The Zugspitze - a weekend at Germany's highest peak
The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany. It is the special yet at the same time strangest place in the nation. Nowhere can you describe leisure activities and life better than at this selected point.
The Zugspitze in spring. Mass tourism is flourishing. Where Germany is most beautiful, it is also busiest. Three cable cars take up to 1,500 people to the viewing platform every hour. The expansion of the ski center in 2000 with the Sonnalpin restaurant is almost completed. Nine drag lifts and one chairlift transport 12,000 ski guests to their runs every hour.
Just under half a million years ago, only one rocky peak rose out of the water from Germany, today that is the highest mountain in the nation - the Zugspitze. What makes this mountain so attractive? What is special about Germany's highest mountain peak, which is 37 meters (some say only 36 meters) short of the magical 3000 meter mark?
The film begins in the morning hours of a normal weekend. The cog railway disappears into the tunnel on the way to Zugspitzplatt, the ski area below the summit. The mountain is home to more than 300 people. This means a village at an altitude of almost 3000 meters with a panoramic terrace (glazed, to look down without disturbing natural influences), a post office, an ATM and many other special features. Since the closure of the Hotel Schneefernerhaus, there is no longer any overnight accommodation on the mountain summit. If you miss the last train, you can only ask for an emergency camp with the caretaker. A night at the summit of the German nation. A few hours after midnight, the route walker prepares for his routine. He checks the 4.5 kilometers of rail line from Zugspitzplatt to Eibsee every morning. The caretaker lives with his partner on the Zugspitz summit. This weekend too, he has to use the snow blower to clear the viewing platform of several meters of snow early in the morning. The German caretaker mills the snow to the German side, the Austrian caretaker to the Austrian side. The first of thousands of visitors arrive around 8 a.m. and this goes on all day long. The situation only calms down in the evening. The mountain rescue service starts the last slope descent and checks whether there are no skiers left on the slope. The last staff train takes the postman into the valley. Only the weatherman and the caretaker couple spend the night on the summit.
"The Zugspitze": stories, episodes, impressions of kraum - 48 hours in a prominent place.
A film by Wolfgang Scholz
Genre: television, reportage, documentary
Length: 43:30 min.
Format: 4:3, Beta SP, Color
Language: German
Year: 1995 Director: Wolfgang Scholz
Camera: Otto-Gustav Hoffmann
Editing: Volker Becker-Battaglia
Sound: Marion Heinz
Speaker: Andreas Neumann
Editor: Werner Siebeck
Production: Bayerischer Rundfunk (television)
© copyright 1995, BR
Germany in autumn - a day at Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest is the largest open-air spectacle in the world.
Millions are coming to Munich in the fall to experience this festival. For many foreigners, Oktoberfest is everything they know about Germany. A fair characterizes a nation?
Every year again, this year for the 162nd. Mal. Over 6.6 million visitors came to the Oktoberfest last year, called "die Wies'n". With a turnover of approx. 600 million euros, which flow directly or indirectly through Oktoberfest for the city of Munich, it is the city's largest source of income. 660,000 visitors from abroad and the federal states come to Munich just because of the Oktoberfest. The largest folk festival in the world is considered to be focused on internationality.
The film begins in the morning hours of normal Oktoberfest Sunday. The Oktoberfest opens at 9 a.m., and the rides open just over an hour later. A group of Japanese drove directly from the airport to the Oktoberfest. Her video camera is always with her during her activities at Oktoberfest. Most foreign guests come from Austria, Switzerland and the USA.
The "Oktoberfest" is the cult date of the year for many. For Ms. Stadl, one of the many waitresses in the festival tents at the Oktoberfest, it is the most stressful working time of the year. The good earnings are tempting, and so she has been there for twenty years.
The day is coming to an end. The exclamations to pick up the children at the children's discovery site are no longer necessary. Night is slowly coming to the Oktoberfest. Most festival tents close at 23.30 p.m. If you've held out until then, you can end the evening in three festival tents.
All visitors must leave the Oktoberfest by 01.30 a.m. at the latest. After the police check, there is silence. It's 2.00 in the morning. The last subways are running. The evenings are already quite cold.
It's autumn in Germany.
Stories, episodes, impressions of 24 hours in a special place - Oktoberfest.
A film by Wolfgang Scholz
Genre: television, reportage, documentary
Length: 43:30 min.
Format: 4:3, Beta SP, Color/SW
Language: German
Year: 1995
Director: Wolfgang Scholz
Camera: Wolfgang Seif
Hans Fischer
Editing: Thomas Morgot
Volker Becker Battaglia
Sound: Volker Gabriel
Speaker: Andreas Neumann
Atsuko Suziki-Grohmann
Recording manager: Vera Freyberg
Editor: Werner Siebeck
Production: Bayerischer Rundfunk (television)
© copyright 1995, BR
Rosary, butter pretzels and sore feet - pilgrimage to Altötting
The sun reaches its midday position. It's mercilessly hot. A seemingly endless queue of people winds along the rapeseed fields. Pentecost '98 - 8000 people are on the pilgrimage on foot from Munich to Altötting.
Because it is not so easy to walk 111 km, everything is planned to the minute. The luggage is loaded onto 90 support vehicles and driven parallel to the destination. The route is cordoned off and everything from paramedics to food and drink stands to the green toilet truck is there so that nothing stops the human train. Anyone who has already taken part in this foot pilgrimage several times knows that it is good to be in the front field and to call the quarters long in advance, at the latest when distributing night quarters or queuing at the toilet and food stalls.
What makes people take this forced march at 32°C? "We have had an enormous influx in recent years", says the spokeswoman for the pilgrimage office. "Like the Love Parade, this is" says Emanuel, 24 "albeit with a religious background."
Others see the pilgrimage as a physical challenge, for many it is a symbol and almost everyone involved is already looking forward to finally arriving in Altötting. The pilgrimage as a cult hike?
A film by Wolfgang Scholz
Genre: television, reportage, documentary
Length: 30:00 min.
Format: 16:9, Dig.Beta, Color
Language: German
Year: 1998
Book + direction: Wolfgang Scholz
Camera: Stefan Bernecker
Jürgen David
Editing: Manfred Arnold
Sound: Markus Magerer
Marion Heinz
Sound mixing: Heidi Knapp
Speaker: Andreas Neumann
Editor: Sabine Reeh
Production: BR Bayerischer Rundfunk (television)
© copyright 1998, BR
other films in the series are "The Rest Stop" and " The Train Station"
