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…
Category: Germany In Focus
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.
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…
Talking Politics: Analyzing Texas election outcomes with international journalists
With a historic voter turnout in Texas during an unprecedented pandemic, the 2020 general election will likely be studied for years. President Donald Trump garnered roughly 600 thousand more votes in the Lone Star State than Democratic challenger Joe Biden, upending pundits’ predictions that Texas would turn “blue.” Democrats did make in-roads, expanding their reach…
German lawmaker calls lockdowns, communication ’secrets to success’ in pandemic response
As Texas enters the next phase of re-opening its economy, a German lawmaker is sharing insight into his country’s strategy for emerging from lockdown, while managing the spread of COVID-19.
My Instagram Top 10: Back in Berlin
History, both triumphant and tragic, comes alive in Berlin, Germany. Click here to see some of my favorite sites.
WATCH: Fireworks over Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate
Click here to watch the fireworks celebration on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Thousands gather at Germany’s Brandenburg Gate to celebrate anniversary of Berlin Wall falling
On the historic night of November 9, 1989, East and West Germans danced together on top of the Berlin Wall. Hours earlier, anyone crossing the border would have been shot by GDR state security. 30 years later, a crowd of 100 thousand returned to Berlin’s historic Brandenburg Gate, which was once surrounded by the wall,…
WATCH: Historic 3D video projected on Berlin buildings
Click here to watch scenes of 1989 projected on buildings to bring history alive.
Fmr. Ambassador reflects on George HW Bush’s role in German reunification
As the world marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a former diplomat is reflecting on his tenure as the first U.S. ambassador to Germany following reunification. Robert M. Kimmitt held the post from 1991 to 1993, though his ties to Europe predate his birth. Like 20 percent of Americans, Kimmitt traces…
Historical group explores, documents Cold War stories from Berlin’s underground
Escaping the surveillance and oppression of the East German government during the Cold War often came at great risk. The impressively complex and often dangerous acts of desperation are highlighted in a series of tours organized by a group of Berliners who work to explore and preserve the history of the city’s underground. The Berliner…
Understanding the Wall: How the Berlin Wall divided a nation
Three decades after the so-called ‘Peaceful Revolution’ toppled the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, people are celebrating the anniversary of its climax — the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. More time has passed since the Wall came down than the nearly three decades it stood, but painful memories associated with…
WATCH: Misconceptions, misinformation have led to ‘romanticization’ of Berlin Wall
Click here to watch Lane Luckie explain misconceptions and common questions about the Berlin Wall.
Art installation sends ‘wishes’ fluttering over post-Wall Berlin
Freely moving in the wind, independent, yet seemingly in harmony, 30-thousand ribbons dance in front of the Brandenburg Gate, Germany’s most visible symbol of unity. The vision of American artist Patrick Shearn and his studio Poetic Kinetics, a massive public art display drapes the setting for one of Germany’s biggest celebrations in years — the…
WATCH: Covering the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Click this video to learn more about the dark history of post-World War II divided Germany.
International broadcaster exchange brings German journalist to KLTV/KTRE newsroom
An international exchange program is bringing another journalist from Germany to work side-by-side with the largest news organization in East Texas, KLTV and KTRE. Andreas Mitzkus will spend the next week shadowing and learning from producers, anchors, reporters, photographers, digital content producers, and news managers in the KLTV and KTRE newsroom. Mitzkus is a producer…
German journalist embedded in KLTV newsroom as part of international exchange
As the main anchor of Germany’s international broadcaster, Sarah Kelly is the face of Deutsche Welle’s coverage of the world’s biggest stories. Over the last decade, her personal and professional travels have taken her from the World Economic Forum to the G-20 summit, though, a three-week whirlwind tour of the U.S., including a week in…
KLTV newsroom hosts German journalist in Trans-Atlantic exchange
As so-called ‘cord cutting’ and mobile technology trends drive the ways consumers connect with news and information, journalists are constantly adapting to the needs of their audiences. For more than two decades, an exchange program for American and German broadcasters has been building bridges of understanding — both personally and professionally. More than 1,200 American…
Reporter’s Notes: Lessons learned in Germany
As I stepped off the platform onto my train to the Frankfurt Airport, my world seemed to transform into a slow motion flood of memories. After three weeks in Germany as a fellow with the RIAS Berlin Commission, this life experience had just become my standard by which all others will be measured. Gazing out…
Why the Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s most-visited destination
The Cologne Cathedral, a symbol of Christianity’s influence through the ages, is the most-visited destination in Germany. Situated along the shores of the river Rhine, the church is also home to the shrine of the Magi, making it one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for believers. After the remains of the Magi were transferred…
Ministry reaches English-speaking pilgrims marking 500th anniversary of Protestant Reformation
As Christians around the world mark the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, an English-language ministry is reaching out to the thousands of visitors making a pilgrimage to Germany. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk and professor of Bible studies at Leucorea University in Wittenberg, Germany, is said to…
German journalist visits East Texas through RIAS exchange, spends week in KLTV newsroom
Only a week after returning from my fellowship in Europe, I had a unique chance to continue my trans-Atlantic learning exchange by hosting a German RIAS fellow in East Texas. Charlotte Potts, a presenter for ZDF and political correspondent for Deutsche Welle, is no stranger to the U.S., having lived in Washington, DC for seven…
Germans take to social media to create traditions for national holiday
Germans have reason to celebrate Tuesday as the country marks 27 years since East and West Germany were peacefully reunified, forming the Federal Republic of Germany. Though the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, the task of joining two countries didn’t go into effect until nearly a year later, with the adoption of the German…
WATCH: Inside Europe’s largest cathedral
With its iconic spires, the Cologne Cathedral has the largest façade of any church in the world. Click here to take a look inside.
Europe’s largest cathedral steps up security amid international terrorism threats
Amid a wave of terror attacks abroad, steps are being taken to protect visitors to Germany’s biggest tourist destination, the Cologne Cathedral. In August, police and the City of Cologne agreed to make closures near the historic church in response to the van attack in Barcelona, Spain, which killed 13 people. According to the Cathedral’s…
WATCH: American singer Anastacia performs on German broadcaster ZDF
Built in 1894, Germany’s Reichstag building now features a glass dome symbolizing transparency in government. Click here to watch a tour.
Pay to pray: Understanding Germany’s church tax
A so-called church tax in Germany may be behind a steady decline in the European nation’s church membership numbers. The Pew Research Center, a non-profit, non-partisan public opinion group based in Washington, DC, cites the tax as a factor behind an exodus of Germans officially leaving their religious communities. Germany is among several European countries…
WATCH: History and transparency converge in Germany’s Bundestag building
Built in 1894, Germany’s Reichstag building now features a glass dome symbolizing transparency in government. Click here to watch a tour.
WATCH: Touring Germany by high-speed train
Planes, trains, & automobiles — I did it all to travel across Germany. Click here for the spectacular view from the Deutsche Bahn ICE train!
WATCH: The Berlin Wall — a silent witness to history
A section of the Berlin Wall still stands to illustrate the division created for decades until 1989. Click here to watch.
Post-war American radio station in Berlin lives on in trans-Atlantic exchange program
Even though history has outlived the iconic German radio station RIAS, its legacy lives on in the form of a trans-Atlantic exchange program for journalists in the United States and Germany. The program is named for the radio station RIAS, or Radio In the American Sector, which was founded by the U.S. in 1946. After…
WATCH: Inside the world’s most ‘acoustically perfect’ building
Click the video below for a look around what’s considered the world’s most acoustically advanced building.
