Discover Germany | Issue 16 | July 2014

Issue 16 | July 2014

MIRJA BOEST H E G E R M A N Q U E E N O F C O M E D Y

PLUSTHE RISE OF

GERMAN FASHIONWEDDING DESTINATION

SWITZERLANDDESIGN, FASHION,

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

2_2_DiscoverGermany_July2014_Issue16:Scan Magazine 1 19/6/14 10:19 Page 1

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22 32

ContentsJULY 2014

Discover Germany | Contents

Photo: Villa Eden Leading Health Spa

Issue 16 | July 2014 | 3

Photo: LUXURY ESSENTIALS

COVER FEATURE6 Mirja Boes

Meet Mirja Boes, the German Queen of comedy.A comedian almost by accident, she is hilariouson stage and her latest musical adventure is quitea funny one too.

SPECIAL THEMES13 Fabulous Fashion

Gerd Oliver Seidensticker, the President of Ger-manFashionModeverband Deutschland e.V., ex-plains why German designers are in high de-mand worldwide. Read all about design andfashion made in Germany.

44 Wedding destination SwitzerlandRomantic scenery and world class hospitality arejust two reasons that make Switzerland the per-fect wedding destination. In our special wed-ding theme you will find amazing goods andservice providers to help turn your wedding intoa dream wedding.

REGULARS & COLUMNS10 Fashion

How to look great from church to dancefloor –great gowns for great weddings.

12 DesignInspired by the wedding theme we’ve focused onthe things you cherish forever. Retro is back!

24 Exhibition of the MonthOutstanding organisational skills, exciting en-tertainment programmes and surprisingly flexi-ble premises are the key features of Salzburg’sBrandboxx exhibition centre. Annual highlightsinclude the JOT Juniormode fair for kids fashion.

26 Architect of the MonthLandscape architecture with a passionate con-cern for people and place is what makes BHFLandscape Architects stand out from the crowd.And they’ve been at it for over half a century al-ready!

28 Wine & DineAs our wine columnist treats us to the Baden re-gion (part two), we take a closer look at France’sMalans region and the local Domaine Donatsch,one of Switzerland's most prestigious wineriesthat has been in operation for over a century.

32 Culture & LifestyleThis month’s section is full of great things to doover the summer months.We take a closer lookat Austrian events and for fun lovers and thrillseekers, we present our favourite German themepark. And if you’re wonder where the bold andthe beautiful hide to enhance their life quality,we’ve got the answer.

38 Hotels of the MonthAt the Sonne Lifestyle Resort in the beautifulAustrian Bregenzerwald it is all about hospital-

ity, regionality and sustainability – ideal for someprecious time out from daily life.

40 Congratulations to the Hotel Schindlerhof! Cel-ebrating 30 years of hospitality, the venue is ab-solutely unique in its approach to business meet-ings, seminars and conferences. Now the nextgeneration is proudly taking over.

41 BusinessRead where to go to host the perfect off-site,everything you need to know about one of Ger-many’s finest Business Schools and – in case youare thinking of getting married – our legal expertGregor Kleinknecht explains the importance of a‘parachute’.

57 Culture CalendarSave the date and mark your diaries for theevents not to be missed this summer.

59 Barbara GeierBarbara Geier treats us to her personal perspec-tive of what to expect after a wedding invitationslips through the letter box.

44

Photo: Dream-Time


4 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Dear Reader,What a season this is turning out to be forsport! Pure adrenaline at the FootballWorldCup in Brazil, German Martin Kaymerwrote golf history by winning the U.S.Openin Augusta and the upcoming weeks arepacked with exciting tournaments from allsorts of sports. But sport is not the only rea-son to make people’s hearts beat a littlefaster. The wedding season is in full swing,

happy couples are marching down the aisles on their way to hap-pily-ever-after. This month we have a special treat for those whoare planning to get married in Switzerland. Our big weddingtheme is packed with all you need to know should you wish to sayyes in the homeland of Heidi. Romance is in the air and I would liketo take this opportunity to congratulate‘our’journalist Elisabeth onher wedding, she looked absolutely gorgeous in her white gown.

Speaking of gowns leads us right to our next highlight in this is-sue. Fabulous fashion made in Germany is all about great design-ers with even greater collections. No other than Gerd Oliver Sei-densticker, the President of GermanFashion ModeverbandDeutschland e.V., explains why the world’s catwalk societies gocrazy for fashion made in Germany.After Karl Lagerfeld,WolfgangJoop and Jil Sander, German designers are on the rise again.

Another very special treat this month is our cover star interviewwith comedy queenMirja Boes. Seriously funny and a comedian bynature, she takes any audience by storm and is not afraid of tryingnew things. But beware, no one escapes her jokes.

Have you planned your summer escape yet? If not, then look outfor our top recommendations in this issue. Whether you wish tovisit an exciting theme park, plan an activity trip to the mountainsor prefer a lengthy stay in a top resort, you will find plenty of in-spiration on the following pages.

Whatever your plans for July are, we hope you have a good timeand enjoy the great weather.As for myself, I have a wedding to at-tend.

Enjoy the magazine!

Tina Awtani

Discover Germany

Issue 16, July 2014

Published 26.06.2014

ISSN 2051-7718

Published by

Scan Magazine Ltd.

Design & Print

Liquid Graphic Ltd.

Executive Editor

Thomas Winther

Creative Director

Mads E. Petersen

Editor

Tina Awtani

Art Director

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Copy-Editor

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Contributors

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Iris Ellmann

Barbara Geier

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Gregor Kleinknecht

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Dorina Reichhold

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Issue 16 | July 2014 | 7

Mirja BoesThe German queen of comedyFor years she has been entertaining the masses with her stand-up talent, her TV-screen presence and her unique sense of humour. Now she’s busier than ever,adding theatre and a hilarious music album to her portfolio.

TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: PRESS IMAGES

Born and bred in Viersen, a North RhineWestphalian town close to the Dutch bor-der, Mirja Boes is your typical down-to-earth girl-next-door. Just like her ever-pre-sent positive attitude and sense of humour,her golden locks are always neatly tiedaside with a girly clip. Her face, now visiblefrom behind her hair, is able to communi-cate extremely effectively without talking.But once Mirja starts to chat, it is hard tokeep a serious expression. The Germanword ‘boese’ means ‘naughty’ and in hercase Nomen est omen couldn’t be moreapt. Naughty but so nice that you couldnever be angry with her, her stories bear aheart-warming honesty and most peopleare able to identify with the various situa-tions she tackles on stage.

Surprisingly, she never intended to becomea comedian.After studying musicology andmedia science alongside Italian and Span-ish, she achieved success with her bandDie fabulösen Thekenschlampen [The fabu-lous bar sluts]. From Austria’s St. Anton toMallorca’s Oberbayern, the band’s songsrocked the boat. Acting later followed aspart of her career path and with the TVshow Die Dreisten Drei [The cheeky three]her comic talent emerged.“The producer ofthe show somehow found me funny andthat’s how it all started,” Mirja reveals.Shows like Angie followed, and it wasn’tonly the producers who became aware of

her talent for hilarity. Thinking back, Mirjaremembers that others began to notice ittoo. She first realised her own potential,she says with a smile, when people otherthan her relatives started laughing at herjokes.

You have to be able to laugh at yourself

While being a comedian is tough, being afemale comedian is even harder. It takes alot of courage to get up on stage and crackjokes as audiences can be volatile and younever know how they’ll react.According toMirja, it’s essential for good comedians“tobe able to laugh at yourself.”

Three German comedy awards, plus a fur-ther eight nominations are proof that she isquite funny on stage. One of her most fa-mous live programmes was‘Morgen mach’ich Schluss!...wahrscheinlich...’[TomorrowI will end it! …probably…] – a trip down ateenager’s memory lane.There she was, onstage against the backdrop of what ap-peared to be a pink Hello Kitty decoratedteenager’s room, wearing jeans (with hugeHello Kitty patches), aT-shirt and sneakers.She pulls a diary out of a box and startsflicking through the pages while sharingmemories about kissing experiences. Witha board grin and a cheeky roll of her eyes,she remembers her first amorous adven-tures. Each of the boys received a commentranging from ‘dead fish’ to ‘toilet brush’,

Discover Germany | Cover Feature | Mirja Boes


8 | Issue 16 | July 2014


and each was referred to with a common name, so itcould literally be the one sitting next to you in the au-dience. But, she ultimately admits that the girls wereprobably pretty bad kissers too back then, but at leastthey learned from experience – contrary to the boys.

Embarking on a musical journey

2014 is an important year for the comedienne; for thefirst time she has ventured onto the theatre stage aspart of the cast in Double Act by Australian play-wright Barry Creyton.The mum of two seems to be abit of a workaholic as she is also touring the nationwith her two-hour programme Ich doch nicht!, whichtranslates best as ‘I would never do that’. Of course,you can probably guess that she is one of these peo-ple who would never eat a saliva-drenched biscuitpart-nibbled by her offspring and she would neverstart a severe argument with her next-door neighbourknowing that he was in fact right.Well, surprise sur-prise; you never quite know what Mirja Boes is capa-ble of. More about this live on stage (or later onYouTube).

In autumn she’s touring Germany with her newmu-sic album.With twelve different audio publications onAmazon, Mirja’s voice is certainly prevalent in theGerman-speaking regions. Her recent work, DasLeben ist kein Ponyschlecken, is a wonderful musicaljourney through the ups and downs of daily life. Un-fortunately, the title doesn’t translate that well intoEnglish, but it pretty much comes down to ‘life istough’. Das Leben ist kein Ponyschlecken was a dreamproject for her as she always was drawn towards mu-sic. Fourteen songs, written and produced by noneother than Frank Ramond, tell stories with a twistabout the normal facts of life, such as men beinghunters or love letters with a certain impact. Sup-ported by her Honkey Donkeys band, she sings alongwith her distinctively joyful voice and, as in everygood joke, the punchline comes right at the end. Beit in 20,000 Worte am Tag [20,000 words per day],which explains why she just has to keep talking or inBritta is ‘ne bessere Mutter [Britta is a better mother],where she regards Britta with envy, as she seems to doa better job with the offspring. But wait until the endof the song – no, I won’t give it away. Just rest assuredthat your funny bone will be tickled.The whole albumis classified easy entertainment and has an amaz-ingly spirit-lifting side effect on the listener. Whatdoes she expect from the album and the tour?“Theright producer met the right artist,” she says with agrin.“I am really expecting me and the audience tohave masses of fun,”she muses.



Issue 16 | July 2014 | 9


Discover Germany | Xxx | XxxxDiscover Germany | Design | Fashion Finds

10 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Vera Mont “accompanies the scintillating steps in thelife of today’s modern woman with particularly femininefashion. High-quality materials and elegant cuts char-acterise the collection and offer the perfect outfit forany occasion.” Meet your modern Prince Charming inthis sequin-trimmed bodice dress and he’ll be sweptoff his feet. £210www.veramont.com

Fashion FindsThe wedding season is in full swing,giving us plenty of opportunities tolook glamorous in great gowns. Ofcourse, the beautiful bride is thecenter of attention andwearingwhiteis a no-no unless explicitly required,but with this month’s colourfulfashion picks you will surely standout from the crowdwhile keeping upwith etiquette. Attend in style fromchurch to reception and shine brighton the dancefloor too.

EDITOR’S PICKS


All you need during a festive outing fits in this megacute and super stylish bag. The timeless design with aretro twist is perfectly suited to accompany you to yourtable and keep all your little treasures. £200.www.joop.de

Always the bridesmaid – never the bride? With this pairof stunning red high heels you’ll be noticed by the manof your dreams instantly (in case you didn’t bring himalong). Red shoes work best with a nude dress andperfectly matching red lipstick. £200. www.joop.com

TRIUMPH shape sensation lingerie is the magic ingre-dient to achieve a stunning silhuette. Worn underneathit’ll make muffin tops disappear and gives your body abeautiful hourglass shape. £70.www.triumph.com

Candy colours are great to make you stand outfrom the crowd. We love the SS14 floor-lengthmodel in turquoise chiffon. The elegant look of theAmerican neckline with sequin trim is unbeatable.£230. www.veramont.com

Issue 16 | July 2014 | 11


12 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Discover Germany | Design | Dedicated to Design

This 50s inspired sofa is simply gorgeous and can be slot-ted in almost anywhere. A bold statement of retro re-invented. € 825www.sophisticated-living.de

Remember when the library bus used to trundle out to re-mote villages? Here’s your very own private version for yourbook collection. And what’s more, it won’t drive away. Madeby eco-friendly WERKHAUS Design + Produktion GmbH.€ 89,90www.werkhaus.de

A fabulous lounge-chair! This 3-in-1 multifunctional designerpiece is eco-friendly (made of cardboard) and really easy onthe eye. € 502www.heimatwerke.de

Add a bit of a retro look to your smartphone with the BerlinBoombox. The lightweight yet powerful speaker is made ofcardboard and cleverly folds together when not in use. € 66www.berlinboombox.com

Dedicated to Design...This month’s picks are dedicated to beautiful designs of the past. Just like the ideal relationship, there are cer-tain things that retain their beauty as time goes on. We’ve found a few great examples of retro-inspired designpieces that have been given a contemporary touch.

EDITOR’S PICKS

21

5

3 Wave goodbye to boring bathrooms and say hello to the iconic garden gnome. This toilet roll holder in the bird-house design will certainly leave a lasting impression on your visitors. € 18,90. www.werkhaus.de

4


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 13

“If we compare exports from fashion coun-tries – leaving out countries which purelyproduce clothes, like China and India –then we’re ranked second, behind Italy andbefore France,” explains Gerd Oliver Sei-densticker, the President of GermanFash-ion Modeverband Deutschland e.V.

With 340 member companies, German-Fashion advises the fashion manufactur-ing industry.“We represent approximately95 per cent of the entire branch,”continuesSeidensticker.

It is not just their reliability in producing con-sistently high quality goods, perfectly fittingclothes and great materials that put Germanmanufacturers in demand; it’s primarily downto their design. Seidensticker confirms this:“German fashion designers are renownedand admired all over the world.”Competentand passionate entrepreneurs are able totransform their creative know-how intomak-

ing their brand a worldwide must-have.“Think about Basler, Créa-tion Gross, GerryWeber,HugoBoss, Marc Cain, RIANI, RoyRobson, talbot runhof... andon it goes,” lists Seiden-sticker, “even if they don’tnecessarily sound like aGer-man company.”

Famous both on and off the cat-walk, German fashions are known for

their wearability and great value-for-money.

Loved andworn with pride, German clothes and fashion designs are asmuch a hit onthe catwalks of Paris, Milan and New York as they are on the streets of cities aroundthe world.

TEXT & PHOTOS: GERMAN FASHION MODEVERBAND DEUTSCHLAND E.V. | TRANSLATION: EMMIE COLLINGE

We love Fashion– designed in Germany!

Special Theme

FabulousFashion

Gerd Oliver Seidensticker

Discover Germany | Special Theme | Fabulous Fashion


14 | Issue 16 | July 2014

But what is it about German design thatattracts the sophisticated Russian, thestylish Turkish population and the ever-growing Asian crowd that sport ourbrands? "German fashions aren’t de-signed with the oligarch’s wife in mind,

instead they’re aimed at emancipatedwomen who are at the peak of their lives– and there’s more and more of thesewomen in countries with expanding mid-dle classes. German designers have al-ways had that special ability to nail a trend

at the right time," says Ulrich Schulte,head designer at RIANI.

"In the futurewe candefinitely count on see-ing a lotmoreGerman fashions in shopwin-dows across the globe.The German fashionindustry relies on its exports in order to de-velop successfully and enhance its oppor-tunities on the market," explains ThomasRasch, the CEO of GermanFashion. "How-ever, there are certain things to keep inmind. While great designs are certainly acontributing factor to success, it’s vital topossess the relevant know-how of customsand trade law, textile labelling, contractingrights etc. Of course, behind every success-ful collection, there’s a lot of hard work."

GermanFashion Modeverband Deutsch-land e.V. represents the interests of theGer-man fashion industry, particularly manufac-turers of male and female outerwear,sportswear and workwear.

www.germanfashion.net

Left: Talbot Runhof

Below: RIANI




As lateral entrants from other branches,namely architecture and marketing, Chris-tine Strempel and Claudia Szkutta may berelative newcomers to the fashion industry,but they have always been passionate aboutfashion. During a breakfast together, theidea of a high quality cloth that awakes thecreativity of the wearer and offers manystyling variants was born. Since autumn2013, there has been a new fashion label onthe scene,TUCHOLSKI.By using the design clip it is possible to

choose one of more than 16 variants, tosuit every occasion and all seasons. Theproduction is exclusively based in Austriaand takes place in a sustainable and envi-ronmentally friendly manner. All of the

quadratic cloths were knitted with certifiedGOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)Tencel®, a new fibre and environmentallysustainable textile.With this fo-cus, the founders ChristineStrempel and Claudia Szkuttaare setting their products apartfrom the competition.OLSKI is a plain fabric holder

and practical metal accessory,clear in shape and clever in func-tion. It can be used with any gar-ment and style. The entrepre-neurs are always excited toreceive new ideas and feedbackfrom their customers. Currently,the cloths are available in four

colours: caviar, burro, poppy red and cit-ronella.With high quality embroideries andcarefully selected details,TUCHOLSKI pro-vides an Austrian product that meets thehighest demands for quality.

www.tucholski.atwww.tucholski.at/lookbookwww.fromaustria.com/tucholskiFacebook.com/365TageTuch

TUCHOLSKI – Two pieces, a complete outfitHave you already heard about OLSKI? No, not Swedish furniture this time. OLSKIis a new and innovative accessory from the Vienna-based Austrian fashion labelTUCHOLSKI. Having created this versatile applicable metal clip, it works in com-bination with the fabric to create a host of styles and limitless creativity.

TEXT: MERYEM HAUER | PHOTOS: STREMPEL & SZKUTTA FASHION OG

www.peter-kaiser.d

e


16 | Issue 16 | July 2014

UV radiation that reaches us through thesun's rays is potentially very harmful. “Itmust be taught that UV damage is a processthat lasts a lifetime,”explains Dieter Jansen.“Even without visible features, such as red-ness or sunburn, steady exposure to UV ra-diation adds up and can cause severe longterm damage.”Mr. Jansen has gained thisknowledge through his years as the com-

pany director of DOTS, an apparel companyspecialising in clothing with UV protection.

Founded in 1996, DOTS has been a leaderin the children's apparel market for almosttwo decades. Developing clothing for theiroriginal target market with the utmost func-tionality in mind eventually led to their in-terest, innovation and expertise in UV pro-

tection wear.“The demand for this kind ofclothing is enormous,”says Jansen.“Thereare so many people who can benefit, notjust children or those who work outdoors.We can also offer a solution for those withskin problems or whose prescription drugtreatments cause sun sensitivity.”

Beginning by implementing UV protectionin swimwear line“Zwimmstoff”, DOTS hassince developed two trademarked labels,sunSYrag and sunCOrag, which offer aninvisible shield against the potentially can-cer-causing radiation from too much sunexposure. Through DOTS “needs Protect”men and women can choose workwear and

Sun and SoundProtecting ourselves against a daily dangerTaking daily precautions against life's uncertainties is something we are all now ac-customed to doing in some form or another. However, many of us are still not prop-erly guarding ourselves against something we encounter more often than wethink: the sun.

TEXT: JAIME SCHWARTZ | PHOTOS: DOTS


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 17


everyday clothing items that offerextra protection while outside forbusiness or pleasure. DOTS alsomakes sure to keep up with thelatest fashion trends by producingthree collections a year: aswimwear edition, a summer col-lection and an autumn/winter col-lection. Additionally, DOTS hasextensive offerings for childrenwho are especially in need of sunprotection as their skin has not yet

developed the body's necessary defencemechanisms.

Both labels come with a 801 UV protectionstandard and retain their effectiveness evenwhen wet, stretched and heavily worn andwashed.This level of protection is way be-yond the typical standards of UV clothing,which tend to grossly underestimate UVdamage and only test apparel under its op-timal conditions.The sunCOrag line is par-ticularly unique as it specially offers a sin-gle jersey T-shirt in 100% cotton, the onlyone of its kind available worldwide. Thisspecial feat of apparel manufacturing hasgiven DOTS encouragement to continuewith its commitment to research and fur-ther develop the potentials of UV protec-tion clothing.

“We believe in what we do and are reallyaiming to make UV protection clothingavailable at affordable prices for everybody,”explains Jansen.As a small company, how-ever, this initiative cannot be taken furtherwithout the help of additional investors whoalso believe in the importance of the en-deavor to create new apparel options. “Sunprotection is something that affects us all.It's more that worthwhile to have a look atour homepage,”says Jansen.“We welcomeany comments, critiques, and suggestionsalong with any support for the direction inwhich we are working.We would appreci-ate the feedback and I personally invitethose who are interested to get in touch.”

DOTS is currently focusing on building ateam of investors to increase their collec-tions, build a stock warehouse and improveon their successes with UV protection.

DOTS’ concern for its customers extendsbeyond their involvement in providing UVprotection wear. They are also part of theUnited Nations Global Compact, an im-portant platform through which compa-nies can demonstrate their support and in-volvement with sustainable and fairbusiness practices.

The dangers of the sun's harmful UV radi-ation are becoming increasingly known andincreasingly felt. By limiting our sun expo-sure or using sun protection creams we arenot necessarily providing our skin with thefull level of protection it needs against thesun's harmful UV rays.Wearing DOTS UVprotection apparel, however, is another stepagainst short or long-term sun damage andpotential skin cancers. Items can be easilyordered through the DOTS online shop orpurchased by visiting either of their twostore locations.

www.dotstextil-shop.comwww.dotstextil.com


18 | Issue 16 | July 2014


Those looking for tightly fitted designs willsearch in vain among Soraya Azizi’s cre-ations. Her collections for men and womenare characterised by simple designs, drapes,down-to-earth colours and a loose fit. But itis this unusualmix thatmakes the looks fromAzizi’s studio so special.“AZIZI emphasizespersonalities, individuality and being differ-ent without being obtrusive,” explains thefashion designer originally from Kabul,Afghanistan.“My clothes are loved by thosewho want to stand out from the crowd.”

Another characteristic of Azizi’s designs istheir timelessness.“You can wear AZIZI indifferent seasons and just feel comfortabledoing so,”she says.“Customers really ap-preciate my use of exclusive and high-qual-ity fabrics from Italy and Japan as well asmy unique designs. These customers are

looking for durability rather than short-lived trends. My fashion is not about em-bodying a certain style, but simply beingyourself. It provides the wearer with a dy-namic interplay between classic and avant-garde.”The former graduate of Hamburg’sAMD Academy of Fashion and Designloves working with her hands and givingrawmaterials features, usefulness and func-tionality. The talented dressmaker, wholaunched her own label AZIZI in 2005, alsodraws a lot of inspiration from people shesees on the streets and ancient cultures:“Iespecially like the Japanese architecture andlifestyle, for which striving for perfection isan integral part.”

Azizi’s products are currently available tobuy in Germany, Russia, England, Switzer-land, France and the USA.Aside from time-less chic, her label is also about sustain-ability. “For me personally, takingresponsibility towards others and the socialenvironment is very important,”highlightsthe designer. “We should start to informourselves about the meaning behind aproduct and where it has been made. Weshouldn’t live beyond our means at the costof others.”Choosing to wear SorayaAzizi’screations is therefore a wise choice, perfectfor fashionistas confident enough to pull offher laid-back, loose fitting style.

www.soraya-azizi.com

Soraya Azizi does not go with the flow. There are no bling-bling accessories, norflashly colours. But that is precisely what brave fashionistas love about the Ham-burg-based designer and her label AZIZI.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: AZIZI

Dare to be different


Watching football these days isn't like it oncewas. For those who are going to attend a foot-ball match, it isn't just the kick-off time whichmatters; today it is all what you are wearing, be-cause naturally, any victory of 'Jogis Jungs'(Jogis's boys) should be celebrated in style. Thisis where the stylishly elegant 'Deutschland Edi-tion' collection from feinsinn design comes intoplay, which can even be combined to form asharp-looking business outfit. Capturing yourpassion for Germany in a subtle and stylishmanner, feinsinn embody authenticity with theirhand-made garments, manufactured entirely inGermany. Three small stars, as if drawn by hand,are the key feature of this collection, which ismade up of must-have pieces. The highlight: Acollection for the perfect summer day 2014.

When the whistle goes in Brazil, we're poisedfor action in Germany for 'the perfect summer

day à la Copacabana' thanks to feinsinn design.The feinsinn World Cup collection with its Brazil-ian flair turns each and every summer's day intosomething spectacular.

For those who have to go to the office beforethe match, you can turn up in style. Sitting withyour colleagues in a meeting, you'll display sub-tle pride in your nation on your sleeve and canthen head straight to watch the match.

Casual tops with either long or short sleeves, aswell as oversize t-shirts and tops with a draped,scooped neckline complete the World Cup2014 look. The three stars for Germany are ei-ther stylishly and subtly positioned on thesleeve, or on the chest of the short-sleeved tops- right where your heart beats. Of course, stylishshirts and even a slim-fit range of shirts areavailable for men.

Hoarse from all that cheering? Not a problem;add a casual shawl and high quality scarf to pro-tect those vocal chords and express your ownstyle - naturally, those German stars are a bit ofan eye-catcher.

Feinsinn Mode can be bought guilt-free, as thelabel adheres to strict standards when it comesto production and manufacturing. All their ma-terials are chosen carefully from the highestquality materials. Production takes place lovinglyby hand in fine German manufacturing outlets.A real labour of love.

Of course, alongside their World Cup collection,feinsinn have other great collections that featurethe three stars too.

www.feinsinndesign-shop.de

A look at the collection - World Cup special

Black Red Cool


20 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Munich-based designer Saskia Diez'spieces stand for expression through clearform and subtlety.Her designs are fresh, yettimeless. Elegant, yet sexy. It is her unbiasedapproach, her love for trying differentmethods when using common materialsthat make her jewellery stand out.

This has a lot to do with her background;after graduating from high school, Diez be-came a goldsmith but was soon bored bythe limitations of the trade. She studied in-dustrial design and worked for several well-known design studios before returning toher passion for jewellery.

For Diez it is not about the value of the ma-terial itself, but about the beauty that iscreated with it. Her use of gold, gemstones,diamonds or wood and glass plays a sec-ondary role.Diez explains:“I take the libertyof handling pebbles like gemstones and tiegold chains like textile threads.”What mat-

ters is the final creation and how it em-phasises the beauty of the human body.

“A woman’s most beautiful piece of jew-ellery is her own charisma, appreciatingher own beauty. Jewellery can support that.When you feel more beautiful, you aremore beautiful. The author Simmel sum-marised it nicely by saying that the glow ofthe jewellery is an extension of the naturalglow of its wearer.”

Diez’s newest project highlights her cu-riosity and talent for innovation. As awoman’s beauty cannot only be empha-sised visually, Diez has created so-calledinvisible olfactory jewellery in collabora-tion with the perfumer Geza Schoen. Diezsays:“The concept was to give a scent to thetwo metals, gold and silver, which are veryconnected to my work and which actuallyhave no smell at all.Yet they are two met-als that you somehow feel like you know

what they smell like.” While Saskia DiezGold is a warm, dark and rich scent, SaskiaDiez Silver is sharp, light and fresh.

All her creations can be bought online andin select concept stores in Berlin, Paris,Tokyo and NewYork, amongst other cities.When visiting Munich, you can take a lookat Diez’s showroom and studio in the Grey-erstrasse.

Young designerSaskia Diez is cer-tainly one to watch.

saskia-diez.com

Subtle, straight and sensualThe German word for jewellery is Schmuck, which directly translated means dec-oration. The jewellery by up-and-coming designer Saskia Diez does exactly that:it decorates and complements.

TEXT: MARILENA STRACKE | PHOTOS: SASKIA DIEZ


Top: Sling RingsMiddle: Solitaire RingBelow: Stripe Pearls Ring No 2

Right: Multi Paillettes Earrings



22 | Issue 16 | July 2014

L.E. WIND is the collection’s highlight,which can be worn as a cape, poncho orsimple scarf; it’s an airy and light compan-ion at home or in the city. L.E.WAVE is in-deed a loop scarf that can be worn loopedaround the neck once or twice, just aswaves wash over swimmers.

The LUXURY ESSENTIALS collection islike a trip through nature. All their scarves,caps, ponchos and capes are made fromthe natural product of cashmere or a mix ofcashmere and extra fine merino wool. All

products are produced in Southern Ger-many– knitted, processed and washed insmall enterprises across the region. Thebrand therefore guarantees that their prod-ucts are free from chemicals.This is part ofthe idea behind LUXURY ESSENTIALS: tohonour people’s work and experience, totreat products as they deserve to be treatedand to preserve natural resources.

Nonetheless, the designs made by fashiondesigner and founder Christine Buss havea sophisticated, cosmopolitan and mini-

malistic look, possessing a timeless ele-gance and beauty. Sustainability in fashion,comfort and chic, individuality and zeit-geist do not exclude each other.“Our sloganis ‘Like each other, live eco, love earth’,therefore our product names all stem fromnature,”explains Christine Buss, who ten-derly calls her brand“L.E.”.

Light fabrics, flowing forms, softness andwarmth – LUXURY ESSENTIALS looksand feels like a walk on a sunny summermeadow. The cardigan L.E. LILY is palecoloured like some of its flowery sisters,L.E. ROSY has no thorns but the softness ofpetals. Earth colours like slate, powder anda natural cashmere tone dominate the col-lection, but the scarf L.E. GLOW can, forexample, also be bought in a bright orange,the L.E. Orange Sun.

LUXURY ESSENTIALS has a phoenix as itsbrand logo, a symbol of rising and envi-ronmental rebirth.“We believe in every newday and the possibility to rethink our deci-sions to create a better world”, says fashiondesigner Christine Buss.

www.luxuryessentials.de

As WIND flows softly around its bearer, flexible and ever changing, a WAVE em-braces us in a loop. Not just natural phenomena, they are also names given to theirknitwear by LUXURY ESSENTIALS. A family-owned business, LUXURYESSENTIALS was founded in 2012 in Offenburg, the Black Forest in SouthernGermany.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: LUXURY ESSENTIALS

A collection like nature itselfLUXURY ESSENTIALS creates fairknitwear with a breeze of fashion

Christine Buss, designer and founder LUXURY ESSENTIALS

Left: Cashmere-Shirt and Loop New Collection A/W 2014/15


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24 | Issue 16 | July 2014

The team behind this unique location forevents has worked hard in order to impressthe industry pros, proving their outstandingorganizational skills, exciting entertainmentprogrammes and surprisingly flexible prem-ises. One of the leading business venues inSalzburg, the Brandboxx has 6,500 m² ofevent space and capacity for up to 3,000people. Seven function rooms can be com-bined or separated freely thanks to mobilewalls, which makes the Brandboxx the per-fect backdrop for a variety of differentevents. From trade fairs, conferences or

product presentations to gala nights, recep-tions and parties, the boxes have somethingin store for everyone. “Brandboxx Salzburgis a fashion hotspot, trade fair organiser andevent location,” explains Ulrike Charlotte

Who would have thought that Salzburg, the city of Mozart and classical music fes-tivals, is actually a fashion hotspot? This is something that the team at BrandboxxSalzburg has been convinced of for years.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: BRANDBOXX SALZBURG

Exhibitionof the Month

Austria

Where new trends are made

Discover Germany | Special Theme | Exhibition of the Month

Ulrike Charlotte Martin, Project Manager Markus Oberhamberger, Managing Director


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 25

Discover Germany | Special Theme | Exhibition of the Month

Martin, project manager for the trade fairsJOT Kindermode, Festtagsorder and KIDSAustria. “We are at the top of our gamewhen it comes to shoes, women’s, men’sand children’s fashion as well as a centre ofexcellence for the sport retail industry inAustria.”Thanks to their vast experiencewith 30 of their own exhibitions and count-less other trade fairs from other sectors, theBrandboxx team is equipped with the rightknow-how in the B2B trade fair sector – aclear advantage for anyone looking to or-ganise an exhibition.

Big news for little ones:The JOT Junior-mode

“The JOT Juniormode is the only chil-drenswear platform inAustria, which givesit an important function in terms of com-

munication and ordering within this in-dustry,” says Martin about the biannual ex-hibition for trade visitors. “As a team, wetake great care in creating a professional at-mosphere for exhibitors and visitors, withculinary delights and an exciting entertain-ment programme for children and adults.The fashion hub for kids not only show-cases childrenswear collections from 0 to 12years, but also a great shoe range,maternitywear, toys and accessories.”Another high-light within the industry is the KIDS Aus-tria – a trade fair for children’s goods: “Thegoods on offer include well established aswell as brand new products for nurseries,top-end pushchairs, toys and the newestsecurity developments for car seats.”Markus Oberhamberger, who took over asManaging Director at the Brandboxx a yearago, is equally enthusiastic about the kidssector and the improvements the companyhas made in this field.“I am proud to saythat in the last three years we have pro-gressed a lot and developed many initia-tives from which the whole industry bene-fits,” he says enthusiastically.“We were ableto strengthen and improve both the orderplatform JOT Juniormode as well as thegoods fair KIDS Austria. Of course, this isonly possible when working together as ateam. Austria’s tight knitted ‘kids family’sticks together and that’s something whichmakes us really proud!”

Smart choice Salzburg

The Brandboxx not only benefits from apassionate team, but also from its locationin Salzburg. During the prestigious CongaAward ceremony, the ‘Oscars’ of the eventindustry, the internationally renownedSalzburg was chosen for the third time in arow as one of the top three event locationsworldwide. Additionally, Salzburg is alsoone of the most popular congress venues inAustria – a fact that the Brandboxx can ac-commodate well. Thanks to its excellenttransport connections, 1,100 on-site park-ing spaces, its quiet location and cutting-edge technical equipment, Brandboxx guar-antees optimal conditions for a congressor meeting of any scale. Yet despite all of

these advantages already on his side,Markus Oberhamberger is continuouslylooking for ways to improve his businessand promote his hometown even more.“Born and bred in Salzburg, I appreciate thework the whole team is doing here in orderto generate positive feedback for the Brand-boxx beyond the borders of Austria,”he ex-plains. “The challenges are huge! Therehave been many changes in our Boxx, but Iam convinced that our current investmentscreate the perfect foundation to let thehouse, our tenants and all customers oper-ate successfully. We are making sure thatSalzburg is and will continue to be the firstchoice for trade fairs as well as Austria’sfashion capital!” Ulrike Martin agrees:“Modest in terms of size, Salzburg is a citywith a global atmosphere.” Its appeal forher stems from“the unique interaction be-tween festival town, the beautiful alpinelandscape with dreamy lakes, the spirit ofMozart,Trakl or Hofmannsthal and the es-tablished business location for fashion,sports and events that will surely make iteasy for you to stay and enjoy.”

www.brandboxx.atwww.juniormode.atwww.brandboxx-events.at


26 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Based in both Kiel and Schwerin, the firmtakes its name from its current three mainpartners: Jens Bendfeldt, Uwe Hermann,

and Ulrich Franke. Jens' father, Klaus-Di-eter Bendfeldt, established the firm in 1962.From his time spent working in Kiel as a

gardener after being inspired into the fieldby the debris left behind after the SecondWorld War, he found his passion lay inlandscape architecture. After finishing hisstudies and establishing his business,Klaus-Dieter successfully landed one of hisfirst big projects; executing the landscapedesign for social housing complexes in twodistricts of Kiel. Although BHF is nowa-days involved in many kinds of projects

For over fifty years the landscape architecture firm BHF has created innovativeopen spaces for both urban and rural contexts. Known for their reliability and cus-tomer care, their sizable staff are always ready to take on the next project, no mat-ter how big or small.

TEXT: JAIME SCHWARTZ | PHOTOS: BHF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

Lust for landscapesLandscape architecture with a passionateconcern for people and place

Architectof the MonthGermany

BHF Team. Photo: Axel Schon


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 27

Discover Germany | Architect of the Month | Germany

throughout Germany, their activities arestill concentrated in the North where about80 per cent of their designs are to be found.From the Science Park in Kiel to the prom-enades of Rostock, Schwerin, andWeißen-häuser Beach, or on the island of Föhr, onecan experience the thoughtful environ-ments created by BHF.

Despite spanning an incredibly wide spec-trum, the projects of BHF all have one thingin common: client care. Projects are initiatedby assessing a client’s needs and desiresand designing from this perspective. “Welisten to our customers and then develop acustom solution for the project,” explainsJens Bendfeldt.The firm has created spacesfor leisure, living, recreation and tourismwith their designs for plazas, waterfronts,countrysides, and gardens. Urban renewaland energy projects are also on their rosterof talents. Mr. Bendfeldt sums up their de-sign philosophy as being arced by a sense of“trying to make understated, beautifulthings that are simple in the best sense.”

The firm's many years of experience arenot to be underestimated. BHF's decades ofexperience working in landscape architec-ture allow them to quickly assess and fullyinform clients of necessary environmentalplanning issues and challenges that mightarise during design implementation. “Wetake the stated goals for nature conserva-tion and landscape management set byboth the Federal and Provincial nature con-servation departments very seriously,”ex-plains Jens Bendfeldt. Choosing to workwith BHF means working time efficiently,which naturally helps projects to stay onbudget.

Partner Uwe Hermann oversees the firm'senvironmental planning department fo-cusing on large-scale landscape planning.Recent projects have been the six lane ex-pansion of the A7 Bordesholm to Ham-burg federal motorway and the widening ofthe eastern section of the North Sea-BalticCanal. Currently, BHF is also involved inconstructing approximately an 800-kilo-metre route of power lines in Northern

Germany.These power lines are necessaryin order to eventually feed the electricitygenerated by wind power to the Germanand wider European power grid.

BHF is also busy with its involvement inKiel's “Projekt Bäckergang”, which willtransform the underused industrial area ofthe city's Walkerdamm/Bäckergang area.Located in the centre of downtown Kiel,this area will now be home to thirty con-dominiums and forty-two senior-friendlyapartments with balconies and under-ground parking spaces. The landscape ar-chitects of BHF will be responsible for cre-ating a pleasant and inviting space in thepublic areas between the housing com-plexes.This once underused and under ap-preciated eyesore of the city will now be-come a space for strolling, lingering andconnecting.

Larger than usual by German standards,the thirty employees that make up the BHFteam all share an immense enthusiasm fortheir work.When speaking about the team,Mr. Bendfeldt has nothing but praise.“Weare proud of our employees. They are theones directing the success of our projects bytheir day-to-day hard work, demonstratingtheir strong dedication and commitment.”This team effort is how BHF tackles thechallenges presented by each new design.“The planning processes are becoming in-creasingly more complex yet are expectedto be handled faster. To succeed, you needmotivated partners who go the extra mile,”says Mr. Bendfeldt. “For us landscape ar-chitecture is not just a job but a passion. Apassion we intend to maintain far into thefuture.”Through their noted talent and ar-dour BHF landscape architects connectpeople and place by the beauty and subtlepower of their designs.

www.bhf-ki.de

Main image, left:Columbia Twins, Große Elbstraße, Hamburg-Neumuhlen. © archimage.de

Right, from top to bottom:

Transformation project Lange Straße, Rostock. © BHF

Living in the HafenCity Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 23. © BHF

Wasserplatz Am Germaniahafen, Kiel. © BHF Henning Stoldt

NRoCK Nordeuropaisches Radioonkologisches Centrum Kiel,Feldstraße 21. © BHF


28 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Some of Switzerland's most special winesare produced in the “Bündner Herrschaft,”one of the most beautiful corners ofGraubünden. Known as the origin of thefamous Heidi story, it is one of the oldestand richest wine growing regions and oneof the world's best Pinot Noir producingareas.

One particular winery in this region, specif-ically in Malans, stands out. Founded in1897, the Domaine Donatsch is one ofSwitzerland's most prestigious wineries andhas been in operation for over a hundredyears. Currently its estate and wine produc-tion are overseen by fifth generation familymember Martin Donatsch. Martin's wines

have receivedmany international accolades,including the twice won title of “Cham-pion du Monde des Producteurs de PinotNoir.”When asked about how winning hasaffected his practice Martin maintains hishumility: “To consecutively win this great ti-tle was a fantastic surprise and definitelybrought new attention to the winery.How-ever, it hasn't changed the way I work, Istill have the same setting with the samephilosophy. It was only a confirmation thatI'm on the right track.”Martin keeps up hisfamily's wine growing and producing tradi-tions with classic grape varieties from Bur-gundy such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,as well as the autochthonous Completer.

When most people think of Switzerland three things come to mind: watches,chocolates and cheese. Yet Switzerland’s wines, despite their outstanding quality,are typically not mentioned beyond its borders. This seemingly secret treasure ispartly because Swiss wines are rarely exported and even the best domestic winescan be very rare.

TEXT: JAIME SCHWARTZ | PHOTOS: DOMAINE DONATSCH

Keeping it in the FamilyHigh calibre wines stemmingfrom five generations


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 29

Discover Germany | Wine & Dine | Domaine Donatsch

Martin’s talent is not surprising when con-sidering the family history. His fatherThomas had already made a name for him-self by revolutionising Swiss viticulturethrough close contact with renownedFrench winemakers.“Since the 1970s myfather has had a decisive influence onthe viticulture and quality of Swiss wineswhich brought our wines to an interna-tional top-level.”His father was the firstto bring Burgundy barrels to Switzer-land as well as the first to growChardonnay and other grape varieties.Martin elaborates on this “like-father-like-son” tradition of excellence: “My fa-ther's philosophy is to make natural

wines with great aging potential.Of course,however, you constantly try to improve onwhat's already there and I've been able tobring in and utilise my experience from

years of study in other wine regions. Al-though my main principles and philoso-phy have and will stay true to those of myfather.”

One of the outstanding accomplishmentsof the Domaine Donatsch is their revitali-sation of the Completer. First cultivated inMalans over a thousand years ago, its nameoriginates from the Catholic Church as itwas pressed for use in the last eveningprayer, or Completarium. Due to its diffi-culty to grow and high pressing standards,the variety had almost become extinct.TheDonatsch family rediscovered this speciesand awakened it from its slumber by grow-ing new stems from the rare Completer. “In1947 my grandfather began to grow thevariety out of curiosity and interest in itsdifficult and complicated nature. After afifty year long interruption, and to markthe winery's100th anniversary, we retookinterest in it and discovered the grape in anew way,”says Martin.

In total there are only two hectars of theCompleter grown in Graubünden todayand of those the Domaine Donatsch hasover half a hectare. They grow the Com-pleter as a late harvest variety and pick thegrapes in mid-November. This time frameallows the Completer's sugar levels to risewhile reducing its acidity which supports itsunique and incomparable aroma.This trulystand-alone wine never ceases to amazeand fascinate sommeliers and wine enthu-siasts.“I think we were able to improve thewines a little each year and now we are ata point where we are satisfied. Its successspeaks for itself, well-known wine con-

Left, main image: Barrel cellar

Right, from top to bottom:Spring awakening in MalansPinot Noir vineyard in Malans

Right, bottom: Winzerstube zum Ochsen


noisseurs from around the world are inter-ested in the Completer although it is veryrare and hard to get,” reveals Martin.“It'slike a secret, or insider tip.”

Of course, a fine wine can be evenmore de-lectable when one has the opportunity toenjoy a glass in an equally fine establish-ment. The cosy paneled dining room of thewinery's restaurant “ZumOchsen”, nowa-

days run by Martin's parents, Heidi andThomas, can be the perfect place to enjoy aspecial bottle.Whether it’s drinking by thefire in winter or enjoying the summer fromthe terrace, one can revel in scenic moun-tain views. In addition to the great selec-tion of wines offered by the winery, and inkeeping with its historical connections, rarewines from Bordeaux and Burgundy arealso available.

Not much has changed at the DomaineDonatsch since its inception and no bigchanges appear to be on their way. Ac-cording to Martin, remaining a small fam-ily business is the key to the winery's con-tinued success and enjoyment of theirwines.“Sure,we could sell three times morebut we don't care to.The privilege of oper-ating on a small scale is that I can be in-volved in every process, from taking care ofthe vines and winemaking to selling andserving wines.”The deep connection theDonatsch family has to their land and tra-ditions certainly pours out through theirwines.

www.donatsch.info

30 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Above: Martin Donatsch in the Completer vineyard& Pinot Noir harvest

Bottom, left: The Donatsch family, Heidi,Martin and Thomas in the Winzerstube zum Ochsen


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 31

With its picturesque location in the smalltown of Oberbergen, the Franz Keller estatewas founded over 100 years ago and is nowin the hands of the third generation of theKeller family under the guidance of FritzKeller. Fritz balances the best wine-makingtraditions with modern vinification meth-ods and the results are fresh, fruity wines,which are naturally fermented, rich in ex-tracts and totally delicious. In the words ofFritz Keller,“For us quality and the creationof good wine starts in the vineyard. This iswhy sustainable and environmentallyfriendly viticulture is important to us.”The estate is best known for producing

dry wines that reflect the extraordinary ter-roir of the Kaiserstuhl, originally an activevolcano some 15 million years ago. Theseunique volcanic soils give the wines theircomplex aromas and distinctive fruit andmineral character, contributing to their typ-ically fine and elegant style. Fritz Kelleralso runs the famous Schwarzer AdlerRestaurant, which, if you are lucky enoughto visit Baden, is well worth a reservation. Ithas held a Michelin Star for decades andthere is also a small luxury hotel under thesame name.

Franz KellerVineyardsTo introduce you to the wonderful world ofFranz Keller wines I have chosen a deliciousdessert wine, their 2011 OberbergenerBassgeige Ruländer Auslese (0.75l). Withvines grown on volcanic rock, this wine hasa unique taste with wonderful aromas ofapricot and apple. There is also a taste ofnuts that comes through.Great with choco-late desserts and strong tasting puddingssuch as tiramisu. We stock it at £315 a caseor £26.25 a bottle.Another outstanding producer whose

family emblem dates back to 1457 isBercher. In the last two years the family hasenlarged the estate whilst carefully main-taining the highest quality standards. With42 acres of vines it is the 2nd largest estatein the Kaiserstuhl and is also a member oftheV.D.P. This German quality mark is heldby around 200 wine-growers throughoutGermany and is identified by the“VDP ea-gle” – a stylised eagle bearing a cluster ofgrapes. It appears on the capsules of theirwines as a guarantee of pure wine pleasure.TheVDP eagle guarantees wines of the

highest quality from some of the finestwine estates in Germany, and it should en-

courage you to try their wines. They are analliance of wine fanatics who work hard instony soils and on steep slopes to bringforth the best from their outstanding vine-yard sites. They believe that wine is an ex-pression of joie de vivre, be it a 100-pointcult wine or a dependable,more affordableregional wine in the Gutswein category.The“VDP eagle”stands for both.There’s nobetter sign of quality.My recommended wine to try from the

excellent Bercher estate is the 2012 GrauerBurgunder Jechtinger Eichert Kabinett drywhich we stock for £13.30 a bottle or£159.60 a case.

I look forward tosharing somemore great wineswith you nextmonth.

Happy Drinking!Iris

Part Two

Introducing Baden

Iris Ellmann (left) is managing director atThe WineBarn, an award-winning merchantof German wine based in beautifulHampshire.

The WineBarn, Clump Farm Barn, FarleighLane, Dummer, Hampshire RG25 2AF

E-mail: [email protected]

www.thewinebarn.co.uk

I hope you enjoyed my introduction to Baden last month and for those of you whoordered some of my recommended wines from Joachim Heger and AlexanderLaible I hope you’re enjoying drinking them! This month I want to continue to sharewith you my love of Baden, by introducing you to two more of the region’s greatproducers, Franz Keller and Martin Bercher.

TEXT: IRIS ELLMANN | PHOTOS: THE WINEBARN

Above, left: Bercher Burgheim,Grauer Burgunder Kabinett trocken

Above, right: Franz Keller vineyard

Discover Germany | Wine & Dine | The WineBarn Column


32 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Nestled in SouthTyrol’s Meran, close to theAustrian border in Italy, the resort’s location

is itself stunningly beautiful. The region’smild climate and its high density of spa andhealth facilities have long attracted the richand famous. Visitors are enchanted by thestunning gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle,the lavish town promenade and other high-lights.The surrounding nature is perfect forrelaxation and unwinding. Naturally, hik-ing, biking and golfing facilities are plenty.One may assume it can’t get any better, butthe arrival at theVilla Eden Leading HealthSpa will prove the opposite. 30 exquisiterooms are tastefully arranged in the luxuri-ous resort which is surrounded by parklandoffering breathtaking views over themoun-

tain panorama. On site, guests are wel-comed by courteous staff. With a smile ontheir face, the teammembers will show vis-itors the extensive facilities including a high-tech gym, hydrotherapy bath, large indoorand outdoor pools, yoga area, shiatsu zone,video cinema and much more. The resort’sBeauty Farm carries its own product rangeand in the restaurants with the large terracesguests are treated to freshly prepared,healthy, organic gourmet cuisine followingthe Cuisine of the New Well-Being. Theicing on the cake is the adjoining MedicalCenter,where first class medical, health andbeauty professionals work hand in hand toprovide guests with a maximum level ofrecreation and respite for body and soul.

Improving quality of life through pas-sion and dedication

Founded by local entrepreneur Karl Schmid

The Villa Eden Leading Health Spa is undoubtedly one of Europe’s prime destina-tions for cutting-edge health breaks in the most prestigious surroundings, com-bining a discreet luxury hotel with top-notch medical facilities.

TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: VILLA EDEN LEADING HEALTH SPA

Enhancing the quality of life- In luxury fit for a King

Angelika Schmid


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 33

Discover Germany | Culture & Lifestyle | Villa Eden Leading Health Spa

in 1982 it is officially Italy’s first DestinationSpa. For the past 20 years, his daughterAngelika, who is literally living the VillaEden lifestyle, has been in charge and shepassionately takes great care of the dis-cerning guests and their needs.“The staff atVilla Eden work every day with great pas-sion and dedication to help our guestsreach high objectives, which allow them tomaintain a high quality of life by improvingtheir health, wellbeing, vitality and spirit.”Who are these people?“Stressed-out peo-ple. People like you and me. Due to thehigh exclusivity factor theVilla Eden has be-come a fixture with figures from the worldof economics, politics and public life. Theinternational touch is also very intriguing.Despite hosting a maximum of 40 guests at

a time, we cater for high profile personali-ties from all over the world, even membersof royal households. And still, you experi-ence a homely and comfortable atmos-phere. ‘Feels like home’ is a sentence wehear over and over from our guests,”Ange-lika Schmid reveals. Regarding the namesof the high profile clientele, the hotel man-agement remains tight-lipped.

Health, beauty and science go hand inhand

It was the founder’s vision to incorporate aluxury hotel and a medical facility as he re-alised early that time is precious and thatstaying in one place while having to travelto seek medical advice is not very conven-ient.“The combination of luxury hotel andcompetence in the area of preventive med-ical care as well as beauty is absolutelyunique,”Angelika explains.

At the Villa Eden Leading Health Spaguests can easily access health and beautyexperts for consultation and treatmentswithout leaving the resort. A winning for-mula that the many returning guests areliving proof of.Whether they’re getting ridof extra pounds, minimising their stresslevels, carrying out a detox regime, ground-breaking cell therapy, highly efficient oxy-gen ozone therapy, the latest beauty treat-ments or aesthetic medicine – at the VillaEden Medical Centre guests are in compe-tent hands.

Destination: Spa!

An accolade of awards graces the resorthall of fame, including‘Winner 2014’at theWorld Luxury SpaAwards. Individual pack-ages are tailor-made to meet the guests’re-quirements, such as the‘DermaWeekend’,‘Look like a star’or the‘Wed Special’for thebride and groom-to-be.

The International SpaAssociation defines aDestination Spa as“a facility with the pri-mary purpose of guiding individual spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Thislifestyle transformation can be accom-plished by providing a comprehensive pro-gramme that includes spa services, physicalfitness activities, wellness education,healthful cuisine and special interest pro-

gramming”. Unfortunately, in German adirect translation for Destination Spa doesnot even exist.Maybe there will be in a fewyears from now, but until then the VillaEden Leading Health Spa is a well-keptsecret top tip amongst the world’s elite torevitalise body and soul within a matter ofdays in a spectacular setting.Angelika putsin a nutshell:“It is the perfect exclusive ad-dress for those guests who are looking forreal recreation and who wish to so some-thing good and sensible for their health.”

www.villa-eden.com


34 | Issue 16 | July 2014

What are the country’s highlights forsummer 2014? Jubilees, new museumsand new exhibitions – below youwill findwhat shouldn’t be missed this season.

2014 is theYear of theWaltz

TheWorldDance Instructors’Association hasdeclared 2014 the‘Year of theWaltz’.A dancegenre synonymous with Austria, the Waltzwas danced for the very first time during the1814/15 Congress ofVienna.This dance fromtwo centuries ago set the stage for it toemerge as today’s most famous ballroomdance style.Today, some 450 balls are held inthe Austrian capital each year.

Vienna 2015: 150 years of the Ringstrasse

On 1May 1865, Emperor Franz Joseph offi-cially openedVienna’s Ringstrasse. 150 yearslater, theAustrian capital will mark this land-

mark anniversary of the boulevard with nu-merous events and exhibitions throughout2015.The Ringstrasse is linedwith incrediblesights and a series of parks andmonuments.www.ringstrasse2015.info/en

2015: ‘The Sound of Music’- 50th An-niversary

The real-life story of the Von Trapp family,which continues to live in the hearts ofmanythrough the beloved 1965 Oscar-winningfilm, and subsequent successful stage pro-ductions, has contributed toAustria’s – andparticularly Salzburg’s – positive worldwideimage. In addition to bringing theVonTrappfamily international fame, Salzburg has alsoreaped its share of the popularity with thou-sands of visitors each year eager to see thesights featured in the movie. Today, ‘TheSound of Music’ remains one of the three

most repeatedly screened films in history,withmore than a billion people having seenthe film.And another bit of trivia – after BingCrosby´s ´White Christmas’, the recognis-able‘Edelweiss’is themost commercially suc-cessful single recording in musical history.

Newmuseumhighlight: SalzburgCathe-dral Quarters

The new Salzburg Cathedral Quarters willdeliver a testimonial to the power and gloryof the Baroque Era, featuring 2,000 exhibitsover an area of 15,000 square metres in anexhibitionwhich opened on 17thMay 2014.Visitors have the chance to follow in the foot-steps of the former prince archbishops for thefirst time.The former centre of spiritual andsecular power is a unique synthesis of archi-tecture, art and the history of political powerand social structures.The tour leads through

TEXT: AUSTRIAN TOURISM

Austria’s Summer 2014 Highlights:jubilees & exhibitions

Discover Germany | Culture & Lifestyle | Austrian Summer Highlights

Above left: © DomQuartier Salzburg. Photo: Franz Neumayr. Above right: Fiaker in Vienna’s Ringstrasse. © Österreich Werbung. Photo: H.Wiesenhofer


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 35

the state rooms of the Residence to the Res-idence Gallery and Cathedral Arches to theCathedral, with special exhibitions and ex-hibits from the Cathedral Museum in theside oratorios.The tour also includes theArtand Curiosities Chamber and the LongGallery, lined with baroque paintings. Theadjoining Wallis Tract presents art treasuresfrom the new St. Peter’sMuseum.Followinga glimpse of the Gothic choir in the Francis-canChurch, the tour ends in themagnificentCarabinieri Hall of the Residence.www.domquartier.at

TheMetropolis Experiment –Vienna andthe 1873World Exhibition(15 May – 28 September 2014)

This show zeroes in on the radical changesfrom the 1860s onwards that were triggeredby the decision to tear down the old citywalls.This period of rapid population growthwas one of the most dynamic phases in thecity’s history and became known as theGründerzeit.The 1873World Exhibition inVi-enna was the first to be hosted in a Ger-man-speaking country, and at that time thelargest ever.www.wienmuseum.at

Joan Miró/Albertina(12 September 2014 – 11 January 2015)Famed for his highly imaginativeworks, JoanMiró is one of themost popular artists of the20th century. The Albertina is devoting acomprehensive review to the Catalan artistdisplaying around 100 paintings, sketchesand other items that shine the light on theacclaimed surrealist’s poetic qualities.www.albertina.at

Vienna Summer Break (End of August/beginning of September 2014)The‘night ride’tickets from theWiener Lin-ien public transportation operator gives thelate night crowd free admission to some 50clubs. Outside, a street parade transformsthe Ringstrasse Boulevard into the capital’sbiggest open-air dance floor, and the inter-national DJs at the street festival pull in thecrowds at the Rathausplatz.www.viennasummerbreak.at

Bottom: View over Volksgarten and museums. © Österreich Werbung. Photo: Popp Hackner

Above middle: View towards Ringstrasse near Parlament/Epstein Palais. © Österreich Werbung. Photo: Mayer Top right: Albertina. © Österreich Werbung. Photo: Popp Hackner. Below right: Al-bertina terrace. © Österreich Werbung. Photo: Peter Burgstaller


36 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Oversized ladybirds, gigantic frogs andimposing caterpillars fly, hop and crawlover huge branches and gigantic rocks.But this isn’t the Brazilian rainforest, thisis the newest adventure for the wholefamily at Germany’s most popular themepark, Europa-Park in Rust, close to theBlack Forest, in the three-border area ofGermany - France - Switzerland. Follow-ing the detailed scenes from top directorLuc Besson’s smash hit movies ”Arthurand the Invisibles”, you can go on an ex-citing journey through the seven king-

doms in search of the Minimoys’ treas-ure, witness the world from above in theFree-Fall-Tower or explore Selenia’s gor-geous home.

Spread over 95 hectares, the Europa-Park isseparated into 13 zones and themed ac-cording to European countries, spoiling theguests with regional specialities and dis-playing country-specific architecture. InAustria, parents enjoy the traditional pan-cake dish ’Kaiserschmarrn’in the cosy, rus-tic“Zirbelstube”while their toddlers let off

energy in“Würmchen Wies’n”(tiny wormmeadow), the new 80 sqm play area. Theirelder siblings plunge down the riverthrough breath-taking rock formations atthe mercy of the Park’s churning waterway,the“Tiroler Wildwasserbahn”.

White façades, picturesque little towers,large flower beds on the plaza and richly or-namented balconies wait for visitors in theSpanish themed area. The scent of freshlybaked bread and hot crêpes welcomes theguests in the “Quartier Français” with itstypical French flair.

White-knuckle rollercoasters and top-class show acts

But it is the rides that you really come for –rides such as the top-thrillers like SilverStar, Europe's biggest rollercoaster with aheight of 73 metres and high speeds of upto 130 km/h.Test your nerves on the Euro-

Are you up for a roller coaster ride in complete darkness, speeding down a metalice-run at 50 km/h or do you prefer a super-soaking water journey? Europa-Parkis a resort like no other, with over 100 thrilling attractions and more than 6 hourslive entertainment every day. Plus, now you can add this year’s newest sensation,“ARTHUR – in the Minimoys Kingdom”, Europa-Park’s biggest indoor attractionever, to the mix.

TEXT: CORDELIA MAKARTSEV | PHOTOS: EUROPA-PARK

Europa-ParkFantastic short breaks at Germany’s biggest theme park

Discover Germany | Culture & Lifestyle | Europa-Park


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 37

Mir as you speed towards the ground inspinning gondolas with up to 80 km/h.Veryyoung thrill seekers love the traditionalcarousels and teacup rides or a fun, first-time rollercoaster like the Family Roller-coaster Pegasus.

Too much excitement? For those who needa break from the waves of adrenaline, youcan sit and relax as you enjoy one of themultiple live acts and shows in the Park.There is something for every taste: The ice-show "Surpr’Ice in the Jungle", a children’smusical, Flamenco Show, Carnival inVenice, puppet theatre – the choice is yours.TheWildWest comes alive in the main areain an eventful show bursting with action,clattering hooves and true heroes.

Besides these daily shows, Europa-Parkhosts numerous other exciting events.Cheer and celebrate at the Football WorldCup public viewings or dance the nightaway at the Mega-Party 2014 withAnastacia as the special act on 9th August2014.

Ideal destination for family weekendtrips or short breaks with friends

Roland Mack, Europa-Park’s founder, ex-plains the Park’s long success story: “Ourguests deserve only the best, and that iswhat they get here”.Opened in 1975 by theMack family to showcase their rollercoasterrides, Europa-Park has not only grown intothe most popular theme park in Germany,today it is one of the country’s largest ho-tel resorts as well.With five 4-star hotels, aguesthouse, a camp resort with log-cabins,tepees and camping facilities, Europa-Parkoffers the right accommodation for everypocket.After an eventful day, you can eitherenjoy theMediterranean atmosphere of theSpanish theme hotels "El Andaluz" and"Castillo Alcazar", savour monastic seren-ity and relaxation in the Portuguese 4-starsuperior hotel "Santa Isabel" or you canwhisk yourself off to the world of ancientRome at the 4-star superior hotel"Colosseo". Each hotel offers luxuriouswellness and spa facilities and a pool.

A great idea is to combine efficient confer-ences with motivating entertainment.Treatyour team to extraordinary‘confertainment’at Europa-Park. While all the hotels areequipped with the relevant infrastructureand state-of-art communication technol-ogy, you’re still only steps away from theworld famous rollercoasters.

Spookymoments at Halloween, roman-tic winter wonderland at Christmas

Scare yourself silly at Europa-Park’s Hal-loween specials from 27 September until 2November 2014. Goblins, witches anddemons invade the park, which is deco-rated with over 150,000 pumpkins. Creepyfun is guaranteed! In December, get intothe Christmas mood with kilometres offairy lights and over 2,500 decorated firtrees. Children will marvel at the giant San-tas, reindeers, Christmas baubles, nativityscenes and huge snowflakes in this Christ-masWonderland.And for the parents thereis always a tempting mulled wine nearby.

www.europapark.de

Top, left: Atlantica

Right, from top to bottom:Blue Fire

ARTHUR - in the Minimoys KingdomEuropa Splice

Märchenwald Mascots


38 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Its logo, the sunwith a spot at its centre, "de-rives from the Gasthaus zur Sonne, the oldoriginal guesthouse named after the sun,which was established in 1880," explainsKlaus Riezler, director of the Sonne LifestyleResort Bregenzerwald.Themeaning behindit is threefold: "The logo symbolises Austriain the centre of Europe; the townMellau, inwhich the resort is situated, in the heart ofthe Bregenz Forest region; as well as ourguest, the focal point of our resort."

The town of Mellau is in the Bregenz For-est in the state ofVoralberg at the western-most tip of Austria. The picturesque dis-trict is also home to the Austrian part ofLake Constance with stunning views of un-spoiled nature. With both Munich andZurich just two hours away by car, the Bre-

genz Forest offers beauty and excitement allyear round. While it is famous as a wintersport hotspot, it also offers plenty of out-door activities in the summer. Hiking,mountain biking, golf, mountain climbingand fly-fishing are amongst the sportingactivities that visitors can enjoy in a settingof green, pristine nature. "A secret beautyspot in the area is Schönebach, a high val-ley with lush nature," Riezler discloses.

Visitors staying at the Sonne Lifestyle Re-sort Bregenzerwald are spoilt for choice.They can unwind and relax within the re-sort; the 1,500 sqmwellness area offers spatreatments, massages, saunas and steamrooms as well as a large garden pool.Thereis also a private spa available for hire, se-curing privacy and ultimate relaxation.The

resort also offers space for conferences andbusiness meetings, with 3 seminar roomsand a large function room, which can seatup to 120 people and provides moderntechnical equipment to perform a variety offunctions.

Culinary delectation is offered throughoutthe day. Guests start their morning enjoy-ing a large breakfast buffet with an array offresh local products. In the summer, break-fast is often eaten outside on the spacious

Hospitality, regionality andsustainability in the heart of EuropeSonne Lifestyle Resort Bregenzerwald treats its guests to stunning views of un-spoiled nature as well as the ultimate comfort and relaxation in their 4 star supe-rior environment.

TEXT: DORINA REICHHOLD | PHOTOS: SONNE LIFESTYLE RESORT

Hotelof the Month

Austria


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 39

Discover Germany | Hotel of the Month | Austria

sun terrace.There are two dining venues atthe resort, both offering creative cuisinewith an emphasis on local ingredients. Awell-equipped wine cellar provides winelovers with a carefully chosen, high qualityselection.

"We are the first newly built hotel in theBregenzMountains since the 1970s," statesRiezler proudly. "We are trendsetters andwere the first resort in the region with a 4star superior ranking." The resort's archi-tecture has received a lot of praise.The orig-inal 1880 building was combined with anultra-modern, yet unpretentious, extensionand won an award for its seamless inclu-sion into the existing village structure

through its authenticated architecture andits respect for the surrounding nature. 38superior design rooms, each 35 square me-tres in size and 8 penthouse design suites,each 45 square metres in size, all with a pri-vate balcony, offer comfort and tranquilityfor guests seeking to unwind. In addition,the resort is childfree, ensuring stress-freeand calm days for guests over the age of 14.The resort is following a well-established,thought-through concept. "Our threefoldmotto, Hospitality, Regionality and Sus-tainabilty, is practised within all aspects ofour work," explains Riezler.The resort’s 40warm and friendly employees care for theguests’ needs and ensure that everyonefeels welcome and well looked after duringtheir stay. 48 regional companies were in-volved in building the resort, which wasdesigned and planned by local architects,ensuring that the motto of regionality wasput into practise. In addition, the resortsources local produce for its kitchen andrestaurant, again supporting local compa-nies and making sure the ingredients arefresh and natural, thus supporting the thirdmotto of sustainability.The resort is also aneco-friendly building comprising, for ex-ample, a modern heat-recovery system in-stallation. Riezler is delighted that theSonne Lifestyle Resort Bregenzerwald isranked the highest for customer satisfactionwithin theVoralberg region on travel web-sites such as HolidayCheck and TripAdvi-sor, proving the validity of its concept.

The resort is host to various food and cul-ture events all year round. Being a musiclover, Riezler fondly remembers hisfavourite event, a jazz concert in 2009 witha drummer who played for the famousCanadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.ThisJune, the Witus Ball, a summer ball, willtake place at the resort, followed by severalother music events throughout the year.Klaus Riezler and his team's ambition toprovide the highest quality, design, cus-tomer service and comfort is guided by aquotation of Pablo Picasso: "Some trans-form the sun into a yellow spot, otherstransform a yellow spot into the sun."

www.sonnemellau.com


40 | Issue 16 | July 2014

A 300-year-old farm building is at the cen-tre of the modern seminar hotel that hasnot stopped growing since its initial open-ing. Uniting different architectural styleswith tasteful interior design is part of thehotel’s charm. For example, the old farmbuilding neighbours a Japanese gardenwith a Koi pond. But it is not only the ho-tel’s ambience that makes it so appealing asa seminar location; it is the complete phi-losophy that makes this place so special;both the family and the staff not only pro-claim but really live for the idea of hospi-tality.

The hotel’s German motto of “Wa(hre)Herzlichkeit” translates as true cordiality aswell as selling cordiality and warmth as aproduct.This is the result of being a family-

owned hotel. Chairman and owner KlausKobjoll (age 66) is one of Germany’s best-known private hoteliers. At the young ageof 22, he started his career with a rathermeagre capital.Yet it grew rapidly and be-tween 1970 and 1983 he owned a stagger-ing collection of establishments – from anAmerican restaurant to a small country inn– each more successful than the last. In1984 he founded the Hotel Schindlerhof,which today has evolved into a multiaward-winning hotel. In 1990 he wasnamed ‘Hotelier of the Year’ for his pri-vately owned hotels. Hotel Schindlerhofwas voted among Europe’s best quality ho-tels and was declared Germany’s best sem-inar hotel nine times. It also received recog-nition in the categories of employeemotivation and customer friendliness.

Since 2001, daughter Nicole Kobjoll hasjoined her parents on the board, preparingthe successful takeover of the family busi-ness in advance. In 2007 she followed in herfather’s footsteps by winning the title‘Hote-lier of theYear’.

The hotel has 92 rooms situated in differentbuildings and these are designed accordingto various themes, from country house styleto rooms focused on particular car brands.For trainers there are specially designedrooms to cater to their unique requirements.The hotel also has restaurants that serve lo-cal and internationally inspired cuisine.

www.schindlerhof.de

Hotel Schindlerhof, a medium-sized private business in Nuremburg, specialises inorganising seminars. This year, under the slogan ‘Forever Young’, the hotel is cel-ebrating its 30th anniversary as the younger generation takes over the business.Since being founded in 1984 by Klaus Kobjoll, the hotel has won multiple awardsfor the outstanding service it provides.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: HOTEL SCHINDLERHOF

The family-owned HotelSchindlerhof unites traditionwith modern seminar comforts

Klaus and Renate Kobjoll with daughter Nicole (from right to left).

Hotelof the Month

Germany


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 41

Discover Germany | Business | Solicitor Column

If reading this issue of Discover Germany withits focus on weddings has made you feel allwarm and glowing, shrouded in romanticdreams of marital bliss, trust the lawyer toburst the bubble and drag you back to reality:according to the most recent data publishedby the Office for National Statistics, 42% ofmarriages will end in divorce.Of course, noneof those husbands and wives will have as-sumed that it would happen to them whenthey said 'yes' – unless they had already learntfrom previous experience.

When the marital relationship breaks down,mediation fails, and divorce turns into theonly remaining option, international coupleswith overseas investments and property willdiscover that, even within the EuropeanUnion, there are no uniform rules as to whatwill happen to their marital property, and thatthe financial outcomes of a divorce under for-eign laws can vary very widely indeed. Lon-don has acquired a reputation as the 'divorcecapital of the world' in view of the very gen-erous divorce settlements nowadays awardedby the English courts, often in complete dis-regard to the respective spouses' (legitimate)expectations under the laws of their place ofmarriage or of their foreign nationalities.

Not surprisingly, there has been a surge of in-terest from clients wishing to protect theirwealth, particularly, where it has been inher-ited or acquired independently of their rela-tionship with their intended spouse; and asthe leading English case of Radmacher –v–Granatino shows, it is by no means always theprospective husband who is looking to protecthis position. Pre-nuptial agreements are al-ready recognised as binding in many juris-dictions worldwide – Germany being a prime

example. They are no longer regarded as un-romantic or reserved for the rich and famous.They are most commonly used to determinethe future ownership of property, make fi-nancial provision for the less wealthy spouseand for children in the event of divorce, andare increasingly recognised also in England asproviding legal certainty and predictability ofoutcome. So much so, that the Law Commis-sion recently produced a draft bill whichwould make them binding here, too. Thiswould be a logical development of the morerecent case law produced by the English fam-ily courts, which already uphold pre-nuptialagreements, in particular, in internationalmarriages, unless they are considered unfairon a case-by-case basis.

Indeed, pre-nuptial agreements can help toreduce dispute and conflict between divorcingspouses, thereby making it easier to salvagewhat remains of the relationship. This is animportant benefit if there are children in themarriage who will want to have a continuingrelationship with both parents. Pre-nups alsohave the potential to limit the cost of whatmight otherwise turn into acrimonious andprotracted litigation.

A pre-nup is therefore a bit like a parachute:you hope that it will never be needed but, ifand when the time comes to take that jump,it softens the landing.A significant proportionof those 42% of married couples probablywish they hadn't flown without one.

I am grateful to Graeme Fraser from the fam-ily department here at Hunters for his helpwith this column – just goes to show the ben-efits of talking to an expert.

Gregor Kleinknecht LLM MCIArb

is a German Rechtsanwalt and English solicitor,

and a partner at Hunters Solicitors, a leading law

firm in Lincoln’s Inn.

Hunters Solicitors, 9 New Square,

Lincoln’s Inn, London WC2A 3QN,

E-mail: [email protected]

www.hunters-solicitors.co.uk

The Pre-Nup ParachuteTEXT & PHOTO: GREGOR KLEINKNECHT


“Growing personally, leading successfully.Our motto refers not only to teaching stu-dents technical knowledge and expertise,but also to promoting and challenging theirpersonal growth and their entrepreneurialthinking,”explains Dr. Lothar Hirschbiegel,managing director of BiTS, the Businessand Information Technology School,founded in 2000 in Iserlohn.

BiTS is one of Germany’s leading privatebusiness schools. Approximately 1,450 stu-dents are currently enrolled in undergraduate

BiTSBusiness and InformationTechnology SchoolWith an international focus, high standards and a personal and welcoming envi-ronment, the Business and Information Technology School is one of Germany’sleading private business schools. In its three locations, it can be found amidst thebeautiful countryside of Sauerland and in Hamburg and Berlin, two of Germany’smost exciting cities.

TEXT: JESSICA RIDDER | PHOTOS: BITS

Discover Germany | Business | BiTS


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 43

Discover Germany | Business | BiTS

or postgraduate schemes at this state-ap-proved international university of applied sci-ences. Programmes are adapted to meet thecurrent needs of the economy and includeBusiness and Management Studies (B.Sc.),Communication and Media Management(B.Sc.),CorporateManagement (M.Sc.),Busi-ness Psychology (M.Sc.) and InternationalSports & Event Management (M.A.).

A very green city, Iserlohn is located in thenorthern part of the scenic Sauerland andregularly scores highly on liveability rank-ings. It comes as no surprise that BiTS wasvoted the third most beautiful campus inGermany in 2009 by student magazineUnicum.The campus is set in the wonder-ful landscape around Lake Seilersee. Sur-rounded by forests and nature trails, thevariety of sport and leisure activities such asmountain biking and hiking on its doorstepmake Iserlohn the ideal student city.

Accommodation for students consists of 80on-campus apartments, which are avail-able to international students or to thosecoming from outside of Iserlohn. The stu-dents enjoy access to the canteen, and thenew cafeteria on the campus provides ad-ditional study space and room to meet out-side lectures.

Students have the opportunity to make useof the library for research or self-study in aquiet environment. In summer, a big partyis the highlight, with well-known bandson the bill. External visitors are also wel-come to attend the event.

In recent years, the university has ex-panded, adding two new campuses, one inHamburg and the other in Germany’s vi-brant capital, Berlin. Due to the great re-sponse the university has had to its courses,most of the programmes on offer at Iser-lohn are progressively being added to thecurriculum in both cities.

A practical approach is of the utmost im-portance to many businesses today and assuch this approach is guaranteed in allthree BiTS locations, through study groupsand lectures as well as internships. Fur-

thermore, students have the opportunityto gain more practical experience by joiningsome of the popular independently-runstudent initiatives, such as the studentmagazine, the campus radio station or char-ity organisations.

The university aims to keep study groupssmall in order to ensure an individual ap-proach and personal contact with their rep-utable and dedicated teaching staff. Dr.Hirschbiegel adds: “The personal atmos-phere is reflected through the individualcontact with professors, lecturers and fellowstudents and thus leads to an optimallearning environment.”

A compulsory semester abroad and coursesin English ensure students are able to meetthe requirements of an ever-growing in-ternational market and BiTS is committedto a strong international focus. Semestersabroad are increasingly valued by employ-ers and very popular amongst students.Due to the high demand, two English lan-guage programmes are now being offeredfor the first time in Berlin: a Bachelor pro-gramme in Business Studies (BMS) and aMasters in International Sport & EventManagement (ISEM). “We offer semestersabroad because internationalism and in-ternational experience are no longer aNice-to-Have but a Must-Have in today’sglobal business world,” Dr. Hirschbiegelelaborates.

To provide as much support as possible toits students, BiTS offers advice and infor-mation in its very own Career Centre oneverything from internships, applicationprocesses, to first-time employment. “Wedraw a lot of our values and thus strengthfrom our deep-rootedness in the region,which reinforces our close network withthe industry,”says Dr. Hirschbiegel.

Since 2008 BiTS has been a member of theLaureate International University Network,a leading international network of qualityinstitutions of higher education with noneother than Bill Clinton as Honorary Chan-cellor. Clinton has also already been a keyspeaker at the annual Campus Symposium,

an international business conferencehosted by BiTS in September since 2005.This year, the former President of GermanyRoman Herzog will honour the Sympo-sium with his presence.

Dr. Hirschbiegel concludes: “Due to strongdemand in the economy and high demandfrom prospective students, a new study pro-grammehas been developed and is currentlyin the accreditation process. From thewintersemester 2014/2015 onwards, a new Bache-lor programme inBusiness Lawwill be addedto the possible fields of study at the campusin Iserlohn. The legal focus in combinationwith business administration offers gradu-ates excellent prospects for the future, as theywill be capable of taking onmultidisciplinarypositions in their working careers.”

www.bits-hochschule.de

Left, main image: Campus Iserlohn

Above: On-campus fully equipped TV production studios

Below: Campus Berlin


44 | Issue 16 | July 2014

After you have decided on a location, or ratherregion, you should check in advance what thelocal legal requirements are, as these vary be-tween cantons. Ideally, pay your local Swissconsulate a visit – allow plenty of time in ad-vance of the big date – to get familiar with thebureaucratic side.

If you wish to tie the knot in Switzerland a for-mal application has to be handed in to thecivil registry office (Zivilstandsamt) at theplace where the wedding is to take place aswell as to your local Swiss consulate.The peo-ple at the consulate will do their best to guideyou through the preparatory marriage for-

malities; they will even assist in the translationand notarisation of foreign language docu-ments if necessary.You will also receive infor-mation about how your Swiss marriage will berecognised and properly filed in your homecountry. It may also be necessary to keepSwissVisa regulations in mind in case you oryour guests require one to be granted borderentry. Please visit www.myswitzerland.comfor further information and to ensure thateverything runs smoothly.

On the following pages we present a won-derful selection of Swiss service providers. Justlike Dream-Time, our recommended wed-

ding planer, each of the companies in thisSwiss wedding issue is a specialist when itcomes to creating that dreamwedding. Usinga wedding planner takes the weight off yourshoulders and you are free to enjoy every sin-gle moment without worries before, duringand even after the big event. In our weddingtheme you will find great artists who really getthe party going, supreme photography serv-ices, perfect event locations as well as somewise guidance regarding body and soul. Findout how to get the perfect smile not only forthe wedding picsand rememberthat a happy brideis a pretty bride.Discover Germanyis delighted toshare a few toptips for the mostbeautiful day ofyour life.

A destination wedding in Switzerland is a dream come true for many. If you are one ofthe happy lovebirds to tie the knot in the homeland of Heidi we have a few essential tipsfor your big day. If you plan ahead well, your wedding will truly be a day to rememberfor you and your guests.

TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: DREAM-TIME

Special Theme

WeddingDestinationSwitzerland

Discover Germany | Special Theme | Wedding Destination Switzerland

Here comes the bride…- but don’t forget the paperwork


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 45

Retouching photography today is part of aphotographer’s job – but only to a certain de-gree, says Yvonne Richau: “I do not like itwhen customers donot recognise themselvesafter the retouches are done.” Pictures donot have to be perfect but they have to cap-ture the rightmoments., she expands.“Iwantto capture emotions. If they can be found inthe photography years later then I have doneit the right way.”

Photography isYvonneRichau’s greatest pas-sion.“Ever since Iwas a child I have never leftmy housewithout a camera.This hobby laterturned into a profession,”she says.Working asa photographer is is a constant source of in-

spiration and enjoyment for her and open-ness, honesty and a friendly nature are es-sential for the job.The ability to connect withpeople is as important for Richau as the abil-ity to take stunning photographs.

When bookingYvonne Richau as a weddingphotographer for five or more hours, you’realso entitled to an engagement photo session,which has its ownpositive side effect: “I thinkit is important that the couple gets to knowme and how I work in advance,” Richau ex-plains. “On the other hand, I get the sense forhow a couple engages with the camera andthis givesme a clue as to howmuch guidancetheywill needwhen takingwedding photos.”

YvonneRichau oftenworkswith accessories.Next to classic shoots, Yvonne Richau letsfreshlywed couples shower in confetti, for ex-ample. Often enough couples do not havemuch timeduring theirwedding celebrationsand choose the location in advance. 30 min-utes is all it takes tomake the first couple andportrait shots. Close-ups of wedding ringswill follow later.

Nomatterwhere andwhen a couplemarries,one thing needs to be taken into account,says photographerYvonne Richau:“Photog-raphers are often bookedmonths in advance,so start looking early enough.Andmake sureyou have a proper contract.”

While her current home is Switzerland,Yvonne Richau can be booked for shootingsacross the globe.

www.yvisphotography.com

Naturalistic photography capturing light and moods is Yvonne Richau’s signaturestyle. The Switzerland-based photographer is a specialist in wedding and engagementphotography as well as shooting portraits.

TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: YVONNE RICHAU | YVI’S PHOTOGRAPHY


Yvi's Photography Switzerland“When I look through a camera lens I glimpse another world”


46 | Issue 16 | July 2014

David Bowie, Sade and Oprah Winfreywere all present when Tina Turner chose

Lake Zurich as the location for her dreamwedding to German-born music executive

Erwin Bach in 2013. But the rock icon wasnot the only bride to opt for the multicul-tural alpine country in the heart of Europe;last year, 39,500 couples tied the knot inSwitzerland.

Celebrity or not, your wedding should al-ways be special and brimming with lovelymemories.Therefore, it is wise to leave all orat least part of the organisation to an expe-rienced wedding planner – especially if youare getting married in a country whose cus-toms or language you’re not overly familiar

Time to dream bigAre wedding preparations stressing you out? No need. Wedding planner SandraStauffer-Hess has made it her mission to give clients more time to dream. So sitback, relax and let her and her dream team take care of the rest.

TEXT: SONJA IRANI | PHOTOS: DREAM-TIME



Issue 16 | July 2014 | 47

with. “Dream-Time specialises in weddingsin Switzerland for Swiss and foreign cou-ples,” says Sandra Stauffer-Hess, owner ofthe wedding planning agency Dream-Time,located near Zurich. “This is what we putall our energy into. Our wedding planersare multilingual and have extensive experi-ence supporting international couples.”

A tailored day

Each wedding plan begins with an initialconversation between the groom, the brideand Dream-Time – a very important part

for Stauffer-Hess. Besides deciding on thenumber of guests and the budget, she triesto find out what the couple really wants. Forexample, a rather introverted pair once ex-pressed their wish to have a big party in aclub as“the guests would expect this.”Butthe Swiss-born planner believes that a wed-ding has to be authentic and compatiblewith the couple’s personalities:“If the brideand the groom do not feel comfortable attheir own wedding, the atmosphere won’tbe right.”In the end, the bridal pair went fora discreet celebration, more suited to them.Another interesting, tailored wedding cour-tesy of the agency,which is increasingly spe-cialising in foreign clients,was the “Scotlandmeets Switzerland”wedding:“We once or-ganised a wedding for a Scottish bride anda Swiss groom,”recalls Stauffer-Hess.“Theparty was held in traditional Scottish style ina Swiss castle.Themenwore kilts and therewere bagpipes… but at the same time wemanaged tomirror Swiss traditions inmanylittle details throughout the day.”

Stunning Switzerland

On top of choosing the type of event to suiteach individual couple, the location playsan important role in making the day mem-orable too. Luckily, Switzerland doesn’t onlyhave impressive wedding venues to offer,it’s also a great holiday destination for fam-ily and friends.“Our clients – domestic andforeign alike – prefer locations at lakes or inthe mountains,”says the board member oftheAssociation of Independent SwissWed-ding Planners. “Tranquility and discretionhave to be guaranteed, of course.That’s whywe often reserve hotels‘en bloc’.Very popu-lar are destinations such as St.Moritz,CransMontana, Luzern or Zurich. St. Moritz andCransMontana can easily be combinedwithsport activities such as skiing, hiking or golf-ing, whereas lively cities like Luzern orZurich call for a city trip or a shopping tour.In the southern part of Switzerland, youwilleven find palm trees andmild temperatures.Of course, there is a great culinarymix of tra-ditional Swiss dishes thatmeet French gour-met cuisine or Italian specialties as well.”

Everything under control

On the big day itself, Stauffer-Hess and herteam co-ordinate in the background tomake

sure that everything runs as smoothly asplanned. For little emergencies, the certifiedFinancial Planner always brings her emer-gency bag, which includes a sewing kit incase the dress rips, water, dextrose, tightsand headache pills.Nervous brides also needto be taken care of.“Most of them forget toeat or drink, so every now and then I run af-ter them with a coke or some chocolate,”laughs the wedding planner who regularlytakes two to three assistants along. One ofthem checks out the next location while thewedding party is still at the previous one.Thishas preventedmany a faux pas in the past, asStauffer-Hess recalls an occasion where thewelcome board had the bride’s namewrong,and to make things worse, it just happenedto be the name of the groom’s ex-girlfriend.“This could have completely ruined themood,but luckily the bride never knew aboutthis. And sometimes, we even had to po-litely say goodbye to some uninvited guests.This shows that our profession also requiresa high level of social competence.”

www.dream-time.ch/en


Left: Wedding in Crans Montana organised by Dream Time.Photo: Julian Kanz | www.juliankanz.com

Right: Wedding near St. Moritz organised by Dream Time.Photo: Nora Photography | www.nora-photography.com


48 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Zermatt’s first claim to fame was back inJuly 1865 when the British climber EdwardWhymper reached the peak of the Matter-horn, the only remaining famous 4,000-metre mountain yet to have been con-quered.Today, at the foot of theMatterhorn,the car-free village of Zermatt is pulsating

with life in the various shops and cafes.Yetas you’re in one of the world’s most beau-tiful regions, you are always only a shortstroll away from peaceful mountain scenery.Top quality snow sport facilities are acces-sible year round, as even in summer youcan venture onto the glacier and there are

multiple possibilities for outdoor activitieslike rock climbing, glacier trekking and re-laxing hiking excursions make sure guestsare spoilt for choice.

A blend of modern sophistication andthe elegance of the belle époque

Since the doors of the Parkhotel Beau Siteopened in 1907, just 5 minutes walk fromthe village centre, guests from all aroundthe world have enjoyed what is most likelyto be one of the best views of the Matter-horn from its sun-drenched terrace. Inside,they discover the understated elegance ofthe Parkhotel, which has its origins in the

As early as the 19th century, the iconic Matterhorn lured British Alpinists to Zermatt,today one of the highest and most popular skiing areas in the Alps. With its breath-taking view of the majestic mountain, its tranquil and relaxed atmosphere, highstandards of service and excellent wellness facilities, the 4-Star superior Parkho-tel Beau Site guarantees a memorable stay.

TEXT: CORDELIA MAKARTSEV | PHOTOS: PARKHOTEL BEAU SITE

Parkhotel Beau SiteA hundred year tradition of excellence above the world


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 49


belle époque. Continual investment andrenovations have transformed this magnif-icent building into today's four-star supe-rior establishment.“Our main building with

66 rooms is furnished in the traditional, el-egant style of a Grand Hotel with warm redand golden colours,”explains Katja Richter,Head of Marketing and Sales at the Park-hotel Beau Site.“In the new adjacent build-ing with 19 rooms,mostly suites and juniorsuites, we’ve maintained the same colour-ing, but the interior reflects the Swiss chaletstyle that you would expect in Switzer-land.”

Top of the list on travel websites

Many guests return year after year becausethey appreciate the Parkhotel’s relaxed at-mosphere and excellent service. “Whatmakes our hotel so special is the high num-ber of regular guests and the fact that a lotof the employees work here for a long time.When customers arrive for their holidaythey are welcomed by familiar faces andgreet each other like old acquaintances.This gives the hotel a really family-like at-mosphere.” The attentive staff are eager toensure a memorable stay and are happy tomake any arrangement for guests. Thequality of service is reflected in the reviewsBeau Site guests have left behind. It is ratedthe TopHotel 2014 at HolidayCheck andreceived the Tripadvisor Travellers’ ChoiceAward 2014.

Great location, extraordinary service, whatelse do you need for your perfect holiday?Yes, delicious food. As fine cuisine is re-garded as an extremely important part ofthe guests’ holiday enjoyment, head chefBurkhard Sattler creates dishes made frommarket-fresh ingredients, influenced byFrench and Swiss cuisine alike with inno-vation and unusual twists.The dining roomserves five-course dinners with plenty ofchoice for each course, and weekly special-

ities include the Parkhotel Beau Site grillevening with 23 meat and 13 fish varieties,gala dinners and Swiss evenings.

Tie the knot at Parkhotel Beau Site

Unsurprisingly, the Parkhotel is a popularwedding venue as it boasts the ideal infra-structure to turn any wedding receptioninto a wonderful celebration.“We do not of-fer special wedding packages as we reallytry to fulfill the individual wishes of theyoung couple,”explains Katja Richter.“Themanaging director Franz Schwegler sitsdown with bride and groom and togetherthey plan the big day.We have the fantas-tic Gornergrat banquet hall with space forup to 160 people. Smaller parties canchoose our grill restaurant or the beautifulveranda.And, of course, it is very special toenjoy an aperitif on our panoramic terracewith the spectacular view.”

For guests who need to relax after thesumptuous celebrations, the hotel offers aluxurious wellness area, which was reno-vated in 2009.The impressive indoor swim-ming pool invites energetic guests for aswim, while a sauna, steam room and twowhirlpools await the tired guest. Massagesand an extensive list of beauty treatmentscomplement the Spa experience.

Parkhotel Beau Site offers Try-it –out Dayson certain dates, which offer a special pricefor 2 nights with half board. The packageincludes a 3-day Zermatt Peak Pass for un-limited travel on all Zermatt mountain rail-ways, a ticket to the Matterhorn Museum«ZERMATLANTIS» and a Rösti lunch atSwitzerland‘s highest altitude hotel.

www.parkhotel-beausite.chLeft, main image:Beautiful ambience for a great dining experience

Above, from top to bottom:Gornergratsaal Banqueting

Ideal for wedding celebrationsLounge with Matterhorn panorama

Parkhotel Beau Site

Bottom, right:Junior Suite

Large indoor pool area


Founded around singer ClaudineWeber-Hilty,This Masqueradehas enjoyed an ever-growing fan base since 1986.Weber-Hiltyremembers the early days as a young art student:“After work-ing as a pop band for two years, we played our first corporateevent in 1988 at Lenzburg castle.At first we hesitated a little butthen put a lot of time and effort into rehearsing during the sum-mer holidays and developed a huge repertoire. It was a greatsuccess!We received frequent bookings and did a concert withschmooze singer Percy Sledge in Zurich.”

That was the band’s gateway to the Swiss gala scene and thestart of their life as a professional wedding band. Playing atbeautiful locations and making life-long friends in Switzerlandand on concerts abroad,Weber-Hilty has no regrets.The band’srepertoire ranges from subtle background jazz and Latin, tostandard dance music, as well as pop, rock and soul with ex-travagant show components.

Weddings in particular are dear toWeber-Hilty’s heart:“They arevery personal and emotional.We prepare for those days with ex-tra care and in great detail.The joy and gratitude of the bride andgroom is the most treasured gift for us musicians.”

From weddings and birthdays, to car presentations, corporateevents and dinner parties, the band’s repertoire has the rightkind of music for everything and brings a great deal of person-ality and charm along for the event!

www. this-masquerade.ch

Swiss wedding band This Masquerade know how to makethat special day even more magical. With over 25 years ofexperience they truly are masters of musical entertainment!

TEXT: MARILENA STRACKE | PHOTOS: THIS MASQUERADE

www.mayer-kuvert-network.com

Creative envelopes for a higher response rate.

Envelopes with bespoke contour e�ect and exceptional shape are clearly visible within the pile of standardized rectangular envelopes.

Shape and colour of the response winning envelopes can be designed freely.

Available in standard formats as well as custom-made, three-cornered or round, with several windows, scented print or integrated gimmicks - there are no limits for creativity.

The right tune foreverything

Tanz mit This Masquerade


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 51

Under the name ein-klang GmbH - PeterHessAkademie Schweiz,Heule organises andleads seminars in which she shares her ex-pertise in the field of Peter Hess sound mas-sage and sound methods. ein-klang GmbHalso offers a practice for sound massage,sound therapy and energy work. A web shopfor sound bowls, gongs, accessories and morecompletes the portfolio.

“Years ago when I received my first soundmassage I instantly knew that the sound haddeeply touched my soul and wouldn’t let meoff the hook any more. After being trained inPeter Hess sound massage, I continued tostudy this method as well as training in soundtherapy and later opened my own practice forPeter Hess sound massage,”Heule recalls. In2010 she took over the entire Peter HessAkademie Schweiz and since then offers as-

piring as well as accomplished therapists aplatform for further professional development.

The so-called soundmassage uses the help ofmetal bowls in different shapes and sizes.These bowls are struck with a mallet orrubbed with a dowel during a massage ses-sion.The acoustic vibrations influence the hu-man body in a highly positive way. "Thesound of the singing bowls touches our core,it makes the soul vibrate. The sound easestension,mobilises the self-healing power andreleases creative energy.”

The beautiful thing about sound massage isthat it is suitable for all age groups. Equally asresonant and effective as a relaxing techniquefor children for example, or as therapy forthose suffering with dementia, the spectrumis vast and goes far beyond general wellbeing.

“Sound massage has no boundaries and to-day you can find it anywhere. It is used in thearea of health prevention, end-of-life care, forpeople with disabilities, the educational sec-tor, wellness, yoga, work with animals andassisting women in labour. The nice thingabout this method is that it really is adaptableto all forms of therapy,” Heule explains. Assomeone who has truly turned her passioninto profession, many of Heule’s clients ap-preciate the personal approach. When askedabout her secret to her success, she says: “Iteach what I live!”

www.ein-klang.chwww.peter-hess-akademie.ch

Sound massage is an increasingly popular approach to achieving inner balance andpeace of mind. Helen Heule is the owner of the ein-klang GmbH – Peter Hess AkademieSchweiz and she knows how to make a sound that touches the soul.

TEXT: TINA AWTANI | PHOTOS: PRESS IMAGES

The right tone for a balanced soul

Below: Klangmassage

Helen Heule, owner of ein-klang GmbH - Peter HessAkademie Schweiz



Healthy smilesthat radiate from withinWellness and health, the state of well-being and consciousness are closely connected to our self-confidence, physicalappearance, nutritional awareness and mental balance. Teeth play a vital part in this balance of outer and inner health.

TEXT: ELISABETH DOEHNE | PHOTOS: ZFIZ

52 | Issue 16 | July 2014


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 53


Beauty is more than meets the eye; it is al-ways connected to a person’s overall healthand emotional aspects.The belief that well-being and harmony is more than aestheticshas inspired the Swiss dentist Jürgen Noackto focus on an integrative way of practicingmedicine. According to him, holistic den-tistry is a form of healing, which considersthe entirety of a person – body,mind, spirit,and emotions – in the quest for optimalhealth and wellness.

The dental practice ‘Zentrum für IntegraleZahnmedizin AG’ (Center for IntegrativeDentistry) is located in the small and idyl-lic town of Schüpfen, Switzerland, about20km from the Swiss capital of Bern. Here,patients are treated not only medically, butalso in terms of their mind and soulthrough Eastern-inspired philosophies ofholistic healing. “Wellness in dentistry isoften perceived as simply brilliantly whitebleached teeth, a complete denture andwhite fillings or crowns, but mind and soulremain largely ignored,” states JürgenNoack.

Professional expertise

With more than 24 years of experience asa dentist and doctor, and more than 10years of practicing holistic medicine, Jür-gen Noack is an expert in his field. To-gether with a small team of dentists,

trauma therapists and dental assistants,and equipped with modern technology,he strives to heal patients differently.When asked about his inspiration, he says:“I realised that I can’t heal people with asimple textbook medicine approach, I just‘repair’ them. Life experience, far-Easternphilosophy and Taoism made me realisethat there must be more between heavenand Earth, than is known by textbookmedicine.”

The primary goal of holistic medicine prac-tice is to gain a proper balance in life. Con-sequently, the contrast of this philosophi-cally-informed approach to traditionalmedical treatments and dentistry is thatholistic health professionals treat their pa-tients more entirely and consider all healthfactors more inclusively. Jürgen Noack, thefounder of the Center for Integrative Den-tistry, explains:“To achieve inner health, itis not sufficient to only improve the exter-nal health or change. Both aspects must betaken into account for a stable and long-term outcome.”

The Swiss dentist explains that externalbeauty can often be reached easily with alittle effort through brushing teeth, bleach-ing, and pale, white crowns but thesemethods are not enough to accomplish to-tal health. Without nourishing a healthy

Jurgen Noack Gabrielle Z'Graggen

©ValuaVitaly


54 | Issue 16 | July 2014

mind and soul wellness, the body is notable to function sustainably.Therefore, dis-comfort often persists despite beautifica-tion. Metaphorically speaking, teeth reflecta mirror image of a person’s soul.

Helping Patients Holistically

The Center for Integrative Dentistry AG of-fers a new solution to old problems: bycombining approaches of holistic dentistrywith a special trauma resolution, whichagain highlights that the physical and emo-tional aspects of a person’s wellbeing areinterconnected. Tensions and pain in pa-tients’ teeth, which cause frequent discom-fort and can lead to trauma, are resolved.Spa treatments are offered and possibletrauma will be reviewed in conjunctionwith the desired treatments, oral hygiene,teeth whitening, and more.These diagnos-tic steps are then followed by the actualtreatment and rehabilitation of a patient’steeth.

The Center also provides a customised planof treatment for people who are profes-sionally challenged and short on time(managers, executives, self-employed). In-dividual schedules are created to accom-modate all of the patients’needs.

Influenced by Eastern Philosophy

Holistic medicine practitioners like JürgenNoack believe that the whole person ismade up of interdependent parts and ifone part is not working properly, all theother parts will be affected. In this way, ifpeople have imbalances (physical, emo-tional, or spiritual) in their lives, it can neg-atively affect their overall health. For eachtooth, there also is a mental correspon-dence; sudden cold sensitivities, abruptchanges in tooth positioning, unexpectedpain, show us the way to the soul and itsimpact on all of our wellbeing. Even thepast is reflected by the position of the teeth,but also by their non-position or absence.



Issue 16 | July 2014 | 55


Traditional Chinese medicine says thatteeth have a connection to every organvia the meridians. According to theseEastern teachings, each tooth has an en-ergetic relationship to the inner organs.This knowledge has been shared forthousands of years and influences peoplefrom every culture of the world. This en-ergetic relationship between our organ-ism and the physical results from apply-ing acupuncture are widely known andscientifically proven.This Eastern philos-ophy and the belief to study and pursuea Naturopathic approach with patientsare an integral part of Jürgen Noack’swork and practice. With his non-linearpractice of dentistry, he addresses thelimits of the traditional approach thattreats only the symptoms and not thesource of body imbalances.

TreatingTrauma

Noack works closely together with traumatherapist Gabrielle Z’Graggen. “Traumameans standstill on three levels: Body (cir-

culation), mind (thoughts) and soul (feel-ings). The dentist (me) brings back thebody. Trauma therapy deals with the reali-sation and identification of mind and soul,“Noack explains. “For an integral therapyand the recovery of the patient and his painand trauma-free dental therapy,” he ex-plains,“body, mind and soul should be intune, before a treatment is started. In par-ticular in the field of surgery, a lot of un-necessary pain is spared.”

Symbiosis of All Ways of Life

In Switzerland, there is only a small mi-nority of dentists who work holistically.Thecritique that their methods are unscientificcan be dismissed by the results they achieveand the self-confidence they instil in peo-ple. In fact, more and more patients areturning to a holistic practitioner becauseconventional medicine has not healedthem. It is common that after the holistictreatment of a problematic tooth, other dis-comforts and health complaints such as

heart rhythm disorders, joint swelling,sleeping trouble, headache or migraine, dis-appear.

Lastly, Jürgen Noack emphasizes:“In mostcases, conventional medicine does not con-sider the mental and spiritual backgroundsand the causes of a disease.This in fact of-ten leads back to the origins of your prob-lem. Only the identification of body, mindand soul, any mental and generation-re-lated traumas and your respective consid-eration in dental therapy leads ultimately tothe real integral approach and thus to thesymbiosis of all ways of life.”

[email protected]


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Issue 16 | July 2014 | 57

Innsbruck Tanzsommer(17June – 17 July 2013)

Tanzsommer has become the most attendeddance festival in Austria and has had many ofthe most famous dance companies in the worldas its guests.www.tanzsommer.at

BMW International Open, Cologne(26-29 June 2014)

The only PGA European Tour golf tournamentheld in Germany takes place on Gut Lärchenhofand attracts the crème de la crème of golf.www.bmw-golfsport.com

Opera Festival St. Margarethen, near Vienna(9 July – 17 August 2014)

Experience unforgettable opera and concertevents at Römersteinbruch St. Margarethen!Every year the Opera Festival St. Margarethenoffers musical and cultural pleasures on one ofthe most beautiful open-air stages in Europe.www.ofs.at

Düsseldorfer Kirmes – the biggest fun fair onthe Rhine river (11–20 July 2014)

The popular fun fair will take place for the 113thtime at its picturesque site on the Rhine meadowsin Oberkassel. National and international operatorsof fairground attractions will be presenting bothnostalgic and the latest sensational rides ongrounds spanning 165,000 sq m.www.rheinkirmes-duesseldorf.de

CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival (11-20 July 2014)

The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is justone of the many exciting competitions held inAachen. Those passionate about horses will beflocking to Aachen in July. www.chioaachen.de

Richard Wagner Bayreuther Festspiele(25 July – 28 August 2014)

Since 1876 the Bavarian town of Bayreuth paystribute to composer Richard Wagner – but theprestigious tickets for the world's largest WagnerFestival are hard to come by.www.bayreuther-festspiele.de

Ironman Zurich, Switzerland presented byewz (27 July 2014)

Set in the heart of one of Europe's mostbeautiful countries, the course showcasesZurich's picturesque lake and countryside whilechallenging its participants to one of the world’stoughest races. www.ironman.com

Wacken Open Air (31 July – 3 August 2-14)

The biggest Heavy Metal Open Air festival in theworld takes place in Northern Germany.“Blasting the North in August! See you inWacken - Rain or Shine!” Five Finger DeathPunch, Motörhead and many others will beperforming. www.wacken.com

German Polo Masters - Sal. OppenheimGold Cup, Sylt (1-10 August 2014)

One of Europe’s finest polo events. Sixinternational teams including almost 180 horsesare competing on the island of Sylt.www.polosylt.de

Culture CalendarFrom music festivals and exciting exhibitions to great sporting events, Discover Germany’s Culture Calendar is your perfectguide to this summer’s upcoming events.

Above: BMW International Open,Max Kieffer (BMW golfsport ambassador) © BMW AG

Discover Germany | Culture | Calendar


58 | Issue 16 | July 2014

Mainfestival, Frankfurt/Main(1 - 4 August 2014)

Festival by the river and live music at theRömerberg. With children´s carousels,fairground rides, games, tombolas and shootingranges, this traditional folk festival also attractschildren of all ages, making it the only cityfestival for the whole family.www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

Mega-Party 2014 with Anastacia at theEuropa-Park, Rust (9 August 2014)

Europa-Park and one of the most popular radiostations “Radio Regenbogen” present numerouslive acts like Anastacia, The Baseballs, Iggy &the German Kids und The Exchange, DJs frombigFM are on board to get the audiencerocking. www.europapark.de

Dresdner Stadtfest (15-17 August 2014)

Fun for the whole family against the backdrop ofthe magnificent city of Dresden.www.dresden.de

Potsdamer Schlössernacht - 16th PotsdamPalace Night (16 August 2014)

Concerts, dance, drama, readings and romanticilluminations – a unique experience in Sanssoucipark, once home to the Prussian kings.www.potsdamer-schloessernacht.de

GamesCom, Cologne (13-17 August)

The world's biggest event for interactiveentertainment. Over 340,000 multimedia-savvyvisitors are expected. www.gamescom.de

9. US Car & Bike Show, Grefrath(16-17 August 2014)

Motorised magnificence showcasing America’sautomotive past can be admired at theGrefrather EisSport & EventPark, making thisvenue the ultimate meeting point for the manyfans of American automotive culture andlifestyle. www.us-car-show.de

Musikschulball Brugg (16 August 2014)

Musikschule Brugg celebrates its 25thanniversary, dance to the sound of ThisMasquerade, who will perform at the ball.www.musikschule-brugg.ch

Annual Bead Art Fair, Hamburg(23–24 August 2014)

International suppliers and artists offer highquality components such as crystals, pearls,gemstones, lampwork and ceramic beads,clasps as well as handmade finished jewellery.www.beadartfair.com

Stuzubi, 30 August 2014 (Duesseldorf) & 6September 2014 (Cologne)

The career fair “Stuzubi – bald Student oderAzubi” is the place to be in the North Rhine-Westphalia region – for companies, universitiesand academies as well as for highly motivatedyoung people. www.stuzubi.de

Discover Germany | Culture | Calendar

Left, main image: Potsdam Palace Night. Photo: E. Kloppel

Right top: Mainfest Frankfurt. ©Tourismus+Congress GmbHFrankfurt am Main

Right, below: Dresdner Stadtfest. © Christoph Munch

Bottom: 9. US Car & Bike Show


Issue 16 | July 2014 | 59

Discover Germany | Culture | Barbara Geier

Showing up with a present and a willing-ness to celebrate with the people who’regetting married is apparently not enoughanymore.Obviously, everything I’m sayinghere is based on my experiences with Ger-man weddings and boy, it’s hard work thereas a guest. I still fondly remember“my”firstwedding when I was nine. To this day –still the best one I might add, probably be-cause it was all new and exciting and I wasallowed to stay up until 3am!The best thingever for me at the time and, just for once, nofighting with mymother over going to bed;she was very strict with that kind of thing.After this initial and very positive experi-ence, there were a few occasions dottedthroughout my teens that I found incredi-bly boring. Everything started with churchearly in the day and then dragged on for-ever, including Kaffee & Kuchen (coffee &cake) in the afternoon and then on to din-ner, with no break. Even the most sociableperson runs out of things to talk aboutaround the table at one point or other.Moving on, the full-on wedding bo-

nanza started when I was in my late twen-ties and everyone started getting married.Hasn’t really stopped since, actually. People,of course, get married throughout their thir-ties and into their late-thirties and thenthere are the ones who are already going infor the second round now. This is all verywell, but my point is the following: Ifpreparing a wedding involves a lot of workfor the bride (and groom, sometimes), that’s

fine, it’s what they have chosen. However,it shouldn’t involve putting pressure on theguests, too, because they didn’t choose it(getting married), they just got invited.Nevertheless, here’s what happens:You

get an invitation, including lots of informa-tion about where to be when and other bitsand pieces such as deadlines for hotel book-ings (because weddings inevitably meantravelling somewhere), and other practical-ities. Such as the present: I have hardly beento a wedding in Germany over the past fiveto ten years where guests weren’t specifi-cally told what to give as a present, and thatis money, for the honeymoon: We’ve gotour household together, don’t bother, justbring cash.Accepted procedure now, every-one does it and still, I find it – weird.Then there’s this other German tradition,

called wedding newspapers. They arehanded out, usually later in the evening,full of embarrassing/funny/hilarious storiesand pictures of the bride and groom, sup-plied by friends and family and often rippedout of old photo albums.All for the amuse-ment of everyone present and as a keepsakefor the couple. German couples want aHochzeitszeitung, they do, I’m telling you.And someone needs to produce this paper(I’ve done it and, surprise, surprise, it’s a lotof work), and it needs content.This is wherethe guests come in again, if they’re not al-ready involved in actually making it. In-evitably, after the invitation follows an emailfrom sister/brother/best man/maid of hon-

our asking for contributions including in-structions and deadlines. And don’t eventhink of not sending something. Becausethey will keep emailing with only slightlyveiled“threats”that if you don’t contribute,you’ll basically spoil the day for the brideand groom.Ahhh, people, get a life.If you’re really unlucky, there will also be

further requests such as contributions onthe night - giving a speech, singing, puttingtogether a quiz involving the couple, any-thing goes. Enough now, enough. What iswrong, really, with just having a good time,eating, drinking, dancing, laughing, withfriends and family?Why does everyone putso much pressure and unrealistic expecta-tions on weddings? Maybe because they’retired from all the preparations. Just saying.Well, I hope I didn’t put anyone off from at-tending a wedding. Don’t listen to the rantof someone who simply has been to one ortwo or three too many.Try it, by all means;it can be very nice and fun. I’ll give you mynext invitation when I get it.

Beyond the wedding bonanzaAh, weddings. Yes, what a great occasion, a special day, no doubt about it. But let’sbe honest, they’re also stressful – and not just for the happy couple. No one evertalks about the guests’ stress; it’s all about the bride and groom and rightly so. I’mnot complaining or asking for any attention. Quite the opposite. It’s just that as awedding guest, I don’t want to feel obliged to do things that, quite frankly, I don’twant to and also don’t have to do. Since so much is expected of wedding guestsnowadays when it comes to making the day as unforgettable as possible for thebride and groom, I’ll raise the flag for us. Us being the people who’ve attendedmany a wedding over the years and are wondering when and why the whole thinghas become so laden with duties, rules and regulations.

TEXT: BARBARA GEIER

Barbara Geier is a London-basedfreelance writer, translator andcommunications consultant. She is also theface behind ww.germanyiswunderbar.com,a German travel and tourism guide andblog that was set up together with UKtravel writer Andrew Eames in 2010.


Frankfurt am MainThe multifaceted metropolis

www.frankfurt-tourismus.de


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Discover Germany | Issue 16 | July 2014