German Regions

Sylt - the fascinating island between the Wadden Sea and the North Sea

After a week on Sylt in 1928, author Thomas Mann said "On this sea, I lived deeply." It's a narrow island between the Wadden Sea coastal mudflats and the North Sea.

Sylt has romantic charm

The island has had many visitors, but its fascination has outlasted all the fashions. On the eastern side of the Island, the Wadden Sea attracts visitors.

a wooden walkway through heather above the sandy beaches of Sylt

Walks through the heath on Sylt are very popular

The area has a been UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since the 2009. When the tide retreats, there are opportunities to take a guided tour through the flats.

The Braderuper Heath is also on the east side of the island. There are elevated trails through the delicate heather. The area has been a protected site since 1920. Those interested in island life and curious about the history of northern German coastal spas head to Westerland, the main town on Sylt.

people playing golf on a green lawn in front of a lighthouse

Kampen is a meeting place for the rich and famous

It's been a coastal spa since 1855. Somewhat more exclusive and therefore not quite as crowded is neighboring Kampen. A meeting place for the rich and beautiful. But Sylt's main attraction is the North Sea and its 40 kilometers of sandy beaches. On the Lister elbow you can find relaxation and solitude. Further down on the Western Beach, in good weather there's always a little more going on.

Author: DW-TV

Editor: Sue Cox

dw.de

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WWW Links

Complet Sylt Info, German Only

Sylt Information, Some English

Ellenbogen Peninsula

Wadden Sea National Park Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein

Wenningstedt-Braderup

City of Kampen

Audios and videos on the topic

Three Tips for a Trip to Sylt

Happy Birthday Cannes

Happy birthday

The most famous film festival in the world is celebrating its 65th birthday - it's a pensionable age, but Cannes is showing no signs of slowing down. The latest edition offers the usual glamorous circus of film stars, red carpets and galas, while the official festival poster features Marilyn Monroe, whose death 50 years ago will also be commemorated.
Happy Birthday Cannes

The Croisette all spruced up

Unlike February's Berlin Film Festival, Cannes always offers fantastic weather – an advantage not to be underestimated. The Cote d'Azur boasts perennial sunshine, which helps to attract stars from around the world, and the Hollywood glitterati are always welcome adornments to the red carpets. This year, Bruce Willis, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt and Reese Whiterspoon are all expected to attend.
Happy Birthday Cannes

Homegrown cinema

Of course, the competition for the Golden and the Silver Palm is always a showcase for new French cinema. Festival director Thierry Fremaux has invited several French films into this year's competition, including works by Jacques Audiard, Alain Resnais and Leos Carax. The latter is showing his eagerly anticipated "Holy Motors" (pictured).
Happy Birthday Cannes

Cronenberg, the Canadian auteur

When Canadian director David Cronenberg has a new film to show, the world's biggest festivals fight over it. Cannes traditionally has the best chances, and it won out again this year. "Cosmopolis", based on a novel by Don DeLillo, is about all the things that can happen to a stockbroker on his way to the hairdresser - including a chance meeting with Juliette Binoche.
Happy Birthday Cannes

Red carpet fashion show

Premieres begin with the parade along the famous red carpet. Photographers shriek to lure the best poses from the stars, while reporters plead for a short statement. And, of course, the eyes of the world are on the stunning wardrobes of the actresses - as last year, when Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing graced the Croisette.
Happy Birthday Cannes

An Iranian regular

Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, born in 1940, has been a Cannes regular for many years, and he won the Golden Palm 15 years ago. His new film "Like Someone in Love" is also in this year's competition. The French-Japanese co-production details a mysterious meeting between a young woman and an old man in Tokyo.
Happy Birthday Cannes

Great Danes

Denmark has been a cinematic superpower for many years, and this year's Cannes is graced by the latest work from Thomas Vinterberg, who won the Jury Prize in 1998 for "Festen." Vinterberg's 2012 offering "Jagden" features Mads Mikkelsen (pictured) playing a man who believes he faces false accusations of pedophilia. Child abuse was also a theme of "Festen."
Happy Birthday Cannes

The jury

Italian director Nanni Moretti, who won the 2001 Golden Palm for "The Son's Room," is the president of this year's Cannes jury. He is joined by German actress Diane Kruger, US director Alexander Payne and French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. They decide who gets the big prizes this year.
Happy Birthday Cannes

Bleak work from Ukraine

Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa has also been invited to Cannes once again, after showing his debut "My Joy" in 2010. His new work "In The Fog" is set in 1942, and depicts scenes from the Soviet front in World War II. It is a German-Dutch-Lithuanian-Russian co-production.
Happy Birthday Cannes

Global co-productions

More and more films are now made with money from several countries – often on different continents. One example of a "global" production like this is "Post Tenebras Lux," by Mexican director Carlos Reygadas. The movie, competing for this year's Golden Palm, was completed with money from the Netherlands, France, Mexico and Germany. It was filmed in Mexico, England, Spain and Belgium.
Happy Birthday Cannes

View from America

Cannes always makes room for big Hollywood cinema. Several studios use the festival as a launch pad for their latest major productions. But the US competition entry "The Paperboy" is a more modest affair, about a falsely convicted man played by John Cusack (pictured). The movie, set in 1960s Florida, promises classic US courtroom drama.
Happy Birthday Cannes

A German view of Turkey

Once again, German films are few and far between in Cannes, though Hamburg director Fatih Akin is presenting his new documentary "The Garbage in the Garden of Eden," in one of the festival's sub-sections. The movie charts the struggle of a tiny Turkish village against a giant garbage dump.
Happy Birthday Cannes

Cannes turns 65

Over the decades, Cannes has established itself as the world's premier film festival, and around 4,600 journalists are once again expected this year. Unlike Berlin, Cannes is not a people's festival, where the general public gets to see the films. And at no other festival is so much filming and photographing going on. Moreover, few other festivals offer cinema on the beach!

Author: Ben Knight | Editor: Andreas Illmer