Category Archives: Germany in the News

Richard Wagner’s 200th Birthday – The world is celebrating his Bicentennial

Posted on May 22, 2013 by | Leave a comment

richard-wagner-verdi1

Today, May 22, famous German composer Richard Wagner would have turned 200 years old. A controversial and eccentric figure throughout his lifetime he is being commemorated this year by many opera houses throughout the world and special festivals are celebrating his Bicentenary.

Growing up in Germany and life in exile

On May 22, 1813 Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig as a ninth child. His biological father passed away when Wagner was only 6 months old, and he grew up with his stepfather, an actor and playwright. He loved theatre and followed in his stepdad’s footsteps so that he initially wanted to become a playwright as well. His love for dramatic writing stayed with him and he wrote his own libretti for all his operas.

During several stages of his life Wagner had to leave Germany and live in exile, either to avoid his creditors or because of his political engagements. Amorous affairs marked his life until is death.

His artistic gift to he world

At the age of 20, Richard Wagner composed his first complete opera, Die Feen (The Fairies). A work inspired by Carl Maria v. Weber’s music, whose opera Der Freischütz had intrigued the young Wagner. However Die Feen stays unproduced until after his death.

Even though he composed much more than only operas, which often are referred to as “music dramas”, Wagner’s primary artistic legacy are exactly those.

Wagner uniquely not only composed the music for his operas but also wrote the libretti himself, which he called “poems”. He formed the terminology “Gesamtkunstwerk”, “…in which all musical, poetic and dramatic elements were to be fused.” (wikipedia)

Wagner’s most famous operas include Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Der fliegende Hollaender, and Rienzi ; his tragic love story Tristan und Isolde, and his only comedy Die Meistersinger, as well as his later masterpieces within  “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, which is a set of four operas, referred to also as the “Ring” or “Ring Cycle”. The four operas within the “Ring” are Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.

He has been an innovator in many ways and revolutionized the until then used classical framework for operas.  Compositions of especially his later time period helped pave the way for modern music. His own opera house in Bayreuth he designed in a way that the audience has a perfect view of the stage and the performers from every seat. He moved away from the traditional horse-shoe shaped opera house seating to a seating structure seen today in all contemporary movie theaters:  The seats are arranged in a single steeply-shaped wedge, with no galleries or boxes.

Inspiration to royals & dictators

Wagner, a controversial figure during his lifetime, a provocateur and polemic, inspired royals and dictators alike. King Ludwig II of Bavaria, was one of Wagner’s great admirers and financial rescuers. He built one fantasy castles in particular to accommodate certain themes of the Wagnerian operas. Castle Neuschwanstein, a model for Disneylands Fairytale castle, was his homage to Wagner.

Ludwig II  is said to have gone so far in his devotion to Richard Wagner as to consider giving up his office as monarch of Bavaria prematurely in order to follow Wagner into exile.

Sadly Wagner’s operas with its teutonic themes also became an inspiration to dictator Adolf Hitler . He was introduced to Wagner’s work as an adolescent long after the composer’s death, and felt that Wagner’s operas supported his own vision of the German nation and views on society in grand.  Furthermore, Wagner’s own antisemitic writings might have been another reinforcement to Hitler of his own ideas. When Hitler came to power, Bayreuth was managed by Winifred Wagner, the English-born widow of Siegfried Wagner, a son of Richard Wagner. She was a supporter of Hitler and invited him often to Bayreuth as a guest.

festspielhaus BayreuthWagner’s Heritage lives on today

Having been a fascinating personality throughout his life, he now lives on through his descendants. His family continues to be dedicated to guarding and keeping his musical heritage to the world alive. Every year, the Bayreuther Festspiele (Bayreuth Festival) draw in an international audience. It’s a festival that has been organized by family members ever since Bayreuth became the home not only for the Wagner family but most importantly for Wagner’s operas solely.  Katharina Wagner, Richard Wagner’s great granddaughter, is the current opera stage-director and co-director of the Bayreuth Festival.

The World celebrates Wagner’s Bicentennial

London celebrates Richard Wagner’s bicentenary with ‘Wagner 200’, a festival that will last from May to  December 2013. The festival opens with a 200th birthday concert for the composer today on May 22, 2013.

Opera Australia presents Der Ring des Nibelungen (the Ring cycle) at the Arts Centre, Melbourne. During November and December 2013 the opera house will perform three complete cycles of the four mighty operas which make up Wagner’s epic vision. Tickets will go on sale in June 2013.

“The Flying Dutchman” had already been a guest at the L.A. Opera during March 2013.

In Germany Richard Wagner is of course being celebrated in Bayreuth.  On 22 May 2013, Christian Thielemann, one of the world’s leading interpreters of Wagner’s works, is conducting the Bayreuth Festival orchestra and an array of outstanding soloists in a programme for the 200th anniversary of Wagner’s birth. The city Leipzig celebrates its famous son with the City of Leipzig Richard Wagner Festival.

For more festivities click here.  For a travel guide to Wagner celebrations by DW (Deutsche Welle), click here.

Wagner’s AUTOBIOGRAPHY “My Life” at the Project Gutenberg Library

Download and read Wagner’s autobiography My Life for free at the Project Gutenberg library. “Project Gutenberg offers over 42,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online.” (Project Gutenberg)

For a personal letter written by Wagner’s great-granddaughter Katharina Wagner, Bayreuth festival director, to his Great-grandfather Richard Wagner, click here.

Article Sources:

Richard Wagner at Wikipedia
Cosima Wagner at wikipedia
200 years of Wagner
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Berlin Wall is Making Headlines in Berlin, California and the World

Posted on April 12, 2013 by | Leave a comment

 berlinwall_large

While the world witnessed how Berliners stood up for the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall not to be removed last month, two other Berlin Wall segments found a permanent home in Mountain View, California.

A few days before Easter shortly before dawn construction workers started with the removal of the famous ‘East Side Gallery’ in Berlin, the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall (1.3 km long), and an international memorial for freedom. The reason behind it: The East Side Gallery needed to make way for a luxury apartment complex. Despite days of protest and even a short-lived halt of the project, when politicians tried to find a solution for keeping this famous section of the Berlin Wall untouched, the developer was ultimately given permission to proceed with his project after all.

As the international community followed the unfolding of events, Berliners were stunned and plainly shocked.  “I can’t believe they came here in the dark in such a sneaky manner,” said Kani Alavi, the head of the East Side Gallery’s artists’ group. “All they see is their money, they have no understanding for the historic relevance and art of this place.” By mid morning people witnessed in disbelief how a 6 meter gap was guarded by a wooden fence and protected by police.

And…that’s not all. The controversial project continues to make headlines. Latest news unveil that the investor behind this project, Maik Uwe Hinkel, had apparently strong ties to East Germany’s communist party SED (Socialist Unity Party),and in fact may have been a spy for East Germany’s notorious secret police, the Stasi, so the news magazine ”SPIEGEL” in its report “Stasi Suspicions: Berlin Wall Developer’s Past in Question”.

Mountain View in CALIFORNIA becomes Home to two Berlin Wall Segments

On the other side of the world in the meantime two large segments of the Berlin Berlin Wall Mountain_View,_CaliforniaWall found a permanent home in a much quieter venture and with much less media attention.

The more than 10 feet tall donated wall sections depict a caricature of Elvis Presley on one slab and a heart with the words “Wir lieben Dich” on the other. They were previously displayed at an office park, before they got donated to the city last year by the family of Frankfurt native Frank Golzen, who had purchased them after the wall came down in 1989.  “These pieces of the Berlin Wall remind me that freedom is not free. Freedom is paid for in blood,” said Bahl, a local resident who had urged the city council to pick a spot that offered good public visibility.  The famous slabs will now greet visitors to the public library at Franklin Street in Mountain View.

Villa Aurora in L.A. features Documentary on the Berlin Wall in May 2013

In connection with the Pacific Palisades Film Festival, Villa Aurora in L.A. is presenting the documentary “Bis an die Grenze – Up to the border”.

On the basis of extraordinary, widely unknown recordings and found footage, Claus Oppermann und Gerald Grote’s first feature film tells many impressive but forgotten stories about the rise of the Berlin Wall in 1961 to its fall in 1989, about the division of Germany and a bloody borderline through the middle of Europe.

In this unique film one can see how on the historical Sunday of August 13th 1961, the government of the German Democratic Republic lays the foundation stone for the “ugliest monument in the world”. An event that puts a whole city in a state of shock. The “atrocious century-construction“ is at first watched in disbelief. Then people start pulling their 8mm-cameras out of their cupboards to capture the images of the events.

“Bis an die Grenze – Up to the border”
A documentary by Claus Oppermann and Gerald Grote
(Germany, 2011, 95 min)
Thursday, May 2 @ 7:00 p.m. 
At Villa Aurora, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles

For more information visit http://www.bis-an-die-grenze.de/
Free for members / General $ 5
RSVP required at infola@villa-aurora.org
 
The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining...

The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Article Sources:
http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2013/04/01/east-side-gallery-of-remaining-berlin-wall-dismantled/
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/27/17485506-historic-parts-of-berlin-wall-removed-despite-protests-over-luxury-building-project?lite
http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/shock-as-part-of-berlin-wall-knocked-down-to-make-way-for-luxury-apartments/story-e6frfq80-1226608053342
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_22829559/berlin-wall-sections-find-new-home-mountain-view
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/stasi-suspicions-east-side-gallery-developer-hinkel-past-in-question-a-893110.html
.
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David Hasselhoff Throws In His Support For Preserving Remaining Section of Berlin Wall

Posted on March 18, 2013 by | Leave a comment

berlin-wall-east-side-gallery

A little over 23 years ago, the idea of Germans wanting to stop the demolition of the Berlin Wall would’ve been unheard of for the most part.  In 1989 when the demolition of the wall began, Germans came with sledgehammers and other destructive tools to tear down the miles of concrete that once divided the city in two.  As time passes though, remnants of the past that once brought on feelings of hatred and pain become reminders of what once occurred and serve as a lesson of where things went wrong.  That is why thousands in Germany have taken to the streets to protest the removal of the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall and David Hasselhoff, who performed at the wall in support of tearing it down in 1989, has vowed to do what he can to help keep this section in place.

The 1.3 kilometer (0.8 mile) section of the Berlin Wall under threat of removal, which is referred to as the East Side Gallery, was approved to be removed to make room for a luxury high-rise apartment complex despite it being a protected landmark.  Every year nearly 800,000 visitors from around the world make the journey to this section of the Berlin Wall covered in graffiti art in remembrance of what it once was.  While the initial plan was to move this section of the wall to a new site nearby, many have argued that a move like that would alter and diminish the impact of what it signifies.

David Hasselhoff sat down for an interview with the Huffington Post last Friday to talk about the protest and mentioned that he would be more than willing to perform another concert at the wall, except this time it would be in support of it.  He told the Huffington Post that ”I think the best way to do this is to fight capitalism with capitalism… If you get the whole world behind it, I’d be happy to come over and help and do what I can and do a concert. If you’re gonna fight money, you gotta fight money with money.”

Towards the end of Hasselhoff’s interview he touched upon the need to preserve history whether it is a remembrance of good or evil by relating it to the 9/11 attacks in the United States.  He summed it up by saying ”If this did happen in Manhattan and you tried to tear down something about 9/11, you’d have a hell of a lot of problems… This is about history.”

So far the protesters have been able to stop the initial removal that was scheduled for March 1 after the development firm behind the high-rise project, Living Bauhaus, agreed to put it off until at least March 18.  Living Bauhaus feels that they have been unfairly abused during the last several weeks but has agreed to hold a public forum to discuss the matter.

Sources: Huffington Post, Deutsche-Welle
Photo by Viktor Rosenfeld via flickr
Article Source: GermanPulse

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Germany Wants Its Gold Back. What Does The Decision Mean For America and the Rest of the World

Posted on January 23, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Gold_Bars

If you turn on the news or open up a newspaper, you will find something about Germany’s recent announcement that they want their gold back on German soil.  Ever since the beginning of the Cold War, when Germany feared that the Soviet Union could breach the Berlin Wall and cease control of the country, most of the country’s gold supplies have been kept outside of Germany’s borders.  With 3,396 tons of gold, Germany has the second largest gold reserve on the globe (America holds the number one spot with 8,133 tons), but only 31 percent of it is kept locked away by the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt.  45 percent of its holdings are in New York, London is holding onto 13 percent, and Paris has the remaining 11 percent.  With last week’s announcement, Germany plans to increase its holdings to 50 percent by 2020.

How they plan to achieve this is by removing its entire reserve of 374 tons from Paris back to Germany and roughly 300 tons from the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.  The move will cut Germany’s share of gold in the United States to 37 percent, which is still a large amount, and will be the largest planned transport of gold ever recorded with an estimated value of $36 billion of gold bars.

Should the United States and the Rest of the World Be Concerned

Not long after the news broke out, many journalists and bloggers were quick to offer their opinions on what the motivation was behind Germany’s decision.  The official reason given by the Bundesbank was that removing its gold reserves from France is just a natural consequence of the Euro, and since the two countries use the same currency, Germany wants to be able to have quick access to their reserves in case the need arises.  As for the relocation from the US, the Bundesbank claims that is only part of their larger goal of keeping 50 percent of their gold reserves on German land.

Although that is the official reasoning given by the Bundesbank, others feel there is more to the story.  You may have heard the term “currency war” thrown around by various media outlets.  A currency war, or more officially known as competitive devaluation, is when countries compete against each other for low exchange rates on their own currency.  In the short-term, countries with a very low exchange rate end up seeing much higher prices on imported goods which give a boost to domestic industries and products, and in return creates new jobs locally.  In the long-term it ultimately leads to a decline in international trade which would be negatively felt across the globe.

The move could also signify Germany’s lack of trust in not only the Euro but also the US dollar and America’s financial stability.  Other foreign governments have already expressed their concerns with about recent policy decisions by the US Fed and the dysfunctional political environment in Washington DC.  Germany has already had to do too much to bail out failing economies in the eurozone, and perhaps they are troubled with what may happen soon in the US.

Others believe Germany is troubled with whether or not their oversees gold, especially its holdings in the United States, are still in existence.  Back in October of 2012, federal auditors questioned the Bundesbank on whether bank officials have actually seen the gold that they are being told is kept safe.  This stems from the belief held by some that the gold stored by the Fed may not actually be there and instead has been lent out to others.  These people may be called conspiracy theorists or crackpots, but the fact that the US Fed has turned away all calls for an audit adds some credibility to the belief.

How Germany Plans to Bring Its Gold Home

The thought of transporting 674 tones of solid gold bars sounds like a fitting plot for a Hollywood heist movie.  1995′s hit movie “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” was centered around a group breaking into the Federal Reserve Bank and hauling out $140 billion worth of gold bars in dump trucks.  Or maybe it would make a great plot for “Oceans 14″.  With the move being publicly known, it surely has caught the attention of more than just Hollywood.

Actually, this isn’t Germany’s first move of Gold in recent years, and is not the largest.  Between 1998 and 2001, Germany slowly transported 850 tons of gold from London to the Bundesbank in Frankfurt.  The difference between that move and the upcoming transport is that it was kept secret and wasn’t even known about until just recently.  This time the move will be a bit riskier.

Germany and the Bundesbank are still exploring their options for transport, and while we will probably be kept from knowing the exact plans until to move is fully complete, you can probably rule out any oceanic shipments.  The country’s largest airline, Lufthansa, has already offered to assist in the transportation of gold from the US to Germany, and spokesman Michael Goentgens commented that ”We have specific containers for such cargo, then teams accompanying the cargo until the plane’s loaded and ready to take off, then people waiting where the plane lands.”

No matter what route Germany plans to take in moving its 674 tons of gold, it isn’t going to be easy.  It will be done in small amounts, probably 60 to 100 flights carrying 3 to 5 tons at a time, which is the maximum amount that can be insured at a single time.  The small shipments should hopefully keep the move less obvious and reduce some risk, but of course it still all depends on whether or not the gold is still where its said to be.

Source: CNBC, MSN, FT, Current 
Photo by Agnico-Eagle via Wikipedia

Article Source: German Pulse

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The German Designers Behind the Windows 8 Artwork

Posted on November 8, 2012 by | Leave a comment

If you are one of the over 4 million early adopters of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 8, you may not have known that the imagery in front of you when you start up your PC, or put it into lock mode, is the work of Marius Bauer, a Munich based illustrator.

The default Seattle scene showing the Space Needle among vast green hills and a beautiful mountain scape is the final approved design that every new Windows 8 user will see when they install the latest operating system.  It took Bauer 12 years to reach his goal of creating the default imagery for Microsoft’s operating system, and he is excited to see his hard work pay off.  Not only is the design being displayed every Windows 8 computer, but also on the wide variety of advertising materials in print and television.

Marius Bauer’s work isn’t the only German touch added to the Windows 8 operating system though.  Customers purchasing a physical retail box of the new OS will be presented with colorful boxes created by the Berlin design team CATK (Colors and the Kids).  In an effort to match the new colorful look of Windows 8, CATK came up with a large number of vibrant packaging designs with 5 of them making their way onto Windows 8 boxes.

Check out Bauer’s final images and some concepts below, along with the 5 packaging designs created by CATK.

Source: MariusBauer.com, CATK
Photos by Marius Bauer and CATK

Article Source: German Pulse

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Germany Celebrates 22 Years of German Unity Day Today

Posted on October 3, 2012 by | 1 Comment

German Unity Day is a national holiday in Germany, celebrated October 3rd, to commemorate the nation’s unification, when the Federal Republic of Germany and the Democratic Republic of Germany united to create one single federal Germany in 1990.

German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) took place twice after 1945: first in 1957, when the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany and again on October 3, 1990, when the five re-established states of the German Democratic Republic (GDR / East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG / West Germany). Berlin was also united into a single city-state. It was at this point that the unification process was commonly referred to as die Wende (The Turning Point) by citizens of the GDR. Die Wende marks the change from socialism to democracy and capitalism in East Germany around the years 1989 and 1990. The end of the unification process is officially referred to as German Unity (Deutsche Einheit). There is some debate as to whether the events of 1990 should be properly referred to as a “reunification” or a “unification”.

Many say that the initial unification of Germany occurred on January 18, 1871 at the Versailles Palace’s Hall of Mirrors. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor of the German Empire.  Others feel that “reunification” is deeply affected by the November 9, 1989 opening of the Berlin Wall, when the checkpoints between the two countries were opened and people were allowed to travel freely. This date marked the “fall” of the Berlin wall and the physical reunification of the city of Berlin which had been divided since 1945. Others, however, argue that 1990 represented a “unification” of two German states into a larger entity.

For political and diplomatic reasons, West German politicians use the term “Deutsche Einheit”  (German unity) carefully avoided the term “reunification”. German unity is the term that Hans-Dietrich Genscher used in front of international journalists to correct them when they asked him about “reunification” in 1990.

On August 23rd, 1990, the new parliament of East Germany voted to approve accession with West Germany and the “Treaty of Unification” was signed by both countries’ leaders. Germany was officially united on October 3, 1990.  West Germany consisted of ten states, now referred to as the Old Länder, (Alte Bundesländer) plus West Berlin. The five New Länder states, re-established federal states of East Germany – Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, which had been abolished by East Germany in 1952 – formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany. The Land Berlin is not considered one of the New Länder, since West Berlin expanded throughout the whole city resulting in the dissolution of East Berlin.

The Berlin wall and the Brandenburg Gate were two important symbols of Germany’s division following World War II and their unification in 1990. Images of the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin wall’s destruction are often displayed on German Unity Day.

October 3rd is the official German national holiday, the Day of German Unity (Tag der Deutschen Einheit), commemorating the day that marks the unification of the former East and West Germany in 1990.  Unity Day celebrations are hosted each year by whichever of Germany’s 16 regional states holds the presidency in the upper house of parliament.

Photo by Peer Grimm via German Federal Archives
Article Source: German Pulse

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Beer Bottle Shortage Occurs in Munich Less Than 2 Weeks Before Oktoberfest

Posted on September 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Munich has experienced an unusually warm summer this year, and with the hot temperatures came an increase in beer consumption.  Although the increased sales are great for the breweries, there is a downside… a shortage of beer bottles and crates.  With the Munich Oktoberfest less than 2 weeks away, supermarkets are having a hard time filling the shelves and brewers are literally begging consumers to bring back their empty bottles.

Heiner Müller, manager of the Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr brewery made a plea in Munich’s TZ newspaper saying ”Dear Munichers – bring back your crates.  We need our empties!”.  Even Hofbräu is feeling the pain with a shortage of tens of thousands of bottles.  Hofbräu spokesman Stefan Hempl warned that “at the moment we could have a situation where we don’t have any dark beer for a few days.”

Oktoberfest season is usually one of the best times of the year for Germany’s many breweries, so it makes sense that they would begin panicking.  In the case of Hofbräu, they are telling retailers that they will only fill orders when their empties are returned.  While Germany has made it easy for consumers to recycle their used bottles, it often doesn’t help those who are enjoying a nice cold one on the go during the summer months.

Source: The Local
Photo by Ricky Romero via flickr
Article Source: German Pulse

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Surfing in Munich

Posted on August 7, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Who thought surfing right in the middle of a city is impossible? Well, Munich is proving everyone wrong  who might have thought so. Right in the heart of Munich, in the Englischer Garten, a surfing spectacle is evolving every day and attracting a great audience. While the surfers are lining up for their next turn, people are guessing and putting up bets who will be lasting the longest on the wild waves of the Eisbach (Ice River).

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Sendung mit der Maus wird 40 Jahre alt!

Posted on March 7, 2011 by | Leave a comment
Stamp Die Sendung mit der Maus, 1998

Image via Wikipedia

Who doesn’t know the cute little orange Maus with its blue elephant friend that later on got joined by a little duck as well. I can’t imagine my childhood without them, but the Maus is also part of my children’s growing up.

In all these years we never found out what our friends’ real names were, but we never really cared in the first place. We just loved and still love to listen to the Maus’ somehow rigid walking over the TV screen in noisy click – clack sounds, the intelligent and witty solutions to solve problems and the unforgettable blinking of Maus’ big eyes . The Maus was and is still loved by anyone and not only the 5-8 year olds.

On March 7th, 1971 German kids could see the first show of “Lach- und Scahgeschichten” in the ARD and from then on Maus explained in the weekly shows any questions in the field of science and nature to the German children.

If you forgot why the Swiss cheese has holes or why water is see-through, treat yourself to some of these adorable Sendung mit der Maus episodes.

Happy Birthday, Maus!

Find more articles on Maus’ birthday:

http://www.stern.de/kultur/tv/40-jahre-sendung-mit-der-maus-die-maus-ist-wie-ein-kind-fuer-mich-1660428.html

http://www.welt.de/fernsehen/article12715228/Eine-suesse-Maus-die-in-die-besten-Jahre-kommt.html

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Reunification of Germany/Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands – 20 Jaehriges Jubilaeum

Posted on October 3, 2010 by | Leave a comment
The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989. The photo s...

Image via Wikipedia

It’s seems just yesterday that the news circled the world of the Berlin Wall falling down and of Germany being reunited again. But the fall of the wall was just the beginning of a long path of bringing the two “Germanys” together again and it wasn’t an easy one often.

The wall fell in 1989 and in 1990 the Deutschmark was introduced. On September 12 of that year the Two-Plus-Four-Treaty was signed and led to Germany regaining full sovereignty. On October 3, the Unification Treaty officially reunited Germany and October 3 became Germany’s new national day.

Germans all over the world are celebrating this day with various festivities. The German Consulate Los Angeles has put together the following list with happenings in and around LA:

German Week at Concordia University Irvine – October 2-7, 2010

German-American Day Celebration, October 2, 2010

Premiere Screening: One Germany, Twenty Years Later, October 3, 2010

Book Signing with Author Anke Otto-Wolf, October 3, 2010

Goethe-Institut Los Angeles: Celebrating 20 Years of Unity, Oct. 5-13, 2010

Lectures: Drafting a United Germany – Horst Teltschik, Oct. 18-19, 2010

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