Germany Videos - The Documentary Network

Inside Germany’s Sex Supermarkets

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:25:37 +0000

"What makes this place so interesting is that you can change", explains Peter, a satisfied customer of a luxury new 'sex supermarket ' on the outskirts of Stuttgart. "You can take at 5:00 a blonde one, and at 9:00 a black one - it doesn't get boring." And Peter is not alone. An estimated 1.5 million men visit prostitutes every day in Germany, whose permissive sex laws have earned it the title of 'Europe's Bordello'. "Prostitution has always been a social need", says Michael Beretin, marketing manager for the Paradise chain of new-age megabrothels. "We need to deal with it, and make it manageable." Legislation passed in 2002, motivated by a desire to improve conditions for sex workers by granting access to health insurance and social security, saw prostitution in Germany swell to a $21 billion-a-year industry. But concerns over trafficking are prompting some senior politicians to lobby for change. "Germany doesn't want to be the brothel of the world", declares Christian Democratic Union MP Sylvia Pantel. "We've become a great country for sex tourism and perversion." But what of the women in the windows? This report brings you the views of those at the heart of the matter. SBS Dateline

Germany: Danger beneath the sea

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 15:14:59 +0000

Unexploded munitions from World War II can still be found at the bottom of the North and Baltic seas. As well as an environmental hazard, they also affect the building of offshore wind parks. Now plans are underway to clear the munitions.

Living with Wild Wolves

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:42:31 +0000

Eighty-year-old Werner Freund would rather be a wolf than a man. He's been raising and living with wild wolves in Germany for the last 30 years and considers them his family. Last January, Gersin Paya and a small crew drove to the town of Merzig to meet Werner and help him feed raw deer meat to his furry brethren.

Made for Play: Board Games & Modern Industry

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:23:39 +0000

Jettingen Germany is home to Ludo Fact, one of the world's largest manufacturers of board and card games. This documentary shows how a board game makes the leap from an idea to your table. You'll see every aspect of the manufacturing process: the technology and machines, the many detailed steps, and the hundreds of people that are involved in the production of a single game.

Berlin – Spy Labyrinths and Military Espionage Buildings

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:56:06 +0000

The film team is climbing through this city’s spy labyrinths and into the buildings that housed the hidden world of military espionage. presented by Palladium Boots

Germany’s Records of Repression

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:33:50 +0000

Fifty years after the Berlin Wall was erected, the spectre of the Stasi continues to loom over Germany. On August 13, 1961, 50 years ago this month, the Berlin Wall went up in Germany. This barrier divided a country, segregated families and separated friends, and its existence would cast a pall over the country for the next 20 years. As a stark symbol of the Cold War, the wall existed in an era of fear, secrecy and heightened political tension, and those that lived in its shadow would know the painful repercussions of its hardliner policies. For what followed in the years of a divided Germany was a surveillance culture brought on by one of the largest and most feared secret service organisations in the world - the Stasi. Founded in 1950, the Stasi was charged with keeping tabs on all the people living in East Germany, or what was then officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It compiled millions of photos, audio and video tapes, and paper files about its citizens. As a result, thousands of people were subjected to intimidation and torture by the Stasi. Many were imprisoned, while others were prevented from getting jobs or going to university. The aim was not only to thwart professional aspirations, but to destroy the personal lives of those that opposed the regime. At its height, the Stasi had over 102,000 officers and nearly a quarter of a million of its own citizens spying on family members, neighbours and colleagues. In 1989, while the Berlin Wall crumbled, senior Stasi officials ordered the destruction of the files they had collected for over 40 years. Data gathered by the Stasi was frantically shredded to destroy evidence, but after protesters stormed the headquarters to stop the destruction, nearly 95 per cent was saved. After reunification, a new government came to power and the Stasi files were reopened again in 1992. Over the next two decades, tens of thousands of people have requested access to the files on them in order to piece together a past that was shrouded in secrecy and subterfuge. Many apply in order to prove they were unjustly imprisoned, to clear their criminal record and claim compensation for any time spent in jail. Last year 80,000 people, more than double the number of the previous year, applied to see their files. The person recently appointed to head the archive in March 2011 is journalist and former East German dissident Roland Jahn. Thirty years ago he was in a Stasi prison. Now he is responsible for the 111 kilometre of files that remain in the secret Stasi files. Yet for many, justice is still not being served. Many ex-Stasi officials have never received punishment for their crimes, while some remain in positions of power in Germany or have retired with handsome pensions. Yet ordinary citizens who have been victims of the secret police's tactics still remain traumatised by their treatment, while many live in poverty as a result of their legacy. As the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Wall is recognised, the spectre of the Stasi remains. While the files were only meant to be open for 10 years, nearly 20 years later calls by victims asking for their perpetrators to be identified are growing louder. Jahn says time may be running out for the former Stasi who believe they have escaped prosecution. As a new project is underway to reconstruct over a million pages of files, many senior Stasi and collaborators may soon be brought to justice and a chapter in Germany's history may finally be closed.