Two big races are drawing crowds of people to Germany’s capitol city Sunday — the annual BMW Berlin Marathon and a historic parliamentary election that will decide who succeeds Angela Merkel as chancellor. More than 25 thousand runners and other athletes from all over the world are weaving through the city, with spectators and supporters…
Month: September 2021
‘Stumbling stones’ serve as persistent reminders of Germany’s dark past
Every time I’m in Germany, I’m struck by the sheer number of Stolpersteine or “stumbling stones” I come across. These mini memorials throughout Germany are placed outside the last known residence of Holocaust victims. 75,000 plaques have been installed in sidewalks so far. These are real people, each with a story to be remembered. Not…
WATCH: Final day of campaigning in Germany’s parliamentary elections
Lane Luckie has a look at the final day of campaigning ahead of German’s federal parliament elections on Sunday.
Former Cold War-era NSA listening post overlooks Berlin
This hill in western Berlin was actually created from all of the rubble left over after Allied bombings in World War II. It stands 180 feet tall and contains 420 million cubic feet of debris. You might be wondering about those three white radome “balls” sitting atop Teufelsberg. During the Cold War, the U.S. constructed…
East Texas state rep. recalls watching Ronald Reagan deliver ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall’ speech in Berlin
Six decades have now passed since the Berlin Wall first went up, not only dividing a nation, but also becoming a globally-recognized symbol of government oppression. On August 13, 1961, the government of East Germany began construction on a barrier surrounding the Allied-controlled West Berlin to stem mass migration from the Soviet-controlled East. In 1987,…
Lingering East-West division in Germany highlighted by economic issues
This August marked 60 years since the Berlin Wall first went up, creating a physical barrier between East and West Germany. Despite the wall coming down nearly three decades later, a lagging economy in parts of the former East are creating new divisions. Wages, unemployment, and GDP are lower in the former communist East Germany,…
Inside German broadcaster Welt’s new Berlin headquarters
It’s all hands on deck for election week at the Welt TV network, which is owned by German media giant Axel Springer. The Bundestag elections in September are the first major parliamentary election broadcast from Welt’s studio inside the new Axel Springer Building. The facility, along Zimmerstrasse in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood, opened in April. The…
America’s military presence in Germany remains fresh issue for both countries
As Germany votes this Sunday in a historic election to usher-in a new chancellor for the first time in 16 years, recent polling shows eligible voters are most concerned with campaign issues like the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of the vote will likely have a significant impact on Transatlantic relations, as Germany’s…
WATCH: Site of the post-WWII Potsdam Conference
In the the summer of 1945, Cecilienhof Palace was the site of the Potsdam Conference between the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain.
COVID-era changes you’ll notice at DFW International Airport and some you won’t
Travelers flying out of Tyler Pounds Regional Airport or East Texas Regional Airport connect through Dallas Fort Worth International Airports, one of the busiest in the world. Passenger figures show people are taking to the skies again, nearing pre-pandemic levels. The latest available totals show 6,866,796 people traveled through DFW in the month of July,…
Lane Luckie 