One Day in Halle

April 14, 2010

Halle (Saale) is a small town in the eastern part of Germany, it is not only the birthplace of the famous composer Händel (engl. George Frideric Handel), also the famous Halloren Chocolate Factory / Museum is located in this town.

Halle is the largest city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale (literally Halle on the Saale river, and in some historic references simply Saale after the river) in order to distinguish it from Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia. The current official name of the city is Halle (Saale).

The Halloren Chocolate Factory is the oldest producing chocolate factory in Germany. Its origins date back to the founding of a gingerbread bakery in 1804. The main product of Germany’s oldest chocolate factory is the “Original Halloren Kugel”, small chocolate balls filled with creams in different flavors.

Continue reading

TURMKUNST 2010 – Street Art XXL

April 6, 2010

It’s time for another Street Art and this one is special. Turmkunst 2010 or Art Monument 2010 is a project of 4 international artists, Flying Förtress (Hamburg, Germany), Honet (Paris, France), Sozyone (Alicante, Spain) and Craig KR Costello (New York, USA). During April, Turmkunst 2010 will be Europe’s most spectacular open air gallery, with 2000m², 46 m above the streets of Berlin.

The big red monument called Bierpinsel (eng. Beer Brush) is a 46m high tower in the Steglitz district of Berlin and was build from 1972 to 1976. The Building has three floors usually equipped with restaurants and a night club. After it was closed in April 2006, the new owner wants to rebuild the complete area with a new entrance building. But before that, four international artists will commence work on the most complex canvass Europe has to offer.

Continue reading

Leipzig Book Fair 2010

March 22, 2010

Last weekend, I was in Leipzig to visit the Leipzig Book Fair 2010.

The Leipzig Book Fair is the most important spring meeting place for the publishing and media sector and has evolved into an attractive hallmark both in Germany and across Europe.

But after I arrived at the exhibition grounds, it was obvious that the fair isn’t only about Books anymore. Cosplayers, as far as the eye could see.

Since Animes and Mangas are becoming more and more famous in Germany, Cosplay is pretty popular among the fans and instead of taking pictures from books and their authors, I focused on capturing all the amazing costumes I saw during my time at the fair.

Continue reading

Berlinale 2010, Summer Wars サマーウォーズ

February 17, 2010

So I watched Summer Wars today at an official cinema of the Berlinale 2010. It’s the DVD premiere in Germany and the movie was shown two weeks earlier, of course in Japanese language with English subs.

The movie was about a boy called Kenji, a computer technician for a virtual world called Oz (a massive social network in which everything is connected with the real world) who was invited by the most popular girl at his high school to her expansive family’s home for a summer job.

During their trip, the world of Oz became infected by a virus, Kenji’s Account got hacked and so the chaos begun.

Hosoda Mamoru, the producer himself, was one of today’s guests and at the end, he answered a couple of questions about the movie which I can’t tell you without spoiling you the story. The only thing I can tell you is that he got his inspiration from his own family… oh yes and that he loves Germany.

Continue reading

RAF Laarbruch – Abandoned Military Airbase

January 8, 2010


On my way through the western part of Germany, I discovered an abandoned British military airbase in Weeze, a village in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Part of it is now used as a civilian airport and you can see the old military buildings if you drive the road from the big “Welcome” sign to the airfield. The old British RAF Laarbruch military base, was well placed along the Netherlands border into which the Soldier could flee if something unexpected happened.

Even some old military weapons were placed as a reminder for the Cold War days, or they were just forgotten, who knows.

Continue reading

Coca Cola Christmas Truck Tour 2009

December 21, 2009

Like every year, the Coca Cola Christmas Trucks were on a tour through every major city in Germany and the final parade was held in Berlin yesterday. Ten trucks with four stages and a snack bar to buy Bratwurst and Glühwein against the cold.

With -16°C (3.2°F) and heavy snowfall, it was the coldest day of the year. But that was not a real problem and thousands of people were following the parade on its way from the Kurfürstendamm, via the Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburger Tor to its final goal, the Rote Rathaus Berlin.

Continue reading

Chinese Ice Art – Beijing Beiguodingyu

December 7, 2009

_MG_0487

It’s winter! Well, only meteorological but, the next thing I will show you is typical for this season, no snow but ice. For the first time ever, Chinese artists displaying their ancient ice art in Germany. Six-metre-high sculptures on 1200 square metres, with a constant exhibition temperature of minus.. well let’s say it was damn cold.

The Sculptures, created by a large number of international prize winners, are to be continually expanded upon and finalized during the exhibition. The exhibition itself is held between the November 27th 2009 and February 22nd 2010 near the O2 World Berlin.

Huan Ying Guang Lin! or You are all very welcome!

Continue reading

The Berlin Domino Wall – Thousand Pieces of Art

November 10, 2009

As I mentioned yesterday, today was Berlin’s 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Many World leaders and dignitaries were invited.

Chancellor Merkel said some Words in front of the Brandenburg Gate, she herself grew up in East Germany and was one of thousands to cross into the West on Nov, 9, 1989 – “Today marks a truly happy moment of the German and the European history,” She said. “Twenty years ago the door to freedom opened up and a seemingly invincible wall that divided a people and an entire continent suddenly became permeable. For me, it was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

The Main Event was a symbolic Fall of the Wall in form of 1,000 dominoes to symbolize fall of the communist regimes and iron curtain in Eastern Europe. The first stone was pushed by the former Polish politician Lech Wałęsa.

The 1,000 Stones, 2,5m high, all hand-painted, were lined a 1,6km long portion of the route once occupied by the wall. I took a couple of pictures from some very interesting Stones.

Continue reading

East Side Gallery, walking alongside the Berlin Wall

November 9, 2009

Tomorrow is a big day, the City of Berlin will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

For that reason, the big East Side Gallery was repaired and repainted. The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery is a 1.3km-long section of the wall near the center of Berlin. Approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world cover this memorial for freedom and make it the largest open air gallery in the world.

The Gallery tells with its pictures the story of Berlin and Germany’s history. Many artists were invited to repaint their pictures which were created about twenty years ago. The paintings and the wall were in an extremely deteriorated condition through weather, air pollution, vandalistic collectors, and simply time.

The East Side Gallery is located near the Ostbahnhof.

Continue reading

Model Railway Exhibition at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof

November 3, 2009

The Modellbahnverband in Deutschland e.V. ( German Model Railway Society ) staged an exhibition, to celebrate his 15th anniversary.

It was fascinating to see those little trains driving through a really beautiful created world of snow, woods and mountains. A journey through the Alps, the United States, Germany and even a time travel to Berlin after the Second World War.

Continue reading