Germany only became a country in 1871, yet no nation
has had a greater impact on the face of Europe. Justine
Shapiro sets out on a journey to look beyond the stereotypes
and seek out the  real Germany.
She begins her journey in Berlin.
After World War II Germany was divided into two countries:
the Communist DDR in the East and the Federal Republic
in the West. The most potent symbol of that division
was the Berlin Wall which, until re-unification
in 1989, ran right through the city. Justine sees one
of the last remaining sections of wall known as the East Side Gallery. The paintings daubed
onto the wall are the work of artists from all over
the world.
The centre of Berlin is dotted with 19th century architecture
easily toured on foot. What's more since the capital
of Germany was moved from Berlin to Bonn in the 1990s,
Berlin has embarked on an expensive building programme
which is slowly but surely transforming the city into
a European capital fit for the 21st century. That evening
Justine witnesses a bizarre event when a convoy of old Trabi cars pitches up in front of a statue
of Lenin to ask his permission to party - it's a symptom
of a kind of nostalgia for the times before reunification,
known as 'ostalgie'.
Justine hitches a ride in a hydrogen driven car Niebull,
from where she continues to the island of Sylt,
a vast sandbar that juts out into the North Sea. Incredible
beaches and spas have made it a popular retreat for
Germany's rich and famous but it's main claim to fame
is as the German birthplace of modern nudism in the
1920s. Justine strips off and joins the naturists hanging
out on the beach.
From Sylt Justine heads south to Hamburg,
into the fertile farmland around the village of Langeloh.
She spends the night in a 'hay hotel',
farm accommodation where you literally sleep on a bed
of hay Next morning she catches the Intercity express
to the city of Nuremberg.
Most people associate Nuremberg with
the massive rallies that took place here during the
Nazi era and, after the war, the Nuremberg Trials when
senior Nazi officials were tried and  convicted. Hitler
chose this city as the site of his rallies because he
wanted to be associated with the city's grand history
- as long ago as the 15th century the city was a powerful
symbol of German national identity, a magnificent city
where emperors and princes met to administer their empire.
Justine continues south to the beautiful medieval town
of Ingolstadt. It was here that the
German beer purity laws were issued in 1516, stating
all beer had to have certain ingredients. It was the
setting of Mary Shelley's Gothic fiction 'Frankenstein'.
Justine joins a horror tour show on which she learns
a little about the history of the town and the story
of Doctor Frankenstein, performed by a convincing troupe
of actors.
Oktoberfest takes place every year
in the Bavarian state capital of Munich.
Justine finds work as a barmaid at the festival, helping
hand out the 6 million litres of beer are poured down
the throats of revellers at world's most famous beer
festival - along with 600,000 chickens, 90,000 pork
legs, 80 oxen and 150,000.
Justine travels by train to Berchtesgaden,
close to the border with Austria. This was Hitler's
mountain retreat, and although many wartime buildings
have been torn down in an effort to erase the memory
of Nazism, Justine meets up with a
historian who shows her around what's left of the site,
including the Nazi museum which aims to educate people
about the horrors of the regime.
Just west of Berchtesgaden is Oberammergau,
one of the most beautiful towns in the German Alps.
When the plague struck in 1633, the inhabitants of Oberammergau
vowed that if God spared their town, they would perform
a Passion play about the death and
resurrection of  Christ every ten years. The inhabitants
have remained true to their word, and more than half
of the town's 5,000 population are involved in this
once in a decade event. Justine meets with Jesus during
his lunch break and learns what it’s like to take
part in the extraordinary event which is witnessed by
half a million people.
Justine ends her trip to Germany with a mountain climbing
expedition in the Bavarian Alps. She
hires an expert guide and together they tackle Mount
Yenna, which is more than 6,000 feet high. She discovers
that you need to be pretty fit to tackle these rocks,
but it's worth the effort as the views are spectacular. |
