates
35
TRAVEL
35 Switzerland for the
38
Jewish Traveler
38
EDUCATION
©Alexander Johnson
GERMAN WORLD
Cover photo: Julia Biedermann
Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
San Francisco, Washington, D.C.
40 Culinary: New Spring-Fresh Recipes
42 Spotlight
42-45 Society News from Coast to Coast
46 German TV in the U.S.:
DW-TV Program for May & June
38 Saturday Schools,
Summer Camps & More
40
PUBLISHER
CONTRIBUTORS
OFFICE MANAGEMENT & ADVERTISING
GERMAN WORLD MAGAZINE
Petra Schürmann
Carl Anderson, Malena Fuchs, Elyse Glickman,
Becky Hellwig, Jenny Peters, Lisa Raab
EDITORIAL
Sandra Kashani / Hiltrud Altit
[email protected]
Phone 323.876.5843 / 310.801.0424
Consultant at large:
Marianne Beland, Berlin
is published quarterly by
German-World.com, Inc.
Subscription rate: $12.95/year
Single copy: $3.50/issue
Editorial Director & Editor in Chief
Petra Schürmann
SENIOR EDITOR
Jenny Peters
Daena Caligagan
[email protected]
TRANSLATIONS
Anna-Maria Furlong
[email protected]
Malena Fuchs, Lisa Raab
4
LAYOUT & DESIGN
www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
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HOW TO REACH US
Mailing Address
German-World.com, Inc.
PO Box 3541
Los Angeles, CA 90078
Phone 323.876.5843
Fax 323.843.9954
[email protected]
Subscriber Services
Phone 323.876.5843
[email protected]
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to
German-World.com, Inc.
PO Box 3541, Los Angeles, CA 90078.
Entire contents © 2002-2015 by
German-World.com, Inc.
unless otherwise noted on specific articles.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the USA by
Southwest Offset Printing, Gardena, CA.
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CONTRIBUTORS
SENIOR EDITOR
1 Jenny Peters
1
2
3
4
5
Jenny has covered the
entertainment, lifestyle and
travel worlds as a freelance
journalist since 1989, with
credits including Variety,
USA Today Weekend, the
Los Angeles Daily News,
Scholastic, Cosmopolitan,
Mademoiselle and many other
domestic and international
outlets. She was the Editor
in Chief of both Brentwood
and Scene magazines and
is a voting member of the
Broadcast Film Critics
Association.
NEWS & GERMAN
LANGUAGE EDITOR
2 Ingo Ackerschott
Born and raised in Neuss,
Germany, Ingo moved to
Mainz to study politics, film
and communications. His
goal has always been to be a
journalist. After graduating
from university he worked
for the Rhein-Zeitung. Later
he moved to one of Europe’s
biggest TV companies, the
ZDF. In addition to his work
at GW, Ingo is also a freelance
journalist for SWR.
Malena, a native of Berlin,
finished school in 2014
and is currently spending
three months in California
before starting her studies
in International Business
Management in September,
2015. In order to improve her
English language skills, Malena
volunteers at the GermanEnglish-Spanish immersion
pre-school KIGALA in Santa
Monica, California. Since she
also has a strong interest in
journalism, she contributed
to the current German World
issue as translator and copy
editor in German.
ENTERTAINMENT
4 Katja Lau
Katja began her journalism
career in 1994 as a freelance
reporter for various local radio
and television stations; in 1997
she moved to Los Angeles.
She currently produces TV
shows and documentaries for
the European market. She
also produces live feeds from
California for the German
news station N24.
TRAVEL
5 Elyse Glickman
Elyse Glickman’s work as a
writer and editor spans the
globe, covering a world of
topics including gastronomy,
wellness, interior design and
celebrity profiles. In addition
to her Senior Editor duties
for CSQ, her work appears
in Intermezzo, Taste & Travel,
The Jewish Journal/Tribe, In
the MIX, Tasting Panel and
Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia. The
Chicago native is currently
based in Los Angeles, and
enjoys photography, yoga and
cooking.
TRANSLATION
6 Ida Sophie Winter
Sophie is majoring in
Journalism, French, and
International Studies at the
Missouri School of Journalism.
She writes for the Deutsche
Rundschau, a Germanlanguage newspaper based
in Ontario, and edits for the
University of Missouri chapter
of www.HerCampus.com.
Condolences
6
The team of German World wishes to express
the victims of the Germanwings plane crash,
Alps. Our heart goes out to all those who
6
EDITORAL ASSISTANCE
3 Malena Fuchs
their deepest condolences to the families of
flight 9525, on March 24, 2015, in the French
lost a relative, friend or colleague.
With deepest sympathy, Petra Schuermann & the entire German World staff.
www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
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NEWS
BUSINESS
DHL EXPRESS: Top Employer 2015 in the
Americas and Top Employer Global 2015
D
HL Express was recently certified as a 2015 Top Employer
in both North America and Latin
America by the Top Employers
Institute. At the global level, the
company garnered the Global Top
Employer award, a distinction that
recognizes the company’s commitment to support and develop its employees worldwide.
The annual international research undertaken by the Top Employers Institute recognizes leading employers around the world based
on several areas: providing excellent employee conditions, nurturing and developing talent throughout all levels of the organization,
and striving to continuously optimize employment practices.
DHL Express also received Top Employer certifications in other regions of the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the
Middle East. Overall, 32 countries were granted certifications.
“To be recognized as a Top Employer is an outstanding honor that
acknowledges DHL’s complete dedication to its employees,” said
Stephen Fenwick, CEO, DHL Express Americas. “It is our people
who make the difference in our company.”
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics sector, including
international express delivery, national and international parcel
delivery, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, and
is composed of more than 220 countries and territories and with
approximately 315,000 employees worldwide. DHL is part of
Deutsche Post DHL.
VOLKSWAGEN GROUP: Volkswagen Reports
New Records in Unit Sales Revenue and Earnings in 2014
T
he Volkswagen Group improved its
earnings strength again in 2014 and
continued along its qualitative growth path
despite major economic challenges. With
sales revenue of EUR 202.5 billion (previous
year: EUR 197.0 billion) and an operating
profit of EUR 12.7 billion (EUR 11.7 billion), the group generated new record highs.
Volkswagen AG announced these records on
February 27, 2015, at the conclusion of their Supervisory Board
meeting.
The equity-accounted profit of the firm’s Chinese joint ventures exceeded the high prior-year figure. The activities of the Chinese joint
ventures have always been accounted for in the financial result using the equity method and are therefore not included in the group’s
sales revenue and operating profit.
8 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
“We can look back on the past fiscal year with satisfaction: despite the difficult economic environment,: we achieved our goals
for 2014,” said Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of
Management of VW AG.
The Board of Management expects group sales revenue to increase
by up to four percent year-on-year.
“Given the subdued growth prospects in regions outside China,
there is no guarantee that 2015 will be a successful year – either
for the industry or for the VW Group. Continuing political uncertainty, strong currency fluctuations and tough environments in
markets such as Russia and Brazil present major challenges for the
Volkswagen Group this year as well. In light of this, our forecast is
based on conservative assumptions”, said Chief Financial Officer
Hans Dieter Pötsch.
Sommer explained the
Volkswagen Group’s global
commitment to become
more environmentally conscious from sourcing, to
manufacturing, to the cars
on the road and beyond –
cars such as the launch of
the e-Golf.
A GERMAN IN SILICON VALLEY
M
any famous people of German
descent live in the U.S.A. But
Konstantin Guericke, one of the top
figures in America’s Internet industry,
is still relatively unknown. He is one
of the main founders of the world
famous network “LinkedIn,” which
is one of America’s 10 most-visited
Internet portals, meant to help professionals maintain and cultivate
business contacts. Guericke, born
1967 to a pair of teachers, grew up in the northern German town of
Zeven. After high school, he applied to study in the U.S.A., and was
accepted by Stanford University. There, he chose to study engineering with an emphasis on organizations, technology and innovation.
In May 2003, he founded LinkedIn with classmate Reid Hoffman.
They then began sending e-mail invites to close acquaintances, who,
in turn, spread word of the new network to their friends. By year’s
end, the website boasted over 80,000 members and 14 employees.
Today, the number of worldwide members is estimated at over 300
million. Since April 2, 2014, Guericke serves as a venture partner
of the Earlybird Venture Capital GmbH & Co. KG and recently
joined the Advisory Board of the German-American Business Association in California. www.gaba-network.org
Source: Internationale Medienhilfe – www.imh-deutschland.de
GACC NEW YORK WELCOMES TWO NEW CHAPTERS:
Pittsburgh and Arizona
O
n April 23, 2015, the most recent additions to
the German American Chamber of Commerce
New York, Inc. (GACC) officially opened their doors:
The German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter (GACCPIT) and the Arizona Chapter
(GACCWEST). With the help of the two Cchapter
Cco-Ddirectors, Dr. Helge Jordan and Rudy Vetter,
the GACC West will strive to connect the local German-American business community and to promote
commerce and investment between Germany and the
State of Arizona.
Arizona is one of the fastest-growing, most dynamic economies in the nation. Its innovative climate and lower cost of living attract many global corporations and forwardthinking startups. Companies in Arizona have access to a highly skilled work force due to
excellent university programs and research facilities.
Information: www. gaccpit.com www.gaccwest.com www.gaccny.com
APPLY NOW FOR THE GREEN TALENTS COMPETITION
Deadline: June 2, 2015, 12 p.m. CET
S
ustainable development means leading an environmentally friendly life in a way that conserves resources. Germany supports these efforts in particular
by intensifying international cooperation among the
bright young minds of tomorrow. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has
held the prestigious ”Green Talents – International
Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development” competition since 2009. Visit
www.greentalents.de for more information how to apply.
SAVE THE DATE!
June 24, 2015: German-American Business Forum in Munich
After the successful conference in 2013, the German American Chambers
of Commerce (AHK USA), in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce for
Munich and Upper Bavaria, will host the 2nd German American
Business Forum on June 24, 2015 in Munich
Location: Chamber of Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria in Munich,
Orleansstraße 10-12, 81669 München
Germany. www.ahk.de
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 9
NEWS
LITERATURE
RICH AND INTERNATIONAL
New Books About the German Language
T
wo new books explore the treasure trove of the German language, and how important
it is worldwide. The 1300 page book “Die Stellung der deutschen Sprache in der Welt”
(DeGruyter), by the renowned German Studies Professor Ulrich Ammon, delivers a broad
and profound overview of the current situation and history of the German language. He concludes, among other ideas, that German belongs to the five most important world languages,
but is not duly encouraged by the German government.
REICH UND INTERNATIONAL
Neue Bücher zur deutschen Sprache
W
elche Schatztruhe die deutsche Sprache darstellt und wie bedeutend sie weltweit ist,
zeigen zwei neue Werke auf dem Buchmarkt. Das rund 1300 Seiten umfassende Buch
“Die Stellung der deutschen Sprache in der Welt” (DeGruyter-Verlag) vom renommierten
Germanistik-Professor Ulrich Ammon liefert einen breiten und fundierten Überblick über die
Lage der deutschen Muttersprache und ihrer Geschichte. Sein Fazit ist unter anderem, dass
das Deutsche zu den fünf wichtigsten Weltsprachen gehört, aber von der deutschen Bundesregierung nicht gebührend gefördert wird.
GÜNTER GRASS DIES
D
anzig-born author Günter Grass died at the age of
87 in a Lübeck clinic on April 13. He achieved fame
with his 1959 novel “The Tin Drum,” part of the Danzig
Trilogy. In 1999, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Also considered “the voice of the post-war period” by the
media, Grass has been a frequent topic of all leading Feuilletons. The German news show “Tagesschau” honored
Grass’ “baroque, magnificent, rich, possibly oversaturated
use of language,” with which he stamped his roughly 20
narratives, from “Cat and Mouse” to “Too Far Afield,” © Udo Hesse
from “The Flounder” to “Crabwalk.” In the “Neuen Osna-brücker Zeitung,” the literary scholar Volker Neuhaus called Grass a “German world author,” putting him on the same level of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Thomas Mann.
Neuhaus stressed a certain point: “Grass had a love-infused relationship with the German
language. He loved to play with words, to distinguish their indirect meanings.”
ZUM TODE VON GÜNTER GRASS
A
m 13. April ist der aus Danzig stammende Schriftsteller Günter Grass im Alter von
87 Jahren in einer Lübecker Klinik gestorben. Grass erlangte mit seinem 1959 als Teil
der Danziger Trilogie erschienenen Schelmen- und Epochenroman „Die Blechtrommel“
Weltruhm. 1999 erhielt er den Nobel-Preis für Literatur. Alle Feuilletons setzten sich mit
dem Leben und Werk „der Stimme der Nachkriegszeit“ auseinander. Die Tagesschau würdigte Grass’ „barocke, prachtvolle, reiche, bisweilen vielleicht überreiche Sprache“, die allen
seinen knapp 20 Prosawerken das Gepräge gegeben habe, von „Katz und Maus“ bis „Ein
weites Feld“, von „Der Butt“ bis „Im Krebsgang“. Der Literaturwissenschaftler Volker Neuhaus nannte Grass in der „Neuen Osnabrücker Zeitung“ einen „deutschen Weltautor“ im
Range von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe und Thomas Mann. Neuhaus hob einen Punkt
besonders hervor: „Grass hatte ein von Liebe geprägtes Verhältnis zur deutschen Sprache.
Er liebte es, mit Worten zu spielen und ihre Nebenbedeutungen herauszuhören“.
Source: Internationale Medienhilfe – www.imh-deutschland.de
10 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
©2014 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of all traffic laws at all times.
Any resemblance to the car of your dreams
is purely intentional.
It wears its heritage proudly on its sleeves. And fenders. And roofline. Introducing the Porsche Macan Turbo.
A 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 that achieves 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. PDK double-clutch transmission and
active all-wheel drive with Porsche Traction Management for maximum grip in varying driving conditions. All
standard. The Macan Turbo is built around our defining belief that every drive should be unforgettable. And
every car should be a sports car. Dream fulfillment begins with a Beverly Hills Porsche test drive. Porsche.
There is no substitute.
The new 2015 Macan Turbo
Beverly Hills Porsche
8425 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills CA 90211
(310) 557-2472
www.beverly-hills.porschedealer.com
Porsche recommends
011_GWSpr15_Ad-Porsche.indd 11
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NEWS
EDUCATION
NEW STUDY: German Still Among the
Most Learned Languages of the World
A
round 15.4 million people globally are currently learning
German. As the recent survey “German as a foreign language
worldwide” shows, interest in German is growing especially strong
in China, India and Brazil. In Europe, numbers have remained constant in the last few years. The study is conducted every half decade by
the German Foreign Ministry, the Goethe-Institut, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Central Agency for Schools
Abroad (ZfA). In South America, the Near and Middle East and, especially, Asia, German is increasingly in demand: in Brazil, 134,000
people are learning German, in China 117,000 and in India 154,000.
In China, the numbers have doubled since 2010. In Europe, too, there
is still a large interest in German as a foreign language – there, 9.4 million people learn German, creating the center of gravity for German
learners worldwide. Poland is in the lead, with around 2.28 million
individuals. Globally, 87 percent of German-language learners are elementary- and secondary-school students (13.4 million). In higher
education, 1.3 million university students are currently learning German (8.8 percent). There are around 600,000 people in adult education (4.2 percent). The Goethe-Institut counted 228,528 students in
its foreign-country-based language courses worldwide. Experts for international culture export point to persistent low numbers in impor-
tant
countries
like France, Great Britain,
Russia, the Netherlands and the U.S.A.,
which indicates that the Goethe-Institut is far from
exhausting all opportunities in its language work. Large increases
in certain regions are not, according to expert analyses, due to efforts
by the Goethe-Institut.
Source: Internationale Medienhilfe - www.imh-deutschland.de
Deutsch gehört weiterhin zu den meistgelernten
Sprachen der Welt
D
erzeit lernen weltweit insgesamt rund 15,4 Millionen Menschen Deutsch. Wie die aktuelle Erhebung „Deutsch als Fremdsprache weltweit“ zeigt, wächst besonders in China, Indien und
Brasilien das Interesse an Deutsch. In Europa blieben die Zahlen in
den letzten Jahren weitgehend konstant. Die Untersuchung wird alle
fünf Jahre vom deutschen Außenministerium gemeinsam mit dem
Goethe-Institut, dem Deutschen Akademischen Austausch-Dienst
(DAAD) und der Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA)
durchgeführt. In Südamerika, im Nahen und Mittleren Osten und
besonders in Asien wird Deutsch zunehmend nachgefragt: In Brasilien lernen heute 134.000 Menschen Deutsch, in China 117.000 und
in Indien 154.000. Damit hat sich die Zahl zum Beispiel in China
seit 2010 mehr als verdoppelt. Auch in Europa gibt es weiterhin ein
großes Interesse an Deutsch als Fremdsprache – dort lernen derzeit
9,4 Millionen Menschen Deutsch und bilden damit den Schwerpunkt der Deutschlerner weltweit. Spitzenreiter ist Polen mit rund
2,28 Millionen. Von den weltweit erfassten Deutschlernenden sind
87 Prozent Schüler (13,4 Millionen). Im Hochschulbereich lernen
aktuell 1,3 Millionen Studenten Deutsch (8,8 Prozent). Im Bereich
der Erwachsenenbildung sind es etwa 600.000 Deutschlernende (4,2
Prozent). An Sprachkursen der Goethe-Institute im Ausland nahmen im vergangenen Jahr 228.528 Menschen weltweit teil. Die auf
niedrigem Niveau verharrenden Zahlen in wichtigen Ländern wie
Frankreich, Großbritannien, Russland, den Niederlanden und den
USA führen Experten für internationalen Kulturexport insbesondere
darauf zurück, dass das Goethe-Institut bei der Spracharbeit längst
nicht alle Möglichkeiten ausschöpft. Zu hohen Steigerungsraten in
einigen Regionen ist es nach Experten-Einschätzungen häufig ohne
ein Zutun des Goethe-Instituts gekommen.
Quelle: Internationale Medienhilfe - www.imh-deutschland.de
12 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
CULTURE / KULTUR
German-Americans:
The silent minority
America’s largest ethnic group
has assimilated so well that
people barely notice it
by vlendeline von bredow
[ Two young German-American girls at the annual Steuben Parade in New York. ]
O
n a bluff overlooking the Sheboygan river stands the
Wälderhaus, a faithful reproduction of an Austrian chalet.
It was built by the Kohler family of Wisconsin in the 1920s as a
tribute to the homeland of their father, John Michael Kohler, who
had immigrated to America in 1854 at the age of ten.
John Michael moved to Sheboygan, married the daughter of
another German immigrant, who owned the local foundry, and
took over his father-in-law’s business. He transformed it from a
maker of ploughshares into a plumbing business. Today Kohler is
the biggest maker of toilets and baths in America. Herbert Kohler,
the boss (and grandson of the founder), has done so well selling
tubs that he has been able to pursue his other passion—golf—on
a grand scale. The Kohler Company owns Whistling Straits, the
course that will host the Ryder Cup in 2020.
German-Americans are America’s largest single ethnic group
(if you divide Hispanics into Mexican-Americans, CubanAmericans, etc). In 2010, according to the Census bureau, 46m
Americans claimed German ancestry: more than the number who
traced their roots to Ireland (33m) or England (25m). In whole
swathes of the northern United States, German-Americans outnumber any other group. Some 41% of the people in Wisconsin
are of Teutonic stock.
Yet despite their numbers, they are barely visible. Everyone
knows that Michael Dukakis is Greek-American, the Kennedy
clan hail from Ireland and Mario Cuomo was an Italian-American. Fewer notice that John Boehner, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, and Senator Rand Paul, are of German origin.
Deutsch-Amerikaner:
Die stille Minderheit
Amerikas größte ethnische Minorität hat
sich so gut angepasst, dass sie kaum
wahrgenommen wird.
A
uf einer Klippe hoch über dem Sheboygan Fluss steht das
„Wälderhaus“, ein getreuer Nachbau eines österreichischen
Landhauses. Es wurde in den 20er Jahren von der Familie Kohler
aus Wisconsin als Tribut an das Heimatland ihres Vaters, John
Michael Kohler, gebaut. Dieser ist 1854 im Alter von 10 Jahren
nach Amerika ausgewandert. John Michael ist nach Sheboygan
gezogen, hat die Tochter eines anderen Auswanderers geheiratet, der eine lokale Gießerei hatte und hat dann das Geschäft
seines Schwiegervaters übernommen. Er hat das Geschäft von
der Pflugschar-Herstellung zur Produktion von Sanitäranlagen
umgewandelt. Heute ist Kohler einer der größten Hersteller für
Toiletten und Bäder in den USA.
Deutsch-Amerikaner sind die größte, einheitliche ethnische
Gruppe in den USA (wenn man die hispanischen Einwanderer
in Amerikaner mexikanischer, kubanischer, etc. Abstammung
unterteilt). Im Jahr 2010 haben laut des Statistischen Bundesamtes der USA über 46 Millionen Amerikaner ihre Abstammung als
„deutsch“ angegeben: das sind also mehr Deutsch-Amerikaner als
Amerikaner irischer (33 Mio.) oder englischer (25 Mio.) Herkunft.
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com
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CULTURE / KULTUR
1
2
3
[ 1 Miss German-America and two
4
princesses at the Steuben Parade 2014 in
New York. 2 A traditional costume from
Frisia, Northern Germany. 3 The Hermann
monument in New Ulm, Minnesota.
4 Ralph Schaller of Schaller & Weber in
New York. 5 Kohler’s Wälderhaus
in Wisconsin. ]
5
Companies founded by German-Americans tend to play down
their roots, too: think of Pfizer, Boeing, Steinway, Levi Strauss
or Heinz. Buried somewhere on their websites may be a brief
note that “Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German
In ganzen Landstrichen der nördlichen USA sind die DeutschAmerikanischer in der Mehrheit. Circa 41 Prozent der Bewohner
von Wisconsin sind teutonischer Abstammung. Trotz ihrer Mehrheit sind die Deutsch-Amerikaner jedoch kaum sichtbar. Jeder
weiß, dass Michael Dukakis
griechisch-stämmiger Amerikaner
ist und dass der Kennedy-Clan
irische Wurzeln hat, aber nur
wenige wissen, dass John Boehner,
Sprecher des US-Repräsentantenhauses, und Senator Rand Paul,
deutsche Wurzeln haben. Auch
Unternehmen wie Pfizer, Boeing,
Steinway, Levi Strauss oder Heinz,
die von Deutsch-Amerikanern gegründet wurden, propagieren diese Tatsache nicht gerade. Firmen, die mit ihrer deutschen
Ursprungsgeschichte sowie Kohler werben, sind selten.
Und doch haben deutsche Einwanderer die amerikanische
Kultur aromatisiert wie Zimt den Apfelkuchen. Sie haben Weihnachtsbäume und den Osterhasen eingeführt und haben Amerika
Appetit gemacht auf Brezeln, Hot Dogs, Bratwürste und Sauerkraut. Überall, wo sie sich niedergelassen haben, haben sie große
evangelische Kirchen gebaut. Deutsche in Wisconsin haben
Amerikas ersten Kindergarten aufgebaut und Turnvereine oder
Gymnastikgruppen gegründet. Nach der gescheiterten Revolution
in Deutschland im Jahr 1848 sind desillusionierte Revolutionäre
nach Amerika aufgebrochen, um progressive Anschauungen zu
verbreiten. „Germanismus, Sozialismus und Bier machen Milwaukee zu etwas Besonderem“, sagt der Historiker John Gurda.
“GERMAN IMMIGRANTS HAVE FLAVOURED AMERICAN CULTURE
LIKE CINNAMON IN AN APFELKUCHEN.”
„DEUTSCHE EINWANDERER HABEN DIE AMERIKANISCHE KULTUR
AROMATISIERT WIE ZIMT DEN APFELKUCHEN.“
immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on
Varick Street”. But firms that play up their Germanic history—as
Kohler does —are rare.
German immigrants have flavoured American culture like
cinnamon in an Apfelkuchen. They imported Christmas trees
and Easter bunnies and gave America a taste for pretzels, hot
dogs, bratwursts and sauerkraut. They built big Lutheran churches
wherever they went. Germans in Wisconsin launched America’s
first kindergarten and set up Turnvereine, or gymnastics clubs, in
Milwaukee, Cincinnati and other cities.
After a failed revolution in Germany in 1848, disillusioned
revolutionaries decamped to America and spread progressive ideas.
“Germanism, socialism and beer makes Milwaukee different,” says
John Gurda, a historian. As in so many other countries where
Germans have settled, they have dominated the brewing trade.
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CULTURE / KULTUR
Beer barons such as Jacob Best, Joseph Schlitz, Frederick Pabst and Frederick Miller made
Milwaukee the kind of city that more or less had to call its baseball team the Brewers.
“Germans were not part of the colonial aristocracy,” says Rüdiger Lentz, director of the
Aspen Institute Germany. Many Italian and Polish immigrants were middle-class, and they
quickly became politically active. German immigrants tended to be poor farmers, which
is why they headed for the vast fertile spaces of the Midwest. “The Italians stormed the
city halls; the Germans stormed the beer halls,” went the saying.
During the first world war, parts of America grew hysterically anti-German. Some
Germans were spat at in the street. The teaching of their language was banned in schools.
Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage”. German books were burned, dachshunds
kicked and German-Americans forced to buy war bonds to prove their patriotism. When
New Ulm, a predominantly German town in Minnesota, refused to let its young men join
the draft, the National Guard was sent in. After the war, German-Americans hunkered
down. Many stopped speaking German and anglicized their names.
The second world war saw less anti-German hysteria, although some 10,000 GermanAmericans were interned as enemy aliens. But the Holocaust gave German-Americans
yet another reason to hide their origins.
Today German-Americans are quietly successful. Their median household income, at
$61,500, is 18% above the national norm. They are more likely to have college degrees
than other Americans, and less likely to be unemployed. A whopping 97% of them speak
only English at home.
They have assimilated and prospered without any political help specially tailored for their
ethnic group. “The Greeks and the Irish have a far stronger support network and lobby
groups than we do,” says Peter Wittig, Germany’s ambassador in America. Five years ago a
Wie in so vielen anderen Ländern haben sie das Brauereiwesen dominiert. Bierbarone wie Jakob Best, Joseph Schlitz, Frederick Pabst und Frederick Müller sorgten in
Milwaukee dafür, dass ihr Baseball-Team „Brewers“ genannt wurde. „Deutsche waren
nicht Teil des kolonialen Adels“, sagt Rüdiger Lentz, Direktor des Aspen Institutes
Deutschland.Viele Italiener oder Polen waren mittelständisch und sind sehr schnell politisch aktiv geworden, während deutsche Einwanderer gewöhnlich arme Bauern waren.
Dies war auch der Grund, warum die Deutschen in Richtung des Mittleren Westens
zogen, um das fruchtbare Land dort zu kultivieren. „Die Italiener stürmten die Rathäuser,
die Deutschen die Bierhallen“, so ein Sprichwort. Während des Ersten Weltkrieges entwickelte sich eine wahre Anti-Deutschland Hysterie. Manche Deutsche wurden auf
offener Straße bespuckt. Deutschunterricht wurde aus Schulen verbannt. Sauerkraut
wurde zu „Liberty Cabbage“ umbenannt. Deutsche Bücher wurden verbrannt, Dackel
getreten und Deutsch-Amerikaner wurden genötigt, Kriegsaktien zu kaufen, um ihren
Patriotismus zu beweisen. Als Neu-Ulm, eine überwiegend deutsche Stadt in Minnesota,
sich weigerte die ansässigen jungen Männer in den Krieg ziehen zu lassen, wurde die
Nationalgarde geschickt. Auch nach dem Krieg haben sich viele Deutsch-Amerikaner
versteckt gehalten.Vielen haben aufgehört, Deutsch zu sprechen, und haben ihre Namen
anglizisiert.
Zwar war während des Zweiten Weltkriegs die antideutsche Hysterie weniger ausgeprägt, obwohl 10000 Deutsch-Amerikaner als feindliche Ausländer angesehen und
interniert wurden, aber der Holocaust hat natürlich dazu geführt, dass viele DeutschAmerikaner lieber ihre Herkunft verschwiegen.
Heutzutage sind die Deutsch-Amerikaner im Stillen erfolgreich. Das durchschnittliche Haushaltseinkommen ist mit 61500 US Dollar im Jahr 18 Prozent über dem
landesweiten Durchschnitt. Sie haben häufiger einen Studienabschluss als Amerikaner und Arbeitslosigkeit ist seltener. Erstaunliche 97 Prozent von ihnen sprechen
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CULTURE / KULTUR
small German-American Heritage Museum
opened in Washington,
DC. “Germany has
never been as popular
as it is today,” says Petra
Schürmann, the museum’s director. German
fests and Oktoberfests
[ Milwaukee Turner Hall. ]
have sprung up all
over the country, and they are not only about brats and beer, but
also about tracing genealogy and displaying traditional dress and
craftsmanship. Stuff made by Germans sells. And Americans travel
to Germany in droves: the young to hip Berlin and older folks to
pretty Heidelberg.
On February 9, Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, met
Barack Obama in the White House. They discussed the war in
Ukraine, transatlantic trade, the wobbling euro zone and the
G7 summit in Bavaria. Unlike Indian-Americans, who went
wild when their new prime minister visited America, GermanAmericans will barely notice.
Article first published by “The Economist” on February 7, 2015.
Reprinted with kind permission by “The Economist.” German version
by Lisa Raab for German World.
16
daheim zudem ausschließlich Englisch. Sie sind wirtschaftlich
erfolgreich und haben sich angepasst - ohne politische Hilfe.
„Die Griechen und die Iren haben bei Weitem ein größeres
Netzwerk von Unterstützern und Lobbygruppen als wir“, sagt
Peter Wittig, deutscher Botschafter in USA. Es gab bis 2010
keinen deutsch-amerikanischen Kongress-Ausschuss, wohl
aber gab es Ausschüsse für Kartoffeln, Fahrräder und albanische
Angelegenheiten.
Vor fünf Jahren wurde ein kleines German-American Heritage
Museum in Washington DC eröffnet. „Noch nie war Deutschland
so beliebt wie derzeit“, so die Direktorin des Museums. Deutsche
Feste wie das Oktoberfest gibt es in ganz USA und dabei geht
es nicht nur um Bratwurst und Bier, sondern auch um Ahnenforschung, Pflege traditioneller Kleidung und Handwerkskunst.
Deutsches Handwerk verkauft sich gut. Und Amerikaner reisen
in Scharen nach Deutschland: die Jüngeren ins hippe Berlin, die
Älteren ins schöne Heidelberg.
Am 9. Februar traf die deutsche Bundeskanzlerin Angela
Merkel im Weißen Haus auf Barack Obama. Sie erörterten den
Ukraine-Konflikt, den transatlanischen Handel, die wacklige
Eurozone und den G7-Gipfel in Bayern. Im Gegensatz zu den
Amerikanern indischer Herkunft, die Kopf standen, als ihr neuer
Ministerpräsident Amerika besucht hat, hat dieser Besuch unter
den Deutsch-Amerikanern weniger Aufsehen erregt.
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CHICAGO, IL
BAROQUE BAND PRESENTS “WATER WORKS” IN CHICAGO
CHICAGO, IL
GOETHE PICNIC IN THE PARK
A MUSICAL PICNIC AT THE FOOT
OF THE GOETHE MONUMENT
May 28, 2015 from 6PM – 8PM
Come out to the Chicago’s giant bronze
Goethe monument in Lincoln Park for
an evening of Goethe-inspired musical
compositions, a reading of a selection of
Goethe’s works (in English and German)
and a BYO picnic (popcorn and ginger ale
will be provided).
RSVP: (443) 542-2263
Location: Goethe Monument in Lincoln Park, W. Cannon Drive
and N. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, ILA
www.goethe.de/chicago
CHICAGO BRAUHAUS
MAY FESTIVAL 2015
May 6 – May 24, 2015, 7:00PM
Enjoy lots of “Gemuetlichkeit” at Chicago
Brauhaus with Live Entertainment by
“The Fellows” from Wednesdays to Sundays
starting at 7:00PM. May Fest Specialties
will be served.
Location: Chicago Brauhaus,
4732 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL,
(773) 784-4444
www.chicagobrauhaus.com
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(Dictatorship and Democracy © germany,info/chicago)
May 29, 2015 – June 3, 2015 at 7:30 PM
Baroque Band, Chicago’s Original Tribute Band, now in its 8th season of
presenting Baroque music played with period instruments, presents
“Water Music” under the direction of Artistic Director Garry D. Clarke.
The program includes:
Georg P. Telemann’s “Wassermusik – Hamburger Ebb und Fluth”
and Georg Friedrich Händel’s “Wassermusik”.
Dates and Venues:
May 29 – Music Institute of Chicago, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL
May 30 – Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave., Hyde Park, IL
June 3 - Symphony Center, Grainger Ballroom, 220 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL
Tickets: $39/adults - Ticket Information & Order: (312) 235-2368
or online at www.baroqueband.org
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
EXHIBITION: “DICTATORSHIP
AND DEMOCRACY IN THE AGE
OF EXTREMES”
April 15 – May 15, 2015
The exhibition “Dictatorship and Democracy in
the Age of Extremes: Spotlights on the History
of Europe in the Twentieth Century” details the
struggle between democracies and totalitarian
ideologies of both the left and right in the 20th
century, and depicts the seminal events from the two World Wars to the
Cold War, to the creation of the European Union, and beyond. The exhibition
is made available by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Location: University of Minnesota. Elmer L. Andersen Library,
222 21st Ave. S.
Hours: Mon, Tue, Fri: 8:30AM to 4:30PM; Wed & Thu: 8:30AM to 7PM
ST. LOUIS, MO
MEETING OF THE MODELLEISENBAHNGRUPPE AT THE
GERMANIC-AMERICAN INSTITUTE (GAI)
May 9, 2015, 12PM – 3PM
Fun for kids of all ages, the GAI’s Modelleisenbahngruppe —
Germanic Model Trains Group—celebrates the trains, landscapes,
models, and architecture of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Everybody is welcome at the Modelleisenbahngruppe. The group also
accepts donations of model trains. All trains and landscapes must be
of Germanic origin, and HO gauge models are preferred.
Meeting on the second Saturday of each month from 12PM to 3PM at GAI.
www.gai-mn.org
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ECLECTIC SALON:
20 YEARS OF MUSIC PROGRAMS AT VILLA AURORA
FILM
MOVIE NIGHT AT ESMOA PRESENTS
“THE THIEF LORD”
ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK
“DER HERR DER DIEBE” BY
CORNELIA FUNKE,
Directed by Richard Claus,
starring Aaron Johnson (III), Jasper Harris.
D/UK/LUX 2006, 98 min.
May 16, 2015 – 7:00PM
Bo and Prosper, two orphaned children are on
the run, hiding among the crumbling
canals and misty alleyways of Venice.
A great threat to the boys’ new-found freedom
is something from a forgotten past - a
beautiful magical carousel with the power to
spin time itself.
Location: ESMoA, 208 Main St, El Segundo, CA 90245
Admission: FREE
Information: (424) 277-1020
MUSIC
LE SALON DE MUSIQUES CONCERT SERIES
By removing the stage, Le Salon de Musiques
concerts series in Los Angeles offers a more
personal touch to listeners eager to familiarize
themselves with Chamber Music and learn
through a new dialogue between artist
and audience.
Concert 8: May 17, 2015, 4:00PM
Works by I. Stravinsky, S. Rachmaninoff
Concert 9: June 7, 2015, 4:00PM
Works by Mikhail Gnesin, M. Glinka,
Losif Andriasov, Vitezslav Novak
Location: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 5th Floor,
135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
May 30 & June 7, 2015
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the German artist residence
in Pacific Palisades, Villa Aurora is going to present a series of concerts,
embracing the diversity of musical production in Los Angeles.
May 30 at 8:00PM: Eclectic Salon & MicroFest present: Wolfgang = 2 x 3 + 4
Bach/Schweinitz: Ricercare string trio
Schweinitz: Franz and Morton piano trio [US Premiere]
Schweinitz: Plainsound String Quartet ‘Holy Howl’, Op. 57
[West Coast Premiere] Formalist Quartet + Richard Valitutto
Tickets: $25
June 7 at 4 PM: Eclectic Salon & Salastina Music Society present: Masterpiece Discovery
Brahms String Sextet No.2 in G-Major, Opus 36
Hosted by Brian Lauritzen, from KUSC and LA Philharmonic’s “Inside the Music”
Performers: Salastina Music Society, with special guests Carrie Dennis, principal viola of Los
Angeles Philharmonic and Robert deMaine, principal cello of Los Angeles Philharmonic
For this set of Masterpiece Discoveries, Dr. Bill Sloan has generously loaned the artists use of his
Stradivarius and Guarneri del Gesu.
Tickets: $28; $35 at the door
Location: Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar, Los Angeles, CA 90272
www.villa-aurora.org
EXHIBITION
WORK OF NORBERT TADEUSZ AT ESMOA
June 7 – September 26, 2015
The work of German artist Norbert Tadeusz (19402011) will be exhibited for the first time in Los
Angeles and on the West Coast at ESMoA. The
retrospective spans the entire career of the prolific
painter and draftsman and presents about 30
paintings of mostly monumental scale. Tadeusz was
associated with German figurative painting of the
1980s – a.k.a., Neo-Expressionism or The New Wild.
Location: ESMoA, 208 Main St, El Segundo, CA 90245
Information: (424) 277-1020
Admission: Free
ONGOING
WATCH LIVE SPORTS AT THE
WATERFRONT CAFÉ
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11:00AM - 11:00PM;
Sat-Sun: 9:30AM - 11:00PM
Enjoy a glass of Erdinger Weissbier and watch the
Bundesliga or UEFA Champions League games
with friends!
Location: 205 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291
www.waterfroncafe.com
OTHER EVENTS IN
MAY & JUNE
WATCH LIVE SPORTS AT THE
WATERFRONT CAFÉ
May 2: Austrian-American Club 60th Anniversary
Celebration at Glendale’s Elk’s Hall
May 9: Maifest Dance at German-American Club
of Santa Monica / Music by Blue 2 Band
June 13: Summer Bierfest at The Phoenix Club
– www.thephoenixclub.com
June 27: German South Bay Club – 49th Birthday
Party at Alpine Village Inn’s Emerald Room –
www.alpine-village-center.com
Information: www.germanleague.us
August 15, 2015 – 7:30PM
Concert: Los Angeles Debut of Thomas Anders
and Modern Talking Band
Experience a mega-80’s nostalgia night with the
music that moved generations across the world!
This is a Los Angeles Debut Concert for the iconic
band visiting from Germany!
Location: Starlight Bowl Amphitheatre,
1249 Lockheed View Dr., Burbank, CA 91501
Tickets: www.itsmyseat.com/mt
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5/11/15 10:21 PM
LOOKING BACK
BERLIN & BEYOND FILM FESTIVAL KICKED OF THE YEAR OF 2015 WITH “TO LIFE!”
Star-studded festival days with Hannelore Elsner and Doris Doerrie
In its 19th year of existence, Berlin & Beyond
Film Festival, America’s leading annual
showcase of contemporary film productions
from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and beyond,
brought stars and talents to San Francisco from
January 29 to February 3. This year, legendary
actress Hannelore Elsner who starred in the
opening night movie “To Life,” was honored with
the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Festival.
The actress, often called Germany’s Catherine
Deneuve, was joined by director and author
Doris Dörrie, Academy Award winner
Pepe Danquart, young director Philipp
Leinemann and captivating newcomer
Samuel Schneider at the legendary
Castro Theater. The Festival’s first
“Spotlight Award in Acting” was
bestowed to Ronald Zehrfeld, one of
ELSNER AND MAX
FILMSCENE: HANNELORE
G FILM OF
NIN
the leading contemporary actors in
OPE
THE
—
!”
RIEMELT IN “TO LIFE BEYOND FILM FESTIVAL.
THE 2015 BERLIN AND
Germany, at a gala reception at the
DAAD ALUMNI EVENING WITH
NOBEL PRIZE WINNER THOMAS SUEDHOF
The DAAD Alumni Association of the USA hosted an evening
reception on January 20 at Stanford University giving DAAD alumni
and current scholarship holders an opportunity to exchange ideas
with 2013 German Nobel Prize Winner in
Physiology, Professor Thomas Suedhof.
Based on his own life experience, Suedhof
emphasized how important international
exchange is for the quality of science
in a country. Cultural cross-fertilization
greatly influenced his scientific career:
German thoughtfulness and thoroughness
paired with flat American hierarchies,
and open spaces for more exchange
with your neighboring laboratory was
NOBEL PRIZE WINNER 2013
PROF. THOMAS SUEDHOF
the recipe for his success. The evening
co-hosted by Consul General Stefan
Schlueter marked the beginning of efforts to knit a closer network
among former DAAD scholars who live and work on the
US West Coast.
Information & Contact: http://alumni.daad.org/187849
or www.daad.org
20
residence of the German Consul General
Dr. Schlueter on January 30, following the
screening of the film “Inbetween Worlds.”
2015 also marked the second successful year
of the Berlin & Beyond’s educational program,
“Youth 4 German Cinema,” bringing together a
carefully selected jury of eight teens from the
United States, Canada and Mexico. The jury
chose Pepe Danquart’s true-life drama “Run
Boy Run” as this
year’s winning
film. “Youth 4
German Cinema”
is made possible
by generous
support of
Germany’s
Federal Foreign
GOETHE-INSTITUT DIRECTOR SABINE
ERLENWEIN (L.) WITH HANNELORE ELSNER
Office.
EVENTS
EXHIBITION: LIGHT AND DARK.
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GERMANY
On display: May 1 - July 3, 2015
This exhibition presents a selection of iconic black-and-whitephotographs by Barbara Klemm. Those
capture forty years of political, economic,
cultural and social German history, as they
document decisive events – for example the
reunification of East and West Germany in
1989. Even if the majority of photographs
were taken on assignment, many of them
combine the aspects of documentary
and art. Barbara Klemm, born 1939, is a
German art and press photographer who
worked many years for the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung. The exhibition “Light and Dark” is a common
project of ifa and the Goethe-Institut in San Francisco. It was curated
by the German art historians Matthias Flügge and Ursula Zeller.
Location: Goethe-Institut San Francisco, ART-Lounge,
530 Bush Street. Free admission.
Information & Opening Hours: (415) 263-8760
www.goethe.de/sanfrancisco
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MIAMI, FL GERMAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS EVENTS IN FLORIDA
Another Breakfast Seminar organized by the
European Chambers took place on April 2nd, 2015
again at Greenberg Traurig. Mr. Thomas Heierli,
Cofounder & CEO of Global Wealth Management
L.C., held an engaging presentation on “Economies & Equity Markets USA and Europe - USD vs.
EURO and Swiss Franc”. The presentation was a
technical analysis and outlook on equity markets,
currencies, and commodities and attracted a lot of
members and guests that morning. The GermanAmerican Business Chamber of South Florida
who co-hosted the event was happy about a “full
house” with around 70 attendees.
The GABC is a nonprofit, nongovernmental
organization founded by local business men and
WEST PALM BEACH, FL
BREWS & BBW – CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL AT AMERICANGERMAN CLUB OF WEST PALM BEACHES
May 16, 2015, 12PM – 7PM
Rib and Chicken Cook-off Live Music, different bands are playing
throughout the day. This is a fundraiser benefitting Valentin Brand (a
patient at the Paley Institute) and the Scholarship Fund of Jason Peters.
Admission: $8. Entrance for Children under 12 free.
women in Miami. For over 25 years, the organization has promoted business and trade between
Germany and the US, particularly in South Florida.
The objective of the GABC is to support commercial
and personal relations between its members and
to promote economic, social and cultural relations
between the USA and Germany.
www.gabc.us
THE GERMAN SCHOOL OF ATLANTA
INVITES YOU TO “SPIELSTRASSE”
May 9 at 10AM
Come and join GSA for fun, food, games, silent auction and our Annual
Raffle. Enjoy a Saturday among friends and treat yourself to homemade
German dishes and cakes.
Location: East Cobb Middle School, 380 Holt Road,
Marietta, GA 30067
MAIFEST PICNIC
May 17, 2015, 11AM – 5:30PM
Our Volkstanz Gruppe will entertain you with the traditional “Bandltanz”
around the Maypole and additional dance.
Guest Admission: $17. Music by: Alpine Express Duo
ATLANTA, GA
BUNDESLIGA BREAKFAST AT THE GOETHEZENTRUM ATLANTA”
Until May 15, 2015 at 9:30AM
Come and start your Saturday with a “soccer breakfast”
at the Goethe-Zentrum, meet other soccer fans and
watch the LIVE broadcasts of the Bundesliga games from Germany.
Every Saturday during the Bundesliga season at 9:30AM. Free Admission.
Location: Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta, 1197 Peachtree Street NE,
Colony Square, Plaza Level, Atlanta, GA 30361.
GOETHE-ZENTRUM BOOK CLUB:
“MEIN AMERIKA DEIN AMERIKA
May 31, 2015 at 3PM to 4:30PM
The Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta is offering a monthly members-only
book club in which selected German-language books in English
translation are discussed. The club meets in Classroom 1 at the Goethe-Zentrum
Atlanta, one Sunday per month at 3pm until 4:30pm. This meeting, the book club three
chapters from “Mein Amerika Dein Amerika” by Tom Buhrow and Sabine Stamer.
Location: Goethe-Zentrum / German Cultural Center Atlanta,
Colony Square, Plaza Level, 1197 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta
Information: (404) 892-2388
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5/9/15 5:17 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
THE GERMAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM TURNS FIVE
EVENTS AT THE GAHM
April 4: 11AM – 5PM
Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of
the End of The Civil War: Frühschoppen
with guest speaker G. William Quatman
presenting his recently published biography
about General Godfrey Weitzel
Reopening of the exhibit “The Civil War Seen
through the Eyes of Two German-American
Caricaturists: Adalberg Volck and Thomas Nast”
May 2: 11AM
Frühschoppen with guest speaker Arnim von
Friedeburg on the end of WWII 70 years ago
June 6: 11AM
Frühschoppen with acclaimed journalist
Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto, recipient of the Friedrich
Hecker Freedom Award 2009. Reading from his
latest book “Triumph of the Absurd: A reporter’s
love for the abandoned people of Vietnam”,
and discussion of his book “Griewatsch!”
about his childhood in war-ridden Leipzig.
100 YEARS OF HOLLYWOOD:
THE LAEMMLE EFFECT
June 19 – September 26, 2015
New exhibit at the GAHM about 100 years of
Hollywood’s film history and the influence of
German-speaking immigrants from 1915,
founding of Universal Studios in Hollywood by
Carl Laemmle, and today.
Admission: $5
www.gahmusa.org/hollywood
22
On March 20, 2010, the long-held dream of the founding fathers’ of the German- American Heritage
Foundation of the USA® (GAHF) to have a presence in the U.S. capital became reality with the
opening of its headquarters at the German-American Heritage Museum at 719 Sixth Street NW
in Washington, DC. Generous contributions of members and donors, especially a large donation
of almost one million dollars given by Wilma Schmidt from Pennsylvania, enabled the GAHF to
acquire and restore Hockemeyer Hall, a Victorian townhouse
in Penn Quarter previously owned by the successful German
merchant John Hockemeyer. Under the leadership of Hans Stein,
architect, Rüdiger Lentz, the museum’s first executive director,
and designer Nicole Hamam, a distinguished cultural center with
a sleek interior design was created which is missing any kind
of Old World stuffiness. During the last five years, exhibits in
combination with lectures, panel discussions, and film evenings
were hosted at the museum which has welcomed more than
10,000 visitors so far from all over the world. It is dedicated to
record and to preserve the rich German-American culture in the
U.S. capital for generations to come.
If you like to support this mission, please contact the staff
at [email protected] or call (202) 467-5000. For more
information visit www.gahmusa.org
EVENTS AT THE GOETHE-INSTITUT
EXHIBIT “GUTE AUSSICHTEN: NEW
GERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY 2014/201”
Until April 30, 2015
gute aussichten” presents a unique and farranging synopsis in terms of both the content and
style of the works created by young photographers
in Germany during the past 12 months.
FILM SERIES: FILM|NEU
March 3 - April 13, 2015
Film|Neu, Washington’s annual festival of new
German-language cinema, runs for one week every
year. All films are in German with English subtitles.
STREAMLINING GOETHE:
FRIEDRICH SCHILLER’S STAGE
ADAPTATION OF “EGMONT”
April 16 at 6:45PM
Lecture by Dr. Kerstin Gaddy, Professor
of German at the Catholic University
of America. Organized by the American
Goethe Society. Literature lecture
in English.
No charge. RSVP: (443) 542-2263
Location: Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20001-3718, USA
www.goethe.de/washington
CONGRATULATIONS, FORT GERMANNA!
The archaeological site “Fort Germanna/Enchanted Castle”
has been nominated for inclusion on the World Monuments
Fund 2016 Watch List. As the Germanna Foundation
in Virginia re-starts archaeological exploration and
interpretation of the Fort Germanna and Enchanted Castle
site (listed on the National Register of Historic Places), the
nomination also helps the Germanna Foundation to seek
Historic Landmark status as recommended by the Virginia
Department of Historic Resources.
www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
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5/13/15 10:46 PM
FILM KINO! 2015 @ CINEMA VILLAGE
Thanks to its 35 years at MoMA, KINO! has
become a household name on the New York
cultural calendar for bringing the latest
in German cinema to the Big Apple. This
year, five filmmakers and actors, among
them Hannah Herzsprung, confirmed their
attendance. Events at the Goethe-Institut
New York and Deutsches Haus at NYU
complement the movie screenings.
Organized by German Films, the national
information and advisory center for
German cinema abroad, KINO! opens on
April 9 with the East Coast premiere of
the drama TOUR DE FORCE with director
April 9 – 16
Christian Zübert presenting
his film as one of the festival
guests.
One other highlight is
certainly the East Coast
Premiere of TO LIFE! by Uwe
Janson starring Hannelore Elsner. In this
moving drama two German stars face each
other with Hannelore Elsner playing Ruth, a
Jewish former cabaret singer and the young,
aimless Jonas (Max Riemelt) who drives her to
an elder care center. Ruth gets a new lease on
life, while Jonas comes to terms with his own
health and mortality.
OTHER EVENTS IN NEW YORK:
MAIFESTINNYC – CELEBRATE SPRING WITH GERMANYINNYC
May 5, 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Tickets: $45 or $50 at the door.
Location: Porsche Design SoHo, 465 West Broadway
ABOUT A GIRL treats teenage
depression in a nonreferential manner, pushing
the heroine across the
edge – hair dryer in hand
in a failed suicide attempt,
before she finds romance.
Lighter fare comes in the form of the
charming children’s film THE PASTA
DETECTIVES with its cheeky tone and
vibrant visuals, the entrancing art forgery
documentary BELTRACCHI and the dry humor
of SCHMITKE, about a no-nonsense German
engineer feeling the mysterious power of the
Czech forest he is working in.
KINO! 2015 is generously supported by the
Goethe-Institut New York, Deutsches Haus at
NYU, and The Village Voice.
www.kinofestivalnyc.com
PEN WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL - THE LITERARY MEWS
May 8, 10:30AM – 9:00PM
Location: The International Houses of the Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003
www.nyu.edu/deutscheshaus
AN AFTERNOON “EXPLORING THE RING”
May 10, 2015 – 2:00PM – 6:00 PM
With internationally known Wagner specialist and lecturer Prof. Heath Lees
Location: Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the Y, 10 West 64th St.
www.wagnersocietyny.org
THE FUTURE OF HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE
May 13, 2015 – 7:00PM
A Panel Discussion by Children of Survivors
Location: Consulate General of Germany, 871 UN Plaza
www.germany.info/newyork
EXHIBITION “LOST OR LANDMARK - GERMAN LIFE AND
ARCHITECTURE IN 19TH CENTURY NEW YORK”
May 14 – June 10, 2015
This exhibit compiled by Dr. Ilona Stoelken brings together a selection of
photos and illustrations of buildings and street scenes depicting German
life during the heyday of German immigration between 1850 and 1900.
Location: Consulate General of Germany, 871 UN Plaza
www.germany.info/newyork
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com
018-023_GWSpr15_GermanyIn-Pages.indd 23
23
5/11/15 10:22 PM
COVER
JULIA BIEDERMANN
O
nly recently, through a post from lifestyle blogger Becky
Hellwig on www.siliconvalleylodge.com, I learned to my
big surprise that one of the most famous German TV stars has
actually been leading a regular family life in Silicon Valley since 2010, away from all media glitz –she’s Julia
Biedermann, Germany’s favorite TV sweetheart in
the 80s and 90s.
E
rst vor kurzem erfuhr ich durch die Lifestyle-Bloggerin
Becky Hellwig, Siliconvalleylodge.com, zu meinem großen
Erstaunen, dass eine der bekanntesten deutschen Fernsehschauspielerinnen seit 2010 ein ganz normales
Familienleben, fernab jeglichen Medienrummels,
im kalifornischen Silicon Valley führt: Julia Biedermann.
Julia, der Liebling der Deutschen in den 80er
und 90er Jahren durch ihre Rolle als „Tanja
Graf” in der deutschen Erfolgsserie „Ich
heirate eine Familie”, war mit Start der
Serie 1983 schlagartig berühmt geworden.
Julia became famous through her role as
“Tanja Graf” in the German TV hit series “Ich
heirate eine Familie” (“I Am Marrying a Family”), beginning in 1983.
After appearing at the young age of 4 for
the first time on German TV in “Sesamstraße” (“Sesame Street”) and playing a
few roles in German TV movies, she landed the role of “Tanja” at the age of 15 and
soon conquered teen boys’ hearts in a
storm. Meanwhile, girls just wanted to
be like her. Tanja, the typical difficult
teenage daughter, and her TV parents, played by Peter Weck and Thekla
Carola Wied, were characters that most
German teenagers and their parents
could relate to only too well.
Schon als Vierjährige hatte Julia Biedermann ihren ersten Auftritt im
Fernsehen, in der Sesamstraße.
Einige Fernsehrollen folgten,
bis sie dann mit 15 die
Rolle der „Tanja” bekam
und bald der Schwarm
der deutschen Teenager war. Mit den
Rollen der Tanja
Graf, ein Mädchen
mit
typischen
Teenager-Allüren,
und ihrer Fernseheltern Peter Weck
und Thekla Carola
Wied konnten sich
die deutschen Zuschauer, Kinder wie
Eltern, sehr gut mit
identifizieren. Mehr
The series was a staple on German
TV for more than three years and
reached record viewing numbers.
Soon after, even Hollywood called,
and Julia landed a role as “Ilse” on
the American TV series “The Dirty
Dozen.” In Germany, role after role
followed in other blockbuster series
like “Praxis Bülowbogen” (“Doctor’s
JULIA BIEDERMANN
LIVING THE CALIFORNIA DREAM
-- by Petra Schürmann --
JULIA BIEDERMANN
MEIN LEBEN IN KALIFORNIEN
Photo: ©Alexander Johnson
24 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
Julia with actor/singer Roy Black in
“Ein Schloss am Wörthersee”.
Unforgettable: Julia Biedermann in “Ich heirate eine Familie”
with Peter Weck and Thekla Carola Wied.
Julia Biedermann as Tanja Graf.
Office Buelowbogen”), “Ein Schloss am Wörthersee” (“A Castle
on the Lake of Woerth”), with heartthrob Roy Black, and “Der
Landarzt” (“The Countryside Doctor”). Julia was also a regular in
many German romantic TV movies and detective series including “Tatort” (“Crime Scene”).
In recent years, Julia Biedermann has started a family of her own.
With her husband Matthias Steffens, a native from Cologne,
whom she married in 2002, she currently lives with her two sons
(6 and 10) in Silicon Valley.
“Life is full of surprises.
I am open to everything.”
I was curious how she liked her life in California and whether
she missed her career as an actress. In no time, I was granted a
phone interview, and I must admit that my heartbeat got faster
when I heard the voice that was still so familiar to me through
a decade of watching romantic comedies in Germany starring
Julia Biedermann.
As friendly and open as she comes across on TV or at red-carpet
events, she is a delight to interview. “I truly enjoy my life here in
California,” she tells me. “I have always felt very welcome here.
The weather is great, and with all the available modern technology, I can easily stay connected to family and friends in Germany
and elsewhere.”
While her husband, who worked as a Senior Manager at Google
for many years and recently became the Global P2P Manager
at Facebook, is fully immersed in mostly American circles, Julia
puts a lot of dedication to staying in touch with German culture.
It is important to her that her kids, who go to a English-Spanish
immersion school, also attend regular German classes. She sings
als drei Jahre war die Serie ein absoluter Fernsehhit und erreichte
neue Zuschauerrekorde. Kurz danach meldete sich auch Hollywood und Julia spielte die Rolle der „Ilse” in der amerikanischen
Fernsehserie „The Dirty Dozen”.
In Deutschland landete sie eine Rolle nach der anderen in solchen
beliebten Fernsehserien wie „Praxis Bülowbogen”, „Ein Schloss
am Wörthersee” mit Herzensbrecher Roy Black, und „Der Landarzt”. Neben diverser Theaterrollen an Bühnen in Düsseldorf,
Hamburg und Berlin, spielte Julia in vielen deutschen Fernsehfilmen und im Krimiklassiker „Tatort”.
In der Zwischenzeit hat Julia Biedermann eine eigene Familie.
Mit ihrem Kölner Ehemann Matthias Steffens, den sie 2002 heiratete, lebt sie mit ihren zwei Kindern (6 und 10) in Silicon Valley.
Ich war neugierig zu erfahren wie ihr das Leben in Kalifornien
gefällt und ob sie ihre Arbeit als Schauspielerin vermisst. Bald
schon bekam ich einen Termin für ein Telefoninterview und ich
muss gestehen, dass mein Herz doch etwas schneller schlug, als
ich die Stimme hörte, die ich so gut vom deutschen Fernsehen
her kannte.
Doch so freundlich und offen sie im Fernsehen und auf Veranstaltungen wirkt, so war sie auch als Interviewpartner. „Ich genieße mein Leben hier in Kalifornien sehr”, erzählt sie. „Ich habe
mich hier immer willkommen gefühlt und bin sehr glücklich.
Das Wetter ist einfach toll, und dank moderner Technologie ist es
ja auch ganz einfach, mit Familie und Freunden in Deutschland
und überall in der Welt in Kontakt zu bleiben.”
Während ihr Mann, der viele Jahre bei Google arbeitete und nun
Global P2P Manager bei Facebook ist, sehr amerikanisiert ist, tut
Julia viel, um mit der deutschen Kultur verbunden zu bleiben.
Es ist ihr wichtig, dass ihre Kinder, die auf eine englisch-spanische
Immersionsschule gehen, auch regelmäßig Deutschunterricht
erhalten. Sie singt auch mit ihren Kindern auf Deutsch und
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 25
COVER
JULIA BIEDERMANN
Julia Biedermann with husband Matthias Steffens and their sons Matthias Arnold (l.)
and Julius Matthias enjoying a day in San Francisco in 2011.
Photo: © Peter Bischoff/Getty Images
Julia having fun in March 2015 in Las Vegas with Hugh Brandon (r.) at the wedding of
her acting colleague Wolff von Lindenau (l.) whom she knows from her acting days at
“Die Komödie Frankfurt”. Photo: private.
German songs to her children, reads German books to them and
even produced a play based on the folk’s tale “Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten” (“The Bremen Town Musicians”) at her kids’ school.
Julia has a large circle of German friends in California. . “There
is just a different attitude among people from my native country about what friendship means and how we stay in touch,”
she explains. “Especially when it comes to anything related to
kids things are so much easier.” Trying to organize a two-hour
play date for her kids with American friends, she explains with a
laugh, requires four week’s notice while, with German moms, a
quick call asking “Can I just come by and leave my kids with you
for two hours?” would do the same.
As to her own career as an actress, she is still staying in the game.
Recently, she played in the short film “Reconcile” directed by
Marcus Lucas of Bravides Films, who is also known for his acting
roles in “Grimm” and “Twilight.” “It was a great experience,” Julia
Biedermann says. “I play a German psychologist and we filmed
my part via Skype in one day. Who knows what happens! Life is
full of surprises and I am open to everything.”
It seems as if a dream life in California is coming full circle for Julia
Biedermann.
26 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
liest ihnen deutsche Bücher vor. In der Schule ihrer Kinder hat
sie sogar „Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten” als Theaterstück mit den
Schülern produziert. Auch hat sie einen großen Kreis deutscher
Freunde in Kalifornien gefunden. „Die Einstellung zu Freundschaft zwischen Deutschen und wie man sie aufrechterhält, ist
„Das Leben ist bunt.
Ich bin für alles offen.”
einfach total anders, “ erklärt sie. „Besonders, wenn es um Kinder
geht, ist alles viel leichter.” „Um ein zweistündiges Treffen zum
Spielen zu organisieren, bedarf es einer vierwöchigen Vorbereitung mit amerikanische Freunden”, sagt sie mit einem Lachen.
„Unter deutschen Müttern reicht meistens ein kurzfristiger Anruf
nach dem Motto ‘Kann ich mal für zwei Stunden meine Kinder
bei Dir lassen?’.”
In puncto Karriere ist sie für alles offen. Erst vor kurzem hat sie
für den Bravides-Kurzfilm „Reconcile” mit Regisseur Marcus Lucas, der als Schauspieler durch Rollen in „Grimm” und „Twilight”
bekannt ist, gedreht. „Es war ein tolles Erlebnis, “ so Julia Biedermann. „Ich spiele eine deutsche Psychologin und wir haben
meinen Part an einem Tag per Skype gedreht. Wer weiß, was als
Nächstes passiert. Das Leben ist bunt. Ich bin für alles offen.”
Anscheinend ist ein Traumleben in Kalifornien für Julia Biedermann Wirklichkeit geworden.
WELLNESS & FITNESS SPECIAL
FIT WITH KNEIPP & PILATES:
GERMAN PIONEERS IN
WELLNESS
WHO STAND THE TEST OF TIME
DEUTSCHE FITNESS &
WELLNESS PIONIERE
DIE LEHREN VON KNEIPP UND PILATES
HABEN BIS HEUTE ÜBERLEBT
G
ermans have always led the world in the universal quest
for wellness and fitness, ever since the first Neanderthal
man eased into one of the countless hot mineral springs
that dot Germany’s landscape. The Romans knew that Germania had the right idea; for while those southern invaders could never quite conquer the Germans, they brought
the idea of building bathhouses over thermal springs to the
country. Visitors today can still find Roman baths in BadenBaden, Aachen, Wiesbaden and beyond, as Germans over
the centuries have continued to embrace the health aspects
of taking the waters and enjoying a spa experience.
In more modern times, two far-seeing Germans took the
search for optimum wellness to its highest levels, pioneering ideas that resonate today, in all parts of the world. Those
two pioneers – Father Sebastian Kneipp in the 19th century
and Joseph Pilates in the 20th – each developed systems of
healthy living that have stood the test of time. In fact, both
men’s ideas are probably more popular today than when
they first developed them!
S
chon seit sich die ersten Neandertaler in einer der vielen
Mineralquellen Deutschlands entspannt haben, haben
die Deutschen weltweit die Nase in puncto Fitness und Wellness vorn gehabt. Schon die Römer wussten, dass diese Germanen die richtige Idee hatten: Während die südlichen Angreifer Germanien nie wirklich besiegen konnten, brachten
sie die Idee zum Bau von Badehäusern an den Orten der
Thermalquellen ins Land. Besucher können noch heute
römische Bäder in Baden-Baden, Aachen, Wiesbaden und
anderen Orten besuchen, da man in Deutschland über Jahrhunderte hinweg dem gesundheitlichen Aspekt von Wasser
und Badekuren viel Bedeutung beigemessen hat.
In jüngerer Zeit haben sich zwei vorausschauende Männer
mit zukunftsweisenden Ideen auf der Suche nach einem
optimalen Gesundheitskonzept beschäftigt. Noch heute
sind ihre Lehren in der ganzen Welt bekannt. Diese beiden
Pioniere – Sebastian Kneipp im 19. Jahrhundert und Joseph
Pilates als Fitness-Guru des 20. Jahrhundert - entwickelten
Richtlinien für einen gesunden Lebensstil, die die Zeiten
überdauerten und prägten. Fakt ist, dass beider Lehren
heute wahrscheinlich beliebter sind als zu ihrer Zeit!
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 27
WELLNESS | FITNESS
THE
SEBASTIAN KNEIPP
KNEIPP PHILOSOPHY
OF NATURAL MEDICINE AND HOLISTIC THOUGHT
F
or Sebastian Kneipp,
the key to finding
a wellness system for
many began with a
personal
experience.
In 1846, Kneipp, then a
25-year-old student who
planned to become a
Catholic priest, was diagnosed with pulmonary
tuberculosis. By 1849, as
he began his seminary
studies, his body was in
complete collapse.
So Kneipp, armed with
information from a book
on the healing power of
cold water by the physician Johann Siegmund
Hahn, attempted his
own cure. On November
16, 1849, Kneipp ran a
distance to the Danube River, then, sweating profusely, submerged himself in the frigid water for a few moments. He
then dressed and ran back home. The next day, he felt much
improved, so much so that he did it again three days later.
The system, which evolved into the Kneipp water cure
still practiced today, helped cure his tuberculosis. Healthy
again, Kneipp completed his studies and was ordained as a
priest in 1852. His treatment system had already
garnered interest among his friends at the seminary and gained more followers as he ministered free of charge to desperate patients
who came to him for help. And when Father
Kneipp cured a woman of cholera, his reputation for success as a healer became the stuff of
legend.
He moved to Bad Wörishofen in Bavaria in 1855,
where thermal springs abound, and in the ensuing
42 years continued to expand on his water therapy
concepts, adding in herbal medicine to create an
overall life therapy system designed for preventive
health care as well as for treatment of specific ailments and diseases. He became a famed author, lecturer and businessman, creating the Kneipp brand
of medicinal products and nutritional supplements
along with pharmacist Leonhard Oberhäußer that
still thrives today.
28 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
KNEIPP PHILOSOPHIE
DIE
DER NATURHEILKUNDE UND DES
GANZHEITLICHEN DENKENS
F
ür Sebastian Kneipp begann die Suche nach einer ganzheitlichen Heilmethode mit einer persönlichen Erfahrung.
1846 wurde der damals 25 Jahre alte Student, der katholischer Priester werden wollte, mit Tuberkulose diagnostiziert.
Als er 1849 mit dem Priesterseminar anfing, stand sein Körper
kurz vor dem kompletten Zusammenbruch.
So unternahm Kneipp, ausgerüstet mit einem Buch des
Physikers Johannes Siegmund Hahn über die heilende Kraft
von kaltem Wasser, den Versuch der Selbstheilung. Am 16.
November 1849 rannte Kneipp eine Strecke zur Donau,
schwitzte dabei sehr und tauchte anschließend für einige
Sekunden in das kalte Flusswasser. Wieder angezogen rannte
er den ganzen Weg zurück nach Hause. Am nächsten Tag fühlte er
sich so viel besser, dass er die ganze Prozedur drei Tage später
wiederholte.
Diese Methode, die sich als Kneippsche Wasserkur etablierte
und noch heute praktiziert wird, half seine Lungentuberkulose zu heilen. Wieder gesund, schloss Kneipp sein Studium
ab und wurde 1852 zum Priester geweiht.
Sein Heilverfahren hatte unter seinen Priesterkollegen schon
großes Interesse geweckt und seine Anhängerzahl wuchs
schnell, als er begann, verzweifelte Kranke kostenlos zu behandeln. Als Vater Kneipp schließlich eine Frau von Cholera
heilte, wurde er als erfolgreicher Heiler zur Legende.
1855 zog er nach Bad Wörishofen in Bayern, wo
es zahlreiche Thermalquellen gibt, und
entwickelte 42 Jahre lang seine Methode
der therapeutischen Anwendung von
Wasser weiter. In Verbindung mit Heilpflanzenkunde schuf er ein Gesamttherapiekonzept zur Vorbeugung
von Krankheiten und Heilung spezifischer Beschwerden und Erkrankungen.
Er wurde ein bekannter Autor, Dozent und Geschäftsmann, und zusammen mit dem Apotheker Leonhard
Oberhäußer schuf er die Marke Kneipp
für medizinische Produkte und Nahrungsergänzungsmittel, welche noch
heute existiert und sehr erfolgreich ist.
„Alles was wir brauchen, um gesund zu bleiben,
hat uns die Natur reichlich geschenkt.”
-- Sebastian Kneipp
The philosophy he developed rests on “Five pillars for
health”: water, plants (specifically herbs), exercise, nutrition
and balance. The main foundation is Kneipp’s water therapy, which consists of a series of steps: adherents first warm
up the body through physical exertion, then undergo a very
brief cold stimulus; then immediately after, without drying
off, warm up the body again through physical exertion.
There are approximately 120 different water applications,
that range from washing to pouring, swaddling and taking
herbal baths all the way to a “Blitzguss,” a brief effusion of
one’s arm, foot or knee, designed to quickly invigorate the
body’s metabolism.
Add in herbal plant remedies (arnica, lavender, aloe vera,
etc.), plenty of fresh-air exercise (like walking), a nutritional
diet based on fruit, vegetables, grain and dairy products
(with less foods of animal origin) and taking the time to relax and keep the body and soul in balance and you have
Father Sebastian Kneipp’s formula for healthy living. The
system is especially recommended for those suffering from
high or low blood pressure; arthritis; rheumatism; cardiovascular diseases, digestive system problems and weak immune systems. But it is also widely followed, in Germany
and beyond, as a way to keep all of those problems from
arising at all.
Kneipp’s healthful philosophy continues to be a cornerstone
of spa experiences across Germany, Europe and around the
world, now usually offered up as a series of hot and cold
showers, rinses, baths and compresses. Kneipp’s treatments
are still strongly practiced in Bad Wörishofen, where more
than 165 clinics and hotels continue his practices (see page
32 and 33 for more information). There is also a Kneipp Museum in that beautiful Bavarian hamlet, where visitors can
see firsthand how his philosophies developed, along with
the small bathing house where he treated his first patients.
It’s a fascinating spot devoted to a fascinating man, whose
life-health philosophies have not only stood the test of
time, but also thrived.
Kneipps Philosophie basiert auf den „Fünf Säulen der
Gesundheit“: Wasser, Pflanzen (insbesondere Kräuter), Bewegung, Ernährung und Ausgewogenheit.
Die Hauptgrundlage ist die Kneippsche Wassertherapie,
die aus folgenden Schritten besteht: Zuerst wird der Körper
durch körperliche Anstrengung aufgewärmt, dann einem
kurzen Kältereiz ausgesetzt und danach ohne Abtrocknen
sofort wieder durch körperliche Anstrengung aufgewärmt.
Es gibt ungefähr 120 verschiedene Wasseranwendungen,
welche von Wassertreten, Übergießen, Kräuterbädern bis hin
zum sogenannten „Blitzguss“, einem kurzen Wasserguss auf
Arm, Fuß oder Knie, reichen, um den Stoffwechsel des
Körpers schnell zu beleben.
Nehmen Sie natürliche Heilpflanzen, wie zum Beispiel Arnika,
Lavendel, Aloe Vera, hinzu, bewegen Sie sich viel an der
frischen Luft, ernähren Sie sich hauptsächlich von Früchten,
Gemüse, Körnern und Milchprodukten und weniger von
tierischen Lebensmitteln, nehmen Sie sich Zeit zum Entspannen und halten Sie Ihren Körper und Ihre Seele im Gleichgewicht, und schon haben Sie Vater Kneipps Formel für
einen gesunden Lebensstil. Dieses Konzept ist besonders
empfehlenswert für Menschen mit zu hohem oder zu niedrigem Blutdruck, sowie für Menschen mit Arthritis, HerzKreislauf-Erkrankungen, Verdauungsproblemen und einem
geschwächtem Immunsystem. Vor allem wird diese Methode
in Deutschland und über dessen Grenzen hinaus auch angewandt, um derartige Gesundheitsprobleme erst gar nicht
entstehen zu lassen.
Kneipps naturheilkundliche Heilmethoden sind international zum Grundstein vieler Kuranwendungen geworden und
werden normalerweise als eine Serie aus heißem und kaltem
Duschen, Spülungen, Wassertreten, Bädern und Kompressen
angeboten.
Kneipps Heilmethoden werden noch heute in Bad
Wörishofen praktiziert, wo mehr als 165 Kliniken und Hotels
seine Methode anwenden (siehe auch Seite 32 und 33).
Des Weiteren gibt es in diesem schönen bayrischen Ort auch
ein Kneipp-Museum, wo Besucher aus erster Hand bestaunen
können, wie er sein Heilkonzept in dem kleinen Badehaus
entwickelte, wo er seine ersten Patienten behandelte. Es ist
ein faszinierender Ort, einem außergewöhnlichem Mann gewidmet, dessen Lebens- und Gesundheitsphilosophie nicht
nur die Zeit überstanden hat sondern sogar zu einem großen
Erfolg wurde. – Von Malena Fuchs
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 29
WELLNESS | FITNESS
JOSEPH PILATES
JOSEPH PILATES’ENDUING
DIE
SYSTEM
JOSEPH-PILATES-METHODE
OF FITNESS FÜR LEBENSLANGE FITNESS
FOR LIFE
I
t began with
weakness. When
Joseph
Pilates
was born in 1883
in Mönchengladbach, Germany,
he was not a
strong child. Suffering with asthma
and rickets, as
Pilates at age 57
Pilates at age 82
well as contracting rheumatic fever, the young Pilates was a very weak
child who suffered bullying (reportedly losing one of his
eyes that way) and eventually became determined to build
his strength and fitness.
By the time he was 14, Pilates had followed in his gymnast
father’s footsteps, toning and strengthening his body to
such an extent that he became a model for a series of anatomy charts. He had taken up skiing, diving, boxing, martial
arts and yoga and once he came of age, traveled from Germany to England as a circus performer (known because of
his now-perfect physique as the “living Greek statue”) and
a professional boxer. But it was his dedication to health and
wellness that was his true calling.
As World War I began, Joseph Pilates was interred in a British
camp for German citizens, where he refined and developed
his mat exercise techniques and began to imagine and create
the spring-based resistance pulley system that combined
together are the key elements of the Pilates Method practiced around the world today. Back then, Pilates called his
technique “Contrology,” and by the time he returned to Germany after the war, word had spread about the success he
had with his fellow prisoners in the camp. Not a single person
under his care there died of the deadly influenza epidemic
of 1918, a fact that contributed to his growing fame as a
wellness innovator.
But when, in 1925, the German secret police asked Pilates to
begin training both that group as well as the German army,
the fitness guru balked. As Hitler gained traction in Germany,
Joseph Pilates decided it was time to go. He immigrated to
the United States (meeting his wife and lifelong teaching partner Clara on the ship during the Atlantic crossing), opened
his first exercise studio in New York City and soon became
the toast of the town, especially among dancers.
30 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
E
s begann mit einer Schwäche: Joseph Pilates, 1883 in
Mönchengladbach, Deutschland, geboren, war kein
starkes Kind. Geschwächt durch Asthma und Rachitis im
Zusammenhang mit rheumatischem Fieber war der junge
Pilates ein sehr krankes Kind und wurde oft gemobbt (angeblich verlor er auf diesem Wege auch ein Auge). Schließlich
entschloss er sich zu trainieren, um kräftiger und widerstandsfähiger zu werden.
Im Alter von 14 Jahren trat er in die Fußstapfen seines Vaters
und machte viel Gymnastik. Er begann damit, seinen Körper
so intensiv zu trainieren und Muskeln aufzubauen, dass er
gefragt wurde, sich als Model für einige Anatomiestudien
zur Verfügung zu stellen. Er fing mit Skifahren, Boxen, Kampfsport und Yoga an, reiste, als er älter wurde, von Deutschland nach England, um als Zirkusathlet zu arbeiten. Dort
wurde er wegen seines perfekten Körpers auch als „lebende
griechische Statue“ bekannt und fing an, als professioneller
Boxer zu arbeiten. Sein Engagement für Gesundheit und Fitness war jedoch seine wahre Berufung.
Als der Erste Weltkrieg ausbrach, wurde Joseph Pilates in einem Lager in England für deutsche Staatsbürger interniert,
wo er seine Übungstechniken auf der Gymnastikmatte weiterentwickelte und verfeinerte. Er entwickelte ein Trainingsgerät mit einer eingebauten Federmechanik, welches das
wichtigste Element der Pilates-Methode darstellt und noch
heute weltweit eingesetzt wird. Er nannte diese Technologie
„Contrology“. Als er nach Ende des Krieges nach Deutschland zurückkehrte, hatte sich der Erfolg, den er mit seinen
Lagerkameraden hatte, weltweit herumgesprochen: Nicht
eine Person in seinem Lager war während der tödlichen Grippeepidemie 1918 gestorben. Diese Tatsache trug weiter zu
seinem wachsenden Ruhm als Erfinder innovativer Fitnessmethoden bei.
Doch als die deutsche Geheimpolizei Joseph Pilates im Jahr
1925 fragte, ob er die deutschen Truppen trainieren könnte,
sträubte sich der Fitness-Guru. Als Hitler kurze Zeit später an
die Macht kam, beschloss Pilates, dass es an der Zeit war zu
gehen. Er immigrierte in die USA. Bei der Atlantiküberquerung begegnete er seiner späteren Frau und lebenslangen
Lehrpartnerin Clara. Er eröffnete sein erstes Studio in New
York und wurde schnell zu einer Berühmtheit in der Stadt,
vor allem unter Tänzern.
Von George Balanchine über Martha Graham und Jerome
Robbins, Tänzer aller Art kamen in Pilates’ Studio, um den
„Man ist so alt, wie die Wirbelsäule beweglich ist!“
- Joseph Pilates -
From George Balanchine to Martha Graham and
Jerome
Robbins,
dancers of all sorts
flocked to Pilates’
studio, to learn and
practice the fundamental tenets of
the master’s system
of health and fitness. The Pilates Method, both then and
now, teaches the balance of mind and body, using the core
muscles to control posture and support the spine. The exercises done on both the mat and the Reformer (the sliding, spring-based resistance machine that Pilates patented)
build strength, flexibility and stamina through specific deep
breathing and the flow from one series of exercises to the
next.
As the years passed, Joseph Pilates refined and improved
his method, wrote two books on the subject and began
sanctioning his “disciples,” master teachers who trained
under his guidance, to begin teaching the Pilates Method
in studios of their own. Among that group, most of whom
began teaching in the 1970s, were Eve Gentry, Carola Trier,
Romana Kryzanowska and Ron Fletcher. Fletcher, a famed
Broadway dancer and choreographer, is credited with
opening the first Pilates studio in Los Angeles in 1972. That
Beverly Hills location quickly developed a following among
actors and socialites, including Barbra Streisand, Candice
Bergen and Nancy Reagan.
After Joseph Pilates died in 1967, Fletcher and the others kept his work alive, and as more people joined in the
practice, his system spread around the world. Today, in the
United States alone, it’s been estimated that there are over
50,000 Pilates studios across the country, with millions of
practitioners using Pilates’ tried and true methods. In fact,
in 2015 the Pilates Method is thriving everywhere, from
Australia to Dubai, South Africa to Switzerland and – of
course – throughout Germany,
as Pilates’ ideas have stood
the test of time, continuing
to bring a level of wellness
and fitness to its devotees that
is beyond compare.
fundamentalen Grundsatz für Gesundheit und Fitness vom
Meister selbst zu erlernen und zu trainieren. Die Pilates-Methode lehrt damals wie heute das Gleichgewicht von Körper
und Geist unter Einsatz der eigenen Muskelkraft, um die Körperhaltung zu kontrollieren und die Wirbelsäure zu stützen.
Die Übungen können auf der Matte wie auch auf dem „Reformer“, einem Trainingsgerät mit einem eingebauten Gleitund Widerstandsmechanismus, das sich Pilates patentieren
ließ, ausgeführt werden. Sie bauen Stärke, Flexibilität und
Ausdauer durch gezieltes tiefes Atmen und durch Übungsserien, die ineinander fließen, aus.
Mit der Zeit verfeinerte und verbesserte Joseph Pilates seine
Methoden, schrieb zwei Bücher über dieses Thema und begann seine besten Schüler darin zu unterstützen, die PilatesMethode in eigenen Studios zu lehren. Über diese Gruppe
hinaus begannen in den 70er Jahren unter anderem Eve
Gentry, Carola Trier, Romana Kryzanowska, und Ron Fletcher
damit. Fletcher, ein berühmter Broadway-Tänzer und Choreograph war der erste, der 1972 ein eigenes Pilates-Studio
in Los Angeles eröffnete. Der Standort in Beverly Hills wurde
bei Schauspielern und Prominenten schnell bekannt. Unter
anderem wurde das Studio von Barbra Streisand, Candice
Bergen und Nancy Reagan besucht.
Nachdem Joseph Pilates 1967 im Alter von 84 Jahren starb,
haben Ron Fletcher und andere Schüler sein Werk am Leben
erhalten und machten schließlich die Pilates-Methode weltweit bekannt. Heute sind allein in den USA über 50.000
Pilates-Studios zu finden mit Millionen von Menschen, die
Pilates‘ bewährte Übungen praktizieren. Doch Pilates-Studios gibt es mittlerweile überall in der Welt: von Australien
über Dubai und Südafrika bis hin in die Schweiz und
– natürlich – auch weiterhin in Deutschland, wo
Pilates’ Ideen den Test der Zeit überstanden
haben und seinen Anhängern ein
Niveau an Gesundheit und Fitness bringen, das seinesgleichen
sucht.
For more information
on the Pilates Method, go to
www.pilatesmethodalliance.org and
www.unitedstatespilatesassociation.com.
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 31
WELLNESS | FITNESS
TRAVEL
T
o get back to the place
where the Kneipp cure
all began, you’ll need
to visit Bad Wörishofen in
the Allgäu. That’s the region filled with thermal hot
springs in Bavarian Swabia
where Father Sebastian
Kneipp settled in 1855 and
began his wellness work
in earnest. With more than
150 health treatment facilities in the area that follow
Kneipp’s practices, as well
as plenty of spa hotels and
the city’s famed spa park,
there’s much to do in this
center of health and wellness. And don’t forget to
visit the Kneipp Museum,
which celebrates the pastor’s life and work.
Steigenberger Hotel, Der Sonnenhof
Kneipp Wading Pool
V I S IT I NG
BAD WÖRISHOFEN
TO EXPERIENCE A KNEIPP SPA
Hotel Chateau Fontenay
Getting there is easy. Fly into Munich, then take the train or rent
a care and drive; it is only about a 45-minute trip to lovely Bad
Wörishofen. Once there, choose one of the numerous hotels
that specialize in providing the hydrotherapy treatments that
the Kneipp philosophy embraces.
Choose the five-star Chateau Fontenay for luxury accommodations; Steigenberger Hotel Der Sonnehof is another top-notch
choice. Both resorts have extensive spa facilities and both are
within easy distance of Therme Bad Wörishofen, the famed city
spa that features mineral waters chockablock with beneficial elements of fluoride and iodide. Other popular hotels include the
pretty Kneippkur & WellVitalhotel Edelweiss, the Parkhotel Residence and the Hotel Cebulj.
32 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
-- By Jenny Peters --
Kurpark Bad Wörishofen
No visit to Bad Wörishofen is complete without a trip to the city’s
spa park, where Kneipp’s belief in walking barefoot for health
is practiced every day. The barefoot trail covers 1.5 kilometers,
and is designed to stimulate every sense. It takes about an hour
for the walk, as you move from one sensory station to the next
(there are 23 in all). And that is only the beginning of the experience; don’t miss the aromatic gardens, the medicinal herb garden and the rosarium.
For the ultimate in a healthy, invigorating vacation, schedule a
trip during one of Bad Wörishofen’s many festivals. The Festival
of the Nations is a yearly classical music extravaganza held in the
early fall, while the Jazz Goes to Kur [Health] celebrates its 25th
anniversary with jazz and blues in late October.
KNEIPP SPA RESORTS IN GERMANY
A town that offers accredited water therapies after Sebastian
Kneipp may be termed Kneipp spa or Kneipp resort. You’ll always
find the following in a Kneipp spa or Kneipp resort:
Several institutions specialized in providing Kneipp treatment
methods including Kneipp open air wading pools
An especially healthy climate - nature in abundance and no industrial areas in the vicinity, also only a limited number of cars pass
through these townships.
Specially qualified spa physicians, expert in all aspects of
Kneipp therapy, area available
In addition to professional medical care, Kneipp spas and resorts
have specialized physiotherapists
Relax in natural surroundings, the resorts provide lush and
quiet resort gardens.
Since nutrition also plays a significant role in Kneipp therapy,
specialised dieticians and nutritionists are available to you every day.
Kneipp Spa Resorts in Germany
Berlin-Brandenburg
Bad Freienwalde
Mineral and Thermal springs,
Medicinal mud spa resorts
www.bad-freienwalde.de
In Saxony
Bad Schmiedeberg
Mineral and Thermal springs,
Medicinal mud spa resorts, Kneipp
spas and Kneipp health resorts
www.eisenmoorbad.de
In Nor th-West Germany
Tecklenburg
Bad Iburg
Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts
www.tecklenburg-touristik.de
www.badiburg.de
In Central Germany:
Kassel - Bad Wilhelmshöhe
Mineral and Thermal springs
www.kassel.de
Bad Berleburg
Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts
www.bad-berleburg-tourismus.de
Bad Münstereifel
In Bavaria
Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts Prien am Chiemsee
www.bad-muenstereifel.de
Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts
www.tourismus.prien.de
In Southern Germany
Bad Bergzabern
Mineral and Thermal springs,
Climate health resorts
www.bad-bergzaberner-land.de
Villingen-Schwenningen
Kneipp spas and Kneipp health resorts
www.villingen-schwenningen.de
For more information visit www.die-neue-kur.de
CRUISING
WITH KNEIPP
Hapag Lloyd’s new
luxury cruise ship
Europa 2 probably
offers some of the
finest spas in existence, the OCEAN SPA – all complete with a Kneipp wading pool, icepool, and waterfall shower.
In the OCEAN SPA, which covers 800 m²/ 8,611 ft², you will find extensive facilities for the personal vitalisation of your body, mind and soul.
And so that you never forget where you are, you’ll always have a fantastic view of the open sea. www.hl-cruises.com
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 33
TRAVEL
NEWS
TIP FOR HIKING FANS
ALETSCH GLACIER HIKE
IN SWITZERLAND
L
ooking for a perfect hiking trip? The team at Switzerland Tourism, recommends you
take the Jungfrau Railway up to the Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station
and the starting point for a 2-day hike on the Aletsch Glacier. First, get roped in by the
mountain guide, then you’ll walk for four hours downstream on the glacier towards the
Concordia Hut, the place to spend the night. There you’ll be treated to fantastic views, a
hearty three-course meal, and a bunk bed. At dawn, the discovery on the ice continues.
With every bend, new alpine peaks like the Matterhorn come into view, until you arrive
at Fiescheralp six hours later – just in time for a well-deserved drink.
More information at: www.grindelwaldsports.ch or www.myswitzerland.com
NEW NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT: Hamburg’s Elbphilhar-
monie Concert Hall to Open January 2017
Hamburg’s long-anticipated new concert hall and
cultural landmark, the Elbphilharmonie, is scheduled to open on January 11, 2017, the Hamburg Senate announced in late January, 2015.
The Herzog & de Meuron-designed building is poised to become the city’s newest landmark, and a major cultural and architectural attraction.
Preceding the unveiling of the concert hall, the building’s 120-foot-high plaza, which
will feature panoramic city views, becomes accessible to the public in November 2016.
With most major construction cranes gone, the stunning Elbphilharmonie is even now
fully visible.
Set at the tip of the Sandtorhafen, the Elbphilharmonie is already the prominent center
piece of Hamburg’s HafenCity, a former docklands area-turned fashionable waterfront
district.
More information on: www.hamburg-travel.com
DESTINATION GERMANY: Record Result with More
Than 75 Million Overnight Stays in 2014
The volume of international travel to Germany reached a
record high for the fifth year in a row in 2014, with a
total of 75.6 million overnight stays. According to the German Federal Statistical Office,
the number of overnight stays by visitors from abroad in the period from January to
December increased by 5.1 per cent.
Europe continues to be the biggest player in inbound tourism to Germany, accounting
for roughly 75 percent of the market.
The Arab Gulf States are on a steep upward curve and hold the top position among the
overseas markets in terms of absolute growth in overnight stays with a total volume of
almost 1.9 million. In second place came China with more than two million overnight stays.
The U.S.A., which remains the biggest overseas market for Germany, continued to grow
strongly, with its travelers making nearly 246,000 more overnight stays than the previous year, as part of a total volume of 5.2 million in 2014. Source: www.germany.travel
34 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
TRAVEL
AUF’S
LEBEN!
Auf den Spuren jüdischer
Kultur in der Schweiz
L’CHAIM
1
Tracing the Jewish Experience
Through Switzerland
2
by elyse glickman
For the Jewish traveler, modern Switzerland holds many wonderful surprises, especially when it comes to its Jewish community and
culture. One of the most surprising and emotionally powerful is that back on August 29, 1897, the seeds for the future state of Israel
were planted under the leadership of journalist, writer and political activist Theodor Herzl at the First Zionist Congress held in Basel.
T
ravelers exploring Jewish history in Switzerland need to take
the bad with the good, as Swiss history shares many parallels with other European countries. In many centers like Basel
and Zurich, Jews endured second-class citizen status, vocational
restrictions, expulsions, persecution and pogroms; expulsions and
religious discrimination occurred there from the Middle Ages
through the 19th century.
However, Switzerland is also a country known for important
human rights milestones and bringing about sweeping change, starting with the Great Council of Helvetia (1798-99, when Switzerland’s
most liberal citizens advocated civic equality for the Jews and attacked
the ancient prejudices of intolerance) and the 1874 Federal Constitution, which granted civic equality for Jewish residents.
Today, various Swiss Jewish populations are well united under
the auspices of The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities,
which oversees the interests of 23 different organizations. Jews
who resided in or spent considerable time in Switzerland include
Chaim Weizmann (the first president of Israel), Albert Einstein
(who spent much of his youth in Switzerland), Marc Chagall,
Yehudi Menuhin and Ruth Dreifuss, who became Switzerland’s
first woman president.
A Jewish Tour of Basel
Prior to starting my guided tour of Jewish sights in Basel, which
we began at the Basel Hilton (which has a superb program for
guests keeping kosher), my Basel Tourism guide Armgarde Sasse
showed me a rare brochure published in 1997 providing comprehensive information for Jewish and Kosher travelers coming to
celebrate the centennial of the First Zionist Congress.
Für den jüdischen Reisenden halt die Schweiz von heute viele
wunderbare Überraschungen parat. Eine der größten davon ist
sicherlich die Tatsache, dass bereits am 29. August 1897 die
Basis für den zukünftigen Staat Israel in der Schweiz geschaffen
wurde, als der Journalist und politische Aktivist Theodor Herzl
den ersten Zionisten-Kongress in Basel abhielt.
W
enn man als Reisender die jüdische Geschichte in der
Schweiz erforscht, so wird man, wie auch in anderen
europäischen Ländern, auf negative und positive Aspekte
stoßen. In vielen Großstädten wie Basel und Zürich hatten
Juden lange Zeit den Status Bürger zweiter Klasse und mussten
Berufsverbote, Vertreibung, Verfolgung und Pogrome erdulden.
Es finden sich Zeugnisse für religiös motivierte Verbannung und
Diskriminierung vom Mittelalter bis in das 19. Jahrhundert.
Auf der anderen Seite ist die Schweiz jedoch auch ein Land,
das bekannt dafür ist, gerade im Bereich der Wahrung der
Menschenrechte wichtige Meilensteine erkämpft zu haben und
große Veränderung in der Gesellschaft damit herbei geführt hat.
Ein Beispiel ist das Große Schweizer Konzil (1788-1799), als
liberale Schweizer Bürger sich für die Gleichstellung der Juden
einsetzten und die existierende Intoleranz sowie herrschenden
Vorurteile angriffen; ein weiteres die 1874 verabschiedete
Bundesverfassung, die jüdischen Bürgern die Gleichstellung
garantiert.
Heute sind die verschiedenen jüdischen Gruppen gut unter
dem Schweizerischen Israelitischen Gemeindebund organisiert,
der 23 verschiedene Organizationen vereint. Bekannte
jüdische Bewohner der Schweiz sind Chaim Weizmann
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035-037_GWSpr15_TravelSwitzerland-2.indd 35
35
5/13/15 10:39 PM
All photos: Courtesy MySwitzerland.com
TRAVEL
3
4
[ 1 The Old Town of Zurich.
2 Part of Zurich’s skyline. 3 The Great Synagogue in Basel. 4 The famous vegetarian restaurant Hiltl in Zurich. ]
According to Sasse, generations of Jews were required to live
outside Basel’s city walls and were restricted to the money-lending
trade. One famous gate leading into the present-day central business district once featured a plaque from the early 18th century,
listing entry tolls and a warning that Jews had to be out of the city
when a loud curfew bell was rung.
Although there’s no definitive Jewish quarter, we began at Basel’s
Great Synagogue and walked to Israel Park, a grove of 40 trees
presented to Basel by Israel President Chaim Herzog, and to Switzerland’s only Jewish Museum, which is small in size, but rich in
artifacts and history.
We also visited Kunstmuseum Basel, which features five of Marc
Chagall’s revered studies of four rabbis, a moving portrait of his
wife Bella and an idiosyncratic self-portrait. And we took in Fondation Beyeler Museum as well, to see more Chagall and works of
other key artists in its permanent collection.
On to Zurich
Zurich is home to nearly half of Switzerland’s estimated 6,800
Jews, and has been for centuries, so an exploration this thriving city
is particularly fulfilling.
After an elegant lunch at Olive Garden, the fine-dining restaurant at the Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (the Swiss
equivalent of the Jewish Community Center), my guide Elisabeth
Brem led me via busses and trams through neighborhoods off the
Bahnhoffstrasse and Langstrasse, to see how Jewish residents helped
shape and transform the areas.
Our first stop in Old Zurich was the Blue Note Music Store,
which was once a synagogue in the heart of the former Judengasse—a thriving community ultimately eradicated during the
Protestant reform movement led by John Calvin.
Amid books and music-related gift items, Brem points out
murals revealing the building’s former use. Nearby, we go inside an
apartment whose hallway reveals a mural from the 1330s depicting
Jews living well, dancing and displaying family crests of relatives
and friends in their homes.
We also saw many modern signposts to Jewish/Christian co-existence, from Marc Chagall’s five stained glass windows at Cathedral
Frauenmyunster and other works on display in the Kunsthaus Zurich
36
(der erste Präsident Israels), Albert Einstein, der einen großen
Teil seiner Jugend in der Schweiz verbracht hat, Marc Chagall,
Yehudi Menuhin und Ruth Dreifuss, die erste weibliche
Bundespräsidentin der Schweiz.
Basel
Bevor ich an einer geführten Tour zu den Stätten jüdischer
Kultur in Basel teilnahm, die im Basel Hilton startet, das ein
exzellentes Menü mit koscheren Gerichten anbietet, zeigte mir
der Vertreter vom Tourismusverband Basel, Armgarde Sasse, eine
Broschüre, die 1997 anlässlich des 100. Jahrestages des ersten
Zionisten-Kongresses veröffentlich wurde und ausführliche
Informationen für jüdische und koscher-lebende Reisende
enthält.
Wie Sasse erzählte, mussten Juden viele Generationen lang
außerhalb der Stadtmauern Basels leben und durften nur
den Beruf des Geldverleihers ausüben. Ein Schild vom 18.
Jahrhundert an einem berühmten Stadttor, das heute zum
Business Zentrum führt, zeigt noch die damaligen Zugangszölle
und eine Warnung, dass Juden beim Erklingen der Abendglocke
die Stadt verlassen mussten.
In Basel gibt es kein regelrechtes jüdisches Viertel.
Wir begannen daher unsere Tour bei der Großen Synagogue
und spazierten zum Israel Park, ein Gelände mit über
40 Bäumen, die der israelische Präsident Chaim Herzog
der Schweiz geschenkt hat, und von da zum Jüdischen
Museum, dem einzigen in der Schweiz. Dieses ist zwar
klein, aber reich an Kunstgegenständen und geschichtlicher
Informationen.
Wir besuchten auch das Kunstmuseum Basel, wo man fünf
von Marc Chagalls berühmter Studien der Vier Rabbiner
bewundern kann sowie ein bewegendes Bild seiner Frau Bella
und ein Selbstportrait des Malers.
Zürich
Als nächstes besuchte ich Zürich, wo ungefähr die Hälfte
der insgesamt 6800 jüdischen Schweizer wohnen und die
Entdeckung ihrer Geschichte in dieser lebendigen Stadt ist
daher umso interessanter.
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TRAVEL
Museum to the flagship location of Hiltl, the famed vegetarian restaurant that has been a popular hangout for generations of local Jews
who are not orthodox and maintain a kosher-style diet. While not
officially certified kosher, it’s been serving Zurich Jews since 1898.
Geneva’s Jewish Gems
Many of Geneva’s luxury hotels, including Le Richemond and
Le Beau-Rivage, offer impressive kosher programs, making them a
perfect home base for our Jewish city tour.
We started out at La Grand Synagogue, Geneva’s first major
synagogue, constructed in the 1850s after the Swiss government
granted religious freedom for all in 1847. Now known as Beth
Yaacov, it is a beautiful structure. Then it was on to Carrouge, a
one-time Jewish enclave outside the Geneva walls, which was later
encompassed by Geneva’s urban sprawl.Though many of the structures in the area are gone, you can visit the Jewish cemetery there.
We made sure to look closely at the Gare de Cornavin, the city’s
main train station on the left bank of Lake Geneva, a beautiful
example of Art Deco architecture designed by the Geneva-born
Jewish architect Julien Flegenheimer. He also designed the Palace
of the League of Nations, which is today the United Nations; that’s
nearby and also worthy of a visit.
To round out our tour, we headed to Macom, Geneva’s principal
Jewish community center, which offers a sanctuary, a main Jewish
library and Le Jardin kosher restaurant – and the place where we toasted
the end of our fascinating Jewish tourist experience in Switzerland.
Nach einem eleganten Mittagessen im “Olive Garden”, dem
niveauvollen Restaurants der Israelitischen Cultusgemeinde
Zürich, zeigte mir meine Fremdenführerin Elisabeth Brem die
Altstadt und unter anderem auch den Blue Note Music Store,
wo früher eine Synagoge gestanden hat. Dies war einmal das
Kernstück der damaligen Judengasse gewesen, ein florierendes
Viertel, das durch die protestantische Reformationsbewegung
unter Calvin ausgelöscht wurde.
Nicht weit hiervon besuchen wir ein Apartmentgebäude, in
dessen Gang wir ein Wandrelief von 1330 betrachten können,
das gutsituierte jüdische Einwohner beim Essen und Tanzen
zeigt.
Im heutigen Zürich findet man auch viele Zeichen
friedlicher Ko-Existenz von Juden und Christen, wie zum
Beispiel die fünf berühmten Glasfenster des Frauenmünster
von Marc Chagall und andere Kunstwerke, die im Kunsthaus
Zurich ausgestellt sind. Die Tour beendeten wir im Hiltl, ein
berühmtes vegetarisches Restaurant, das seit Generationen
ein beliebter Ort für jüdische Einwohner von Zürich ist,
die zwar nicht orthodox leben, aber sich koscher ernähren.
Obwohl es nicht ein offiziell koscheres Restaurant ist,
bewirtet das Hiltl seit 1898 jüdische Gäste. Und hier
stießen wir zum Abschluss unserer faszinierenden Tour
durch die jüdische Schweiz miteinander an: Auf ’s Leben!
L’Chaim!
– VON MALENA FUCHS
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For Information contact:
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SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com
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37
5/13/15 10:40 PM
EDUCATION
LEARNING GERMAN
LEARNING
GERMAN
IN THE U.S.
Saturday Schools,
Summer Camps & More
German is one of the seven most important
languages in the world. It is one of the four
most-used languages in the internet (Mandarin, English, German and Spanish). It is
spoken by 120 million people or a quarter
of all Europeans as their mother tongue.
GERMAN SUMMER CAMPS 2015
Not able to take your kids to Germany this summer?
No worries. Consider sending them to one of the following summer camps:
CALIFORNIA
GASA’s German Immersion Outdoor Camp
Once again, the German American School (GASA) will be hosting a German Immersion Outdoor Camp at the beautiful Irvine
Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Orange, CA, from July 26
– August 1, 2015.
All activities will be conducted in German.
For more information, please visit: www.germanschool4kids.org
ILLINOIS:
German Interactively @ Goethe-Institut Chicago Summer Camp!
The Goethe-Institut Chicago invites teenagers to learn German in
this year’s Summer Camp which is designed for all levels.
Students will also get an introduction to many aspects of German culture, work on projects and experience total immersion
in the German language including field trips. The summer
camp is a day camp and will be held from Monday through Friday, August 17 - August 21, from 9:30 AM until 4 PM, at the Center
on Halsted (3656 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60613).
Cost is $ 500 per student. Registration deadline is June 1, 2015.
www.goethe.de/chicago
MINNESOTA:
Summer Language Camps at the Germanic-American Institute
in Minneapolis
From June 15 to August 21, 2015 the GAI offers several oneweek language camps with fun and lots of interaction. Full day
and half-day options are available. Students will explore subjects ranging from history and art to science and music.
All language skills levels are welcome. www.gai-mn.org
38 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
ONGOING PROGRAMS TO
LEARN GERMAN IN THE U.S.
CALIFORNIA
Learning German in Northern California
Check out the many places in the Bay Area offering German
language instruction for children and adults.
GOETHE-INSTITUT | San Francisco
Language courses and intercultural training for adults and
teenagers
GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SILICON VALLEY
Mountain View, Berkeley, San Francisco
Bilingual education from Preschool to Grade 12
GERMAN-AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL | Menlo Park
IB education from Preschool - Grade 12 with multiple language
track
GERMAN AMERICAN SCHOOL ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA | Fremont, Marin, Oakland, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, San
Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa
Saturday German Classes and Summer Camps for all ages from
toddlers to adults
BAKS plus | Berkeley and Pleasant Hill
German after-school classes for grades K to 12
BAY AREA KINDERSTUBE | Albany
Full-immersion German Preschool
KINDERHAUS | San Francisco
German International Preschool
SANDMANN FAMILY DAY CARE | San Francisco
Bilingual childcare program for children between 18 and 48 months
LEARNING GERMAN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
“Kaffeeklatsch ohne Kaffee” at Santa Monica College
From April 25 to May 30, 2015, each Saturday from 10 AM to
12 PM, German native speakers and non-native speakers with
advanced German language skills meet at the Santa Monica
College for this fun conversational course. Guided by a native
German language teacher, students can expand their vocabulary through discussion on a variety of topics.
Location: Santa Monica College Community Education, SMC
Bundy Campus, Room 240, 3171 S. Bundy Dr., Los Angeles
Information & Registration: http://commed.smc.edu/
or call 310.434-3400
May 3: Practice Your German at the Kinderfest of the Phoenix
Club in Anaheim
The annual Kinderfest & Maifest of the Phoenix Club starts
this year on May 3 at 11 AM with a the traditional parade of
the German American League Clubs at 1 PM. Don’t miss the
annual GASA Raffle later in the afternoon and all the wonderful
Kinderfest activities such as “Arts and Crafts,” pony rides and
a bounce house for the children.
Location: The Phoenix Club, 1340 Sanderson Ave.,
Anaheim, CA 92806
LEARNING GERMAN IN FLORIDA
Società Dante Alighieri
Coral Gables, FL 33134 | www.dantemiami.org
German American Social Club of Greater Miami
www.germanamericanclub-miami.org
Miami Dade College | http://www.mdc.edu/ce/
German School of Ft. Lauderdale
Contact: Svenja Iglesias | www.germanschoolfl.com
LEARNING GERMAN IN GEORGIA
German Schools in the Southeastern United States
Atlanta International School – www.aischool.org
German School Atlanta – www.germanschoolatlanta.com
German School Charlotte – www.dsclt.com
E.E. Waddell Language Academy, Charlotte –
Information: (980) 343-5815
German School Knoxville – www.germansaturdayschools.org
German School Spartanburg – www.deutscheschulespartanburg.org
For all German programs, visit www.aatg.org
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 39
CULINARY
SPRING RECIPE
SPARGELZEIT
The White Asparagus Season is here
The hype about the coveted white vegetable starts up again in Germany at the end of
April. By the end of the season, on June 26, Germans will have spent more than 175
million euro on white asparagus, Germany’s most important cultivated product over the years.
White asparagus needs a specific combination of soil, temperature and rain in order to
develop the perfect taste. You might not find white asparagus from
Germany in the U.S. but try this recipe with white asparagus from
Peru oder Mexico. You can also mix it with green asparagus.
White Asparagus in Brown Butter & Brioche Crumbs
Ingredients for 4 people
20 white asparagus stalks, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces butter
1 cup brioche crumbs
11/2 teaspoon freshly minced
parsley leaves
Directions
Peel the asparagus. Line the
asparagus from the spear end and
cut into approximately 6-inch
lengths. Discard ends.
In a medium saucepan, bring
salted water with lemon juice
and one teaspoon of butter to a
boil. Cook the asparagus for 10
to 12 minutes, until tender.
Be careful not to overcook.
Drain the asparagus. Set aside.
In a large saute pan, heat the rest
of the butter. Add the brioche
crumbs and saute until golden.
Add the reserved asparagus and
saute until well-coated with the
browned butter and brioche
crumbs. Sprinkle with parsley,
season with salt and pepper.
Serve warm. - Recipe courtesy of
Wolfgang Puck, 2001.
Where to find White Asparagus from Europe in the U.S.?
In San Francisco and New York, the German-American Chamber of
Commerce traditionally hosts an annual White Asparagus Dinner. In
New York, Austrian gourmet chef Kurt Gutenbrunner occasionally
adds it to its menu.
In Southern California, a good choice is Swiss Chef in Valley Glen and
Jägerhaus in Anaheim who both offer white asparagus dishes for several
weeks until June.
40 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
CULINARY
SPRING COOLER
WALDMEISTER-BOWLE
SWEET WOODRUFF PUNCH
© Maria Nagel
An All-Time German Favorite in Spring
April and May is the time to pick sweet woodruff
in Germany and Austria for a refreshing punch.
Waldmeister Bowle | Sweet Woodruff Punch
Ingredients for 12 Glasses
1 bunch of sweet woodruff
1 1/2 bottle of dry, white wine
1 1/2 bottle of icy cold sparkling
wine
Directions
Wash the sweet woodruff well. In
order to increase its aroma, freeze
the herb for 15 – 20 minutes in a
plastic bag. Fill the chilled white
wine into a punch bowl and
add the sweet woodruff without
the stems. The best is to tie the
stems of the sweet woodruff
with kitchen yarn and hang the
bundle upside down into the
punch bowl for 30 minutes.
Add sugar to taste and add half
a bottle of sparkling wine. Serve
chilled. A variation is to cover
a pound of washed strawberry
halves with dry white and chill
the mix for several hours. Then
add the sweet woodruff for 30
minutes and fill up with sparkling
wine. Zum Wohl!
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 41
SPOTLIGHT
San Francisco
SAP FOUNDER
HASSO PLATTNER
Receives GABA Lifetime Achievement Award
42
All photos: ©Philipp Weitz Photography. Courtesy of GABA.
T
he German American Business Association (GABA) presented the
2015 Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Hasso
Plattner, founder of SAP and chairman of SAP’s Supervisory Board at
a gala event on January 23 in San Francisco. Hasso Plattner co-founded
SAP in 1972 and helped grow the company into the worldwide market
leader in enterprise application software. SAP (NYSE: SAP), headquartered in Waldorf, Germany, helps companies of all sizes and industries
operate better. SAP applications and ser1
vices enable more than 263,000 customers
to operate profitably, adapt continuously,
and grow sustainably.
German Consul General Stefan Schlüter
explained,“Hasso Plattner is a phenomenally
successful and innovative entrepreneur. He
grew SAP from a five-person-startup to a
strong global market leader with more than
68,800 employees. Continuous innovation
is a hallmark of his success – both within
SAP as well as through the Hasso Plattner
Institute of Design at Stanford University –
and his ongoing support and engagement
with startups here in the Silicon Valley and
in Germany.”
2
3
In his acceptance speech, Plattner stated
“GABA is an impressive organization that
helps connect German-American business
professionals and fosters transatlantic relationships. I am honored to be recognized by GABA
with its Lifetime Achievement Award.”
That evening GABA also presented – for the first
time - two Startup and Innovation Awards 2015 to
4
German startups that have had a significant impact on
[ 1 Welcome reception at the GABA Gala 2015
German-American business. “Smaato and ParStream
at the City Club in San Francisco. 2 Hasso
are excellent examples of how German companies
Plattner (center) with GABA Chairman Daniel
5
can be successful in California with dedication, innoZimmermann and GABA Executive Director
vation and great German engineering,” said Caroline
Caroline Raynaud. 3 Consul General Stefan Schlueter 4 GABA Startup Award Winner ParStream: CEO Michael
Hummel, Caroline Raynaud, Dieter Gerdemann (GABA Startup Award Committee) and CTO Joerg Bienert (f.l.t.r.)
Raynaud, Executive Director of GABA. Smaato is a
5 Caroline Raynaud presents the GABA Startup Award 2015 to Petra Vorsteher (r.) of Smaato. ]
global leader in mobile advertising. ParStream drives
innovation in database and analytic technology. This
ABOUT GABA
allows users to perform real-time analytics on big
GABA is a member-driven, non-profit organization that fosters transatlantic knowledgedata in new innovative ways and at a significantly
sharing and networking among German-American and Californian business and tech
lower cost. “We congratulate GABA for creating the
communities. GABA’s Advisory Council consists of Sun CoFounder Andy Bechtolsheim,
Startup awards,” recognized Dirk Kanngiesser, CEO
GoogleX Founder Sebastian Thrun, Dirk Kanngiesser (German Accelerator) and German
of the German Accelerator. “An increasing number
Consul General Stefan Schlueter. GABA is proud to serve more than 10,000 members
of German startups have achieved great visibility in
in its network.
the Silicon Valley ecosystem.”
www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
042_GWSpr15_SpotSF-2.indd 42
5/13/15 10:56 PM
OPENING
SPOTLIGHT
1
GOETHE-INSTITUT NEW YORK
GOETHE-INSTITUT NEW YORK FOUND A
NEW HOME NOW AT 30 IRVING PLACE | By Petra Schürmann
2
3
SPACE
4
5
Expanding its cultural programs and, for the first time, offering German
language courses, the Goethe-Institut New York opened its new home at 30 Irving Place
on Saturday, March 28, 2015 to the public.
The newly renovated space, originally built in 1912 by Central Realty Company and
rebuilt for the Goethe-Institut by architects Sebastian Kaempf and Anke Roggenbuck
of KARO Architects, offers a venue for cultural events but it also encompasses a library
with a collection of over 15,000 volumes (books, ebooks, audio books, DVDs,
CDs, print media), an open reading area, and four classrooms.
Part of the opening day program was DJ Rokin presenting German and US
avant-garde silent films from the 1920s accompanied by music ranging from
electronica and instrumental hip hop. “Our new home, which is close to Union
Square, gives us opportunities to reach new audiences in new ways,” states
Executive Director Christoph Bartmann. “We can now offer for the first time,
German language courses in fulfillment of the Goethe-Institut’s worldwide
engagement for the German language and culture.”
7
7
6
8
OPEN HOUSE
9
The new space which is accessible on street level offers a lot of light and transparency due to large windows next to the front entrance. Sleek stainless steel
counters offer reading and research space during the day and function as a bar
and buffet table during events. While the library and event space is on the first
floor, the four classrooms, and the offices are on the fourth floor.
Siberian oak was used for a stunning grey wood panel floor on the
fourth floor, and very high ceilings as well as glass doors and dividing walls create again an atmosphere of lightness and transparence.
10
1 From left: Christoph Bartmann, Director Goethe-Institut New York; Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner
for International Affairs at the Mayor’s Office New York; Brita Wagner, Consul General, German Consulate
General New York; Stephan Steinlein, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office; and Johannes Ebert,
Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut 2 Applauding audience at the by-invitation-only opening of the
new Goethe-Institut New York 3 Street view of the new Goethe-Institut New York 4 Library of the new
Goethe-Institut New York 5 Seating area in the library of the new Goethe-Institut New York 6 Library of
the new Goethe-Institut New York 7 Guests exploring the library of the new Goethe-Institut New York 8
& 9 Guests exploring the library of the new Goethe-Institut New York 10 Open House party at the new
Goethe-Institut New York | Photos © Goethe-Institut New York / Jacobia Dahm
THE 3RD GACC AUTOMOTIVE FORUM
THE SELF-DRIVING CAR - FUTURISTIC DREAM OR REALITY IN THE MAKING?
T
he dream of selfdriving
vehicles
has been with us since
the 1950s, and advanced electronic safety
systems let cars already
react
autonomously.
How will these systems
evolve?
The GACC New York invited a panel of industry experts to debate this
question at the 3rd GACC Automotive Forum which was co-presented by
KPMG and hosted at their office building. After a welcome by Dietmar
Rieg, CEO of the GACC, the panelists Gary Silberg (KMPG), Anupam
Malhotra (Audi of America), and Paul Ferraiolo (BMW of North America)
as well as moderator John Voelcker, editor of Green Car Reports, started
the discussion. Self-parking car (demonstrated by Volkswagen and others at
| By Nicholas Jaksic
this year’s Consumer Electronics Show) is a milestone on the way to fully
autonomous cars, but the consensus at the forum was that the technology exists
already today but that the necessary framework of governmental guidelines
and regulation as well as insurance policies would be the biggest hurdle.
Who is responsible if a car while self-parking is causing an accident?
And technical hurdles remain. Both Malhota and Ferrailo admitted that
bad weather can throw off current self-driving technology. At some points
the car would have to tell the drivers to take back control.
The German-American forum coincided with KPMG’s recent report, written
by Gary Silberg and others, “Me, My Car, My Life…In the Ultraconnected
Age.” The report states, for example, that we are moving toward a sharing
model that will de-emphasize individual car ownership. This will certainly
impact how the self-driving car is adopted, and car sales in general.
The panelists at the GACC Automotive Forum, from left, John Voelcker (moderating), Gary Silberg (KPMG),
Anupam Malhotra (Audi) and Paul Ferrailo (BMW). (Photo: Courtesy GACC)
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 43
SPOTLIGHT
LOS ANGELES
US-A-BIZ AWARD 2015 The winners of the Austrian “Business Oscar” are Doka, FACC,
Getzner, opvizor, Siemens
1
2
E
very year Hollywood is in the world’s limelight for the Oscar Awards, the most coveted prize of the world film industry. Two days
earlier the Austrian Trade Commission Los
Angeles/ ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA awarded
the US-A-Biz Award, the “Business-Oskar” for
excellent performance of Austrian companies
on the U.S. market. “The US-A-Biz Award
brings the extraordinary and innovative to the
media spotlight. In many cases these world
champions of niche markets are hardly known
in Austria,” says Rudolf Thaler, Austrian Trade
Commissioner in Los Angeles. On February
20th this award was presented for the fifth consecutive year.
This year the winners are companies in information technology,
aerospace, transportation, and construction, that performed outstanding achievements in 2014. For the first time, there was also
a special category for the world championship performance of the
Austrian ski industry at the World Cup in Vail, Colorado.
“The entire Austrian export industry should have earned a USA-Biz Award, as it produced a sensational increase in exports to
the United States: from 9% in the first eleven months of 2014, to
7.15 billion Euros,” says Thaler. Imports from the United States
amounted to Euro 4.17 billion, an increase of 2.4% compared to
the same period last year.
In the category ‘Spectacular’, the “Business Oscar” went to Doka
GmbH for developing an innovative climbing formwork which
was used in New York City in order to build the tallest residential
high-rise in the Western Hemisphere.
The US-A-BIZ Award in the category ‘Trendsetter’ went to
Getzner GmbH, a specialist for vibration solutions, which makes
the subway in New York City glide quietly thanks to their hightech materials for vibration protection. Getzner solutions are
increasingly used in the U.S. in the construction-, railway- and
industrial sector.
In the category ‘Startup’, the winner is opvizor GmbH , a Viennese startup which was able to collect $2.15 million in venture
capital in the United States for its security software to prevent
power failures.
The “Business Oskar” in the category of ‘Innovation’ was award to
the TTTech Computer Technology AG, a Viennese company that
has conquered the U.S. with its highly reliable network technology ‘TTTEthernet’. In December of last year the Orion spacecraft of NASA completed its maiden voyage with on board the
44 www.german-world.com SPRING 2015
TTTEthernet, which controls all crucial components of the system. TTTech technology was also used on the Boeing Dreamliner
for the control of electrical- and cabin pressure control.
In the category of ‘Investment’, the FACC AG, a specialist for
technologically advanced lightweight solutions like the fuel-saving Split Scimitar winglets, won the award. Over 3,000 Boeing
737NG are about to switch to the new winglets in the coming
years, which is about 70% of the planes located in the United States.
Siemens AG Austria received the business award in the category of
‘Market Penetration’ thanks to a spectacular order of the Department of Transportation of the City of San Francisco. 175 rail cars
were supplied for a value of 648 million USD. Including an option for other 85 cars this is the largest order for light rail vehicles
that was ever awarded in the United States. Siemens produces the
light rail cars in a plant in Sacramento, CA, in accordance with the
“Buy America”-act. 1,300 “Made in USA”-trams and light rails
were delivered in 17 cities.
In the new special category ‘World Champion of Brands’, the
Austrian ski equipment producer Head with 15 champions using
their brand and winning 3 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze medals at
the recent Ski World Championship in Colorado was honored
with the US-A-Biz Award.
More information on www.advantageaustria.org/us
1 Fuel-saving Split Scimitar Winglet, developed and manufactured by FACC for the US customer Aviation
Partners Boeing. Photo: Courtesy FACC. 2 Austrian Trade Commissioner in Los Angeles Rudolf Thaler.
Photo: Courtesy AdvantageAustria.org/us
SPOTLIGHT
LOS ANGELES
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... Celebrating German Academy Award Nominees in Los Angeles
O
ver 300 people gathered to celebrate
this year’s German Academy Award
nominees at a reception hosted in their honor by German Films together with Villa Aurora and the Consulate General of Germany
on February 21.
The annual German pre-Oscar party is always held one day before Oscar day and
always draws members of the German and
American film community, foreign dignitaries and distinguished guests. This year, Björn
Böhning, head of the Senate Chancellery
of the Federal State of Berlin, film director
Wim Wenders, and fashion designer Wolfgang Joop, came to Los Angeles to celebrate
German cinema.
1
2
3
4
The German community was hoping that “The Salt of the Earth”
directed by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado or “Citizenfour” directed by Laura Poitras and produced by German company Praxis Films, both nominated for Best Documentary Feature,
would win. German composer Hans Zimmer received a nomination for “Interstellar” by Christopher Nolan for Best Achievement
in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score). The other
nominees included “The Grand Budapest Hotel” directed by Wes
Anderson and produced by Studio Babelsberg which was nominated in the categories of Best Achievement in Cinematography,
Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music
Written for Motion Pictures - Original Score, Best Motion Picture
of the Year, Production Design, Best Original Screenplay, and for
Best Director. In his remarks, Consul General Dr. Bernd Fischer
lauded the nominees and said, “Babelsberg is now the place to be
FAREWELL TO KARIN MEMMERT
5
in the world for filmmakers.”
Later that afternoon, “Citizenfour” won the Independent Spirit
Award for Best Documentary, and the next day at the 87th Academy
Awards, the documentary won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Studio Babelsberg could not be happier that “The Grand Budapest
Hotel” took home four Oscars for original score, production design, costume design, as well as makeup and hairstyling.
1 Pre-Oscar at Villa Aurora, from left, Consul General Dr. Fischer, Mariette Rissenbeek (German Films managing director), Annette Rupp (Villa Aurora Berlin) and Oliver Mahrdt, German Films US representative). 2 Wim
Wenders, second from left, with “The Salt of the Earth” team: Donata Wenders (stills), Juliano Salgado (writer,
co-director), Ivi Roberg, and Laurent Petitgand (composer). 3 Dr. Fischer and Björn Böhning join “Citizenfour”
director Laura Poitras, fourth from left, and her film team on stage. Courtesy Consulate General of Germany
in Los Angeles. 4 German fashion designer Wolfgang Joop, for the first time at Villa Aurora, and one of his
models joined Wim and Donata Wenders at the party. All photos: ©Volker Correll.
6
Despite all the excitement about the
Oscar nominations at the German
pre-Oscar party on February 21, Consul General Dr. Fischer did not forget
about a very prominent member of the
German community: Dr. Karin Memmert,
a board member of the Los AngelesBerlin Sister City Committee, and journalist for the local German media had passed away on February 9. Karin had fought cancer
for many years, and sadly lost her courageous battle against the illness eventually. The memorial service took place the same morning
at the St. Frances de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks, and Dr. Fischer called for a moment of silence to pay tribute to Karin Memmert.
Karin is survived by her husband for 48 years, Dr. Günter Memmert, and her son Markus. Karin Memmert had also been a contributor and friend to German World Magazine for many years, and we will always be very thankful for her support. Our heartfelt
sympathies to Guenter, Markus, all her family members, and friends.
Cordially, Petra Schürmann & German World staff.
5 Karin Memmert as a young woman in New York. Photo: private
6 Karin Memmert (2nd f.l.) and her husband Guenter (l.) with Consul General Dr. Fischer and his wife at the LA Berlin Christmas Party in 2012 at the residence of Prinz von Anhalt and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Photo: ©Volker Corell.
SPRING 2015 www.german-world.com 45
TV Programmtipp
Ihr Fernsehprogramm für Amerika
Januar 2014
JUBILÄUM
Zehn Jahre PopXport
Die Sendung PopXport stellt herausragende Interpreten und Bands aus Deutschland
vor, zeigt die neuesten Trends und berichtet über die wichtigsten Musikveranstaltungen. Jetzt wird das Musikmagazin auf
DW zehn Jahre alt. PopXport feiert das Jubiläum mit einem Rückblick: Was waren die
Highlights? Welche Bands hat das Magazin
porträtiert? Bei welchen Events waren die
PopXport-Reporter dabei? Und wer hat die
Sendung schon moderiert?
Foto: Michael Reichel
Snowkiting im Thüringer Wald
FR 10. Jan. 21:30
SA 11. Jan. 00:30 | 14:00 | 18:30
EUROMAXX
SO 12. Jan. 16:00
Schneetreiben
KINO
Wenn die Temperaturen unter den Gefrierpunkt rutschen und der Schnee glitzert, dann ist
Hochsaison in Europas Wintersportgebieten. Ab Januar zieht es Skifahrer und Snowboarder
traditionell in die Berge. Und die Liste der Angebote für Wintersportler wird immer länger:
Vom Snowkiting über das Schneeschuhwandern bis hin zum Eisklettern – wer will, kann im
Winterurlaub jede Minute aktiv sein!
In der sechsteiligen Serie „Schneetreiben“ stellt Euromaxx einige der schönsten und
gleichzeitig ungewöhnlichsten Wintersportregionen in Europa vor. Spanien zum Beispiel
bietet Skifahren mit Meerblick – in der Sierra Nevada in Andalusien, Europas südlichstem
Skigebiet. In Deutschland können Winterurlauber im Thüringer Wald abheben, entweder
beim Snowkiting oder beim Skispringen von der Marktiegelschanze. Und in Davos in der
Schweiz lädt Europas größte Natureisbahn zum Eislaufen ein.
19. – 24. Jan. 16:30 | 23:30
|
20. – 25. Jan. 03:30 | 12:30
Geheimnis Film
Große Emotionen und immer neue
Fantasiewelten: Kino fasziniert weltweit
ein Millionenpublikum. Doch wie entsteht
die Magie im Film? Welche Rolle spielen
Licht und Farbgestaltung? Welche Stimmungen lassen sich mit Sounddesign und
Musik erzeugen? Welche Tricks wenden
die Profis an, um die Zuschauer in die perfekte Illusion zu entführen. Kino wirft
einen Blick hinter die Kulissen und ergründet die Geheimnisse des Filmemachens.
HIN & WEG
SA 18. Jan. 02:00 | 12:00 | 18:00
Winterfreuden
MO 20. Jan. 21:30
DI 21. Jan. 15:30
FR 24. Jan. 22:00
Auch Hin & weg besucht eine beliebte Wintersportregion – die Zugspitze. Deutschlands
höchster Berg bietet Wintersportfreuden für jeden Geschmack. Auf dem Zugspitzplatt
sorgen abwechslungsreiche Pisten auf insgesamt 22 Kilometern für pures Ski- und Snowboardvergnügen – schneesicher vom Herbst bis zum Frühjahr. Darüber hinaus lockt oben
auf dem Gletscher der Sonnenschein, auch wenn im Tal der Nebel die Sicht versperrt.
Seitdem das Skigebiet Garmisch-Classic am Fuße der Zugspitze mit zahlreichen Schneekanonen aufgerüstet wurde, ist auch hier Schneesicherheit garantiert. An den Hängen von
Hausberg, Kreuzeck und Alpspitze findet man 40 Pistenkilometer, darunter die berüchtigte Kandahar-Abfahrt. Doch auch Winterurlauber, die nicht Ski oder Snowboard fahren,
können die verschneite Bergwelt rund um die Zugspitze genießen – etwa bei einer Schneeschuhwanderung zum Eibsee.
SA 25. Jan. 21:30 |
SO 26. Jan. 00:30 | 14:00 | 18:30 |
MO 27. Jan. 16:00
Foto: Piffl Medien
Martina Gedeck im Kinofi lm „Hinter der Tür“
(2012)
Alle Zeiten in GMT/UTC | Lokale Zeiten: Vancouver UTC –8 | New York UTC -5 | São Paulo UTC –2
046-047_GWSpr15_TVTip-May.indd 46
4/24/15 8:24 PM
TV Program
Ihr Fernsehprogramm fü
Foto: Michael Reichel
Snowkiting im Thüringer Wald
EUROMAXX
Schneetreiben
Wenn die Temperaturen unter den Gefri
Hochsaison in Europas Wintersportgebi
traditionell in die Berge. Und die Liste de
Vom Snowkiting über das Schneeschuhw
Winterurlaub jede Minute aktiv sein!
In der sechsteiligen Serie „Schneetre
gleichzeitig ungewöhnlichsten Wintersp
bietet Skifahren mit Meerblick – in der S
Skigebiet. In Deutschland können Winte
beim Snowkiting oder beim Skispringen
Schweiz lädt Europas größte Natureisbah
19. – 24. Jan. 16:30 | 23:30
|
20. – 2
HIN & WEG
Winterfreuden
Auch Hin & weg besucht eine beliebte W
höchster Berg bietet Wintersportfreude
sorgen abwechslungsreiche Pisten auf i
boardvergnügen – schneesicher vom H
auf dem Gletscher der Sonnenschein, a
Seitdem das Skigebiet Garmisch-Cla
kanonen aufgerüstet wurde, ist auch hi
Hausberg, Kreuzeck und Alpspitze find
tigte Kandahar-Abfahrt. Doch auch Win
können die verschneite Bergwelt rund u
schuhwanderung zum Eibsee.
SA 25. Jan. 21:30 |
SO 26. Jan. 00:3
Alle Zeiten in GMT/UTC | Lokale Zeiten: Van
046-047_GWSpr15_TVTip-May.indd 47
4/24/15 8:25 PM
TV Programmtipp
Ihr Fernsehprogramm für Amerika
Januar 2014
JUBILÄUM
Zehn Jahre PopXport
Die Sendung PopXport stellt herausragende Interpreten und Bands aus Deutschland
vor, zeigt die neuesten Trends und berichtet über die wichtigsten Musikveranstaltungen. Jetzt wird das Musikmagazin auf
DW zehn Jahre alt. PopXport feiert das Jubiläum mit einem Rückblick: Was waren die
Highlights? Welche Bands hat das Magazin
porträtiert? Bei welchen Events waren die
PopXport-Reporter dabei? Und wer hat die
Sendung schon moderiert?
Foto: Michael Reichel
Snowkiting im Thüringer Wald
FR 10. Jan. 21:30
SA 11. Jan. 00:30 | 14:00 | 18:30
EUROMAXX
SO 12. Jan. 16:00
Schneetreiben
KINO
Wenn die Temperaturen unter den Gefrierpunkt rutschen und der Schnee glitzert, dann ist
Hochsaison in Europas Wintersportgebieten. Ab Januar zieht es Skifahrer und Snowboarder
traditionell in die Berge. Und die Liste der Angebote für Wintersportler wird immer länger:
Vom Snowkiting über das Schneeschuhwandern bis hin zum Eisklettern – wer will, kann im
Winterurlaub jede Minute aktiv sein!
In der sechsteiligen Serie „Schneetreiben“ stellt Euromaxx einige der schönsten und
gleichzeitig ungewöhnlichsten Wintersportregionen in Europa vor. Spanien zum Beispiel
bietet Skifahren mit Meerblick – in der Sierra Nevada in Andalusien, Europas südlichstem
Skigebiet. In Deutschland können Winterurlauber im Thüringer Wald abheben, entweder
beim Snowkiting oder beim Skispringen von der Marktiegelschanze. Und in Davos in der
Schweiz lädt Europas größte Natureisbahn zum Eislaufen ein.
19. – 24. Jan. 16:30 | 23:30
|
20. – 25. Jan. 03:30 | 12:30
Geheimnis Film
Große Emotionen und immer neue
Fantasiewelten: Kino fasziniert weltweit
ein Millionenpublikum. Doch wie entsteht
die Magie im Film? Welche Rolle spielen
Licht und Farbgestaltung? Welche Stimmungen lassen sich mit Sounddesign und
Musik erzeugen? Welche Tricks wenden
die Profis an, um die Zuschauer in die perfekte Illusion zu entführen. Kino wirft
einen Blick hinter die Kulissen und ergründet die Geheimnisse des Filmemachens.
HIN & WEG
SA 18. Jan. 02:00 | 12:00 | 18:00
Winterfreuden
MO 20. Jan. 21:30
DI 21. Jan. 15:30
FR 24. Jan. 22:00
Auch Hin & weg besucht eine beliebte Wintersportregion – die Zugspitze. Deutschlands
höchster Berg bietet Wintersportfreuden für jeden Geschmack. Auf dem Zugspitzplatt
sorgen abwechslungsreiche Pisten auf insgesamt 22 Kilometern für pures Ski- und Snowboardvergnügen – schneesicher vom Herbst bis zum Frühjahr. Darüber hinaus lockt oben
auf dem Gletscher der Sonnenschein, auch wenn im Tal der Nebel die Sicht versperrt.
Seitdem das Skigebiet Garmisch-Classic am Fuße der Zugspitze mit zahlreichen Schneekanonen aufgerüstet wurde, ist auch hier Schneesicherheit garantiert. An den Hängen von
Hausberg, Kreuzeck und Alpspitze findet man 40 Pistenkilometer, darunter die berüchtigte Kandahar-Abfahrt. Doch auch Winterurlauber, die nicht Ski oder Snowboard fahren,
können die verschneite Bergwelt rund um die Zugspitze genießen – etwa bei einer Schneeschuhwanderung zum Eibsee.
SA 25. Jan. 21:30 |
SO 26. Jan. 00:30 | 14:00 | 18:30 |
MO 27. Jan. 16:00
Foto: Piffl Medien
Martina Gedeck im Kinofi lm „Hinter der Tür“
(2012)
Alle Zeiten in GMT/UTC | Lokale Zeiten: Vancouver UTC –8 | New York UTC -5 | São Paulo UTC –2
048-049_GWSpr15_TVTip-Jun.indd 48
4/24/15 8:26 PM
TV Program
Ihr Fernsehprogramm fü
Foto: Michael Reichel
Snowkiting im Thüringer Wald
EUROMAXX
Schneetreiben
Wenn die Temperaturen unter den Gefri
Hochsaison in Europas Wintersportgebi
traditionell in die Berge. Und die Liste de
Vom Snowkiting über das Schneeschuhw
Winterurlaub jede Minute aktiv sein!
In der sechsteiligen Serie „Schneetre
gleichzeitig ungewöhnlichsten Wintersp
bietet Skifahren mit Meerblick – in der S
Skigebiet. In Deutschland können Winte
beim Snowkiting oder beim Skispringen
Schweiz lädt Europas größte Natureisbah
19. – 24. Jan. 16:30 | 23:30
|
20. – 2
HIN & WEG
Winterfreuden
Auch Hin & weg besucht eine beliebte W
höchster Berg bietet Wintersportfreude
sorgen abwechslungsreiche Pisten auf i
boardvergnügen – schneesicher vom H
auf dem Gletscher der Sonnenschein, a
Seitdem das Skigebiet Garmisch-Cla
kanonen aufgerüstet wurde, ist auch hi
Hausberg, Kreuzeck und Alpspitze find
tigte Kandahar-Abfahrt. Doch auch Win
können die verschneite Bergwelt rund u
schuhwanderung zum Eibsee.
SA 25. Jan. 21:30 |
SO 26. Jan. 00:3
Alle Zeiten in GMT/UTC | Lokale Zeiten: Van
048-049_GWSpr15_TVTip-Jun.indd 49
4/24/15 8:26 PM
LAST PAGE
GO
June 18 - September 30, 2015
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