tagged w/ Berlin
-
BERLIN — Once the much-mocked symbol of drab communist East Germany, Trabant cars are revving up for a dramatic rebirth as electric cars -- 20 years after they drove through the fallen Berlin Wall to freedom.
A team of German firms is developing the "new Trabi" or Trabant NT, a revamped version of the famously unreliable and unattractive cars, and is aiming to unveil a prototype at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
And in contrast to the old model, whose noisy two-stroke engine sent a polluting cloud of burnt oil and petrol into the air as it chugged slowly through the streets behind the Iron Curtain, the new 21st century Trabi could hardly be greener.
"It will be an electric car with a solar panel roof, designed for the city and small trips," said Ronald Gerschewski, head of IndiKar, the East German auto firm that originally made the Trabant and is now plotting its return.
"Inside, there will be connections for a sat-nav, mobile phone and iPod," Gerschewski told the regional press in Saxony, where the company is based.
However, the company insists it is not looking to capitalise on so-called "Ostalgie", the German word meaning nostalgia for the artefacts of the communist era.
"It will not be a retro model," IndiKar said, but a "green and refreshing novelty."
Whatever the motives, there is no doubt the Trabant still commands a place in Germans' affections, two decades after the Berlin Wall was pulled down in a peaceful revolution.
When the proposal of relaunching the Trabant was first mooted in 2007 at the Frankfurt motor show, a snap poll of 11,500 people showed that 93 percent were in favour, with many saying they would be prepared to buy one, said IndiKar.
And the idea itself of a full-blown Trabant rebirth was sparked by the enormous success of miniature models made by IndiKar's partner Harpa, which has sold hundreds of thousands of tiny Trabis to nostalgics.
Meanwhile, enthusiasts hold Trabi rallies and tourists queue up for a chance to ride one around the old communist sights of East Berlin.
It is a far cry from the time when it was the East Germans who had to queue up to get a prized Trabi. The difference is that under communist rule behind the Iron Curtain, the waiting queue could last up to 15 years.
Having saved up a year's salary and counted down the years, the lucky East German could choose a Trabant in any colour he pleased -- as long as it was garish -- mustard yellow, pink and peppermint green were all possibilities.
The bodywork was made of plastic mixed with paper or cotton fibre to save on steel imports, the back windows did not open and its top speed was a laughable 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour.
But that is not to say the East Germans were not proud of their motors. Considered as one of the family, the cars were often bestowed with pet names such as "Micha" or "Bert."
The last Trabant, a candy pink model, was produced in 1991, 34 years after the first of around three million rolled off the production line of the VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Saxony.
However, while the idea of Trabis put-putting around the streets of Berlin once again may appeal to many, it is by no means guaranteed.
IndiKar and Herpa are aiming to produce the Trabi commercially from 2012 but are on the hunt for investors.
They are counting on the Frankfurt show to unearth someone to help with finance to get the all new eco-friendly Trabis off the drawing board and once again gracing the streets of the former East Germany.BERLIN — Once the much-mocked symbol of drab communist East Germany, Trabant... more
-
-
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city's famous and raucous alternative art scene is at risk of becoming just another tourist attraction in an increasingly gentrified urban area.A fight over a ramshackle building in the east, near the former site of the wall, is emblematic of that tension: Artists who squatted the building nearly two decades ago face the possibility of eviction by corporate owners who want to turn the site into high-end apartments.
The battle is in court. But the global economic crisis might end up offering a reprieve.Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city's famous and raucous... more
-
-
Beide Seiten is a video documentary of how Berlin has transformed from a divide city to a global nation. Remnants of the Berlin Wall are still visible but that hasn't stopped the city from progressing and embracing new culture and diversity. Artwork on the remains of the wall brings forth this optimism. This movie is a concoction of footage from 1961 when the wall was built and video shot in summer 2007.Beide Seiten is a video documentary of how Berlin has transformed from a divide city... more
-
-
Photographs of actress Penelope Cruz at the premiere of the film "Los Abrazos Rotos" at cinema Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, Germany on Monday, August 3, 2009.Photographs of actress Penelope Cruz at the premiere of the film "Los Abrazos... more
-
-
Alexander Gnadinger first presented his book "100 Gilrs on Polaroid" at N°74 in Berlin during Fashion Week. The book is a collection of images of 100 different girls that exhibits their natural form and how they see themselves and how that reflects to other people.Alexander Gnadinger first presented his book "100 Gilrs on Polaroid" at... more
-
-
Cheap sex is for the taking in Berlin - if you show up on a bicycle. The Maison d'envie brothel there is offering discounts to those who arrive on bikes.
The brothel's owner, Thomas Goetz, said: "Obviously we hope that the discount will attract more people. It's good for business, it's good for the environment - and it's good for the girls."
Um, how exactly is it good for the girls?
Cyclists (or those who can prove they took public transportation) get a 5 euro discount from the usual 70 euro fee for 45 minute sessions.Cheap sex is for the taking in Berlin - if you show up on a bicycle. The Maison... more
-
-
Bruno is finally here but does it help the gay movement or put it one swishy step back?
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.Bruno is finally here but does it help the gay movement or put it one swishy step... more
-
-
http://www.triponadeal.com This week we feature sites around the world fans can visit to honor the late Michael Jackson. From Neverland Ranch to his boyhood home in Gary, Indiana ... plus some surprising destinations. What does Shanghai or Berlin have to do with the King of Pop. Or this year's Iowa State Fair. Find out on this week's Trip on a Deal!
trip, deal, vacation, Micheal_Jackson, MichealJackson, Jackson, Neverland, King_of_Pop, Iowa_State_Fair, Gary_Indiana, Shanghai, Los_Angeles, Berlin, London, Tussaud's, Holmby_Hills, Thriller, Los_Alamos, Vasquez_Rocks, Beech_Bend, Cleveland, Grammy, Butter_Sculpturehttp://www.triponadeal.com This week we feature sites around the world fans can visit... more
-
-
Photographs of models displaying Elle MacPherson's Intimates Collection at the 5 Elements Spring/Summer 2010 fashion trade fair at the Palais am Funkturm in Berlin, Germany on Wednesday, July 1, 2009.Photographs of models displaying Elle MacPherson's Intimates Collection at the 5... more
-
-
In honor of the Berlin Wall falling 20 years ago, MTV has decided to hold their 2009 European Music Awards in Berlin to commemorate the historical day that unified the west and east side of the city.
Klaus Wowereit, Mayor of Berlin stated, “This event is a huge gain for the city, and we are looking forward to welcoming many international stars to Berlin. MTV’s choice of Berlin to host the MTV Europe Music Awards for the second time since 1994 is a strong statement of support for Berlin as a creative sector and media industry location!”In honor of the Berlin Wall falling 20 years ago, MTV has decided to hold their 2009... more
-
-
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno continued his ridiculous costume streak through Europe on Sunday in Germany, donning a pink bodysuit for photos at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
more picture @linkSacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno continued his ridiculous costume streak through Europe... more
-
-
Photographs of actress Megan Fox at the premiere of the film "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" at Sony Center CineStar in Berlin, Germany on Sunday, June 14, 2009.Photographs of actress Megan Fox at the premiere of the film "Transformers:... more
-
-
Photographs of Sipura and Larisa, baby panther twins, at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin, Germany on Tuesday, June 9, 2009. The twins were born on April 26.Photographs of Sipura and Larisa, baby panther twins, at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin,... more
-
-
Have you ever seen Hitler in color? Probably not. For the first time ever LIFE.com is publishing a color gallery taken by the fuhrer’s personal photographer, Hugo Jaeger. Below are a couple of the photos.Have you ever seen Hitler in color? Probably not. For the first time ever LIFE.com is... more
-
-
Quality crafted letters and signs are vanishing from the urban landscape due to the increasing use of corporate logos and the disappearance of traditional companies. Berlin’s Letter Museum is on a mission to preserve and document letters, regardless of culture, language and font styles.Quality crafted letters and signs are vanishing from the urban landscape due to the... more
-
-
This is just mind-blowing: Spy Fired Shot That Changed Germany. Why is it mind-blowing?
Here's an excerpt:
It was called “the shot that changed the republic.”
The killing in 1967 of an unarmed demonstrator by a police officer in West Berlin set off a left-wing protest movement and put conservative West Germany on course to evolve into the progressive country it has become today.
Now a discovery in the archives of the East German secret police, known as the Stasi, has upended Germany’s perception of its postwar history. The killer, Karl-Heinz Kurras, though working for the West Berlin police, was at the time also acting as a Stasi spy for East Germany.
Freaking unbelievable.This is just mind-blowing: Spy Fired Shot That Changed Germany. Why is it... more
-
-
A loaf of bread, a terrestrial globe, a plastic skeleton and a hamburger. These are some of the weird things Swedish artist Eric Ericson has posted over several years to a post office on Rosa-Luxembourg-Strasse in Berlin, addressed to a Mr. Cheng.
He didn’t rap the items, just sent them the way they were.
“I wanted to see what was possible to send, and what would arrive, “ says Ericson, who has put all the items in a book, To Mr. Cheng, which has been published in Sweden.A loaf of bread, a terrestrial globe, a plastic skeleton and a hamburger. These are... more
-
-
"The bust of Queen Nefertiti housed in a Berlin museum and believed to be 3,400 years old in fact is a copy dating from 1912 that was made to test pigments used by the ancient Egyptians, according to Swiss art historian Henri Stierlin.
Stierlin, author of a dozen works on Egypt, the Middle East and ancient Islam, says in a just-released book that the bust currently in Berlin's Altes Museum was made at the order of German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt by an artist named Gerardt Marks.
"It seems increasingly improbable that the bust is an original," Stierlin told AFP.
The historian said the archaeologist had hoped to produce a new portrait of the queen wearing a necklace he knew she had owned, and was also looking to carry out a colour test with ancient pigments found at the digs.
But on December 6, 1912, the copy was admired as an original work by a German prince and the archaeologist "couldn't sum up the courage to ridicule" his guest, Stierlin said.
The historian, who has been working on the subject for 25 years, said he based his findings on several facts. "The bust has no left eye and was never crafted to have one. This is an insult for an ancient Egyptian who believed the statue was the person themself."
He also said the shoulders were cut vertically in the style practised since the 19th century while "Egyptians cut shoulders horizontally" and that the features were accentuated in a manner recalling that of Art Nouveau.
It was impossible to scientifically establish the date of the bust because it was made of stone covered in plaster, he said.
"The pigments, which can be dated, are really ancient," he added.
Stierlin also listed problems he noted during the discovery and shipment to Germany as well as in scientific reports of the time.
French archaeologists present at the site never mentioned the finding and neither did written accounts of the digs. The earliest detailed scientific report appeared in 1923, 11 years after the discovery.
The archaeologist "didn't even bother to supply a description, which is amazing for an exceptional work found intact".
Borchardt "knew it was a fake," Stierlin said. "He left the piece for 10 years in his sponsor's sitting-room. It's as if he'd left Tutankhamen's mask in his own sitting-room."
Egypt has demanded the return of the bust discovered on the banks of the Nile since it went on display in 1923, depicting a stunning woman wearing a unique cone-shaped headdress.
One of Berlin's prime attractions it will move into its own hall at the newly renovated Neues Museum when it reopens to the public in October.""The bust of Queen Nefertiti housed in a Berlin museum and believed to be 3,400... more
-
-
“Faces” is a captivating two-minute short film shot in Berlin for the broadcast redesign of Arte TV. The six days of shooting took place at eight to ten different locations each day, and included a large variety of actors. The filmmakers stated values center upon encouraging people to satisfy their curiosity with a sense of respect, friendliness and open-mindedness toward the world.
This piece includes a number of great color photographs and the wonderful two-minute short, “Faces.”“Faces” is a captivating two-minute short film shot in Berlin for the... more
-
-
"The concrete has been scrubbed, the graffiti removed, the metal de-rusted and now Thierry Noir, the first artist to paint on the Berlin Wall, is set to start all over again.
"We need to restore it to protect it for future generations," Noir said. "The wall will never be a thing of beauty, and nor should it. Too many people died because of it. It is there to remind a future generation of what happened."
Noir, who says he personally painted about three miles of the wall with his trademark figures, has devoted years to tracking down lumps taken by people as mementos or sold by dealers. "I found two big blocks being used as urinals in a Las Vegas casino. It's disgusting. The wall is a work of art and a historical monument."
The artists - from 21 different countries - who painted the wall 20 years ago have been painstakingly traced and paid to return to Berlin to re-create their works once the wall, badly damaged by years of vandalism, exhaust fumes, harsh weather and souvenir hunters, has been resurfaced.""The concrete has been scrubbed, the graffiti removed, the metal de-rusted and... more
-
