Topic: Berlin

Germany: 25 years of Reunification

3.10.2015

The young boy holding on to the concrete steel bars that reinforced The Wall, was nine years old when the Iron Curtain fell in 1989. The lady next to him became one of the innumerable so-called „Mauerspechte“, „wall peckers“, who secured themselves a morsel of the unholy structure to bring home a grisly souvenir. The „antifascist protective wall“, as the German Democratic Republic had chosen to name it, not only separated West from East Berlin and barbariously split the German nation, but symbolised the rift that divided the entire world in two political camps. Erected in August of 1961, The Wall finally came down after decade-long diplomatic efforts and a peaceful revolution during which not a single shot was fired. Hacked apart piece by piece by citizens and visitors flocking in from all over the globe, The Wall ceased to exist and with it the Cold War.

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A give and take: Berlin visitors engaging in social projects

28.04.2015

Undeniably, wielding of a dusty broom or a mucky pitchfork is readily associated with serious physical effort – yet, both chores could turn out to be oh! so rewarding emotionally! Perhaps activities such as these may not come to mind ad hoc when considering a trip to Germany’s trendy capital, Berlin. The modern full-time hedonist will usually opt for places of ample sophistication: clubs, theatres and cabarets, museums, the opera, boats, urban beaches or street parties, chic shopping malls, quirky cafés or fine dining restaurants and might even muster the patience to queue up for a visit to the parliamentary Reichstag … all of which are stops equally perfect for fringe programmes enhancing exhausting conference schedules!

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Twinkind: A man looking at his 3D-printed mini look-alike.

3D-Technology: Print yourself another you

26.01.2015

There’s screeching violins and scary guns, minute bikinis and most interesting food. Human stem cells, bionic ears, fetuses or King Richard III.’s reconstructed face. With appliances becoming more affordable, 3D printing has not only enriched the options for the science and technology sectors considerably. A wide array of objects can now be designed and printed up to a certain scale with the range stretching from things practical to weird and from commercial products to manufacturing parts. Bioprinting of portions of the human body for medical purposes has revolutionised the field. And a wealth of exciting developments is still in the pipeline. Experts predict that privately owned 3D printers will be a frequent commodity in the not too distant future and 3-dimensional DIY activities a realistic option for virtually everyone.

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A crown instead of a wreath: The topping out ceremony of the City Cube in Berlin.

Berlin’s new Conference Baby: It’s a Cube!…

16.05.2014


… and, not only by Berlin standards, a smooth childbirth (considering the shape) after a model pregnancy: A time span of a mere 22 months separated groundbreaking from completion of the CityCube – the capital’s brand new trade fair and congress venue. Its organism was jogged to life upon its inauguration on May 5th, 2014, after the very last missing module had been implanted into the building’s core. The symbolic heart was solemnly inserted by Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Klaus Wowereit in concert with Messe Berlin’s CEO, Dr. Christian Göke. „A cube is born“, the motto chosen for the opening ceremony, could not have been more befitting. The stylish venue is laid out to host events for up to 11,000 participants.

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A tailor cutting a pattern. Fashion and Couture: There are many creative minds active in Berlin.

Berlin: A City on the Catwalk

15.01.2014

From 1961 to 1989 Berlin, divided into East and West since 1945, was scarred with an invincible concrete wall topped with multiple rolls of impenetrable barbed wire. Armed Vopos, the East German ‘people’s’ policemen equipped with a licence to kill, controlled from their watchtowers the so-called ‘death strip’ passing between the two Germanies; none of the GDR’s involuntary citizens were to escape the socialist paradise imposed on them. Inhabitants of West Berlin belonging to the Federal Republic were better off – and seemingly unimpressed by their severed freedom. Although fenced in, neither their positive attitude, nor their special sense of humour could be suffocated – nor their creativity be paralysed by the circumstances.

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