Since 1994, Article 20a of the Basic Law has said: Der Staat schützt auch in Verantwortung für die künftigen Generationen die natürlichen Lebensgrundlagen, the state protects the natural foundations of life, also in its responsibility for future generations. On 24 March 2021, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the Climate Protection Act was partly unconstitutional. The act set no adequate reductions for the years after 2030. The emissions it allowed until 2030 would therefore greatly reduce the room left after 2030. The court called for a verhältnismäßige Verteilung von Freiheitschancen über die Generationen, a proportionate distribution of opportunities for freedom across the generations. On 12 May 2021, the cabinet brought the target for climate neutrality forward from 2050 to 2045.
An Empire for His Descendants
On 25 December 1887, Werner von Siemens wrote a letter to his brother Carl. The Siemens Historical Institute calls it the most important of his many letters. Siemens wrote that he saw the business only secondarily as a financial asset. For him it was ein Reich welches ich gegründet habe, an empire that he had founded. He wanted to hand it on undiminished to his descendants, so that they could continue to build in it. As early as 1863, he had written to Carl about founding eine dauernde Firma, a lasting firm.
Luther’s Apple Tree
Wenn ich wüsste, dass morgen die Welt unterginge, würde ich heute noch ein Apfelbäumchen pflanzen. If I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant a little apple tree today. The saying is attributed to Martin Luther, but it is not found in his writings or in his table talk. Its first documented appearance is a letter of 5 October 1944 from Karl Lotz, a pastor in Hersfeld, to friends in the Confessing Church. Lotz introduced it as a word of Luther. The theologian Martin Schloemann traced its history in a book published in 1994. The saying spread during the war and remained popular through the years of reconstruction.
Owned So It Cannot Be Sold
On 19 May 1889, Ernst Abbe founded the Carl Zeiss Foundation. In 1891 it became the owner of the optical company Zeiss and of part of the glassworks Schott. Abbe wanted to secure the companies for the long term. The foundation’s statute today says that the two companies are to be continued permanently. The foundation’s shares in them dürfen nicht veräußert werden, may not be sold, except to avert a threat to a company’s existence or if the foundation is dissolved.
Bosch is built in a similar way. The Robert Bosch Foundation holds about 94 percent of the capital of Robert Bosch GmbH, but has no influence on strategy. A trust company, Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, holds about 93 percent of the voting rights. Its task is to safeguard the company’s long-term existence and in particular its financial independence.
Fit for the Grandchildren
Franz Haniel & Cie. has had its headquarters in Duisburg-Ruhrort since it was founded in 1756, and it is still entirely owned by the family. The company sums up its guiding principle in one word: enkelfähig, fit for the grandchildren. In its own history, the company explains the word as creating economic value and strengthening social fairness, so that later generations have comparable opportunities. Its company magazine carries the same name.
Twenty-Six Years for the Ring
Richard Wagner began work on what became Der Ring des Nibelungen in 1848. He completed it in November 1874, twenty-six years later. The cycle had its premiere in 1876 in Bayreuth.
Summer Holidays Fixed Years Ahead
On 13 December 2021, the conference of education ministers fixed the start and end of the summer holidays in all 16 states for the years 2025 to 2030. Five groups of states rotate, so that the holidays are staggered across the country. The reasons given included Planungssicherheit, planning certainty, for schools, families and tourism. In this system, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg come last, because of their Pentecost holidays. By August 2026, negotiations on the dates from 2031 were under way. Several states want to end the special position of the two southern states. Bavaria’s premier Markus Söder replied: Auf keinen Fall. Wir ändern die Ferien nicht. (No way. We are not changing the holidays.)
A Performance of 639 Years
In the Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, an organ is playing John Cage’s piece ORGAN²/ASLSP, as slow as possible. The performance began on 5 September 2001 with a pause. The first pipes sounded about two years later. The performance is planned to end in 2640, after 639 years. The length counts back to 1361, when Nicolaus Faber completed an organ for Halberstadt Cathedral. The years from 1361 to 2000 are 639. The sound changes on dates fixed in advance. The most recent change came on 5 August 2026, and the next is scheduled for 5 October 2027. The foundation that runs the project has no institutional funding and relies on donations.
Safe for One Million Years
Germany is searching for a site to store its high-level radioactive waste. The Site Selection Act of 2017 requires the site to ensure the best possible safety für einen Zeitraum von einer Million Jahren, for a period of one million years. The money for storage has been set aside. On 3 July 2017, the energy companies paid a total of 24.1 billion euros into a state fund, KENFO, to finance interim and final storage. The schedule has not held. The law aims to fix the site in 2031. In August 2024, a study for the federal office for the safety of nuclear waste management found that, even under ideal conditions, a decision could be expected in 2074 at the earliest.
Medieval Germany
The Middle Ages. Germany has a lot to offer when it comes to this time period: Historic city gates, church towers and half-timbred houses.
In German cities and towns, you’ll find a lot of well-preserved Medieval architecture, much of it on the UNESCO World Heritage list. From Lübeck in the North to Bamberg in the South – we show you seven cities and towns which will make you feel like you’re in a fairytale.