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FRANKFURT

What’s on in Germany: December 20 – January 2

This Fortnight's Highlights: Nefertiti in Berlin, “Winter Lights” in Frankfurt, a Christmas Carol in Munich, and a New Years Eve celebrations everywhere.

Published: 20 December 2012 11:54 CET
What's on in Germany: December 20 – January 2
Photo: DPA

BERLIN

Events

Princess Garden Cultural Winter Market and Circus

A few years ago, some green-thumbed Berliners turned a patch of land in Kreuzberg into a wonderful neighbourhood garden. Each year, before the raised beds get ready for their long winter slumber, the garden becomes an enchanted holiday time oasis. Check out the LPG Biomarkt-sponsored event this week (through December 23) when vaudeville actors and acrobats spin and flip in the circus tent and mulled wine keeps icy fingers warm.

Price: Free; €4-10 for circus and vaudeville shows

Location: Prinzessinengärten, Moritzplatz

Times: Thursday, 4-8pm; Friday, 2-8pm; Saturday and Sunday, Noon-8pm; through December 23

Show Reservations: 0177 612 7772

More Information: www.prinzessinnengarten.net

Galleries/Museums

In the Light of Amarna – 100 Years of the Find of Nefertiti

One hundred years ago archaeologists discovered the beautiful bust of Nefertiti. The head of the graceful queen quickly became one of the most treasured ancient Egyptian artifacts ever unearthed. The Neues Museum is celebrating that special event with a new exhibition about the town where Nefertiti and her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten ruled. Take a tour and discover what life was like in 14th century BC Egypt. The kids may be home from school but that doesn’t mean the history lessons have to stop.

Price: €10

Location: Neues Museum, Bodestrasse 1-3

Times: Monday – Saturday, 10am-6pm; Thursday, 10am-8pm; through April 13, 2013

Phone: 030 266 42 42 42

More Information: www.smb.museum

Music/Concerts

Louis Lewandowski Festival

“Love Makes the Melody Immortal” reads the gravestone of 19th century composer Louis Lewandowski. As choirmaster of the Berlin Synagogue he revolutionized synagogue music by writing new arrangements of ancient Hebrew melodies. This week, choirs from Paris, Warsaw, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, and Strasbourg sing Lewandowski’s sacred songs at a new festival dedicated to the maestro.

Price: Various

Location: Various

Times: Friday, December 21 – Sunday, December 23

More Information: www.louis-lewandowski-festival.de

COLOGNE

Galleries/Museums

Postcards From Japan

After the devastation that ravaged the Tohoku region of Japan last year had settled down a bit, survivors sent messages to loved ones on postcards. Inspired by this simple act to create art again, twenty-two artists from the region made a series of moving postcards that incorporates themes of nature, community, remembrance, and renewal. Take some time to contemplate their messages at an exhibition at the Japan Foundation in Cologne. And while you’re there, think about signing up for a Japanese language course, or join the origami club – unique additions to your list of New Year’s resolutions.

Price: Free

Location: Japanisches Kulturinstitut
 (The Japan Foundation), Universitätsstrasse 98

Times: Monday – Friday, 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm; Saturday, 10am-5pm; through January 16, 2012 (December 24, 9am-Noon; Closed December 29 – January 3)

Phone: 02 21/94 05 580

More Information: www.jki.de

DÜSSELDORF

Galleries/Museums

Simon Evans and Oyvind Fahlstrom – First We Make the Rules, Then We Break the Rules

The English artist Simon Evans helps himself get a better grasp of his own identity by creating make-believe maps. Why not compose your own reality? Put your own spin on the way things work? He drew a version of the Paris metro map and made a diagram depicting the “Symptoms of Loneliness” for an exhibition of his work shown alongside pieces by the late Swedish artist Oyvind Fahlstrom. Go see the colorful hand drawn charts and illustrations at Kunsthalle Dusseldorf. Thursday, December 27 is free from 6 p.m. To 8 p.m.

Price: €5.50

Location: Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, Grabbeplatz 4

Times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am-6pm; Thursday, December 27, 11am-8pm; through February 17, 2013

Phone: 0211 89 962 40

More Information: www.kunsthalle-duesseldorf.de

FRANKFURT

Events

Palmen Garten Winter Light

The light artist Wolfgang Flammersfeld transformed Frankfurt’s Palmen Garten into a twinkling oasis of holiday splendour. Take a walk around the botanical garden’s enchanting grounds, warm up with some tasty food and drink, and then catch the evening reading of a Brothers Grimm fairytale in the Rose House.

Price: €5 (Adults); €2 (Children)

Location: Palmengarten, Siesmayerstrasse 61

Times: Sunday – Thursday, 5-8pm; Friday and Saturday, 5-10pm; Christmas Eve, 9am-3pm; New Year’s Eve, 9am-4pm; through January 6, 2013

Phone: 069 212 3 66 89

More Information: www.palmengarten.de

Silvester at the Stadtgarten

One of Frankfurt’s most delightful venues is hosting a big bash on New Year’s Eve. Head to Stadtgarden on the last night of the year for a musically diverse dance floor featuring everything from house to hip hop, and reggae to rock. A buffet dinner gets growling tummys satiated at suppertime, while fireworks light up the beer garden at midnight. Let the countdown begin!

Price: €17 (Party); €85 (Buffet and Party)

Location: Stadtgarten, Venloer Strasse 40

Times: Monday, December 31, 7:30pm (Dinner); 11pm (Party)

Phone: 0221 952 9940

More Information: www.stadtgarten.de

HAMBURG

Events

World Transition Party

“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.” That’s because the end of the world, which happens Friday, according to the Mayan calendar, isn’t going to be an apocalyptic destruction, but rather a transition, a renewal if you will, as an old era ends and a new one begins. Now that’s reason to party. Hamburg’s Ethnology Museum closes its “Heart of the Maya” exhibition with a festive program of sacred dances and powerful rituals and a feast of Latin American dishes on Friday.

Price: €20

Location: Museum für Völkerkunde Hamburg, Rothenbaumchaussee 64

Times: Friday, December 21, 6pm

More Information: www.voelkerkundemuseum.com

HANNOVER

Events

Hannover Winter Zoo

The polar bears have decked the halls at their house. Even the tigers are celebrating their winter-ful snow-covered dens. With twinkling fairy lights strung over a village pond turned ice skating rink, and toboggans zooming down icy trails, the Hannover Zoo offers loads of family-friendly fun. Go December 22 and 23 to meet St. Nicholas.

Price: €16 (Adults); €13 (Ages 6 – 17); €10 (Ages 3-5); Discounted admission after 2pm

Location: Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover, Adenauerallee 3

Times: Monday – Friday, Noon-7pm; Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am-7pm

Phone: 0511 280 74 163

More Information: www.zoo-hannover.de

HEIDELBERG

Music/Concerts

In the Beginning Was the Dance – Baroque New Year

Beneath a heavenly ceiling fresco and a sparkling chandelier, a palace theatre fills with the music of 18th century Italy. Excerpts from operas and ballets by Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli, Biagio Marini, and their contemporaries drifts from a historic stage, mingling with the rococo elements of a dazzling theatre. Start your New Year’s celebrations early and experience this sensational atmosphere Saturday night in Heidelberg.

Price: €18 – 41

Location: Schloss Schwetzingen, Schwetzingen

Times: Saturday, December 29, 7:30pm

Tickets: 06221 5820 000

More Information: www.theaterheidelberg.de

HAMBURG

Galleries/Museums

Two Lives for Photography – Lillian Bassman and Paul Himmel

One of New York’s most legendary artist couples, Lillian Bassman and Paul Himmel gave fashion photography a revolutionary spin over the course of their long careers. A new exhibition at the Grassi Museum presents nearly five hundred of their photographs including innovative fashion shoots for Dior and Vogue, and Himmel’s “moving” images of the New York City Ballet. Start the year off by getting inspired by extraordinary 20th century photography. The first Wednesday of the month is free.

Price: €11-39

Location: Grassi Museum für Angewandte Kunst,
Johannisplatz 5-11

Times: Tuesday – Sunday, 10am-6pm; through March 3, 2013 (Closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve)

Phone: 0341 22 29 100

More Information: www.grassimuseum.de

MUNICH

Theatre

A Christmas Carol

The Charles Dickens Christmas classic never gets old. If you’ve been feeling like a little Scrooge lately, find yourself a seat in the audience at the Amerika Haus as soon as possible. The American Drama Group Europe’s Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, will shoot you up with a healthy dose of Christmas spirit. Four more performances take place before the big day.

Price: €10-20

Location: Amerika Haus München, Karolinenplatz 3


Times: Thursday, December 20, 11am and 7:30pm; Friday, December 21, 9am and 7:30pm

Tickets: 089 54818181

More Information: www.adg-europe.com

Film

English Language Movies at the Deutsche Film Institute

Treat yourself to a nice long two hours of cinematic escapism this holiday season. From The Sound of Music and The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Annie Hall and The Hours, the Deutsche Film Institute is screening a selection of film favorites as part of their series “And the Oscar goes to… – The Best Films of the Last 85 Years.” Brush up on your Von Trapp Family tunes and Woody Allen lines.

Price: €7

Location: Kino im Deutschen Filmmuseum,
Schaumainkai 41


Times: Various

Phone: 069 961 220 220

More Information: www.deutsches-filminstitut.de

Opera

Aida

Kick off 2013 in grand style and go to the opera. The Bavarian State Opera is staging the Verdi masterpiece Aida on New Year’s Day. With themes of love and power, and characters that include an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian warrior, the legendary opera will have both opera veterans and opera novices enthralled.

Price: €11.50 – 133.50

Location: Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 2

Times: Tuesday, January 1, 6pm

Phone: 089 21 85 01

More Information: www.bayerische.staatsoper.de

TIMMENDORF BEACH

Events

Octopus Advent at Sea Life

Octopuses are an intelligent breed. Drive up to the Baltic Sea coast and see for yourself. Sea Life, an aquarium in the north German town of Timmendorf Beach, is home to an intriguing attraction – an advent calendar for an octopus. Every day until December 23, Franz the Octopus pries open a new box. It’s a fun game for Franz, but it’s also a raffle for visitors. Go and take a stroll through the Octopus Garden and watch the Advent activity transpire. You could be the winner of a fishy surprise.

Price: €14.95 (Adults); €10.95 (Ages 3-14)

Location: Sea Life, 
Kurpromenade 5

Times: Daily at 2:30pm through December 23 (Advent Calendar); Daily, 10am-5pm (Regular Hours)

Phone: 04503 35 88 0

More Information: www.visitsealife.com

For members

BERLIN

EXPLAINED: Berlin’s latest Covid rules

In response to rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates, the Berlin Senate has introduced stricter rules, which came into force on Saturday, November 27th. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 27 November 2021 16:16 CET
Updated: 29 November 2021 14:17 CET
A sign in front of a waxing studio in Berlin indicates the rule of the 2G system
A sign in front of a waxing studio indicates the rule of the 2G system with access only for fully vaccinated people and those who can show proof of recovery from Covid-19 as restrictions tighten in Berlin. STEFANIE LOOS / AFP

The Senate agreed on the tougher restrictions on Tuesday, November 23rd with the goal of reducing contacts and mobility, according to State Secretary of Health Martin Matz (SPD).

He explained after the meeting that these measures should slow the increase in Covid-19 infection rates, which was important as “the situation had, unfortunately, deteriorated over the past weeks”, according to media reports.

READ ALSO: Tougher Covid measures needed to stop 100,000 more deaths, warns top German virologist

Essentially, the new rules exclude from much of public life anyone who cannot show proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19. You’ll find more details of how different sectors are affected below.

Shops
If you haven’t been vaccinated or recovered (2G – geimpft (vaccinated) or genesen (recovered)) from Covid-19, then you can only go into shops for essential supplies, i.e. food shopping in supermarkets or to drugstores and pharmacies.

Many – but not all – of the rules for shopping are the same as those passed in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg in order to avoid promoting ‘shopping tourism’ with different restrictions in different states.

Leisure
2G applies here, too, as well as the requirement to wear a mask with most places now no longer accepting a negative test for entry. Only minors are exempt from this requirement.

Sport, culture, clubs
Indoor sports halls will off-limits to anyone who hasn’t  been vaccinated or can’t show proof of recovery from Covid-19. 2G is also in force for cultural events, such as plays and concerts, where there’s also a requirement to wear a mask. 

In places where mask-wearing isn’t possible, such as dance clubs, then a negative test and social distancing are required (capacity is capped at 50 percent of the maximum).

Restaurants, bars, pubs (indoors)
You have to wear a mask in all of these places when you come in, leave or move around. You can only take your mask off while you’re sat down. 2G rules also apply here.

Hotels and other types of accommodation 
Restrictions are tougher here, too, with 2G now in force. This means that unvaccinated people can no longer get a room, even if they have a negative test.

Hairdressers
For close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauticians, it’s up to the service providers themselves to decide whether they require customers to wear masks or a negative test.

Football matches and other large-scale events
Rules have changed here, too. From December 1st, capacity will be limited to 5,000 people plus 50 percent of the total potential stadium or arena capacity. And only those who’ve been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 will be allowed in. Masks are also compulsory.

For the Olympic Stadium, this means capacity will be capped at 42,000 spectators and 16,000 for the Alte Försterei stadium. 

Transport
3G rules – ie vaccinated, recovered or a negative test – still apply on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses in Berlin. It was not possible to tighten restrictions, Matz said, as the regulations were issued at national level.

According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, people have to wear a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask  on public transport.

Christmas markets
The Senate currently has no plans to cancel the capital’s Christmas markets, some of which have been open since Monday. 

According to Matz, 2G rules apply and wearing a mask is compulsory.

Schools and day-care
Pupils will still have to take Covid tests three times a week and, in classes where there are at least two children who test positive in the rapid antigen tests, then tests should be carried out daily for a week.  

Unlike in Brandenburg, there are currently no plans to move away from face-to-face teaching. The child-friendly ‘lollipop’ Covid tests will be made compulsory in day-care centres and parents will be required to confirm that the tests have been carried out. Day-care staff have to document the results.

What about vaccination centres?
Berlin wants to expand these and set up new ones, according to Matz. A new vaccination centre should open in the Ring centre at the end of the week and 50 soldiers from the German army have been helping at the vaccination centre at the Exhibition Centre each day since last week.

The capacity in the new vaccination centre in the Lindencenter in Lichtenberg is expected to be doubled. There are also additional vaccination appointments so that people can get their jabs more quickly. Currently, all appointments are fully booked well into the new year.

 

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