100 year old wax figures together with various art pieces on display --
(Danke, FluentU)
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
BERLIN! I thought I knew you....
Huffington Post
9 Things You Didn't Know About Berlin
Posted:
Graffiti art on the remains of the Berlin Wall
As renowned for the harrowing events of World War II as for its ultra-modern reinvention as an arts and culture hub, Berlin is one of Europe's most celebrated capital cities, drawing millions of tourists each year. A city of vibrant contrasts, there's more to Berlin than meets the eye. To get you started on your journey of discovery, here are nine things you probably didn't know about Berlin.
1. Berlin hasn't always been the capital
Berlin only became the official capital of Germany in 1990 after the Berlin Wall fell and the country was reunified, but it also served as the capital between 1871 and 1945. Throughout the Cold War era, though, Germany was split into West and East Germany, with Bonn elected capital of the West and Berlin remaining capital of the East.
Berlin only became the official capital of Germany in 1990 after the Berlin Wall fell and the country was reunified, but it also served as the capital between 1871 and 1945. Throughout the Cold War era, though, Germany was split into West and East Germany, with Bonn elected capital of the West and Berlin remaining capital of the East.
2. The city's most popular tourist attraction no longer exists
The notorious Berlin Wall that segregated East and West Berlin for over 30 years remains one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, despite the fact that the wall itself no longer exists. After being triumphantly torn down in 1989, only a few short stretches of the wall remain standing, most notably the 1.3-kilometer section known as the East Side Gallery and the Berlin Wall Memorial.
The notorious Berlin Wall that segregated East and West Berlin for over 30 years remains one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, despite the fact that the wall itself no longer exists. After being triumphantly torn down in 1989, only a few short stretches of the wall remain standing, most notably the 1.3-kilometer section known as the East Side Gallery and the Berlin Wall Memorial.
3. Berlin is bigger than you think
While the city is renowned for its iconic architecture and pioneering arts scene, Berlin's sheer size is the talking point among first-time visitors. Covering an incredible 892 square kilometers, Berlin is around nine times the size of Paris and falls second only to London as Europe's largest city by population. The city also has two main centers (thanks to its former East-West divide), 18 universities and colleges and one of Europe's tallest buildings -- the Berliner Fernsehturm, or Berlin TV Tower.
While the city is renowned for its iconic architecture and pioneering arts scene, Berlin's sheer size is the talking point among first-time visitors. Covering an incredible 892 square kilometers, Berlin is around nine times the size of Paris and falls second only to London as Europe's largest city by population. The city also has two main centers (thanks to its former East-West divide), 18 universities and colleges and one of Europe's tallest buildings -- the Berliner Fernsehturm, or Berlin TV Tower.
4. Berlin has more canals than Amsterdam
The sprawling metropolis of Berlin isn't generally thought of as a riverside city, but with over 180 kilometers of waterways within city limits, it easily outsizes the famous canal networks of Amsterdam and Venice. In fact, Berlin has more canals than any other city in the world, connected by a staggering 1,700 bridges. It's no surprise, then, that cruising the River Spree is one of the best ways to take in the sights, and the river is also dotted with beaches, bars and swimming spots throughout the summer months.
The sprawling metropolis of Berlin isn't generally thought of as a riverside city, but with over 180 kilometers of waterways within city limits, it easily outsizes the famous canal networks of Amsterdam and Venice. In fact, Berlin has more canals than any other city in the world, connected by a staggering 1,700 bridges. It's no surprise, then, that cruising the River Spree is one of the best ways to take in the sights, and the river is also dotted with beaches, bars and swimming spots throughout the summer months.
5. Berlin has the world's largest Turkish population outside of Turkey
If you're wondering why the döner kebab is so prevalent on the streets of Berlin, it's because the city allegedly houses the world's largest Turkish population outside of Istanbul -- many of whom moved to the city in the 1960s to take advantage of the shortage of post-war workers. Legend has it that the döner kebab (or at least a variety of it) was actually invented in Berlin, and you'll find an abundance of kebab stalls, Turkish pizza outlets and Turkish restaurants all around the city.
If you're wondering why the döner kebab is so prevalent on the streets of Berlin, it's because the city allegedly houses the world's largest Turkish population outside of Istanbul -- many of whom moved to the city in the 1960s to take advantage of the shortage of post-war workers. Legend has it that the döner kebab (or at least a variety of it) was actually invented in Berlin, and you'll find an abundance of kebab stalls, Turkish pizza outlets and Turkish restaurants all around the city.
6. 40% of Berlin is underground
With underground railway networks, elaborate World War II bunkers, escape tunnels, sewers and brewery cellars, it's estimated that 40% of Berlin's structures are underground, making the city almost twice as big as it appears on the surface. Best of all, many of the underground bunkers built during WWII are now open to tour groups, including some of the secret tunnels used by the Nazi party. The vast living complexes that exist beneath the city include bedrooms, bathrooms and even a labor room for pregnant women.
With underground railway networks, elaborate World War II bunkers, escape tunnels, sewers and brewery cellars, it's estimated that 40% of Berlin's structures are underground, making the city almost twice as big as it appears on the surface. Best of all, many of the underground bunkers built during WWII are now open to tour groups, including some of the secret tunnels used by the Nazi party. The vast living complexes that exist beneath the city include bedrooms, bathrooms and even a labor room for pregnant women.
7. Berlin is a transport hub for Europe
Berlin Central Station, which opened in 2006 with a dramatic opening ceremony, is the biggest train station in Europe and serves as a transport hub not only for Germany's extensive train network but for the rest of the continent. In addition to taking the train to national destinations like Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, you can travel directly to places like Novosibirsk in Russia or Astana in Kazakhstan. It's not only the station that ranks among the continent's largest buildings, either -- Berlin's KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) is Europe's biggest department store, covering over 60,000 square meters.
Berlin Central Station, which opened in 2006 with a dramatic opening ceremony, is the biggest train station in Europe and serves as a transport hub not only for Germany's extensive train network but for the rest of the continent. In addition to taking the train to national destinations like Hamburg, Cologne and Munich, you can travel directly to places like Novosibirsk in Russia or Astana in Kazakhstan. It's not only the station that ranks among the continent's largest buildings, either -- Berlin's KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) is Europe's biggest department store, covering over 60,000 square meters.
8. Berlin's best art is on the streets
While the world-famous Pergamon Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie are Berlin's flagship art museums, some of the city's most iconic artworks can be found on the street; Berlin's vibrant street art forms a key part of its UNESCO City of Design status. The graffiti art adorning East Side Gallery and the "Pink Man" mural by artist BLU are among the city's most famous and striking works, but keep your eyes peeled as you'll find plenty of unexpected gems. Inspired to explore the rest of Berlin's art scene? The city also has an incredible 175 museums and galleries to satisfy all tastes.
While the world-famous Pergamon Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie are Berlin's flagship art museums, some of the city's most iconic artworks can be found on the street; Berlin's vibrant street art forms a key part of its UNESCO City of Design status. The graffiti art adorning East Side Gallery and the "Pink Man" mural by artist BLU are among the city's most famous and striking works, but keep your eyes peeled as you'll find plenty of unexpected gems. Inspired to explore the rest of Berlin's art scene? The city also has an incredible 175 museums and galleries to satisfy all tastes.
9. The world's largest cylindrical aquarium is in Berlin
One of Berlin's most unique attractions is the AquaDom, a 25-meter-high glass cylinder that houses over 1,500 exotic fish -- the largest aquarium of its kind in the world, found in the city's Radisson Blu Hotel. The most spectacular attraction, though, is the hotel's elevator, which tunnels through the center, allowing visitors an incredible 360-degree panoramic view of the tropical water world.
One of Berlin's most unique attractions is the AquaDom, a 25-meter-high glass cylinder that houses over 1,500 exotic fish -- the largest aquarium of its kind in the world, found in the city's Radisson Blu Hotel. The most spectacular attraction, though, is the hotel's elevator, which tunnels through the center, allowing visitors an incredible 360-degree panoramic view of the tropical water world.
Contributed by Zoe Smith for Viator
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
'Woman In Gold' Trailer - NPR: Lost Art Is Reclaimed In
Enjoy the trailer... It's already playing at the Showcase Cinema; will be released nationwide on 4/10.
APRIL 02, 2015 5:03 PM ET Ella Taylor
Robert Viglasky/Weinstein Company
Gustav Klimt's famous painting of a dark-eyed beauty encased in shimmering gold lozenges is often dismissed by art critics as a disappointing excursion into kitsch by the avant-garde Austrian painter. But the portrait, commissioned by a wealthy Jewish family not long before the outbreak of World War II, has brought visceral pleasure to countless owners of postcards, posters and key-rings who have yet to set foot in New York's Neue Galerie, where the original hangs today. How it got there from Vienna makes for a sensational true-life tale, however staidly told in the new film Woman in Gold.
To Maria Altmann, an elderly Los Angeles Jewish dress-shop owner played in the movie by Helen Mirren, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was a precious reminder of her glamorous and beloved Aunt Adele, lost forever in the wake of Nazi art theft. Before her premature death, Bloch-Bauer had bequeathed the painting to Vienna's prestigious Belvedere art gallery. Soon after, the painting, along with many other artifacts owned by her family, was brazenly looted by Austrian Nazis; Maria was one of the few in her family who escaped death and ended up in the Untied States. After the War the painting resurfaced and remained in Vienna's prestigious Belvedere gallery for six decades until Altmann — with the help of a young attorney who happened to be the grandson of émigré composer Arnold Schoenberg, a contemporary of Klimt — returned to try to reclaim her family property.
The epic legal fight that followed is the subject of Woman in Gold, a stolidly sequential drama by British director Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn). With a directing style best described as reverently ceremonial, Curtis plods through scenic tours of the baroque architectural grandeur of Vienna today, regularly punctuated with flashbacks to the traumatic wrecking of Maria's gilded youth. Dancing the hora at Maria's wedding comes with a thudding overlay of Nazi jackboots. On the soundtrack, lest you miss the message, is "O Mary, don't you weep."
With star power more in mind than goodness of fit, the movie is hopelessly miscast. Mirren is her usual entertaining blast of acerbic brio, but here she improbably reprises her QEII testiness, accessorized with an Austrian accent. For his part Ryan Reynolds, a terrific physical comedian, is all wrong for the earnestly idealistic Randy Schoenberg, who found a novel way to help Maria sue the Austrian government for recovery of a painting it had now recast as a symbol of the country's national identity.
How they accomplished this is such a great yarn that, for all its broad brush strokes,Woman in Gold can't help but tell a moving populist parable about the will to power of an ordinary woman — one among millions, it turns out as the restitution of wartime cultural theft becomes a very big deal in the art world — taking on powerful institutions to regain a tiny fraction of her family's appalling losses.
To the credit of screenwriter Alexi Kaye Campbell and a nice turn by Daniel Bruhl as an Austrian investigative journalist with a guilty secret he is driven to expunge, Woman in Gold does not shy away from Austria's reluctance to face up to its wartime record. Instead, the film suggests that the affirmation of national pride that moved Austrian officials to fight Maria's claim tooth and nail depended on a sustained denial of its own shameful history.
After a Herculean struggle, in the end an Austrian arbitration committee did right by Altmann, who sold Klimt's Adele to cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder for a fortune and donated most of the proceeds to arts institutions and Holocaust survivors' groups. There it hangs in New York, a refugee like its rightful owner — and an enduring testament to the Austrian back-story that never made it into The Sound of Music.
Movie Synopsis
Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann, starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt's famous painting 'The Lady in Gold'. Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg, she embarks upon a major battle which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way.
Cast:
Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, Katie Holmes, Tatiana MaslanyWriter:
Alexi Kaye CampbellDirector:
Simon CurtisGenre:
DramaMPAA Rating:
PG-13Length:
1 hr 50 minReleases:
4/1/15 Limited, 4/10/15 Nationwide
Sunday, June 15, 2014
9 Discovers and Inventions of the Schwabians (from Baden-Württemberg)
9 Erfindungen und Innovationen, die wir den Schwaben verdanken
Die Burg Hohenzollern in der schwäbischen Alb | Shutterstock
Die Schwaben sind ein missverstandenes Volk. Sie gelten als geizig (curmudgeonly) und spießig (narrow minded). In
Wirklichkeit haben Schwaben aber mehr drauf als viele andere Deutsche.
Ohne sie wäre Deutschland nicht der Wirtschaftsmotor, der er heute ist.
Denn: In Sachen Innovation macht ihnen keiner etwas vor. (As far as innovations are concerned, the Schwabians are beyond compare.)
In Baden-Württemberg sitzen einige der patentstärksten Unternehmen Deutschlands.
Von viele hat noch niemand etwas gehört - oft sind sie aber in ihren Branchen Weltmarktführer.
Die Region ist ein wahrer "Innovations-Hotspot".
Das war schon immer so: In kaum einer anderen Region Europas haben die Menschen so viel erfunden. Schon seit dem Mittelalter steckt in ihnen der Erfindergeist.
Viele Produkte prägen heute die ganze Welt.
Die 9 coolsten Dinge, die wir Schwaben zu verdanken haben:
Was allerdings kaum jemand weiß: Bereits ein Jahr vorher erfand er das Motorboot.
(What few realize: a year before that he had invented the motorboot.)
Gottlieb Daimler wird von seinem Sohn mit dem ersten motorisierten Wagen der Welt gefahren
HIER IS THE DIRECT LINK TO THE AMAZING FOOTAGE OF THE SIGNS OF LIFE WHICH CONNECT THE RHONE AND RHEIN RIVERS.
In den Jahrhunderten danach wurde das Prinzip Streichholz ständig weiterentwickelt.
Zahlreiche kleine Schritte führten zu dem heutigen Sicherheitsstreichholz. Eine der größten Weiterentwicklungen geht allerdings auf einen Schwaben zurück. Friedrich Kammerer stellte ab 1831 Streichhölzer als erster industriell her. (Kammerer was the first to industrialize the making of matches.)
So sah die Streichholzherstellung aus, als alles noch per Hand gemacht werden musste
Obwohl er im Alter von etwas mehr als einem Jahr mit seiner Familie nach München zog, stammt er doch aus Ulm.
Rührt daher auch sein wohl einzigartiger Erfindergeist? Fest steht: Albert Einstein hat Bahnbrechendes geleistet und uns die klischeehafteste Formel der Physik geschenkt: E=mc² - die Grundlage für die Relativitätstheorie, die das Verhältnis von Raum, Zeit und Geschwindigkeit beschreibt.
Während sich drei Astronauten von der Rakete abkapseln wollten, brach ein Feuer aus, bei dem alle Insassen starben.
Als Reaktion auf den Unfall orderte die NASA bei dem schwäbischen Papierspezialisten „Scheufelen" nicht entflammbares Papier. Das schwäbische Hightech-Produkt reiste zwei Jahre später mit der Apollo 11 auf den Mond.
Chef war der Schwabe Carl Laemmle. Er zog mit seinen Universal Studios 1914 auf das Gelände einer alten Geflügelfarm an der Westküste der USA um. (In 1914, Laemmle moved his Universal Studios onto the land of a former chicken farm on the west coast of the USA.) Nach und nach (By and by,) folgten weitere Filmfirmen.
An dem beschaulichen Ort, in dem die besagte Hühnerfarm lag, entwickelte sich die heutige Milliardenstätte Hollywood.
Das Lustige daran: Der Ort hieß damals schon so... (Interestingly, the place kept its orignial name.)
So sieht die Zufahrt zu den Universal Studios heute aus
Auf die Firma 1950 auch die erste Ein-Mann-Motorsäge der Welt erfand, die von einem Menschen allein geführt werden konnte.
Fernsehtürme gibt es erst seit den 50er Jahren. In Europa sind die meisten heute aus Stahlbeton, mit einer Plattform auf ungefähr zwei Drittel der Höhe.
Die erste Fassung des „Standardmodells“ wurde 1956 in Stuttgart errichtet, der Stuttgarter Fernsehturm. Er ist damit quasi der „Ur-Fernsehturm“
Stationäre Bohrer gab es schon vorher. Doch Feins Erfindung war die erste Bohrmaschine, die nicht mehr ein Tischgerät war, sondern in der Hand lag.Damit hat er auch den Weg für den Akkuschrauber (cordless screwdriver) geebnet, ohne den heute wohl kaum ein Ikea-Regal aufzubauen wäre (without which today few could assemble their bookshelves from IKEA).
Denn: In Sachen Innovation macht ihnen keiner etwas vor. (As far as innovations are concerned, the Schwabians are beyond compare.)
In Baden-Württemberg sitzen einige der patentstärksten Unternehmen Deutschlands.
Von viele hat noch niemand etwas gehört - oft sind sie aber in ihren Branchen Weltmarktführer.
Die Region ist ein wahrer "Innovations-Hotspot".
Das war schon immer so: In kaum einer anderen Region Europas haben die Menschen so viel erfunden. Schon seit dem Mittelalter steckt in ihnen der Erfindergeist.
Viele Produkte prägen heute die ganze Welt.
Die 9 coolsten Dinge, die wir Schwaben zu verdanken haben:
1. Auto und MotorbootDer Stuttgarter Ingenieur Gottlieb Daimler baute 1886 das erste Auto, in dem er einen Ottomotor auf eine spezielle Kutsche setzte.
Was allerdings kaum jemand weiß: Bereits ein Jahr vorher erfand er das Motorboot.
(What few realize: a year before that he had invented the motorboot.)
Gottlieb Daimler wird von seinem Sohn mit dem ersten motorisierten Wagen der Welt gefahren
2. KunstBereits vor 40.000 Jahren (40,000 years ago) lebten Menschen auf der schwäbischen Alb. Die zahlreichen Kunstwerke, die die Menschen damals formten (unter anderem Flöten), sind heute die ältesten, die je gefunden wurden, sagen Tübinger Archäologen (the oldest every found.)
HIER IS THE DIRECT LINK TO THE AMAZING FOOTAGE OF THE SIGNS OF LIFE WHICH CONNECT THE RHONE AND RHEIN RIVERS.
3. StreichholzSchon im alten China wurden Holzstückchen in Schwefel (sulfur) getaucht (dipped).
In den Jahrhunderten danach wurde das Prinzip Streichholz ständig weiterentwickelt.
Zahlreiche kleine Schritte führten zu dem heutigen Sicherheitsstreichholz. Eine der größten Weiterentwicklungen geht allerdings auf einen Schwaben zurück. Friedrich Kammerer stellte ab 1831 Streichhölzer als erster industriell her. (Kammerer was the first to industrialize the making of matches.)
So sah die Streichholzherstellung aus, als alles noch per Hand gemacht werden musste
(This is what the manufacture of matches looked like, when they all had to be made by hand.)
4. E=mc²Einer, wenn nicht der weltweit bekannteste Schwabe, der aber oft nicht als Schwabe wahrgenommen wird, ist Albert Einstein.
Obwohl er im Alter von etwas mehr als einem Jahr mit seiner Familie nach München zog, stammt er doch aus Ulm.
Rührt daher auch sein wohl einzigartiger Erfindergeist? Fest steht: Albert Einstein hat Bahnbrechendes geleistet und uns die klischeehafteste Formel der Physik geschenkt: E=mc² - die Grundlage für die Relativitätstheorie, die das Verhältnis von Raum, Zeit und Geschwindigkeit beschreibt.
5. Nicht entflammbares Papier1967 kam es bei einer Routineübung der Apollo 1 Mission zu einem schweren Unfall.
Während sich drei Astronauten von der Rakete abkapseln wollten, brach ein Feuer aus, bei dem alle Insassen starben.
Als Reaktion auf den Unfall orderte die NASA bei dem schwäbischen Papierspezialisten „Scheufelen" nicht entflammbares Papier. Das schwäbische Hightech-Produkt reiste zwei Jahre später mit der Apollo 11 auf den Mond.
6. Hollywood1912 ging aus der Fusion mehrerer Firmen das noch heute existierende Unternehmen „Universal“ hervor.
Chef war der Schwabe Carl Laemmle. Er zog mit seinen Universal Studios 1914 auf das Gelände einer alten Geflügelfarm an der Westküste der USA um. (In 1914, Laemmle moved his Universal Studios onto the land of a former chicken farm on the west coast of the USA.) Nach und nach (By and by,) folgten weitere Filmfirmen.
An dem beschaulichen Ort, in dem die besagte Hühnerfarm lag, entwickelte sich die heutige Milliardenstätte Hollywood.
Das Lustige daran: Der Ort hieß damals schon so... (Interestingly, the place kept its orignial name.)
So sieht die Zufahrt zu den Universal Studios heute aus
7. Motorsäge (Hand-held Power Saws)Die Firma Stihl aus Stuttgart ist heute die bekannteste und größte Marke für Motorsägen auf der Welt.
Auf die Firma 1950 auch die erste Ein-Mann-Motorsäge der Welt erfand, die von einem Menschen allein geführt werden konnte.
8. FernsehturmNach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg begann der endgültige Siegeszug des Fernsehers. Um das dafür benötigte Signal über das gesamte Land zu verbreiten, musste man viele hohe Türme bauen.
Fernsehtürme gibt es erst seit den 50er Jahren. In Europa sind die meisten heute aus Stahlbeton, mit einer Plattform auf ungefähr zwei Drittel der Höhe.
Die erste Fassung des „Standardmodells“ wurde 1956 in Stuttgart errichtet, der Stuttgarter Fernsehturm. Er ist damit quasi der „Ur-Fernsehturm“
9. Schlagbohrer (Percussion Drill)Eine Erfindung, die natürlich von den „Häuslebauern“ kommen muss: Die elektrische Bohrmaschine. Der Tüftler (tinkerer) Wilhelm Emil Fein aus Ludwigsburg erfand sie 1895.
Stationäre Bohrer gab es schon vorher. Doch Feins Erfindung war die erste Bohrmaschine, die nicht mehr ein Tischgerät war, sondern in der Hand lag.Damit hat er auch den Weg für den Akkuschrauber (cordless screwdriver) geebnet, ohne den heute wohl kaum ein Ikea-Regal aufzubauen wäre (without which today few could assemble their bookshelves from IKEA).
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