Discover Germany, Issue 34, January 2016

Issue 34 | January 2016

T H E M A G A Z I N E P R O M O T I N G G E R M A N Y , S W I T Z E R L A N D & A U S T R I A

K R I S T I NMEYERFROM SOAP STAR TO CHARITY HEROINE

PLUSTOP INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

SWISS WINTER TRADITIONSDESIGN, FASHION & LIFESTYLE

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Issue 34 | January 2016 | 3

Discover Germany | Contents

COVER FEATURE6 Kristin Meyer

Kristin Meyer, the actress and formerGerman soap star turned charity heroine,talks to Nane Steinhoff about life afterGZSZ and what made her spend all herenergy helping others.

SPECIAL THEMES20 Top 3 Interior Design Experts

Meet the experts who know exactly how tomake the most of a space and make itshine in a new design.

28 TheTaste of Germany

German icons in the food sector, whichare not to be missed.

36 Top International Schools

From early childhood to post-graduate,we present some of the finest educationalfacilities in Germany and Switzerland.

54 Successful Medical andTechnicalEnterprises

Read all about new state-of-the-arthealth-related products and services fromthe medical sector.

FEATURES32 Start 2016 fit and happy

Get in shape and live it up in the NewYear.Whatever your resolutions are, the mainthing is to live a happy life. NadineCarstens finds out more.

46 Swiss winter traditions from a Britishpoint of view

Our British writer Emmie Collinge, whorecently moved to Switzerland, shares hernew experiences in the Alpine countrywith us.

24 Hotels of the Month

Discover the Burghotel Auf Schönburg,one of Germany’s most romantic castlehotels amidst the picturesque UNESCOWorld Heritage Site of Upper MiddleRhine.

25 Our Swiss winner is the wonderfullypersonal and intimate Walserhof Klostersnear Davos with its perfect skiing locationand a mouthwatering Michelin-starredcuisine.

26 Restaurant of the Month

High aboveWürzburg, right in the middleof one of Germany’s most beautifulvineyards, Bernhard Reiser and his teampresent culinary perfection in a classy,but re-laxed, atmosphere in the REISERS amStein.

REGULARS & COLUMNS9 Dedicated to Design

See what is trending in the new year andwhat names to bear in mind when lookingfor cool design.

10 Fashion Finds

See what designers have up their sleeves tostart 2016 in style.

24 Wine & Dine

We present outstanding hotels and restau-rants well worth visiting when in the area.

32 Culture

Feel good and enjoy life in the new year.Here’s all you need to know.

50 Business

Successful enterprises in the digital,medical and technical sector plus our legalexpert Gregor Kleinknecht takes a look atStamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on secondhomes and buy-to-let properties.

62 Culture calendar

Save the date! Discover Germany’s culturecalendar is your perfect guide to what notto miss in January.

66 Barbara Geier

Happy NewYear from our lovely columnistBarbara.

ContentsJANUARY 2016

2025

Photo: HOTEL WALSERHOF

Photo: ISR

38

Photo: BEHR EINRICHTUNG GMBH


4 | Issue 34 | January 2016

Dear Reader,Welcome to the January issue of DiscoverGermany. We hope you enjoyed a happyholiday season and a most fabulous startinto 2016.Are you still sticking to your NewYear’s resolutions? Then do keep up thegood work - it is worth it! If you fell of thewagon, never mind, most people do by theend of January and you can still try againnext year.

This month’s cover star is Kristin Meyer, who is not only stunningto look at, but also a successful actress and an absolute angelwhen it comes to helping others. In ourVIP interview the selflessartist reveals what made her engage deeply into charitable projects.

Also in this issue you’ll find a special focus on Switzerland, pre-senting sophisticated designers, amazing hotels, great restaurantsand more from the Alpine skiing paradise. Our writer EmmieCollinge, who moved to Switzerland a while ago, takes theopportunity to share her impressions of Swiss winter traditionsfrom a British point of view.

There is much more to be discovered about and from theGerman-speaking regions, all neatly wrapped up for you in thisissue. For me, it will be my last editor’s note for a while. Stickingto my NewYear’s resolution, I will embark on a new venture as itis time for a change. It has been great three years with a wonderfulteam and amazing readers. A big thank you to all of you.You willbe missed. Good luck for 2016, may it be a happy, peaceful andgood year for you.

Enjoy the magazine!

Tina Awtani

Discover Germany

Issue 34, January 2016

Published 04.01.2016

ISSN 2051-7718

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Discover Germany | Cover Feature | Kristin Meyer

Kristin Meyer knew that she belonged onstage very early on.“My parents were bothclassical musicians and I often went to seetheir concerts. I always felt as if I was on thewrong side when I sat in the audience. At16, I finally decided that I should be onstage,”the actress laughs. Thus, Meyer ap-plied to study drama and voice at Leipzig’sAcademy of Music and Theatre ‘FelixMendelssohn – Bartholdy’. Since graduat-ing, she appeared in various theatre plays,such as West Side Story, Carmen, Picasso’sWomen or Shakespeare’s Richard III. Meyerwas also able to land numerousTV assign-ments – many of them leading roles. FromWolffs Revier and Polizeiruf to Tatort,Kuestenwache, Ein Fall fuer Nadja, SOKOWismar, Schloss Einstein and SOKO 5113,Meyer is mainly known for her appearancein Germany’s longest-running soapGZSZ.

“I got too comfortable”

During her time at GZSZ from 2006 until2010,Meyer played the lead character of IrisCöster.“It was the most intense time of mylife. It felt like home and amazing to be

part of such a huge, experienced team,”Meyer says. She adds: “I’m a team playerand not a stage hog and GZSZ was theperfect setting for me to flourish. The con-trollability of one’s own performance insoaps is simply incredible. You don’t havethis when filming a movie, but in a soapyou have direct contact with your perform-ance and you can already see what to im-prove a few hours after filming it,”the ac-tress explains.

After four years at the soap,Meyer decidedto quit. “One day I noticed my alarmingmindset. The perks of working for a soaplike GZSZ are incredible and I realised thatI got far too comfortable. It was time toleave and the production firm fully sup-ported me with this. Today I look back onthe time at GZSZ with a warm feeling andam really grateful that I had the opportunityto be part of it. The soap opened up somegreat doors for me.”She adds:“Of course,the last day was horrible and a fewmonthsafter I left, I fell into a big hole as jobs justdon’t queue up. This was needed to be-

come a bit more realistic.”Thus, she de-cided to dedicate her life to other, moresocial tasks.

“We all have a duty”

On her last paid vacation by GZSZ she vis-ited an orphanage in Uganda for amonth toteach them acting. “This personal experi-ence quickly turned into a deeper relation-ship,” says Meyer.As she saw the impact ofgenetic malnutrition, she decided to take aone-year course to train as a nutritionist,gaining vital knowledge that she wishes topass on to the children. Meyer also starteda Master of Public Policy at Berlin’s Hum-boldt-Viadrina School of Governance. Aspart of her course, the actress developed aproject to support youngHIV-positives andthe charity Act To Be was born.

Act To Be seeks to foster a peaceful togeth-erness of all people around the world. Its pi-lot project, ‘Young & Positive – Art againstStigma and Discrimination’, in Ugandaseeks to help children and teenagers whowere infected with HIV. Its mission is to of-fer them a platform where they can testtheir skills, learn about themselves and ex-press their needs and wishes through the-atre plays.“Discrimination of the society isadded to the burden of the illness itself sothatYoung Positives often grow up withoutsafety or care,”explainsMeyer. For at least ayear, a local drama teacher coaches around70 Young Positives to act, dance and sing to

Most people probably know Kristin Meyer from her role as Iris Cöster in GZSZ (GuteZeiten, schlechte Zeiten) – one of Germany’s most famous and longstandingsoaps. However, as a TV, cinema and theatre actress, singer, dancer, student anddubbing artist, she somehow also found time to bring a charitable organisation tolife. Discover Germany spoke to Meyer about her new projects and whether she hasever regretted leaving GZSZ.

NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: BORIS LAJOS / T&T

Kristin MeyerFrom soap star to charity heroine



develop an improved body awareness andmore self-confidence.After that, entire the-atre plays are developed and the overallgoal is tomake people come together and togive Young Positives the needed tools foran independent and sustainable future.“Their wish to live a life without prejudicesand discrimination is thus heard in an en-tertaining way. We further raise HIV andAIDS awareness,”Meyer adds.

Local institutions get supported too anddonations are collected for them. KristinMeyer notes: “We’re still at the very startand we need to generate more donations tomake the charity grow.While our pilot proj-ect in Uganda is still at an early stage, I’m

planning to bring others to life. The nextone will be in Germany - maybe one inBerlin for refugees or about sustainabilityand environmental issues. After all, Act ToBe wants that people deal with life in amore conscious way – not only in Africa.”She adds:“I seek to create a world wherepeople meet as equals. I don’t see myself asa saviour but we all have a task and duty.Asan actress, my influence scope was alwaysquite small, but withActTo Be I can be cre-ative and have freedom to realise my ideas.”A jewellery designer from Dubai recentlyfound out about Act To Be. Impressed withthe charity’s ideas,Haya Jewellery designedand now manufactures an exclusive but-terfly bracelet for Act To Be. While the de-

signer takes over all production costs, theentire proceeds get donated to the charity.

Besides seeking to bring Act To Be to lifeand handing in her Masters thesis, KristinMeyer is still a devoted actress and has ex-citing screen projects in the pipeline. Anepisode of the crime series SOKO Stuttgart,for example, will be broadcasted in Febru-ary.“I just filmed a movie for another proj-ect too. I’m a partner for the Rescue DadaCentre in Nairobi and travelled there withMISEREOR.”It seems like there is nothingKristin Meyer cannot do.

www.hayajewellery.com/shop/charitywww.act-to-be.org

Discover Germany | Cover Feature | Kristin Meyer



Discover Germany | Design | Dedicated to Design

Spice up your coat rack with the metal coat hanger0150 designed by Herbert Ludwikowski. Comes inpolished or matte chromium plate, brushed stainlesssteel and brass matte. Set of four from £104.www.schoenbuch.com

Quite simply an all-round winner: the 0390 coat hook.The wall-mounted hooks are made of solid wood andcome in white, high-gloss gold, silver or copper finish.Set of four from £65.www.schoenbuch.com

Safari style meets metallics! A stylish little jewellery orconfectionary tray made of porcelain. Design CarnabyZebra by Jonathan Adler. £26.www.desiary.de

The Qlocktwo Touch radio-controlled table clock is ahigh-tech precision piece of engineering offering anarray of exciting features – and it looks amazing too.£445. www.einrichten-design.de

Spring may still be far afield, but in case the first snow-drops pop out of the grounds, this vase is the perfectcontainer to store them indoors. £6.www.stilherz.de

Dedicated to Design...With the new year comes a new style. Interior designers are very excited about the new metallic trend, whereshades of copper, silver and gold set the tone for a contemporary look. Christmasmay be over, but this is absolutelyno reason not to stock up on shiny designer goods and let your home sparkle!

EDITOR'S PICKS

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Discover Germany | Design | Fashion Finds

Happy New Year! The festive seasonis over and a new chapter opensup. Although we have had a mildwinter so far, hopes are high thattemperatures are dropping and theskiing season will kick off in thelower regions very soon. Let’s takea look at the runways to find outwhat is hot to wear in the cold thiswinter.

EDITOR’S PICKS | PHOTOS: PRESS IMAGES

FashionFinds

Midnight blue and black are the new must-haves. Adda bit of leather and glitzy bits to achieve a sophisticated look.Christele long blazer €499, shirt €159.90, leggings €179.90.www.airfield.at



No matter if you are in a city office or in a mountain chalet:these tartan design trousers always fit perfectly. Let the pantsdo the talking and avoid mixing with other patterns. €79.95.www.zerres.com

The brogues by Hamburg-based shoe designer Nina Binnéhave already gained cult status amongst insiders. We love theChelsea Boot 4226. €399. www.binne-hamburg.de

Cosy, comfy and a bit of retro is the motto for this marvellouscreation by German designer Thomas Raab. Coat Milly, madeof mixed wool and fox fur €1,798. www.thomasraab.com

Discover Germany | Design | Fashion Finds

Another refined look by Austrianfashion empire Airfield, standingfor innovative design and exclu-sive quality. Maya coat €899,knitted embellished sweater€189.90, jeans €189.90.www.airfield.at




Sustainability is a core concept of ClaudiaGüdel’s work. "Our future brings what wemake of it. We live our philosophy, growslowly but steadily and keep our senses ac-tive and our creativity inspired,“ the de-signer states. Her blunt, edgy, elegant andunpretentious signature style strips fashionto the bare minimum. It is an honest ap-proach with a sporty note and always suit-able. The designer uses natural fibres incombination with high-performance fabricsfrom Swiss manufacturer Schoeller TextilAG, allowing the pieces not only to be com-fortable, but also very practical. A ClaudiaGüdel original is crease-resistant, elasticand in many cases even weather proof.

"When a design reaches the perfect bal-ance between elegant and casual,when it issuitable to be worn on a construction site as

well as in a concert hall, then I am trulysatisfied,”Claudia Güdel explains. Her col-lections include versatile dresses, overallsand jackets, all manufactured in Europe, en-suring top quality. Comfortable details suchas soft-line stitching or integrated pocketsare standard, which makes the clothes per-fect for people with busy lifestyles such asworking mothers or architects who have tobe at a construction site in the morning be-fore attending important office meetings inthe afternoon.“Our customers are attentiveconsumers between the ages of 25 and 80.They all share a passion for functional butrefined design. They opt for solid qualityand distinctive clothing at the same time.They are rather modest people, who like todress well without being too noticeable andthey have a good sense of sustainability,”Güdel reveals.

2016 started with a bang for the Swiss de-signer when she was picked to create thestaff uniforms for Basel’s new four-stardesign hotel Nomad,which opens its doorsthis month. Claudia Güdel’s designs areavailable at her own boutiques in Zurichand Basel, as well as at selected retailers,and she frequently exhibits at various tradefairs such as Blickfang or In&Out. Noworries for those who missed out onClaudia Güdel’s creations for Christmas asthe new spring collection will be in thestores very soon.

www.claudiagudel.ch

Swiss fashion designer Claudia Güdel creates high-quality, durable fashion for menand women. Her subtle and unobtrusive style is perfect for quality-consciouspeople with busy lifestyles.

TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: HANSPETER GUILIANI & HILDEGARD SPIELHOFER

Sustainable style fromconstruction site to concert hall

Portrait: Claudia Güdel



Discover Germany | Design | Christina Krämer & THE SWISS LABEL

“Recently we have been to Mongolia our-selves,” says Christina Krämer, searchingfor further inspiration for her cashmere col-

lection. Under her own label since 2007, herexclusive high fashion collections havebeen a symbiosis of sustainable natural lux-

ury and traditionalhandcraft rightfrom the start. Butrelying on cash-mere alone isnew: in 2015 shefirst launched acollection of ac-cessories, fol-lowed now byhigh-quality cash-mere jumpers.

Cashmere is well known for its softnessand heat retention. Christina Krämer uses100 per cent cashmere wool only, combedfrom the underfur of Mongolian Hircusgoats – without any admixture of cheapermerino or sheep’s wool. Cashmere natu-rally comes in different colours: from nearlysnow white to grey, from ochre to darkbrown or black. This is why ChristinaKrämer – apart from the black pieces inher collection – uses no dyes at all, but re-lies on the“goats’natural colour”. Beautifulsoft tones that can only be found in nature.Even the labels are organically certified

because eco-friendly production is essentialfor Christina Krämer. As is the idea of sus-tainability, not only for keeping nature in-tact, but also supporting nomadic familiesand their traditional lifestyle. ChristinaKrämer and her partners – Luca Morettiand Mario Cozzi, who together havefounded the Modern Nomads GmbH –even developed a biodegradable cashmereshampoo based on natural ingredients.

www.christinakraemer.com

For many years Christina Krämer has worked successfully as an organic fashiondesigner. Now she is re-launching her brand with an organic cashmere collection.In close cooperation with nomadic families in Mongolia, she follows a sustainableapproach that includes both ecological and social aspects.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: CHRISTINA KRÄMER

Luxury without remorse: organic cashmerejumpers made in Switzerland

With an eye on the essentials and a sense ofbeauty, Katy Rohner, the designer andfounder, has developed classy collectionsmade of jersey fabric.“High-quality fashionwhich makes every woman feel comfort-able in every moment – that is and will re-main our credo,” the label head says. Toemphasise this motto, the summer collec-tion of 2015 has not been presented bymodels, but by women from Rohner's owncircle of friends.After an initial emphasis on t-shirts and

tops, the company's portfolio now featuresanything fashion lovers could ask for. Allclothes are made of the very best jerseyfabrics that solely come from Switzerland orItaly. The concept of diversely combinable

garments in many colours has even ac-quired a liking outside of Switzerland.THESWISS LABEL is available in its shop in St.Gallen and in more than 200 fashion shopsin Germany,Austria, Switzerland and over-seas.“In 2016, our

customers canlook forward tonew fresh colours,trendy styles and avery special high-light, which is thefluid, cooling jerseyfabric for hot sum-mer days,”Rohnerannounces.

THE SWISS LABEL, a clothing linemade by women for women, with a con-vincing style and sensible quality.

www.theswisslabel.ch

Timeless, comfortable and versatile, THE SWISS LABEL creations are a perfectblend of style and quality, standing for straightforward and distinctive fashionstyle since 1997.

TEXT: INA FRANK | PHOTOS: THE SWISS LABEL

The finest jersey fabrics for sophisticated females

Below: Kimono jacket with a casually cut top and culottetrousers made of flowing jersey. (left)

Long, comfortably cut dress in ringed jersey, combined with ablouse with a transparent print. (middle)

Short dress with an ingenious o-form and pockets, collarlessjacket with striking press studs. (right)



Good design is not just about what looksgood, it also performs, converts, astonishes,and fulfils a purpose. «Designstudios» inBerne helps their clients to transcend thisphilosophy through coherent design solu-tions. Their dynamic design creates anidentity that is interwoven in the entireproduction and marketing cycle; it evokesan emotive response and attaches cus-tomers to a company’s brand.

“Our designs are always tasteful, creativeand unique. Each design project is focusedon the needs of the target audience andcustomers. We adapt the design process

and implementation in accordance withthe desired results. It's not about forcing‘our style’on a product – we want the prod-uct to fulfil its purpose and match the cus-tomer’s ideas.”

Systematic and creative philosophySince 1983 the small but mighty Swiss de-sign agency has been working to createbrands, spaces and products that are safe,beautiful and sustainable. The company’sphilosophy is to improve people’s quality oflife through an interdisciplinary, creative,and systematic design approach.

This approach is systematic because theagency solves design problems throughworking in an analytical way and, generally,

Design is an interdisciplinary art that happens on many dimensions. Forms, colours,sounds, lights and movements make spaces livable – and products functional. TheSwiss firm «Designstudios» impresses with exceptional products and spaces thatare characterised by creativity, uniqueness and a strong user focus.

TEXT: ELISABETH DOEHNE | PHOTOS: DESIGNSTUDIOS

DesignstudiosThe art of designing spaces and brands



Discover Germany | Design | Designstudios

this process involves: identification of theproblem, research and analysis, definitionof goals, strategic brainstorming for ideas,design as well as evaluation.

But their design process is inherentlychaotic and creative. Forms, colours,sounds, lights and experiences influencethe designers in their work.“Nature is oftenour source of inspiration for colours, pat-terns and shapes.Also, art, other cultures orhistorical aspects play an important role ingenerating ideas and design,”explains CEORolf Widmer.

Design creates identities

Good design is also a strategic business de-cision that emphasises the care and qualitya company invests in its products and pub-lic or company spaces.The range of servicesoffered and the broad portfolio resembles«Designstudios» holistic approach. Theirservices include: conceptualisation and de-sign of brands, corporate communications,product design, spaces and signage. “Ourdesigns makes products safer, simpler, andmore beautiful,”says Rolf Widmer.

«Designstudios» customers span a widerange of industries. From a sewage treat-ment plant to a chic customer services andadministration space, the agency workswith small, medium-sized businesses andbig companies. The designers emphasisethe importance of individual solutions, per-sonal consultation and support. In fact, theagency has been working with many clientsfor more than a decade.

The team’s specialisation and design focusincludes the following areas: corporate de-sign (brands), communication design (an-nual reports, documentation), product de-sign, interior design (exhibitions, receptionareas) and information design (signage). Inaddition to traditional design work, theagency is eager to work on an increasingnumber of cross-sectoral projects.

Design with a real-world function

User-centred design makes a product moreunderstandable, improves workflow andincreases the efficiency. In addition, intu-itive usability evokes the user’s pleasure in-

stead of frustration.One recent example ofa creative and functional design solution isthe ‘open space’ of Berne’s Swiss FederalOffice for Transport (BAV).The design stu-dio worked to transform the former archiveinto a space that is open, colourful, com-municative and creative. The receptionroom features historic memorabilia andtrain seats.

“Design communicates, sells and createsadded value,”says Rolf Widmer. And he isright. Good design is a constant marketingtool, improving the image of a company inthe long term by increasing customers’trust,loyalty and satisfaction with a brand orproduct. In the past, his agency has de-signed and perfected brands for manyrenowned clients, including Arabella-Sheraton Hotels, Auhof, Bauhaus, Bechtle,

Credit Suisse, Group-Egli, Inducta, FrickerShoes,KLM,RedCross andWater Excellence.

Sustainable future vision

Safety, simplicity, sustainability and aes-thetics are the pillars that best describe theDesignstudios’work today. In the years tocome, RolfWidmer says:“We want to buildon our success and contribute to the safetyand reliability of products, the safe pathfind-ing (buildings, parking garages, public ar-eas), aesthetics in form and colour, sustain-ability and environmental awareness interms of materials, processes and recycling.”

www.designstudios.ch

Opposite & below: Swiss Federal Office of Transport

Top: SQS Headquarters, Details of Furniture Design

Opposite bottom: Designstudios Headquarters in Berne



Capturing underwater images is a fascinat-ing challenge: coral reefs full of colourfulfish or bizarre sea creatures, sharks, whalesor dolphins are only some of the divingphotographers’favourite subjects.However,water and cameras do not usually mix welland can damage them seriously, it must beassured that a watertight housing can pro-tect them from any water damage.

By combining elegance, innovation andprecision, SEACAMpresents a new dimen-sion in the symbiosis of state-of-the-artunderwater housings and digital single-

lens reflex cameras. SEACAM develops andengineers modern underwater housingsthat not only guarantee to keep camerasdry, but also adapt to the newest develop-ments of the photography industry.

“For more than two decades, we have beendeveloping housings which fulfil photog-raphers wishes and are designed to achievemaximum image quality, reliability andflexibility.We attach importance to design-ing housings that are perfect in every detail.This is why SEACAM is the worldwideleading manufacturer of underwater hous-

ings,” Harald Hordosch, the founder andowner proudly says. As a passionate diverand photographer, he founded SEACAMin Voitsberg, Austria, more then 25 yearsago.

Dedicated to craftsmanship

In order to keep up with the fast-pacedinnovations of Nikon, Canon and othercamera brands, SEACAM constantly en-

SEACAM offers camera housings for underwater photography which are designedto achieve maximum image quality, reliability and flexibility. For more than 25years, the Austrian company has been developing and producing the best tools forunderwater photographers worldwide.

TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS I PHOTOS: SEACAM

SEACAM silver – off to new shores



Discover Germany | Design | SEACAM

deavours to combine the most useful tech-nical inventions with a conscience for qual-ity and traditional know-how.Outstandingquality can only be achieved through ded-icated craftsmanship. SEACAM thereforetries to design handmade masterpiecesequivalent to a Stradivari violin or a Fabergéegg by working with dedicated and highlyskilled craftsmen. Every single SEACAM

silver housing is a handmade and uniquespecimen, which has been assembled byone single technician to offer perfect qual-ity and highest appreciation in the longrun.

All components of SEACAM systems arebeing discussed and designed in manyphases.“By component we mean solutionsfor image composition, imaging perform-ance and handling,”Hordosch explains.Thebest educated engineers create two orthree-dimensional drawings and animatedvisualisations, which enable them to calcu-late characteristics such as volume andweight.All SEACAMproducts must be ver-satile: therefore, the housings are based ona unique modular design which, in the longrun, ensures an unequalled compatibilitywithin each system.

Underwater housings where the camerais 100-per cent protected

SEACAM housings protect cameras per-fectly, thanks to a double sealing and asafety lock system.The company only usesgrease and oil-resistant O-rings that do notexpand. With an assembly of up to fourseamless O-rings in a row, SEACAM en-sures perfectly sealed housings.

SEACAM’s safety lock system is unique.Two secured quarter-turn fasteners closethe two shells of the underwater housingwith a tension force of 60 kilogrammes.Since the safety locks are made out of tita-nium and stainless spring steel, they areable to last a life time. “Your camera willbe protected like a bank safe,” HaraldHordosch ensures.

Customers from all over the world

SEACAM’s international customers are pri-marily passionate underwater photogra-phers.Working with professionals from thefields of science, nature conservation orfrom the fashion and advertising industry isbecoming more and more important.SEACAM products are sold worldwidethrough a global network of marketing.

Thosewhowant to get a picture of SEACAM’sproducts themselves, should visit the BOAT

Show in Düsseldorf, the world’s largest wa-ter sports trade fair, from 23 to 31 January2016. SEACAM will present some of theirlatest innovations. Chat with the mostrenowned underwater photographers, ex-change tales or simply experience the lookand feel of SEACAM silver.

www.seacam.com

Main image: Harald Hordosch, founder of SEACAM

Left, from top: SEACAM housings are designed to achievemaximum image quality, reliability and flexibility.

SEACAM enables a comfortable handling of the camera func-tions.

Timeless, modern and ergonomic shapes are characteristicfor SEACAM housings.

SEACAM enables a comfortable handling of the camera func-tions.

Below: By using SECAM remote systems, photographers canplace the housing at distance.

Bottom: Challenging underwater photography requires theuse of premium artificial light.

Opposite bottom: O-rings ensure watertight housings.


Discover Germany | Design | Silvia Proy Lederwarenmanufaktur

From sourcing the materials to designingand completing the product, at Silvia Proy’sleather manufacture every step of theprocess is completed by the artist herself.Goods are completed in fine traditionalquality craftsmanship, with every productbeing one of a kind.The unique personali-sation service is available in her shop inVi-enna, where customers can literally puttheir own stamp on the goods or even turntheir own ideas into reality in the form of abespoke service.Silvia Proy offers a great variety of out-

standing leather products for men andwomen alike. The handbag collection forwomen features bags with handles,clutches, shoulder bags and pouches in an

array of beautiful shapes and colours. Formen, different types of briefcases are avail-able. Belts and small leather goods roundoff the range. The products all bear thenames of Italian cities.“For me, Italy standsfor high-quality leather goods,” Proy re-veals.She puts quality at the core of her do-

ings and solely uses the finest materialsavailable, such as alligator or snakeskin.Everything is simply natural and authentic,with all furs used for the inner lining ofgoods sourced from monitored breedingestablishments or permitted hunting ac-cording to the Law ofWild Life.Watch outfor the new collection, which will belaunched in spring 2016. www.silviaproy.at

Silvia Proy Lederwarenmanufaktur is one of the top names to bear in mind whensearching for the finest, handmade leather goods. With high-quality materials andmeticulous attention to detail Silvia Proy crafts exceptional leather accessories.

TEXT: INA FRANK | PHOTOS: SILVIA PROY

The epitome of fine leather goods

Portrait: Silvia Proy

So müssen Berge sein.Penken. Der Actionberg der

www.mayrhofner-bergbahnen.com

will be the best of your life.

Feel the fascination,



Imagine a house in which the furniture,the colours and the composition harmoniseperfectly; where one feels comfortable andwhere the sofa, tables and curtains are of atimeless design. Most people wish to givetheir home a personal touch, but findingitems that match their ideas is not alwayseasy.This is why a visit to Behr EinrichtunginWendlingen promises to make your de-sign ambitions a reality.The furniture storein the state of Baden-Württemberg inSouthern Germany describes itself as“house of good forms”and is well knownfor having a long tradition of fine home

decor.Nowadays headed by director ReinerSingle, his wife Stefanie Single and salesmanager André Kalcher, Behr Einrichtungis undoubtedly a leading centre for chicand sustainable furniture.

In a showroom of 3,500 square metres, cus-tomers can find a broad range of high-quality pieces of furniture, lighting and ac-cessories.“Furniture is our passion: we donot simply advise our customers, we in factaccompany them during the whole processof arranging the different objects at homeor in the office,”says Kalcher.Therefore, he

describes both thinking and acting holisti-cally as major feature of the company.“Wealso bear in mind in how far the wholeroom changes when we place a new objectin there.”Thanks to a skilled team of inte-rior designers, architects, cabinet makersand interior decorators, the company is ableto offer solutions that are perfectly tailoredto the buyers’wishes. Still, the furniture ex-perts do not hesitate to advise customersagainst their decision if they are convincedthat a different solution is better.“Honestyis the best policy,”Kalcher says.

No disposables, but chic items of highsustainability

Honesty, quality and commitment are justa few of the company’s key values. Theyare the reason why the furniture store al-ready has such an extensive history.“Ourcustomers are thankful when they see what

Behr Einrichtung GmbH in Wendlingen sells modern and classic furniture that isknown for its sustainable and aesthetic design. With over 100 years of experience,the company has established itself as one of the leading centres for exquisitefurniture and first-class service.

TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS I PHOTOS: BEHR EINRICHTUNG GMBH

Offering high-quality furniture since 1912

Special Theme

Top 3 InteriorDesignExperts



Discover Germany | Special Theme | Top 3 Interior Design Experts

a significant difference it makes to pay at-tention to detail in regards to the composi-tion of the pieces,” Kalcher explains. Thecompany therefore offers a service, whereinterior designers visit customers at home.This way, they get a picture of which itemssuit best to the rooms. They also discovernew ideas on how to change the composi-tion of the existing furniture pieces andarrange them in a new way.

“We support the freshly retired entrepre-neur couple who wants to furnish their res-idence completely anew, but also customerswho have a smaller budget and are justlooking for a new table,”Kalcher says. Herecommends savingmoney for selected ob-jects, because it is definitely worth the wait:“The items which can be purchased herehave a very high sustainability and can beregarded as heirlooms.We would never sellany disposables.”

For inspiration and to keep up with the de-velopments of the furniture industry, Reiner

Single, Kalcher and the rest of the teamregularly go to trade fairs all over Europe.“We try to find the outstanding objects inthe masses; something that is not just ashort-lived trend, but a timeless piece offurniture,” Kalcher states. On such tradefairs, he and his colleagues also get in touchwith well-respected manufactures as wellas designers whomight cooperate with thecompany.

A furniture company with a longsuccessful history

By now, Behr Einrichtung looks back at along history: In 1912, Erwin Behr foundeda furniture factory in Wendlingen. The en-trepreneur turned out to be a pioneer inmany ways, for example when he broughtthe first modular furniture to market in1921. He furthermore reached a milestoneby inventing the three-layer particle boardin the 1940s. Shortly after, Behr decided tonot only produce furniture, but also to of-fer various market collections.“This was atime when especially Scandinavian design

became famous in Europe,”the sales man-ager explains.

With a curator’s finesse, Behr Einrichtunghas continuously added design icons aswell as modern objects that could verylikely become classic to its selection. In the1950s, it was this furniture store which firstintroduced the famous Lounge Chair byCharles Eames to the German market. Tothis very day, the company still commits it-self to the philosophy of being a“house ofgood forms”, an attitude which will un-doubtedly guide the brand Behr Einrichtungto surpass another 100 years.

www.behr-einrichtung.de

Main image & above: Fine home decor is beingpresented in a showroom of about 3,500 square metres.© Behr Einrichtung GmbH. Photo: Niels Schubert

Below: Interior decorators and expert designers supportowner builders just like architects. © Behr Einrichtung GmbH.Photo: Simone Maiwald (left)

Behr furniture store in Wendlingen is located right nextto the autobahn A8. © Behr Einrichtungen.Photo: Niels Schubert (right)



At Dörfler’s headquarters in Erlangen, nearNuremberg, clients find everything theyneed: from single items to improve alreadyexisting interior design, to all-inclusivearrangements using the best manufacturersand collections. It is Dörfler’s individualservice that appeals to ambitious clients.“Colours, light, forms and haptic – withthe right combination of harmonic andcontrasting elements, we create an interiormirroring those living in it,” says CarstenDörfler.

Dörfler might have a long tradition, butalso a modern approach.The German com-pany not only works in their home countrybut also on rather successful internationalprojects, for instance in Prague, Switzer-land or on the island of Majorca.

Sometimes their work takes them even fur-ther away: into the Caribbean for exam-ple.“After we had been on the site, got toknow the light, the colours and of coursethe people and their preferences, we wereable to formour visions,“ saysCarstenDörflerabout their first project there.While alwaysworking with great precision and empa-thy, nomatter where, the Dörfler team herefaced some unique challenges. On a fixeddate every single piece of interior decora-tion and equipment had to be shipped intwo containers to this remote island.“Weknew we had to have everything packedand securely wrapped for this exciting trip.“Once on the island there was no chance torepair any damage or order missing pieces– not even a single screw.The Dörfler fam-ily and team had to turn a construction site

into a home ready for occupation in barelya week.They not only brought in their ownspecialists but also supervised local crafts-men involved in the project, ensuring thateverything was done in an optimal way.“Amazing Germans – what an incrediblededication and work performance creatingthis perfect and beautiful interior in onlyone week”, was the client’s and locals’ re-action when the project was finished intime and to highest standards. As one canimagine, it was not the last project the teamwas involved in – even on this remote is-land far away from home.

www.doerfler.de

The team of Dörfler international interior design has great expertise in making thebest of every room, indoor and outdoor space. Founded 70 years ago, currently thefamily´s second and third generation are working closely together with their teamof 16 interior designers, decorators, lighting designers, technicians and carpenters.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: DÖRFLER INTERNATIONALE WOHNKULTUR

Interior design based on Germanprecision and craftsmanship

Main image: Light plays an important role in Dörfler’s designs – as can be seen in this dressing room.

Right from top: Giving a fireplace room a modern touch. (top) A living room with a view. (middle)Outdoor spaces are also part of the portfolio. (bottom)

Bottom right: A real family business – Dörfler´s second, third and fourth generation.



Due to economic, social and technical devel-opments, companies are facing ever-changingworking environments.The creativeminds atthe family business Krüger believe that officespace design should be based on the needsof companies and the employees, not thedimensions of the building. Following thisnotion, they have already successfully mas-tered many diverse projects all over Ger-many and Europe.“Krüger shows how com-panies can use space more efficiently whileinvesting in high-quality furnishings andemployees’satisfaction at the same time.Thatis what our customers appreciate in particu-lar about our interior design concepts,”saysDavid Krüger, one of the CEOs.

Krüger’s work is mainly based on four pil-lars: flexibility, floor space efficiency,

acoustics and leasing. As team structures,department sizes and working methodsare under continuous development, flexi-bility is one of the major challenges tobusinesses. However, Krüger has proventhat one can rise to that challenge with in-novative interior design solutions.Renowned companies trust in Krüger’s ex-pertise in this field, like the well-knowndeveloper of storage media Intenso. Withsystem partitions and module-based fur-niture by Krüger, it can now react to chang-ing needs without big construction meas-ures. Floor space efficiency is abouteconomising, but saving costs does nothave to mean compromising on quality.One of Krüger’s effective measures in thisarea has been developed for the auditingfirm Deloitte, which can now enjoy the ad-

vantages of having all employees of itsDüsseldorf location working under oneroof.

Noise can have a strong impact on our abil-ity to concentrate, yet not every office hasthe resources for sound-absorbing carpetsor ceilings. With smaller, wall-mountableacoustic elements, Krüger reduces acousticnuisance in an open working space to theminimum.Another cutting-edge solution isthe furniture leasing by Krüger. In contrastto the heavy financial burden that is in-curred by purchase, furniture leasing offersplanning security through fixed monthlyrates keeping the firm’s equity unharmed.Apart from office equipment, Krüger nowincreasingly focuses on project develop-ment, like, for instance, the‘GreenBuilding’inMünster. “We developed office structuresand flexible furnishing which fully utilisethe cost-saving potential of this sustain-able real estate,”Krüger reports.

www.krueger.ms

German interior design expert Krüger specialises in creating working environmentswith a pleasant atmosphere. From the initial analysis to planning and realising aproject, everything comes from one source.

TEXT: INA FRANK | PHOTOS: KRÜGER

Discover Germany | Special Theme | Top 3 Interior Design Experts

Innovative interior design for the future



Situated on a small hill at theMiddle Rhine,above the medieval town of Oberwesel, theBurghotel Auf Schönburg, with its big tow-ers and an imposing shield wall, is the per-fect place for relaxation and immersingoneself into a romantic time long gone.When one steps into the medieval castle,one can feel that the Hüttl family lives forhospitality here.“We are a family businessthat is run with loving attention.We seek tooffer our guests a holistically pleasant staythrough informal, friendly dealings.Whether one seeks a spring stroll throughour enchanting garden or a hot chocolate infront of a crackling fireplace, guests can re-lax in our castle throughout the entire year,”smiles Herrmann Hüttl.

The Schönburg castle charms with a thor-oughly history-steeped past that goes back

around 1,000 years. Family Hüttl made ittheir leasehold object in 1957 and today,their love for the castle can be felt in everylittle detail. All 24 hotel rooms are individ-ually and lovingly equipped with antiquefurniture, canopy beds and selected fabricswithout neglecting to include modern lux-uries, such asTVs,minibars,Wi-Fi or stereosystems. The overall ambience of the his-toric castle can be described as homelike,authentic and cosy.While a fireside lounge,prison tower and small library invite for ex-tensive relaxation, the hotel’s restaurantsoffer a high-quality, regionally coined cui-sine with own creations.“We promise thatevery dish is freshly prepared and includespredominantly regional products,“ notesHerrmann Hüttl. Guests can enjoy a bigbreakfast on the romantic terrace withviews across the valley, lunch on another

terrace with views on to the Rhine or atasty meal in medieval and authentic am-bience inside the castle’s affectionately dec-orated restaurants. Dishes, such ascaramelised duck breast or beef fillet tartarwith bread chips are sure to impress.

The castle’s surroundings have a great deal tooffer too: vineyard paths and forest andmeadow trailswithmagnificent views for hik-ing and cycling enthusiasts,picturesque smalltowns, museums, the legendary Loreley andthe Pfalzgrafenstein Castle are close by.

www.burghotel-schoenburg.de

Amidst the picturesque UNESCOWorld Heritage Site of Upper Middle Rhine, one canfind one of Germany’s most beautiful castle hotels. The Hüttl family who managesthe Burghotel Auf Schönburg, already in the third generation, impresses withwarm hospitality and ensures that each stay is something rather special.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: HPM I GUIDO WERNER I GERD SPANS I LANDOLD I VOLKER LINGER

Romantic castle getaway

Hotelof the Month

Germany

Main image: The Burghotel Auf Schönburg. Photo: HPM

Above, from top: The terrace with views across the Rhine.Photo: Guido Werner

The fireplace lounge. Photo: Gerd Spans

The castle’s tower room with balcony. Photo: Landold



Klosters, the famous mountain resort cher-ished not only by the British Royal Family,is well known for its cosy family-friendlycharacter. Close to the bustling winterhotspot Davos, it offers the best of winterand summer alike. Featuring four generousand incredibly beautiful Alpine-style suitesas well as a Michelin-star gourmet restau-rant, the Walserhof is a wonderful homefrom home even for the most discerningguest. Although it is located close to theGotschnabahn cable car, guests do notseem to rush after having checked in.“Ofcourse our visitors enjoy the ski slopes, butthey are not the type that hits the pistes at8am.Our guests tend to take full advantageof the peaceful ambience and the cosiness

of our house.They read a lot and simply en-joy our beautiful suites,”says hostess SilviaDietrich, who manages theWalserhof withher husband Heribert.

Fully refurbished in 2012, the large con-temporary suites leave no room for desire.Measuring between 83 and 91 square me-tres, offering two bedrooms, a fully fittedkitchen, lush bathrooms and outside spacewith spectacular mountain views, the suitesare simply too good to be left empty.Due toits size, theWalserhof is able to treat gueststo a privilege no other large hotel can pro-vide.“We try to offer a very personal unob-trusive service, such as escorting every sin-gle guest to the cable car or providing

guests with their personal newspaper, freshfruit and water to their rooms every day,”Dietrich explains.

Her husband Heribert is in charge of theWalserstube restaurant. Graced with oneMichelin star and rated 16 points on theGault Millau scale, the chef and his teamtreat their guests to a new, regional andtruly authentic cuisine made of fresh localproduce whenever possible. Burning calo-ries is easy on the nearby slopes, from ski-ing to snow shoe hiking or taking longwinter strolls, the options are endless. TheWalserhof also teamed up with the close byGrand Resort Bad Ragaz, so guests mayuse the large 36.5-degree Wellbeing &Thermal Spa for free. Unless of course, theyprefer to stay at their beautiful suite andsimply relax and recharge their batteries incomplete serenity.

www.walserhof.ch

Right in the heart of Klosters, the family-run boutique hotel Walserhof welcomesguests with unprecedented hospitality, the most charming and attentive staff as wellas a Michelin star-studded restaurant.

TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: HOTEL WALSERHOF

A personal affair with star-studded cuisine

Hotelof the Month

Switzerland



High above Würzburg, right in the middleof one of Germany’s most beautiful vine-yards, there is the REISERS Restaurant amStein. Since top restaurateur BernhardReiser moved to the location in 2002, pop-ular restaurant guides have regularlyawarded the chef and his team for their ex-cellent cuisine. The restaurant not only re-ceived a Michelin star, but also 16 points inthe 2016 Gault Millau. Gourmets feel at-tracted to this region just like wine con-noisseurs and design enthusiasts, who ap-preciate the unique architecture of thevineyard by Ludwig Knoll.The striking dis-tance to the Franconian wine as well as thewide range of international wine speciali-ties turns the restaurant into an authenticwine paradise.

With great dedication, Reiser also tries toconvey the pleasures of cooking. In order toshare his knowledge and passion for food,he not only opened the restaurants amStein and am Golfplatz, he additionallyfounded a culinary school, which is one ofthe largest in northern Bavaria.“We are re-sponsible for what we eat and howwe treatour health. The better we know our body

and its needs, the more consciously wechoose our meals,” Reiser explains. Withthree different kitchens, his culinary schoolin Dettelbach provides much space andmodern equipment, ideal conditions forpeople who take part in Reiser’s cookingclasses covering different cuisines. Sup-ported by other expert chefs, he showseveryone how to become an excellent cook.Participants of the class additionally learnhow to create delicious meals with a smallbudget.“Food should stay affordable, be-cause otherwise you won’t be able to enjoyit,”Reiser is convinced.

The chef undoubtedly knows what he istalking about, since he is an experiencedcooking tutor.As a nutritionist, he not onlygives advice to the German women’s na-tional football team, he also teaches partic-ipants of the study course ‘food manage-ment and culinary studies’on the campus inBad Mergentheim and has held countlesslectures on other occasions too. Of course,Reiser also imparts his knowledge to thetrainees of his restaurant with great com-mitment. His protégés in turn have thechance to demonstrate their talent every

Monday: “Easy Monday is one of ournewest projects:Then, seven trainees are al-lowed to take the reins and cook the menuby themselves.”

www.der-reiser.de

Top restaurateur Bernhard Reiser and his team present culinary perfection in aclassy, but relaxed, atmosphere.

TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS I PHOTOS: DANIEL BISCAN

A perfectly consciousculinary experience

Main image: Top restaurateur Bernhard Reiser (left) and MarcelSpenkuch, executive chef.

Above, from top: Bernhard Reiser (third from left) and his team:Marcel Spenkuch, Mathias Störcher and Rainer Trautenbach(from left).

The wine bar in the restaurant REISERS am Stein, anaward-winning wine paradise in Bavaria. © Daniel Biscan

The restaurant REISERS am Stein in Würzburg.

Below: The cuisine of Reiser’s restaurant am Stein received aMichelin star and 16 points in the Gault Millau (2016).

Restaurantof the Month

Germany



Since 2008, Hotel Matterhorn FOCUS canbe found at the edge of Zermatt and closeto the famous Matterhorn. As the hotellies right next to the cable car valley sta-tion of the Matterhorn-Express, guestscan quickly reach the famous ski and hik-ing region Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.Besides a perfect location, the hotel wasdesigned by world-famous artist HeinzJulen, making it a piece of art in itself.The hotel connects a renovated Swisschalet with two modern buildings and thecombination of charming design, exten-sive use of glass, chromium, unprocessedconcrete and wooden elements and thetraditional architecture, immediatelycatches the eye. 30 hotel rooms and luxu-

rious suites are fitted with furniture andlamps by Heinz Julen, offering remark-able views of the mountains and the Mat-terhorn.

Despite the contemporary design, the at-mosphere in Hotel Matterhorn FOCUS iscoined by human warmth and familialdealings, making it suitable for everyone;whether couples or families. The hotel isrun by the Noti family and hosts ChristianNoti and Patrizia Gasser ensure that everyguest feels holistically happy.“Either of usis always present and we provide a verypersonal environment,” smiles PatriziaGasser. As a bed and breakfast hotel, theinn only offers morning meals and a snack

menu because “Zermatt already has somany great restaurants”, explains Chris-tian Noti. The hotel might not offer arestaurant but instead a spacious wellnessand spa oasis with an indoor and outdoorpool, Jacuzzi, Finnish sauna, saltwater andsteam bath, several massages, body treat-ments and a rest area with heated stretch-ers. After a busy day in the wilderness,guests can also relax in the cosy fireplacelounge while enjoying a coffee or tastypiece of cake from the hotel bar.

Zermatt is not only a famous winter desti-nation, but great all year around. Becausethe village lies in high altitudes and is closeto a glacier, skiing is possible 365 days ayear. Zermatt’s alpine climate is also perfectfor hikes through enchanting larch forests,for visiting mountain lakes, playgrounds innature and bike riding. 29 stunning 4,000-metre high peaks attract mountaineersfrom all over the world.

www.matterhorn-focus.ch

Art, architecture and a mostwelcoming atmosphere

Design& LifestyleHotelSwitzerland

Main image: Hotel Matterhorn FOCUS in winter.© JOE.CONDRON/ROCKZERMATT.COM

Above, from left: The indoor pool. © XHALE

Fireplace in lounge. © Stefano Candito

The Royal Suite. © Stefano Candito

Amidst the beautiful mountain scenery of Switzerland’s Zermatt lies the family-operated four-star superior Hotel Matterhorn FOCUS. Ideal as a starting point fordiscovering the breathtaking natural surroundings, the design and lifestyle hotelblends incredible architecture and art with thrilling views, attention to detail, as wellas a sincere warmth.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: JOE CONDRON, ROCKZERMATT.COM I XHALE I STEFANO CANDITO



“As a family business, we act sustainablyper se.All decisions that we make considerthe impact on future generations,” saysAlfred T. Ritter, owner and advisory boardchairman of Ritter Sport. As the most im-portant resource for the chocolate produceris cocoa, it poses as an important focal pointin the company’s sustainability manage-ment. For 25 years, the company has ac-tively fostered cocoa farming in Nicaraguawith its project ‘Cacaonica’. What startedoff with 170 farmers in a single cooperativequickly grew into a collaboration with over3,500 cocoa farmers in around 20 coopera-tives. Ritter Sport additionally brought itsown cultivation area ‘El Cacao’to life.

Since 1990,‘Cacaonica’has been commit-ted to improving the social and environ-

mentally sustainable conditions in the co-coa farming industry. “With the help oflocal partners, farmers were taught to cul-tivate cacao through agroforestry princi-ples. This paid off: the cocoa is of highestquality,”explains Hajo Brand, who super-vises ‘Cacaonica’ as purchasing manager.The modern agroforestry-system isknown to foster biodiversity and thus pro-tect endangered rainforests, to stabilisethe water balance, to protect from soilerosion, to foster energy efficiency and toprevent climate damaging emissions. ForRitter Sport the project is a win-win situ-ation. The company receives high-qualitycocoa, while the agroforestry cocoa pro-duction on their plantation reduces theircarbon footprint. Nicaragua profits aswell: cocoa production is an important

source of income for farmers, their socialand living conditions are improved andthe agroforestry system protects the envi-ronment. While around 300 local em-ployees work on Ritter Sport’s own plan-tation, the company ensures medicaltreatment, high safety standards and, ofcourse, fair wages.

Today, Ritter Sport buys 600 to 1,000 tonnesof cocoa beans from the cooperatives an-nually.“We need around 12,000 tonnes ofcocoa mass per year. Our goal is to cover5,000 tonnes with sustainably produced co-coa from Nicaragua and with our own cul-tivation area ‘El Cacao’ until 2023,” addsBrand. Until 2025, the cocoa for all RitterSport chocolate products are to come fromsustainable cultivation.

www.ritter-sport.de/en

Most consumers know the colourful, distinctively square-shaped chocolate barsmade by Ritter Sport. And many people also know that Ritter Sport has beenproducing a great variety of the finest German chocolate creations since 1912. Butthere is more to this family business: Ritter Sport emphasises sustainability andseeks to fundamentally improve the living conditions of Central American farmers.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: RITTER SPORT

Made out of responsibilityfor the environment

Main image: Ritter Sport

Above, from top: Ritter Sport’s own cultivation area ‘El Cacao’.

A drying station.

Special Theme

The taste ofGermany


ENJOY YOUR TIME IN ZURICHBAR & RESTAURANT

WWW.NEWSZH.CHHEINEKEN NEWSBAR & RESTAURANT AU GRATIN

BAHNHOFPLATZ 2 • 8001 ZÜRICH+41 44 221 38 00 SIMPLY GRATINÖS!



Foundedmore than 150 years ago, SommerBiscuits started off as a small bakery inFriedrichsdorf in the Frankfurt region, alsoreferred to as the‘city of rusk’. Next to ruskas the company's classic, the product rangenow includes a wide variety of pastries andsavoury crackers. Great emphasis is put onenjoyment and tolerability. Dietrich Praum,CEO of Sommer Biscuits, puts it in a nut-shell:“We want to offer our customers topbakery products made of organic ingredi-ents.”

As less is often more, Sommer Biscuits'products only include what is needed toensure their great taste. Thus, most of theproducts are vegan and have a short list ofingredients, which are carefully sourced.

The company mainly uses pristine grainsfrom theTaunus region where it is situated,like barley, millet and spelt.“We specialisein baking with spelt as it ensures a finecrumb and delicious taste for our long-lifebakery products,”Praum reveals. Based onthe Demeter quality principle, a form ofland cultivation that understands the soil asan organism, a large share of SommerBiscuits’ produce grows on healthy soilwhich helps to grow healthy plants.

Regardless of whether one has a sweettooth or rather prefers savoury snacks, theproduct range holds something for every-one and is available in most health foodshops, online as well as in the factory sale.The top-selling product is the spelt rusk,

but also the chocolate cookies, the Italian-inspired almond cantuccini and the olivecrackers are very popular.“I particularly likethe chestnut biscuits and the cantuccini,”Praum admits. Although, based on a long-established tradition, Sommer Biscuits stayconsistently innovative by continuously en-hancing their product range. Sources of in-spiration include theMediterranean regionwith its great variety of spices, chef’s recipesor specialist trade fairs. At SommerBiscuits, the recipe always lies at the heartof the production.Machines are adapted tothe recipe and not the other way round.There is more to come in 2016 and,withoutrevealing too much, Praum drops a hintthat fans of chia seeds will surely like thenew treat.

www.sommer-biscuits.de

Sommer Biscuits is a family business in its fifth generation which stands forexquisite, fully organic bakery products. This commitment to quality can definitelybe tasted.

TEXT: INA FRANK | PHOTOS: SOMMER BISCUITS

Discover Germany | Special Theme | The taste of Germany

Organic bakery products for pleasurable moments

Main image: The biscuits on the assembly line.

Above, from left: Sorting and packing the rusk.

Quality control.

Stacking the ‘Einback’.


RESTAURANT MIRABELLA wide selection of tasty wines and the love for the native cuisine will make every visit to the Restaurant Mirabell a unique experience. �e restaurant pampers its guests with Austrian and international delicacies. �e inviting ambiance of the restaurant and its romantic Mirabell Terrace o�er unforgettable culinary moments.

Restaurant MirabellAuerspergstrasse 4 5020 Salzburg, Austria

restaurantmirabell.at facebook.com/sheratonsalzburghotel

RESTAURANT GOLDENER HIRSCHDiscover authentic Austrian cuisine at its best. �e Gourmet Restaurant Goldener Hirsch o�ers an ambiance with Salzburg charm and award-winning cuisine as well as a selection of �ne local and international wines.

Restaurant Goldener HirschGetreidegasse 375020 Salzburg, Austria

goldenerhirsch.comfacebook.com/goldenerhirschsalzburg

Wine experiences, Events & Incentives

Herrgottsgarten · Berges-Kitzer & Schneider GbR · Augustinerstraße 31 · D-55116 Mainz · www.herrgottsgarten.de

Enjoy Wine experiences from the treasure chestRhine Valley and heart of Rhinehessen.Taste the famous Riesling wines in its own region.Exclusive, customised services and packages.Only 30 minutes from Frankfurt Airport.

ntives

Wine tours

Wine tasting at full moon

Wine & gourmet picnic

Wine & chocolate



©La

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Discover Germany | Feature | Start 2016 fit and happy

Someone who has taken a great interest inthese questions is Prof. Dr. Ingo Froböse, awell-known sports scientist from the Ger-man Sport University Cologne, also knownas ‘the fitness doctor’. According to him,motivation is the key to success.“Betweenthe eighth and 12th week of the new year,we usually hit a low.” But this is normal,since everyone with higher goals is run-ning through certain motivation curves, headds. “Many people make the mistake tosimply aim too high.”If you try to lose 20kilogrammes within two months, thechances to succeed are about the same asQueen Elizabeth II abdicating her thronefor Charles.“Therefore, it is more effectiveto set smaller targets: then, you will be ableto reach your first goal after a short periodof time, which will help you to get througha low easier,”Prof. Froböse says.

Set small targets and indulge yourself

You will feel even more motivated whenyou reward yourself.After eight weeks, thesports scientist recommends to indulgeoneself, for example with a pair of gymshoes or with a weekend foray.“Our brainresponds to reward systems,”Prof. Froböseexplains. People who are far away from be-ing fit and whose gym shoes have turnedinto dust catchers within the last months,often have no sensibility for their limits. Inthe beginning, these people should notoverstrain themselves, Prof. Froböse em-

phasises.“In this case, it is better to stop ex-ercising when you have just had a positiveexperience and not when you feel totallyexhausted.”You will be more successful, ifyou for example start jogging slowly for alonger period of time. Alternatively, thesports scientists suggests to walk continu-ously for four weeks; in between one canintegrate short jogging units.

But however you want to improve your fit-ness, keep this in mind: the most importantthing is to have fun.Working out does notalways have to be a torture. You could tryfind a sport that really appeals to you andfor which you actually develop a burningambition. Why not try something new?Whether you prefer a slightly more exoticsport like diving or fencing, or somethingconventional like hiking or volleyball.Thinkof a sport you have always wanted to do.Orjoin a sports club. Exercising is always morefun when you are doing it with friends.

Sit less, be more active and feel better

Maybe you now think that is easier saidthan done, since most people nowadayshave a job where they have to sit at a deskmost of the time. But there is a reason whysitting is called the new smoking: studieshave shown that long hours of sitting in-creases the risk of developing diabetes,heart disease and back pain. People whohave to work at a desk for many hours a dayface even two risk factors, Prof. Frobösesays.“On the one hand, they generally lackphysical activity: usually, everyone shouldwork out at least 150 minutes per week.”On the other hand, it is not enough to onlyexercise after work, the professor explains.The long period of inactivity in everyday lifebetween waking up and going to the gymin the evening is harmful as well, Prof.Froböse adds. He therefore recommendsto leave your seat hourly.“Take the stairs in-stead of the lift and when you have to makea phone call, do that while standing.”Andduring lunch break, go for a walk. Or getout of the bus or the tram a station earlierand walk the rest of the way. You mightalso want leave your car in the garage andride a bike to work, if the route is not toolong. In the long run, changing habits willcertainly make you feel better.

Losing weight, quitting smoking, being more organised, making more time forfamily and friends, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthier work-lifebalance. On New Year’s Eve, our list of resolutions for the upcoming year is longand ambitious. But according to statistics, most people already struggle to keeptheir goals even before the first flowers of spring start to bloom. By the end ofJanuary, most of us have already given up. So what can we do to be moresuccessful in 2016 and overcome our weaker self?

TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS

Start 2016 fit and happy

Portrait: Prof. Dr. Ingo Froböse, sports scientist from theGerman Sport University Cologne. © Prof. Dr. Ingo Froböse;Photo: Monika Sandel



“We put emphasis on a holistic approach.For us, thismeans to treat patients physically,psychologically and naturopathically,” saysChristian Schwegler. Thus, all employeddoctors of‘Practice Schwegler’worked in thephysical-medical field, have a complete psy-chotherapy education andwere also trainedin the field of naturopathy.The practice hasspecialised on systemic, hypnosystemic andhypnotherapeutic psychotherapy, as well ason traditional Chinesemedicinewith specialexpertise in traditional and shockwaveacupuncture.

But why this fascination for hypnotherapyand acupuncture? Christian Schwegler ex-plains: “When I tried out both as a patient,these techniques brought about intensechanges inme.”He adds:“Acupuncture fasci-natesmebecause it treatsmedical problems in

a different way. Acupuncture can help whenthere aren’t treatable structural damages, asoften is the casewithmigraine or insomnia forexample.Hypnotherapy enables us to experi-ence psychotherapywith all senses, thoughts,feelings and emotions instead of just talkingabout it. Thus, a patient gets a more intenseexperience which achieves quicker successesand more effective treatment.”This expertisehas been extended into offering business andfamily coaching for individuals or groups,communications training and coaching forathletes,musicians and actors.

As the Schwegler team has had trained doc-tors, therapists and psychotherapists in theDACH region since 2008, the practice de-cided to found the Swiss Institute forMedicalHypnosis.Here, a team of five therapists ed-ucates doctors and therapists in hypnother-

apy and medical hypnosis through two-daylong,well-structured and engaging introduc-tory, advanced and technical seminars inBasel.“We pass on profound knowledge and,at the same time, our seminars are really en-tertaining.The fact that 90 per cent of our in-troductory course graduates also visit our ad-vanced courses, is a huge compliment andshows that we do a great job,”smiles Chris-tian Schwegler. All lecturers are doctors orpsychologists who work with hypnotherapyon a daily basis and small seminar sizes con-tribute to an engaging learning atmosphere.“Last but not least, our food is great,”laughsChristian Schwegler.“My wife organises thecatering and while our lecturers get goodgrades on our evaluation sheets, the food getsanA+ with a little star.”

www.praxisschwegler.chwww.simh.ch

Doctors Christian Schwegler and Julia Schwegler are not conventional medicalpractitioners. At Praxis Schwegler, their therapy centre in Bottmingen near Basel,the couple offer a holistic therapy programme for the body and soul, as well ascoaching and communications training. In their affiliated training institute the twodoctors also educate people on medical hypnosis.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: PRAXIS SCHWEGLER I KANTONSSPITAL BASELLAND

Treating patients comprehensively

Main image: Christian Schwegler (right) and Julia Schwegler(left). © Praxis Schwegler

Above, from left: They also offer coaching and communicationstraining. © Praxis Schwegler

Christian Schwegler was invited as a lecturer for a symposiumon burnout. © Kantonsspital Baselland

Christian Schwegler teaches at a congress.© Kantonsspital Baselland


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Discover Germany | Beauty | Professor Dr. Huemer

At his office in Linz, Dr. Huemer offers thewhole range of cosmetic surgery treatmentssuch as breast augmentation, breast lift, li-posuction, facelift, rhinoplasty, lip enlarge-ment, otoplasty, abdominoplasty, upperarm lift, correction of the labia and muchmore.“Regarding the face, more and morepatients ask about less invasive and non-operational rejuvenation methods,”revealsthe beauty specialist. “Therefore, I devel-oped the so-called Pjure Lift – a holisticrejuvenation of the face which combinesBotox, hyaluronic acid, auto blood plasmaas well as special strings in order to createa very naturally looking lifting result.”

In terms of breasts, women increasinglylook for results that look and feel as natu-ral as possible.“In order to ensure a gentleaugmentation process, the Pjure Breast ap-proach uses endogenous body fat,” illus-trates Dr. Huemer. “This also comes withthe positive side effect of shaping the body.”If all this has made you curious, why notcombine your next holiday with cosmeticsurgery that has advanced to the highestcurrent medical standards?“Here in Aus-tria, we have a beautiful natural setting anda really diverse range of cultural activities,”says the doctor.All this combined has got tobe a win-win. www.drhuemer.com

Plastic surgeon Professor Dr. Huemer is one of the most celebrated surgeons inAustria. Nevertheless, he still devotes much of his time to scientific research in hisfield. “The only way to continuously improve the benefits for your patients is to keepon learning about new developments as well as constantly reflecting on your ownwork,” he says.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: PROF. DR. HUEMER

Knowledge equals beauty

Portrait: Professor Dr. Huemer



When an area next to Lake Machnow andthe Hakeburg, a castle dating back to the14th century, with grounds of 400,000square metres went for sale in 2005, theboard of BBIS realised the advantages ofthis beautiful location. While BBIS had al-ready been one of the leading internationalschools in the Berlin region for many years,this new location offered a whole newrange of possibilities: here, the schoolwould be able to offer an inspiring aca-demic surrounding and combine it with

the space needed for a variety of encourag-ing non-academic activities.

Truly international flair

BBIS’ boarding house completes theschool’s wide-ranging offers. Students inthe grades 9-12 (minimum age for admis-sion is 14) live in the recently refurbisheddouble rooms, each with their own bath-room. Mentors who are looking after theboarders’academic as well as pastoral well-being are available 24 hours per day, seven

days per week.They are aware of these stu-dents’ particular situation away from homeand their families and live in closeness totheir protégés in apartments adjacent tothe boarders’quarters. A cosy dining roomand a recreation area for the boarders onlygive the students the reassuring feeling ofbeing at a‘home away from home’.

Currently students from over 65 countriesattend Berlin Brandenburg InternationalSchool, giving the school a truly interna-tional flair. Next to a small percentage of lo-cals from the capital’s area who are keen onan excellent international education, thestudents’ mothers and fathers are diplo-mats or high-ranking managers who needto change their country of residence forprofessional reasons on a regular basis.These families in particular choose BBIS

Hidden in the lush forests of Lake Machnow and located just a few kilometres southof Germany’s capital of Berlin, lies BBIS (Berlin-Brandenburg International School).This institution is a real gem for parents who are looking for a school focussing oninternationality as well as on a holistic approach towards the academic and personaleducation of its students.

TEXT: SILKE HENKELE | PHOTOS: BBIS

Berlin Brandenburg International SchoolA gem in international schooling

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Germany



Discover Germany | Special Theme | Top International Schools Germany

for its unique approach as well as for thecompatibility of curricula within the inter-national schools system, which grants acertain degree of consistence in the educa-tion of their child.

An atmosphere of mutual respect andempathyBBIS promotes the holistic education of itsstudents. The academic curriculum is bal-anced, with stimulating mandatory courseslike design, drama, music, sports, or art.Sport activities take place in the newly builtsports hall with its own climbing wall or inthe equally newly built sports field, whichoffers seats for more than 800 spectators.The arts are represented in the ‘Heizhaus’,which regularly houses exhibitions of thestudents’own art projects or student-stageddrama performances. Everyone at BBIS be-lieves in the uniqueness of each humanbeing with equally unique and individualstrengths and needs.“Intercultural under-standing and to respect human rights arefundamental to BBIS’ concept,” stressesPeter Kotrc, director at BBIS since 2012. Abody of 100 highly motivated teaching stafffrom over 25 different countries ensuresthe compliance to these values. By creatingan atmosphere of mutual respect and em-pathy, they help the students to fulfil andeven exceed their true academic and per-sonal potential.

On an academic level, BBIS is the onlyschool in the Berlin region that is able to of-fer all four International Baccalaureate pro-grammes to its students. Particularly thehighly challenging IB Diploma programmeprovides the students with access to topuniversities in the United States and Eu-rope. Kotrc points out that over the lastcouple of years the BBIS’ average examgrades have always exceeded the world-wide average – proof that BBIS’s concept of

caring for its students on an academic aswell as on a personal level works very welland brings out the best in each of its stu-dents.

The spirit of community does not end atthe school’s gate

A typical day at BBIS starts at 8am, whenapproximately 700 students from the Berlinand Potsdam area arrive on BBIS’ ownschool busses, and ends at 3pm.About halfof the students participate in after-schoolactivities until 4:30 pm.Classrooms are bright and spacious andthe class sizes are kept small: there are lessthan 18 students in nearly all of BBIS’classes.The belief that no one should be leftalone is palpable: provision of help to im-prove is important at BBIS. Special supportis given to those whose mother tongue isnot English (BBIS’language of instruction isEnglish). Further assistance is offered tothose who need help in particular subjectsor in reaching their full potential.

The spirit of community does not end at theschool’s gate or at the end of each schoolday.Weekend sports tournaments, outdoorteam-building projects at the beginning ofeach new school year, skiing holidays or astudents’ exchange with a Chinese schoolare but a small selection of BBIS’challeng-ing and mind-broadening projects.

For those looking for a school that com-bines internationality with care for the in-dividual, BBIS is certainly a great choice.

www.bbis.de



‘It’s cool to excel academically’– states theschool’s mission statement, which is re-flected in every aspect of school life.Whilethe ISR obviously teaches math and sci-ence, it also develops moral values in part-nership with parents. As a privately fi-nanced, non-profit school with a full-dayacademic programme in the Düsseldorf,Neuss and Cologne region, the ISR seeks todevelop students into well-rounded,multi-lingual, self-aware and socially responsi-ble global citizens.

Offering an excellent, international educa-tion with a holistic concept from nurseryschool to grade 12, 650 students from 45nationalities currently enjoy the 42,000-square-meter campus. Thus, the most im-portant day for the school’s internationalcommunity is obviously the annual Inter-national Day.The theme of this year’s pro-gram is ‘‘The Year without a Summer’,which relates to 1816 when different na-

tions around the world were plunged intoa year-long winter. The students will showa glimpse of the events of 1816 with theirproject ‘7 Nations on the Move’during theISR International Day on 30 January. Thecomplete project will be presented at theSchumannfest from 28 to 29 May in Düs-seldorf’s Schloss Benrath. All visitors fromthe region are welcome.

Starting in Kindergarten, all classes at ISRare taught in English by native English-speaking teachers. The German curriculumis a fully fledged accredited programme.Hence, children are fully immersed in Eng-lish andGerman over their entire school ca-reer.Additionally, French,Spanish andMan-darin are taught, with Japanese to be addedshortly.Modern infrastructure includes newinteractive white boards in all classroomsandwell-equipped science labs,music facil-ities and sports halls. Some optional varsitysports (football, track, tennis and swimming)

and privatemusic or language lessons roundoff the programme. Last but not least, a pri-vate school bus company is simplifying thesafe transport to the ISR and back to all res-idential areas of the region.

ISR’s approach to education seems to payoff - graduates have consistently achievedthe best International Baccalaureate (IB)exam results in the region over many years.As an accredited school, the ISR IB diplomais accepted as ‘Allgemeine Hochschulreife’in the German system, thus also allowingstudents to attend German and worldwidetop universities.

www.isr-school.de

The ISR, International School on the Rhine gGmbH, is focused on delivering thebest possible academic achievement. However, the path to any child´s brain isthrough their hearts. So our teachers try to connect and motivate a child´s heart andcharacter. This manifests itself in ISR having the highest IB average score in theregion over the past years. Lastly, we pride ourselves in giving practical directionduring the career/university selection years.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: ISR

Enabling great mindsand strong characters

Main image: The ISR campus near Stadtwald Neuss.



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With more than 6,000 students, WilhelmBüchner University is Germany´s largestprivate university for technology and is now– after years of successfully serving the Ger-man market – also offering two English-language master’s degrees for working pro-fessionals.

“A student who wants to continue workingwhile completing a master's degree wouldlike to use his or her time as efficiently aspossible, and our virtual campus providesoptimum support,”says Professor Dr FrankBescherer, director of studies and responsi-ble for the coursesTechnology and Innova-tion Management (MSc) and EngineeringManagement (MBA).Written course mate-

rials and an online campus allow greaterflexibility, since professionals need to bal-ance their work life and studies. Due to theuniversity’s practical approach, students canapply what they have learned in their pro-fessional life immediately.

Wilhelm Büchner University offers un-missable opportunities for those lookingfor an academic degree while building aninternational career: both master’s courseswill enable students to succeed in a globalmarket.“We place paramount importanceon coherently incorporating key skills suchas management, leadership, and commu-nication into technical degree courses,”states the university in its programmes of

study. In short, the course plan and theuniversity recognise and meet the needs ofbusinesses and those working in it alike.

Founded in 1996, Wilhelm Büchner Uni-versity is part of the Stuttgart-based KlettGroup, one of Europe’s leading educationalservice providers. Named after the 19thcentury pharmacist and chemist WilhelmBüchner, who invented new productionmethods for blue dye, the university valuesthe attributes associated with his work andcharacter. He was an innovator of his time,had a passion for technology and innova-tion and an entrepreneurial spirit.

The university is certified after ISO 9001and the international learning service stan-dard ISO 29990:2010 and has been accred-ited by the accreditation agenciesACQUINand ZEvA and the Hessen State Ministry ofHigher Education, Research and the Arts.

www.wb-university.com

Life-long learning has become immensely important in the modern business worldand learning environment. At the Darmstadt-based Wilhelm Büchner University ofApplied Sciences, a specialist for distance and online learning, professionals canstudy for a university degree without needing to attend regular courses on site.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: WILHELM BÜCHNER HOCHSCHULE | FOTOLIA

Academic education with a practical approachis key to success in a global market




Today, internationally operating companiescan be found anywhere. Erlangen, a city ofroughly 107,000 inhabitants in the Fran-conian region of Bavaria, is no exception. Infact, in 2014, the patent applications herewere higher than anywhere else in thecountry. According to business magazineWirtschaftswoche, this makes Erlangenthe third most liveable city in Germany.Ideal conditions then for Erlangen-basedFranconian International School (FIS).Since starting out in 1998 with merely

25 pupils, the school has established an ex-cellent reputation worldwide. Today, itcounts 90 international teachers and morethan 600 pupils.“The school’s official lan-guage is English,”says Bettina Wiegel, ad-

ministrative assistant for events and com-munication.“From Kindergarten onwards,German is taught as well and in sixth grade,Spanish is added.”By now, the“pioneer children”have fin-

ished their university studies. Sharing theirexperiences with current pupils, they oftenstress that the International BaccalaureateDiploma acquired here proved to be a valu-able entry ticket into the globalised busi-ness world. It allows the school’s graduatesto be accepted at any university worldwideincluding such prestigious facilities as Ox-ford and Cambridge. Moreover, the FISalumni greatly profited from the soft skillsobtained throughout the course of theirschool education. These include integrity,

independence, decisiveness, the capacityto take risks,mindfulness, good judgement,persistence, creativity and self-confidence.

www.the-fis.de

With the professional world becoming increasingly globalised, the need forinternational schools is constantly rising. Yet the timeswhen such schoolswere limitedto large metropolitan areas like Frankfurt or Munich are long gone.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: FRANCONIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Franconian gateway to the world

At ISA, relationships are at the heart oflearning and education. Students here feelat home.“It is crucial that young people feelsafe to take risks and make the mistakesthat lead to learning, so they cannot onlydevelop intellectually, but gain confidence,”says Cathie Mullen, director (education).ISA is an authorised IB World School,

teaching the International Baccalaureate® (IB)programmes.“Wehave to look into the futureandgive youngpeople the skills and attitudesthey need to be successful in a rapidly chang-ing world,”says Mullen. Critical and creativethinking are amain focus,hence the recent in-troduction of computer science classes for allstudents of 11 years and upwards.

It is the flexibility that makes the schoola great place to learn. Experiencing culturaldiversity on a daily basis, children at ISA arecurious about the world and respectful ofcultural differences.Although students andstaff come frommany countries, the schoolmaintains strong ties within the local region.

In 2015/16 the school is celebrating itstenth anniversary, with a unique feature: inmid-November it became a non-profitpublically owned company and haspledged to make every graduate a share-holder. Over time, International SchoolAugsburg will become a school owned byits own alumni.This perfectly illustrates theinnovative vision that drives the school’sdevelopment both from a pedagogic andcommunity perspective.

www.isa-augsburg.com

International School Augsburg (ISA) on Munich’s doorstep is committed to fosteringopen-mindedness and respect. The school focuses on providing individualchallenges and support, allowing students from pre-school to secondary school tofulfil their potential.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AUGSBURG

Offering children a caring and challenging education



The Swiss Business School (SBS) was es-tablished in 1998 by Harvard graduated Dr.Bert Wolfs in Zurich - a city that elegantlymanages to combine modern, luxuriouschic with old-fashioned cosiness and thriv-ing international business activities withSwiss traditions. In an increasingly inter-nationally operating market, Dr.Wolfs sawthe need for an education that providedstudents with a strong academic basis whilefocussing on issues linked to the manage-ment of these markets.

Custom-made programmesSBS offers a variety of English-taught pro-grammes to its international students. Froma unique introductory course in the under-graduate program to an advanced course inthe Doctor of BusinessAdministration pro-gram, the SBS experience is thoroughly in-ternational.

In the three-year undergraduate Bachelorof BusinessAdministration BBA (AAE) pro-gramme; the student will concentrate (aftera one-year of introductory studies e.g. in-

ternational management or marketing)on her or his particular field of interestwhich will become their major. Studentswho have already started relevant under-graduate studies and possess relevant workexperience can apply for the one-year‘Accelerated BA’-programme (AAE), whichsupplies them with additional knowledgewhile preparing them for a successful careerin management. If successfully completed,the AAE program leads to a Bachelor ofBusiness Administration degree.

The ensuing graduate Master of BusinessAdministration program (MBA) enhancesthe insights gained in the undergraduateprogramme. The student is able to choosebetween a set of various graduate pro-grammes with differing approaches andaims.The practice-focused‘Executive MBA’for example is taught in eight differing

Amongst the many things popping into one’s mind when thinking of Switzerland areprobably unspoiled nature, stunning mountains, delicious chocolate, and, last butnot least, international companies. It therefore does not come as a big surprise thatsome of the most successful European business schools are located in thisbustling business ambience.

TEXT: SILKE HENKELE | PHOTOS: SBS

SBS Swiss Business SchoolInternational management studies in Zurich

Special Theme

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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Top International Schools Switzerland

modules over a period of 16 months. Here,teamwork and study groups enhance thestudents’ability to identify and to ultimatelysolve actual business problems.

The‘FlexMBA’covers a period of 15monthsand is particularly aimed at students whoneed to intensify their knowledge of gen-eral business functionalities in order to im-prove their managerial skills.

For those who aim to have maximum flex-ibility while studying for their degree, the‘Online MBA’ is the best choice. Here, thestudent uses SBS’excellent online facilitiesand may take up to five years to completeher or his degree.

While all of the above graduate programmesare designed for working professionals withfull-timeworking experience, SBS also offersMBA programmes for full-time students.The ‘Full-Time MBA’ is a one-year pro-gramme, which enables the student to focuson a particular field of interest like market-ing or global finance and banking.

The‘MSc International Business’focuses onissues concerning the global economy andcross-cultural leadership. Studies are equallysplit between one year of team-basedtaught courses and one year of internship inan internationally operating company.

For those who have already finished theirgraduate degree but want to take theirstudies even further, SBS is offering a doc-torate programme, the Doctor of BusinessAdministration (DBA). This programmeconsists of a coursework phase, as well as asupervised workshop and a research phase.The Doctor of Business Administration(DBA) can be completed within three andsix years.

SBS Swiss Business School –an investment in a successful career.

Regardless of the programme the studentchooses to register for, the quality of edu-cation, teachers, supervision and learningmaterial is equally high throughout all ofthese programmes. In addition to its high-profile courses SBS offers its students theunique chance to get in touch with high-ranking international companies throughan established network set up by SBS. In or-der to keep students up to date with currentmarket developments and topics, SBS reg-ularly invites keynote speakers from high-ranking, internationally operating compa-nies to speak about current topics andconcerns.

SBS has been accredited by various institu-tions (amongst them the ACBSP andIACBE) and is regularly listed as one of the

top leading European business schools. SBSalliances with partner schools around theworld (e.g. in the UK, China, the UnitedStates, or Russia) are a further testimony tothe international quality of SBS.

SBS’ scientific standard is highlighted bythe regularly published SBS Journal of Ap-plied Business Research, which covers currenttopics in international management.

By thus combining theory with practice,SBS has created a positive and inspiringlearning environment, which encouragesthe students to use their full potential whileat the same time presenting them with theopportunity to get in touch with successfulinternational companies.

For those who want to put an internationalfocus on their education, who want to re-main flexible while studying and who canfully concentrate on their studies, SBS isdefinitely worth a visit.

www.sbs.edu

Portrait: Dr. Bert Wolfs



A private international school that doesjust that is GEMSWorld Academy, locatedon the shores of Switzerland’s Lac Lemanfacing the French Alps. The school wasfounded in January 2013 and is proud tocall itself part of the award-winning GEMSEducation network that includes 142,000students in 16 countries and 55 years ofeducational heritage. In addition, the schoolis an International Baccalaureate® (IB)World School that has been officially au-thorised by the IB Organisation. As such,

students here are taught the IB PrimaryYears Programme, the IB MiddleYears Pro-gramme and the IB Diploma Programmeby qualified IB professionals.

“The IB programmes encourage independ-ent learning and empower our students toembrace responsibility,” explains IlseChaigneau, parent relations executive atGEMSWorldAcademy, Switzerland.“Theyalso learn to celebrate diversity with a spiritof understanding and tolerance that helps

them become true global citizens.”In addi-tion to teaching students aged three to 18the IB programmes, the school also wel-comes learners as young as two years of ageto Little GEMS - an EarlyYears programmedesigned to prepare for the IB PrimaryYearsProgramme and a smooth transition intoPre-Kindergarten. All programmes aretaught in English, with French as a secondlanguage and German or Spanish as a thirdlanguage from age 11.

Enriching experiences

The IB Diploma ensures that the graduatesof GEMS World Academy, Switzerlandhave access to universities all over theworld. In fact, GEMS has enjoyed some ofthe best university acceptance rates of anyinternational school with students having

In today’s globalised business environment, careers take parents to all corners ofthe world. With this comes the search for a school that offers their childreninternationally recognised diploma programmes, state-of-the-art technology andthe best possible support in their personal development.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: GEMS WORLD ACADEMY SWITZERLAND

Opportunity through diversity



Discover Germany | Special Theme | Top International Schools Switzerland

been offered places at 980 universities in 48countries, including 66 of world's top 100universities. On-site facilities that preparethe students for their bright futures includeaWorld Language Learning Centre that of-fers nine different languages, interactivedigital learning areas, radio/TV studios withediting suites, music technology suite, acomprehensive library, state-of-the-art sci-ence laboratories, a music academy and ex-ceptional sports facilities.After school, stu-dents can enjoy team sports like football,basketball and netball; individual pursuitslike swimming, tennis, judo, cross countryrunning and dance; creative activities likebook club, cookery classes, choir and craftsor recognised learning programs such asthe Duke of Edinburgh’s InternationalAward.

An inspiring location“We believe that the school provides theideal location as it is situated right on thelakeside in the La Côte region betweenGeneva and Lausanne,” says Chaigneauwhen asked about what makes the school’slocation attractive to families. “This areahas lots of beautiful villages,mountains forskiing in the winter and lovely countryside.Public transportation is readily accessiblewith regular trains to and fromGeneva andLausanne. Our students also go on multi-ple field trips in the local area that bothenhance and transform the curriculum.”Many of the schools top-rated facilitiessuch as theWorld Language Learning Cen-tre are also open to parents and the localcommunity. In fact, the school’s sports cen-tre is described as the best within the Can-ton Vaud. Moreover, the school’s commit-ment for supporting international studentssettling in is reflected in a large selection ofworkshops that help with transition, cur-riculum and parenting.

Challenges and chances

There are two main developments that areincreasingly shaping the school. One is therapid expansion of digital technologies inthe classroom; the other is the increasingdiversity of students that are coming to-gether from all corners of the world. GEMSWorld Academy, Switzerland covers bothaspects: the high-tech provision of facilitiesin the school and the inclusion of tech

throughout the curriculum is one of thefeatures most valued by parents.Moreover,the diversity of the international networkand the students themselves gives thepupils the unique opportunity to study andexperience other cultures, other languagesand other belief systems through social in-teraction and exciting, global GEMS initia-tives.“Diversity should be championed andnot feared, as it is a great source of inspira-tion and perspectives that can lead to ex-cellence and innovation,” illustratesChaigneau.“Collaboration is key. The cul-tural richness that our pupils experiencehere every day instils a unique internationalunderstanding in them - just what theyneed to succeed in an increasingly glob-alised world.”

www.gemsworldacademy-etoy.com

Below: Audrey Peverelli, Head of School, in the Library



During winter we are most frequentlyfound gazing enviously into festively litfront rooms withYuletide decorations thatwould not look out of place in a high-enddesign magazine. Switzerland is known asa key winter holiday destination for a goodreason.When it comes to exquisite, hand-made festive decorations for the tree andtable and beating the winter blues, theSwiss population leave their British coun-terparts flailing.

In Britain, fewer than one in five homeswill have a real tree,with themajority clam-ouring to get their hands on an authentic-looking plastic substitute. For the Swiss,the concept of a fake tree is met with stifledlaughter.A friend of a friend, who is a lum-berjack in the Engadine, has the luxury ofpicking the valley’s finest ‘Arve’ tree, alsoknown as a Swiss Stone Pine, a variety thatgrows almost exclusively in this region. Asa result, his house is surely one of the coun-

try’s most festively fragrant residences dur-ing this period.

But the tree is not just decorated and thenleft exclusively to house presents; onChristmas day it becomes the focal point ofthe festivities as the family gather round tosing. While such a custom would be metwith looks of incredulity in Britain, it is sur-prisingly commonplace in Switzerland.Belting out the classics, such as Silent Nightand ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem, in thecompany of your immediate family doesnot strike the Swiss as being anything butnormal.

As our first winter in Switzerland pro-gressed, we got used to being awoken bythe snow plough, which would pass by ourwindow long before the resounding chime

Seasons come and go, but winter in Switzerland is one you just want to cling onto for as long as humanly possible; scooping out every last droplet of fondue,racing to get in those sledge runs before sunset, and jumping every chairlift queuein sight. From a British citizen living in Switzerland, here are a few undoubtedlyterrific reasons to love the snow-covered, mystery festival-staging, chocolateenvy-inducing country.

TEXT: EMMIE COLLINGE | PHOTOS: SWITZERLAND TOURISM

Swiss winter customsfrom a British point of view



Discover Germany | Feature | Swiss Winter Traditions from a British Point of View

of the morning churchbells. Its daily presencewas a welcome one formost of the village, par-ticularly for those whowere keen skiers anyway– essentially everyone,

bar the two Brits. Skiing, it transpired, is asimportant to the Swiss as riding a bicycle isto the Dutch. From as early as three yearsold, the kids are bustled into their hand-

me-down skiwear and set down on theslopes. As a precautionary measure, theirskis are comically stuck together at the fronttips,meaning all initial descents are carriedout in the classicV-shaped form of braking.

Knowing their cosy home awaits, the Swissseem oblivious to the plummeting temper-atures throughout winter. If they are notskiing, they are sledging, snowshoeing orskating on frozen lakes. That is, of course,when there are no festivities that requiretheir presence.

Over the winters we encounteredmore andmore of these foreign customs and celebra-tions, from the Silvesterchlausen who roamthe streets of theAppenzeller Hinterland onboth the acknowledged final day of theyear (namely 31 December) as well as 13January, the former end to the year as de-noted by the Julian calendar. These datessee the local males elaborately clad as spir-its of the new year, known as the Chläuse,roaming from house to house with theircowbells to herald in the new year.

Taking the pace up a notch, February’s giantteam-effort sledge races in Alt St. Johannsee thousands of spectators and competi-tors whizzing down the hill, an event thatis markedly different to Shrove Tuesday’sEis-zwei-Geissebei [one – two – goat leg]in Rapperswil, which sees the mayor andcouncil members throw sausages, loaves ofbread and pastries onto the awaiting crowdof children in the town square.

Living in the vicinity of the Engadinethough has meant a close affinity witheverything from Scuol to St Moritz. Theirnotable costume-heavy festival happens atthe beginning of March, as the valley’sschoolboys patrol the streets with cowbellsaround their waists in the pursuit of ward-ing off winter. Similar efforts are madeacross the length and breadth of the coun-try to ward off the chill, although given theextent of the chilly spells it seems like theirefforts are futile. At Zurich’s Sechseläutencarnival every April, for example, there isthe symbolic burning of the Böögg, a snow-man-type character filled with fireworksthat represents winter.The longer it takes toburn, the worse the outlook for the summer.

As themadness behind each custom’s intri-cacies was explained to us by various voicesof Switzerland, we frequently found our-selves nodding our heads in agreement andwondering why these strange customs hadnever made it across the English Channel.But, then again, having an excuse to visitSwitzerland is not something to bemoan.



In March 1975, ten shareholders foundedthe Gustav Jaenecke KG to run a casino informer West Berlin. The concession wasgranted to them in October and the gamingoperation could kick off. Jaenecke himselfwas amulti-talented sportsman.Havingwonsilver and bronzemedals at theworld cham-pionships, a European championship and13German championship titles, he is one ofthemost successful German ice hockey play-ers. But also in tennis he was an exceptionaltalent, being the German champion of 1932and playing together with Gottfried vonCramm, a triple finalist inWimbledon.

This passion for sports impacts the com-pany's commitment even today. Concern-ing sponsoring, sports are high on the listwith more than 500,000 euros spent eachyear.Well-known names like ISTAF, an in-ternational athletics event, discus throwerRobert Harting or the football clubs Hertha

BSC and 1. FC Union Berlin can enjoy fi-nancial support from the Spielbank. For-mula 1 driver Niki Lauda also enjoys visit-ing the Spielbank when coming to the city.

Each year,more than 600,000 guests from allover the world are captivated by the flair ofgambling, enjoying a drink at one of the barsand simply having an unforgettable evening,regardless of whether it is playing at one ofthe automates, roulette, black jack or the in-creasingly popular poker. In autumn 2015,the Spielbank provided the venue for an ex-ceptional event: the World Series of Poker(WSOP).With more than 2,400 guests from73 nations it was one of the biggest tourna-ments ever played in Europe.After all, morethan tenmillion euroswere offered as a prize.

Now that the Spielbank has been in placefor four decades and established itself asone of the most profitable casinos in Ger-

many, new developments are in the works.“Gambling will always be one of the peo-ple's passion, that is why we are makingplans for the future,”Günter Münstermann,managing associate, says.Without revealingtoo much, he adds with a smile: “We willdefinitely make our main house more at-tractive. But there is even more to come.”

www.spielbank-berlin.de

Right in the hustle and bustle of the big city, close to the Potsdamer Platz, there is theplace for everyone who likes to take a risk from time to time.

TEXT: HONZA KLEIN/SPIELBANK BERLIN | TRANSLATION: INA FRANK | PHOTOS: SPIELBANK BERLIN

Spielbank BerlinThe largest playground inBerlin – for grown-ups only!

From top: Claudius Dreilich, singer of the band Karat, and musicmanager Thomas Stein visiting the charity poker tournament.

Swimming champion Britta Steffen and Formula 1 legendNikki Lauda were among the guests at the Spielbank’s 40thanniversary in October 2015.

Poker is enjoying ever-increasing popularity, as the well-staffedtables show.

Below: Famous discus thrower Robert Harting and GünterMünstermann, head of the Spielbank, meeting at the ISTAF, aninternational athletics competition in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium,where the Spielbank is one of the main sponsors.



When thinking of intellectual properties,unauthorised use of pictures and photo-graphs spring to mind, the reprint of textswithout permission or websites illegally of-fering music to download. But the field isfar wider: theatre performances or dancechoreographies for example are also pro-tected as intellectual property, as are manyother events. Not to speak of research re-sults or developments. It is a complicatedsphere that touches many different fields oflaw, often making it nearly impossible forartists or event organisers to protect theirideas without help – for example whendrawing up contracts.

After working for a renowned law office inVienna,Dr. StefanWarbek founded his own

law office in 1999 and specialised in, for in-stance, copyright law, patent law and trade-mark law. In short, all law fields concerningintellectual properties. At the Innsbruck-based office eight lawyers currently workon all questions of intellectual properties,data protection, internet rights, contracts inscience and research or sponsorship deals.

“We have all focused on how to protectand secure immaterial goods and values,only when it comes to tangible goods likebars of gold others are responsible,” saysStefanWarbek. Even though tangible goods– like buildings – sometimes are essential aswell when working for the creative indus-try: just imagine a cultural event organiserin need of a new venue.A new building has

to be built or an old one renovated. Evenhere ideas play an important role. Musicaltheatres for example often design theirstage according to the play they are stagingand its unique characteristics and needs.Even how and where lights are set deter-mine the creative outcome. This is whyWarbek law office for instance also dealswith building laws.

Intellectual property rights are complicated:often enough small parts at first glance seemrather unimportant, but indeed are oftenessential for the overall creative idea. Onlyexperts like the lawyers at Warbek’s know-how to protect even these tiniest details.

www.warbek.at

For those working in the creative sector, one of the biggest challenges is how toprotect their ideas and intellectual property from theft and fraud. This is an urgentquestion since the early days of the internet when the exchange of ideas and –sadly so – plagiarism hit new dimensions. Lawyers like Dr. Stefan Warbek and hiscolleagues are experts when it comes to securing those intangible goods.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: WARBEK RECHTSANWÄLTE

Protecting intellectualproperties in a connected world

Portraits: Stefan Warbek (above). From top: Alexandra Leistner, Johannes Ziller, Julia Küng, Katharina Braun



Discover Germany | Business | Solicitor Column

We have all come to expect taxes to goup year-on-year and appear to have ac-cepted that the word ‘tax-cuts’has beenconsigned to the history books. True toform, the Chancellor of the Exchequerhas found yet another way of raising ad-ditional funds and has proposed in hisautumn statement an increase in StampDuty LandTax (SDLT) on second homesand buy-to-let properties.

SDLT is the property tax which home own-ers pay on the purchase of real estate. Therather quaint name derives from the factthat paper stamps were indeed once at-tached to the property deeds to evidencethat the tax had been paid.

A three per cent surcharge above currentSDLT rates is due to apply fromApril 2016(which is when the new financial year tra-ditionally starts in the UK) and will alsocapture foreign investors. The changesmean that the tax rate on the purchase of aproperty valued at between £125,000 and£250,000 would more than double fromtwo per cent to five per cent of the propertyvalue.The stamp duty surcharge is expectedto raise almost a billion pounds by 2021and the government proposes to reinvest‘some’of that money in local communitiesin London and places like Cornwall, whichare being priced out of home ownership.Apart from raising revenue, the move isalso intended to help first-time home buy-ers climb onto the property ladder by re-

ducing competition for a limited pool ofproperties from those who already ownproperty.

That sounds fair enough in principle. Butdoes it stack up? If, as is generally accepted,there is a need for something to be doneabout the chronic housing shortage in theUK, and for some reason the answer hasnot to date been to build enough newhousing, it does not immediately makesense to penalise those who aspire to be-come private landlords with the objective ofletting out properties to tenants. The in-creased up-front investment required toacquire a buy-to-let property will morelikely simply result in higher rents beingcharged to recoup that increased outlay.Measures such as a tax on empty housingowned by property speculators would gomuch further in addressing real housingneeds.

While the government is yet to consult onthe policy detail, as the proposals stand,the increased tax will not be payable bycorporate property developers.There mustalso be a question mark over how easy itwill be to police second home ownership,for example, if the purchaser immediatelydeclares the property to be his principalresidence.

Be that as it may, looking at how busy ourresidential property team here at Huntersis, the announcement certainly appears to

have the unintended side effect of creatinga mini housing bubble as investors rush tobeat the April deadline.

Gregor Kleinknecht LLM MCIArbis a German Rechtsanwalt and English solicitor,

and a partner at Hunters Solicitors, a leading law

firm in Central London.

Hunters Solicitors, 9 New Square,

Lincoln’s Inn, London WC2A 3QN

E-mail: [email protected]

www.hunters-solicitors.co.uk

Second time lucky?TEXT & PHOTO: GREGOR KLEINKNECHT



“I stumbled upon ad blocking by accidentwhen I was conducting a study on the im-pact of ad blocking software in 2010,” re-members Till Faida, founder and CEO ofEyeo GmbH, the Cologne-based companybehind Adblock Plus.“Back then ad block-ing wasn’t as widely adopted as it is today,but it was already quite significant andgrowing rapidly.” By talking to WladimirPalant, the developer of Adblock Plus, aswell as the users, Faida quickly discoveredthat the people who develop or use ad

blockers are not against all ads, just the ob-noxious ones.

Today, users have realised that, for a free in-ternet, ads are necessary. But that does notmean that they have to be annoying or per-sistent.“We don’t hate ads in general,”ex-plains the CEO.“Actually, we want to en-courage publishers and ad networks tomake better, user-friendly ads. This ap-proach places us in a unique position: eversince we established the Acceptable Ads

initiative we’ve not merely been disruptingthe billion-dollar ad industry but helping toencourage compromise in the ad industryand better ads for users.”The initiative,which was kicked off in 2011, asks websitesand publishing houses to optimise theirads in order to meet the criteria AdblockPlus has established together with theirusers and the ad industry.

It seems as though the German start-uphas had the right idea at the right time.“More and more companies recognise thatit’s important to treat users respectfullysince they have the power to control whichwebsites they visit and which services theywant to consume,” Faida continues. An-other hot topic is mobile ad blocking, sincepeople are spending more and more timeon their smartphones and tablets: “Eventhough development in this area is still atthe beginning, we can see a trend towardsblocking on the go, which comes with theadditional benefits of letting pages loadfaster and saving people money on theirdata plans.”

www.adblockplus.orgwww.eyeo.com

Adblock Plus has revolutionised the internet with a free browser extension softwarethat allows users to surf the web without being distracted by annoying ads, trackersand malware.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: EYEO GMBH

Gain more by showing lessBelow: Adblock Plus - How it works

Portrait: Till Faida, CEO Eyeo



Discover Germany | Business | Root Engineering & rent r&d

Root Engineering started off as a studentproject which worked on developing theAutomated Climate Cell (ACC). The suc-cessful prototypemotivated the three friendsto introduce the product to themarket.As afully automated precision farming systemfor autonomous plant cultivation, the ACCimpresses with its results and its focus onenergy efficiency and sustainability.Their newest innovation is the Chill Cube

– an easily operated, purifying room air ven-tilator with a visually appealing design.Thespecial cube-shape caters for constant aircirculation in a room, cleans the air withbuilt-in carbon and pollen filters and thusimproves the overall room climate.“We orig-

inally designed it to reduce fine dust pollu-tion, but it can be used for a variety of pur-poses,” adds FelixAlmer,CIO of Root Engi-neering.As the filters can be easily changed,the Chill Cube cleans the air from smokeand bad smells and even helps allergy suf-ferers when combined with dust filters. In-serting ice cubes, commercial cold packs orheating pads will adjust the room climate.In the future, a portable Chill CubeMini

and the individual parts of the ACC will beable to be purchased.“After all, to improveour lives in an innovative and sustainableway, it is necessary to think beyond bound-aries,” concludes Markus Kraut, CEO ofRoot Engineering. www.root-engineering.at

The young, Vienna-based start-up company Root Engineering GmbH developscreative concepts for the sustainable use of natural resources and seeks to improveboth people’s lives and the environment. Their innovative Chill Cube sets newstandards in the sphere of air circulators.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: ROOT ENGINEERING

Thinking beyond boundaries

When Rosemarie Dauer works on a newproject, she starts at the very base: formingan idea with the client before developingher own formulas, testing these in her lab-oratory and producing the first test batchesbased on different ingredients and flavours.Dauer is passionate about working in herlaboratory, but she often leaves to partici-pate in conferences or to work directly at aclient’s factory and supervise productionherself.Entrepreneur Rosemarie Dauer,who also

functions as safety instructor for medicaldevices, studied food technology and holdsa Masters for Regulatory Affairs MedicalDevices International. With 20 years ofexpertise, she established her own com-

pany rent r&d in Hallerndorf, certified afterISO 13485.Catering for businesses of various scales,

rent r&d offers a wide service portfoliowhen it comes to developing new prod-ucts: sweetener with less calories for weightmanagement or tablets for sore throats,

hangovers or stress remedies. From devel-oping health supplements to making thetechnical documentation for new medicaldevices, from extract development to find-ing solutions for tableting processes,extractions, spray-drying or emulsions –Rosemarie Dauer always finds the bestsolution. Her resource-efficient approachaims to bring a product faster to marketmaturity – without risking its quality.

www.rent-rd.de

German company rent r&d is a B2B service provider in the health and food sector.Established by Rosemarie Dauer, rent r&d develops bespoke health-relatedproducts such as energy drinks, pastilles or a spray to use against a sore throat.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: RENT R&D

Bespoke health products and food supplements

Portrait: Rosemarie Dauer in the laboratory

Top: A rendering of the Chill Cube.

Portrait: The Root Engineering team: Sascha Beinhart,Markus Kraut and Felix Almer (from left to right).



Discover Germany | Special Theme | Successful medical & technical enterprises

The ‘K’ in K-Tape® stands for Birgit Kum-brink. The physiotherapist developed thefirst K-Taping® applications in 1998 afterreading an article which asked what couldbe achieved in therapy if one would exertproprioceptive stimulations with the help ofan elastic tape. Thus, she started to ex-change ideas internationally with othertherapists while sharing the existing know-ledge about this topic with them. IngoKumbrink, engineer and husband of BirgitKumbrink explains:“Until 1998, only a fewmuscle tapes were developed and overallinterest in further research was quite low.My wife was a bit more curious. Her ideawas to give patients the possibility to ex-tend the therapy from the doctor’s practiceinto one’s home with the tape.We collectedpatient data until 2000, did years of re-search and testing, found the perfect mate-rial, created a suitable glue and then devel-

oped the K-Tape®which could be es-tablished in dailytherapy.”

Passing onknowledge

With the development ofthe K-Tape® came the ideato teach others about the advantagesof this therapy.“A well-founded educationin using K-Tape® effectively is important.Thus, we started with small courses inDortmund, but participant numbers grewrapidly. And then it boomed.We started totrain instructors, began partnerships withassociations and had courses in Olympicbases.TeamTelekom sent their physiother-apist to us during the Tour de Swiss to ed-ucate him on K-Taping®,”Ingo Kumbrinksmiles. This is how the K-Taping Academy

was born.Today, the institute is a partner ofthe Canadian Physiotherapist Association,France’s SFMKS or corporate member ofthe National Athletic Trainer Association(NATA) in the USA.

Active in almost 40 countries, all coursesimpress with the highest quality and in-novation and are developed and organisedover the K-Taping Academy in Dortmundor in cooperation with their internationalpartners and branches.“Through this, weguarantee that the standards remain thesame in all courses around the world,”Ingo Kumbrink says. He adds:“For exam-ple, we recently trained the medical teamof Uganda’s Olympic Committee to pre-pare them for the Olympic Games 2016.At the same time, paediatric courses wereheld in Lithuania, a speech-languagepathology course in Vienna and the Pro-course in Buenos Aires.”Having their ownK-Taping Academies in France or Canada,

You have probably seen professional athletes with colourful tape on their musclesbefore, but not many people know what it is actually for. It actually comes fromDortmund’s K-Taping Academy who now train people on this topic around the world.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: K-TAPING ACADEMY GMBH

K-Taping® by Birgit KumbrinkDeveloped in Dortmund, used around the world

Special Theme

Successfulmedical & technical

enterprises




the institution also closely cooperates withFHIL Florida Hospital Innovation Lab atthe K-Taping Academy Innovation Centrein Orlando to develop new therapy con-cepts. The K-Taping Academy is the per-fect partner when it comes to therapy withelastic tapes as the majority of knowledgeabout this topic has its origin directly inthe academy.

The K-Taping Academy offers courses in K-Taping® for physiotherapy, lymphatic ther-apy, occupational therapy, gynaecology(OG/GYN,women’s health) – for supportingpregnancies, paediatrics, neurology and evenfor speech and language therapy. As the ef-fects of K-Taping® are not limited to hu-mans, the academy also offers a special horsetherapy course with the Equi-K-Taping®.

Unprecedented application range

Even though most people know the red orblue tapes from athletes, it is only one of themany possibilities of use. K-Tape® can beattached to breast cancer patients to supportlymphatic drainage as Birgit Kumbrink de-veloped an aftercare concept for assistancewith lymph edemas. It can also treat footmalposition in early childhood, period pain,torticollis or even facial nerve paresis. K-Tape® can be attached to almost all regionsof the body and lasts for around seven days.“Patients aren’t restricted, get supported,theirmobility gets improved and jointmove-ment optimised,”Ingo Kumbrink notes. Allthis happens through the skin’s stimulus ofthe receptors which are connected to furtherreceptors inmuscles, or ligaments.“K-Tape®

has the ductility of muscular tissue and thespecial attachment of the Physiobond® gluepulls together the skin, lifts the tissue andstimulates lymph and blood circulation,”ac-cording to Ingo Kumbrink.

As a daily benefit, K-Taping® can supportmuscle functions, stabilise joints and soothevarious painful conditions, such as tenniselbow, knee arthrosis or neck tension.K-Taping® is a therapy for professionals andthus can only be used by trained K-Taping®therapists who have been certified at theK-Taping Academy. However, patients canpurchase six pre-cut tape attachments atpharmacies, or the K-Taping® online shop,which can be easily attached without a pro-fessional.This specially developed ‘K-Tape®for me’helps with back pain, knee or ankleproblems, neck tension or menstrual pain.Patients who want information about thetherapy can find it on the following twoweb-sites.Through submitting their postcode,pa-tients can also easily find a list of interna-tionally certified therapists in their region.

www.k-taping.dewww.k-tape.de

Top: Original Kumbrink K-Tape® and pre-cut K-Tape® for meattachments.

Below left: The medicament-free K-Taping® also offers a ther-apy in paediatrics without side effects.

Opposite bottom: Pregnant women often suffer from back-ache and muscular tension. K-Taping® offers various attach-ments to support muscles, tendons and joints.

Bottom right: K-Tape® for me – Pre-cut attachment for back-ache and spine stabilisation.

K-Tape® is an elastic cotton tape withPhysiobond® glue, is free of any medicationsor active substances and lasts for aroundseven days.

K-Taping

An illustrated Guideby Birgit Kumbrik

Available in manylanguages at:www.k-tape.comor in book stores.



“A WAS vehicle makes rescuers strongerand operations more efficient,” smilesAndreas Ploeger, one of the two managingdirectors of WAS. Whether large-scale orlow volume productions or single vehiclesfor national and international clients,developers, technicians, electricians andother specialists work hand in hand so thathigh-performance base vehicles get turnedinto very special ones. Since 1991,WAS hasmanaged to remain one of the leading am-bulance manufacturers through innova-tions and constant progress. For example,the company built the first ambulance with

waterproof and disinfectant-resistant fur-niture material. In 1994,WAS developed astretcher table with hydraulic suspension sothat a patient no longer notices the street’sunevenness. When WAS introduced thequality management system, in accordancewith DIN EN ISO 9001 in 1997, the com-pany was able to assert itself as a Europe-wide market leader for special-purpose ve-hicles in the long term. Additionally, WASwas the only Germanmanufacturer in 2000that conducted crash tests for their entirevehicle range, launched the first box bodyfor ambulances in 2001 with rollover tests

and impressed the market with new, brightLED lights for warning systems.Today, thisinnovation is standard in large-volume pro-duction vehicles of well-known car manu-facturers. “WAS enjoys international ac-claim from independent institutions, suchas VCA England, UTAC France and TÜVRheinland in Germany,” adds AndreasPloeger.

Today, over 350 employees work in Wiet-marschen in north-west Germany.Meticu-lously manufacturing around 1,500 sophis-ticated ambulances and special-purposevehicles a year, they manage to generate anannual revenue of 80 million euros. Thevehicles are the result of forward-thinkingdevelopment, 90 per cent of manual labour,diligent processing and an array of veryspecial details.“One of our main strengthsis that we are able to build a large quantityof vehicles at short notice.We managed to

WAS is a leading manufacturer of ambulances and special-purpose vehicles.While its vehicles impress with innovative engineering, custom-fit ergonomics,as well as high-quality workmanship made in Germany, employees at WAS offersignificant know-how and personal customer support throughout the entiremanufacturing process.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: WAS VEHICLES

Top-notch ambulances andspecial-purpose vehicles made in Germany




produce around 300 vehicles in less thanthree months for Egypt once,” AndreasPloeger says.

A profound portfolio

The internationally operating companybuilds custom-made vehicles upon specificcustomer requests. “The requirements foran ambulance are simply different than 20years ago. Patients don’t simply get drivento a hospital but doctors have to decidewhere to take them exactly while they gettreatment in the vehicle,” notes AndreasPloeger.With their many special details andmeticulous testing regime, WAS vehiclesare perfect for simplifying work for emer-gency services and for ensuring the highestpossible degree of safety, quality, patientcomfort and hygiene. Innovative WASAssist Systems, such as an electromechan-ical door closing aid, aerodynamic alarmsystems, an individually configurable inte-rior, electro-hydraulic ambulance tables,custom-made roof control centres,adjustable air-conditioning devices, low-vibration floors or holistic ergonomics areonly a few of the many special componentsof WAS vehicles. Putting the environmentat the core of its doings,WAS also seeks tomake its vehicles as sustainable as possible.While the vehicles’ box bodies and theirfurnishings are entirely demountable, recy-clable and CFC free, the aerodynamic andlight design reduces fuel consumption.

Whether a dog transport van for the police,an emergency ambulance for Mongolia, anAll-TerrainAmbulance for mountain oper-ations, a neonatal transport car, an inten-sive care unit for Qatar or a special vehiclefor water safety divisions, WAS is able tooffer a vast portfolio of ambulances andspecial-purpose vehicles. “We constantlyseek to respond to current situations,”ex-plainsAndreas Ploeger.An example for thisis a mobile outpatient clinic for refugees.Andreas Ploeger explains: “The medicalcare of refugees calls for immediate actionand our mobile practice is able to offer this.We have even integrated a separate dress-ing room to cater for the comfort of Mus-lims. Another example is our special infec-tion ambulance which was needed in SouthKorea in times of the MERS-epidemic.”

WAS also developed a heavy-duty trans-port van for adipose patients.“Each of ourvehicles is special – whether it’s a normalambulance or a neonatal transporting unit.We put diligence at the core of our doings,whether we build one specimen for a localGerman committee or produce hundreds ofcars for the Gulf region,” says AndreasPloeger.As if manufacturing innovative ve-hicles would not be enough,WAS also of-fers national and international mainte-nance and repairing services and advisesinternational customers and emergingeconomies. “We discuss what is possiblefor a specific country and what is neededthere,”adds Andreas Ploeger.The future ofWAS will be coined by the desire to con-tinue innovations, making vehicles moreenergy efficient, decreasing overall costsand the costs of operating their vehicles.Asone of the biggest companies in their fieldin Europe,WAS is sure to flexibly fulfil in-dividual wishes – from cheap to expensiveand from simple to complex.

www.was-vehicles.com

Main image: Processing line of van vehicles.

Left, from top: Ambulance WAS 500 for European markets.

Bariatric / Intensive Care Transport Vehicle.

Interior of Bariatric / Intensive Care Transport Vehicle.

Mobile outpatient clinic for refugees.

V.I.P ambulance for Qatar.

Below: Ambulance for Egypt.

Bottom: All-Terrain Ambulance.



The Rosetta mission by the European SpaceAgency (ESA) has made history. By carryingout the seemingly impossible feat of plac-ing a small spacecraft on the surface of acomet in November 2014, scientists nowhope to gather information on how ourSolar System was formed. FAULHABER,an independent family-run group of com-panies fromGermany, plays a major role inthis mission. The lander named Philae,which was dropped on the speeding comet,contains 14 drive systems designed byFAULHABER.

The harsh conditions in space demand agreat deal of the technology, since it had tosurvive a trip of ten years andmore than six

million miles through space.The drive sys-tems from the German group of companiesfounded in 1947 are up to the task though.FAULHABER technologies are known for

being masterpieces of precision engineer-ing and electro mechanics at the limit ofwhat is technically feasible.Today, the drivespecialist, with its headquarters in Schö-naich in the state of Baden-Württemberg,offers themost extensive range of miniatureand micro drive systems available from asingle source worldwide. FAULHABER’shead of marketing Andreas Seegen

FAULHABER, a family-run group of companies with its headquarters in Schönaich,near Stuttgart, creates unique miniature drive system solutions for markets whereprecision and reliability in the smallest of spaces is crucial.

TEXT: NADINE CARSTENS I PHOTOS: DR. FRITZ FAULHABER GMBH & CO. KG

Advancing micro technology since 1947




describes the company as a niche supplier:“We design drive solutions that are uniquewith respect to their precision and reliabil-ity in the smallest of spaces.”

Fritz Faulhaber, a pioneer who thoughtoutside the box

It all began with a vision by Fritz Faulhaberat the end of the 1940s, Seegen explains.“He founded a workshop for fine mechan-ics, because he realised that conventionaldrive systems were too big for certain areasof application. He therefore wanted to de-velop specific motor technology which wasmore compact and more efficient.”Nowa-days, FAULHABER drive systems are usedin aerospace, production automation androbotics, optical systems, as well as medi-cine and laboratory technology. The drivesolutions range from components specifi-cally designed for the application, to systempartnership with automated production forcomplex mechatronic assemblies. Overall,more than 1,600 employees work for thecompany that has development and pro-duction locations in Switzerland, the USA,Hungary and Romania.Additionally, thereare sales partners and subsidiaries in morethan 30 countries.

Highly dynamic motors and a precisespeed control

Medicine is one of the major fields whereFAULHABER technology is being applied.For example, in dentistry, for procedures inendodontics like root canal treatments,many dental practices currently use so-calledDC-microdrives built-in modern automa-tion technology. Both dentists and patientsbenefit from these new instruments, sincetheymake it easier for the dentist to carefullyclean and treat the root canal. In comparisonto older technology, DC-micromotors fromFAULHABER aremore smooth running andoperate quietly.“With a diameter of 15 mil-limetres and a length of just 24 millimetres,the 1524 series DC-microdrives are easy tointegrate,”Seegen explains.“Thanks to theirhigh-power density, themotors are not onlycompact, they also weigh only 18 grams.”The small and powerful system thereforeensures a precise operation even if a largeamount of patients are being treated duringthe course of the day.

“Our DC-microdrives differ from othertypes mainly with regard to their design,”Seegen says. According to him, the rotordoes not consist of a laminated sheet pack-age, but instead of a self-supporting, skew-wound copper coil. As a result, the motorsperform highly dynamic and provide a pre-cise speed control.

A responsible use of resources

Whether used in medicine technology, forinstance in lung ventilators and cardiologi-cal instruments, or in the ESA’s Philae lan-der, the miniature and micro drive systemsmust function perfectly in any circumstance,Seegen emphasises.“We have an uncom-promising awareness for quality, thereforethe name FAULHABER stands for excel-lent products and outstanding service.”Thecompany is also aware of its environmentalresponsibility. Thus, FAULHABER ensuresan energy efficient production, disciplinedrecycling as well as energy efficient infra-structure and facilities worldwide.

FAULHABER technology is even beingused in everyday life.“Chances are that youhave already held a tool or machine in yourhands that contains one of our drive sys-tems,” Seegen says. “For example, we re-

cently developed drive systems for handtools, which make it easier to cut vines orolive trees.”For 2016, the company plans tointroduce new product lines to the market.“At themoment,we work on offering addi-tional drive system solutions that areentirely available and range from themotorto the electronics assembly,”Seegen reveals.

For those whowant to learnmore about thecompany’s recent innovations, there is thepossibility to read the customer magazinemotion. The issues are published everymonth and can be downloaded via themotion-app. Readers then have access to thelatest articles, image galleries and videos.

www.faulhaber.com

Main image: Philae, a robotic European Space Agency lander,touched down on a comet © European Space Agency (ESA)

Portraits: Andreas Seegen, FAULHABER’s head of marketing© Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co. KG (left)

From left: Directors Gert Frech-Walter, Dr. Fritz Faulhaber, Dr.Thomas Bertolini © Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co. KG (right)

Below: FAULHABER drive systems: The DNA for applications offuture generations © Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co. KG (left)

High-performance micro¬drives play a key role in analysingblood and urine samples © Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH & Co.KG (right)

Bottom: FAULHABER Spule © Dr. Fritz Faulhaber GmbH &Co. KG (left)

Harpoon unit for secure anchoring on the surface of thecomet © European Space Agency (ESA) (right)




Founded in 2012, mySugr seeks to turn di-abetes therapy into something positive andimprove the quality of life of people withthis condition.“Living with diabetes hon-estly sucks. Upon diagnosis we have to beacutely aware about every little thing wedo - in fact we have to make around 50therapy-related decisions every day, com-pletely on our own. We provide our userswith consistent all-round care for the lonelytime in between doctor visits,” explainsFrankWestermann, CEO of mySugr.

A team of 30 experts –many of them havinglived with type 1 diabetes since their child-hood - have developed mySugr.“We haveour own view on therapy and our experiencehelped to develop the products.Thus,mySugrbelongs to the first patient-driven compa-nies and works closely alongside doctors

and diabetes experts,”addsWestermann.Asdiabetes is an extremely data-driven illness,people with diabetes have to calculate andinterpret blood sugar levels, quantity of car-bohydrates and insulin units to make dailytherapy decisions.Data is not only necessaryfor the doctor to adjust the therapy, but alsohelps people with diabetes to understandand manage their illness. Thus, the com-pany has developed a suit of diabetes apps:Logbook,Academy, Importer andQuiz.TheLogbook app is mySugr’s most popular appwith around 500,000 registered users.Collecting all therapy data in one place,mySugr has integrated blood sugarmeasur-ing devices transferring blood sugar levelsautomatically to the app.

It also offers a playful component to keep upmotivation. For example, users can play

Health-Challenges to improve certain ther-apy aspects.Westermann says:“We are con-vinced that the combination of a playfultherapy approach, medical purpose andhigh quality makes our products great.”Headds:“People often write to us about howour app helped them to not only improvetheir HbA1c levels, but also in changingtheir view on therapy and finally gettingtheir diabetes under control.This makes usreally proud.”mySugr puts special empha-sis on listening to customers,while also tak-ing medical-regulatory requirements veryseriously. Thus, their apps are classified inEurope as medical products of risk class 1(Logbook) and 2B (bolus calculator) or reg-istered at the FDA in the USA (Logbook).

www.mysugr.com

Diabetes is still a chronic and incurable disease which many people developed intheir childhood years. Therapy is arduous and exhausting and thus, many diabeticslose their motivation to adequately take care of their illness and therefore risk theirhealth. Vienna-based start-up company mySugr wants to revolutionise and simplifytoday’s diabetes therapy with innovative mobile all-round care.

TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: MYSUGR

Modernising diabetes therapyAbove: mySugr’s Logbook app (left)

The Logbook app (middle)

The mySugr team (right)

Below: The mySugr office


Culture, Cuisine & Events - The oasis of diversityEngadin St. Moritz - Life in the most exciting Alpine metropolis isenriching. This is what we have in store for our guests at a highlevel and with charming appreciation. Life is beautiful - Enjoy it!

h o s p i t a l i t y s i n c e 1 9 9 9



New Year's Ski Jumping, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (1 January)

As an inherent part of the Vierschanzentournee(tour of four ski jumps), top sportsmen will onceagain venture forth on the Olympic ski jump.Watch great athletes 'fly' in front of the backdropof a beautiful winter landscape.

www.neujahrsskispringen.de

room + style and fashion + style Trade Fair,Dresden (8 – 10 January)

Anyone who wants to redesign their home in thenew year will definitely discover ideas at theroom + style fair with its high-quality, exclusiveproducts in the areas of living, arts anddecoration. And if your wardrobe needs anupdate as well, the concurrent fashion + stylefair offers great clothing, shoes andaccessories.

www.messe-dresden.de

Save the date as there are plenty of great events scheduled for the weeks to come.From music festivals and exciting exhibitions to fantastic sport events and socialhighlights, Discover Germany’s Culture Calendar is your perfect guide to what notto miss in January.

TEXT: INA FRANK

Culture Calendar


Wonderworld Festival, Heidelberg(9 – 10 January)

The guiding idea of the festival is to connectphotography and nature conservation. Throughshowing projects of invited photographers andoffering different lectures, people should bemade aware of nature’s beauty and itsworthiness of protection.

www.wunderwelten-heidelberg.de

International Children's Winter Games,Innsbruck (12 – 16 January)

Officially recognised by the Olympic Committee,the International Children's Winter Games bringtogether more than 1,000 athletes from 70different cities. As intercultural exchange is morevital than ever nowadays, the event also aims atgiving the young participants an opportunity tomake new friendships beyond the sportingcompetitions.

www.innsbruck2016.com

Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis, Saarbrücken(18 – 24 January)

For 35 years the film festival Max Ophüls Preishas been the most important showcase foryoung German-speaking film makers. Youngtalents can win manifold prizes in four categorieswhich makes the festival a significant careerstepping stone. Additional events like partiesand discussions round off the programme.

www.max-ophuels-preis.de

Solothurner Film Days (21 – 28 January)

The Solothurner Film Days are seen as themost important festival for Swiss films. Thefestival's programme aims at reflecting thevariety of Swiss film making and dealing withcurrent societal tendencies. Next to awards forfilms of various lengths and the ‘Prix de Soleure’(Prize of Solothurn) for cinematic productionscritical of society, the audience can vote for itsfavourite film.

www.solothurnerfilmtage.ch

Three Days of Jazz, Saalfelden and Leogang(22 – 24 January)

Fans of jazz definitely get their money's worth:three days of concerts at interesting locations –a mining museum, for instance – with acomfortable, free of charge shuttle servicebetween the venues in a rural area.

www.jazzsaalfelden.com/en/home


Discover Germany | Culture | Culture Calendar

Main image: New Year's Ski Jumping.© Brigitte Waltl-Jensen/OK Vierschanzentournee

opposite bottom: International Children’s Winter Games.© innsbruck-tirol sports GmbH

Top right: Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis.© Sebastian Woithe

Right: room + style and fashion + style trade fair.© Messe Dresden (middle & bottom)




Mozart Week, Salzburg (22 – 31 January)

Making the music of Mozart perceptible againand again – that is the goal of Mozart Week inSalzburg. The world's best orchestras andsingle performers give the festival its uniquecharacter. In 2016, visitors can expect chamberconcerts, orchestral performances and choirs.

www.mozarteum.at/en/concerts/mozart-week/mozart-week-2016.html

Jungfrau Music Festival, Bern, Interlakenand Thun (23 – 30 January)

For a whole week top-class wind orchestras willpresent their skills to the audience. The concertcompetition brings together musicians from allover the world and offers unparalleled listeningexperiences to visitors.

www.jungfrau-music-festival.ch

St. Moritz Gourmet Festival(25 – 29 January)

Five days full of culinary delights in the wintersports paradise St. Moritz – this year, visitorscan indulge in Japanese dishes, as Japan is thepartner country of the festival. In different top-class hotels throughout the town the chef’s decuisine will enthral the guests together with theirJapanese partners.

www.stmoritz-gourmetfestival.ch/en/

Festival of the curried sausage, Neuwied(29 – 31 January)

For the eighth time already, more than twodozen vendors will offer their interpretations ofthis classical German dish. Whether it is Asiancurried sausage with peanut-basil sauce, kebabcurried sausage or one of the vegetarian

variants with tofu or banana, no visitor will leavethis festival hungry.

www.neuwied.de/currywurst.html

One of a Million Festival, Baden(29 January – 6 February)

The festival calls itself a ‘boutique-festival’: small,but with a lot to offer. The concerts distinguishthemselves in an intimate setting. All venues areclose to each other and can be reached withina ten-minute walk, so you will not miss any artistyou would like to see! And while taking a walkthrough Baden, there is even more to discover,like Switzerland’s very first railway station.

www.ooam.ch



Art on Snow, Gasteinertal(30 January – 5 February)

At the biggest art festival in the Alps guests canmarvel at sculptures made of ice or watch howheaps of snow are being turned into playequipment for children. At night, the art worksare illuminated and form an incredible light showtogether. Anyone who prefers staying in a warmplace can sign up for a painting workshop inone of the participating hotels and embraceone's artistic creativity.

www.gastein.com/en/winter/events-culture-nature/art-on-snow

Opposite left top: Solothurner Film Days.© Solothurner Filmtage

Opposite left: Art on Snow.© Roland Haschka/Gasteinertal Tourismus GmbH

Opposite middle & right: Festival of the curried sausage.© Pressebüro der Stadt Neuwied

Opposite bottom: Mozart Week. © Wolfgang Krautzer

Right: One of a Million Festival. © Pascal Küng

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Discover Germany | Culture | Barbara Geier

On that note, apparently, if surveys are any-thing to go by, resolution number one forthe majority of Germans at the end of eachyear is reducing stress in the coming one. Isometimes wonder, from my slightly ab-normal London perspective, why so manyGermans seem to be so stressed.WheneverI’m back in Germany, I feel very much‘slowed down’. People walk more slowly,they stand on escalators on both sides (andI can’t overtake), pedestrians wait at redtraffic lights, people go home for lunch (insmall towns they do), the whole pace of lifeis slower. But hey, stress is subjective, so I’mnot judging. Obviously.

More sports and spending more time withthe family are the runner up for GermanNewYear’s resolutions, followed by makingmore time for oneself, eat more healthily(wonder how long that one usually lasts)and actually losing weight.Then, it’s spend-ing less money and to stop drinking andsmoking. Sounds all very familiar, I guess.More than half actually say that they stickto their resolutions for more than threemonths and then it’s out of the window, thesame procedure as every year.

Now, I don’t want to put you off from bet-tering yourself. If New Year’s resolutionsare your cup of tea, then go for it. For my-self, I thought I’d put together a little list ofthings that I’ve always wanted to do in Ger-

many and never got to because, well, if it’syour own country you always think –“Ah,well, I can go there anytime”– while alwaysputting more exotic things first.And then itnever happens. It’s unlikely that 2016 willbe the year that I manage all of the follow-ing but hey, you have to make resolutions(apparently)! So, here we go:

I have never been to Regensburg and every-one that I talk to who’s been is raving aboutit. It’s a beautiful, historic old,UNESCO city,with a fabulous location on the Donau thatis absolutely gorgeous in summer. So, I reallyhave to go.Then there’s Münster, in a com-pletely different part of Germany. Bavaria,where Regensburg is located and theWestphalian city of Münster, couldn’t bemore different I guess. Not least because ofthe language spoken. Bavarian is very, very‘high German’ as we call it. Many peoplesay it’s the most beautiful city in Germany,being very old, of course, and very green inmanyways. It’s Germany’s capital of cyclingwith two bikes for every one of the 300,000inhabitants. And I’m particularly keen onreally seeing it now because I had to go toMünster on business this year and got all ex-cited, only to discover that my meeting wasin the outskirts of town in a part of the citythat’s not reallyMünster anymore.And sinceit was an in and out trip, I ended up not see-ing anything at all of Münster’s famous his-torical city centre.

Last but not least, something specificallyfood and Berlin related: one name that al-ways crops up in the context of the Germancapital’s burgeoning restaurant and foodiescene – and has for years - is that of TimRaue, who’s worked his way up since the‘90s to two Michelin stars. Since I – luckily- won’t be bogged down by any NewYear’sresolutions to eat less, I’d really like to go tohis restaurant, indulge and see what thefuss is about. So, let’s see what 2016 brings!With or without resolutions …

Barbara Geier is a London-basedfreelance writer, translator andcommunications consultant. She is also theface behind ww.germanyiswunderbar.com,a German travel and tourism guide andblog that was set up together with UKtravel writer Andrew Eames in 2010.

Let’s see what 2016 bringsFirst of all, happy New Year! Has it gone off to a good start for you so far? I verymuch hope so. And are you already busy putting all those New Year’s resolutionsinto practice? If not, I for one won’t blame you. I have to admit I’ve never followedthat tradition. Life’s stressful enough, so why add more pressure?

TEXT: BARBARA GEIER


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Discover Germany, Issue 34, January 2016

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Transcript of Discover Germany, Issue 34, January 2016