The Black Forest to Hannover - Part 2 Great Continental Railway Journeys


The Black Forest to Hannover - Part 2

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'I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

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'that will take me to the heart of Europe.'

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I'll be using this,

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my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,

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dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world

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of foreign travel for the British tourist.

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'It told travellers where to go,

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'what to see and how to navigate

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'the thousands of miles of tracks crisscrossing the Continent.

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'Now, a century later,

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'I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy.

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'Where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.'

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I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913,

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couldn't know that its way of life

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would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

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I'm continuing my journey through Germany.

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I began in the city of Freiburg,

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gateway to the beautiful Black Forest.

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From there, I travelled north to Heidelberg.

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Today, I'll explore Germany's financial powerhouse, Frankfurt,

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before continuing to the university city of Gottingen.

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I'll then travel 75 miles to Hanover, where my journey ends.

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Along the way, in Frankfurt, I'll get to know Goethe,

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the German equivalent of Shakespeare.

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Throughout the whole 19th century,

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he became something of

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an identification mark of German-ness

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for the Germans.

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I'll get WIND of how early 20th-century innovation

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shapes German transport today.

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Whoa!

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Blow me down!

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Three, two, one...

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I can't wait to be a passenger on that thing.

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And I'll test drive a state-of-the-art tram.

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Move over, Hanover.

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URGENT BEEPING

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Oh, sorry. Sorry.

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HE LAUGHS

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Today, I'm in Frankfurt.

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Although the city on the River Main

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was already a financial centre by 1913,

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today's skyline is not something that Edwardians would recognise.

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The first skyscraper went up in the 1970s,

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and they kept on coming.

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The city has been dubbed Mainhattan, after New York.

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Frankfurt's banking families, like the Rothschilds,

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helped to lay its modern economic foundations

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in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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Now this is a world-class financial centre,

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home to the European Central Bank

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and Germany's largest stock exchange,

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which moved to this building in 1879.

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I'm receiving a behind-the-scenes tour of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

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from spokesman Patrick Kalbhenn.

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Hello, Patrick.

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Hi, Michael. Nice to welcome you here.

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Thank you. The first thing that strikes me is just how quiet it is.

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I see a whole load of people down here,

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but there's no sort of commotion, nobody's yelling anything.

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-How does it all work?

-Well, that's the impression many people have,

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when they come here they think that it's very loud here

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and people are crying, but that isn't the case any more.

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We have the floor trading over here

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and that is a fully automatic system,

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which was introduced in 1997.

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And trading is possible from wherever you are in the world,

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you only need a computer.

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So we have a volume of about six billion euros a day,

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so that's about 85% of stock-exchange turnover in Germany.

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'The Frankfurt stock exchange has come a long way

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'since the 16th century,

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'when business was conducted in the open air.

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'The German economy is Europe's largest.

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'Its top 30 companies are listed here on the Dax.'

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Here on the floor we've got displayed various stocks,

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represented by three letters.

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Why are they lighting up from time to time?

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Because here we have the biggest German stocks.

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If the light is green, then the stock price is rising,

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and if it's red then, the stock price is falling.

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I'm investing in lunch,

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so I'm making a pit stop at a famous Frankfurt sausage shop

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that's been in business since before my guidebook was published.

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While I'm in this city, there's one more place that I'm hoping to find

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and, according to my book, it's just around the corner.

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Bradshaw's tells me that at the Grosse Hirschgraben, number 28,

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is the house of Johann Wolfgang Goethe,

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where he was born in 1749.

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"Interesting rooms, a museum and a library."

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Goethe brought German literature to the attention of the world.

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He is a sort of German equivalent of Dante, of Voltaire

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and of Shakespeare.

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-Hello, Anne.

-Hello, Michael.

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Welcome to the Frankfurt Goethe House.

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A wonderful house, a huge house. Not at all what I expected.

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'Professor Anne Bohnenkamp-Renken is the director of the Goethe House.

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'It was restored to the 18th-century original

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'after its destruction in World War II.

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'Goethe published over 100 volumes in his lifetime

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'and achieved world-wide fame

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'throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

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'Visiting his home would have been

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'high on the Edwardian tourist itinerary.'

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A wonderful room. The father's library?

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Yes, the father's library and the room

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where the children got their lessons.

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Anne, I've heard it said that Goethe is to the German language

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as Shakespeare is to the English language. Would you agree with that?

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Yes, I think so, one...could put Goethe in this place.

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Goethe's at first poet,

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Shakespeare was very important for him

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to invent himself as a poet.

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Shakespeare was a great inspiration for Goethe.

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He was very fascinated by the, erm...

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free and original style of Shakespeare

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in comparison to the French classicism.

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And he said it was like someone must feel who has been blind

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all his life and then suddenly learns to see the world,

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and it was like this for him reading Shakespeare.

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'As well as being influenced by Shakespeare's realism,

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'Goethe wrote in German rather than French,

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'which was the language of the elite.

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'He was the first German poet to be accessible to the masses.'

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As the Germans during the 19th century

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begin to develop, er, more self-awareness

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and eventually develop a political German unity,

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do you think that what Goethe had done for the German language

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was important in that process?

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Goethe was putting in words

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something which was in the air of his time.

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Goethe became important as a poet for...for the nation building

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which took place in the 19th century

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and he of course was one of the most important poets in German language.

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Throughout the whole 19th century, he became something of an

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identification mark of German-ness for the Germans later on, yes.

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'Goethe became a national cultural icon and a unifying figure.

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'It's a role that he still occupies, over 200 years later.'

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Morning.

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Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Bye-bye.

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I'm up bright and early to catch my train from Frankfurt.

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I'm travelling almost 150 miles north towards my next stop.

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TRAIN ANNOUNCEMENT IN GERMAN

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My next stop will be Gottingen, which Bradshaw's tells me

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is "an old university town having picturesque streets.

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"Tablets indicate houses where

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"learned men associated with the university lived."

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That list of men was growing.

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In the years before the publication of my guidebook,

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there had been four Nobel Prize winners.

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This was or was to be

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the university of Max Planck, Max Born, Julius Robert Oppenheimer,

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men whose contribution to science would change Germany

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and indeed the world.

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Around the time that my guidebook was published,

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Germany was leading the way in science and technology.

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Inventions like aspirin and the diesel engine,

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along with concepts such as quantum theory,

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meant re-evaluating our human capabilities

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and our position in the universe.

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Gottingen University, founded in the early 18th century,

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was synonymous with innovation by the late 19th.

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It's a legacy that the town is still proud to display.

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The fountain of the Goose Girl is festooned with balloons and flowers

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that have been left by exuberant students.

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Indeed, when they receive their doctorates,

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they have the custom of climbing up and kissing the girl's face.

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She's reputedly one of the most kissed girls in Germany.

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In the 19th century, the students here began to concern themselves

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with more than academia,

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as their country was gripped in turn by war, revolution

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and a growing nationalistic fervour.

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I've arranged to meet up with Dr Marian Fussel

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from the university.

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Oh, hello, Michael.

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-Hello, Marian.

-Nice to see you.

-Well met.

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It's very good to see you.

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-I wanted to talk to you about the Burschenschaften.

-Oh, yeah.

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What is a Burschenschaften?

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A Burschenschaften is a student organisation,

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but they are also lifetime organisations.

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You join for a lifetime and you don't stop

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being a member of that corporation after you're studying,

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and they became in the 19th century very politicised organisations

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striving for German unification.

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'The first groups, formed in 1815, attracted thousands of members.

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After unification was achieved in 1871,

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fraternities adopted distinctive military-style clothing

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and behaved so badly that the university

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had to establish its own prison.

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Marian, this is the most extraordinary place.

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Who was put in these cells?

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The deviant students, but mostly the Burschenschaft students left all

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this graffiti around here, so we can still have the traces who was here,

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imprisoned for damaging public lights, to drinking too much,

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having duels, or committing crimes against public order.

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So what, nowadays, we would call laddish behaviour

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was a big part of the Burschenschaften.

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Yes, it was part of their identity to, in a way, misbehave.

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A duelling scar was proof of a fraternity member's honour.

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The goal was to cut the opponent on the left side of the face,

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but often duellers mis-aimed.

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Even then, the loss of a nose or another facial disfigurement

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was worn with pride.

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It seems that there was a lot of this going on

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at the time of my guide book.

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We've got 1905, 1911, 1913,

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the very year of my guidebook.

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What role do you think the Burschenschaften played

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in the development of German nationalism?

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Oh, I think without the Burschenschaften,

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the culture of German nationalism would not have been the same.

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They played a core role, for example, in mobilising the youth,

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the students, the younger people and getting them into

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this national movement, or the national spirit, in a way.

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Really showing your commitment to the nation by your behaviour,

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by your language, by your clothing and by the practices.

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Over 100 years ago, here at Gottingen University,

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a professor opened a centre that was to change forever the way we travel.

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I'm at the Gottingen Aerospace test centre

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to meet Jens Wucherpfennig.

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So, I'm guessing that this is a wind tunnel,

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but not a new one, I think.

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-This would be a piece of history, would it?

-Yes, that's right.

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This wind tunnel made this facility famous all over the world.

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The Gottingen-type wind tunnel was founded and invented here

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and this is the cradle of modern aerodynamics,

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where, for the first time in the world, in 1907, the state-run

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research facility for aerospace research was founded.

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Now, 1907 is incredibly early,

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because the Wright brothers had only flown in 1903,

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-and this was established just four years later.

-Yes, that's right.

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Professor Ludwig Prandtl was the first to use science

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to observe air flow.

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With the wind tunnel, he showed how air moves

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around different shapes

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and how flaps on an aircraft wing can be adjusted to affect flight.

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Today, Prandtl is considered to be the father of aerodynamics.

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When the first people tried to build airplanes,

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they just did it by trial and error.

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They had an idea, built it and either it flew or it crashed.

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And Ludwig Prandtl was the man who made aerodynamics a science,

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so you can predict what kind of airplane will fly

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and how it will fly.

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For over 100 years, wind tunnels have been used to test air flow,

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noise and turbulence not just in planes, but trains and cars.

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The system is also used to improve the performance of athletes.

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So, you're blowing air between these two points, are you?

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Yes, that's right.

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What speed is that running at?

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At the moment, it's 25 metres per second.

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That sounds quite rough. Would it be safe for me to stand in there?

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Safe, yes, but tough for you.

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I'm going to give it a go.

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Whoa!

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Whoa! Blow me down!

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Wow. What is this facility, Jens?

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This is a special track where trains, models of trains,

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are fired with velocities up to 360km an hour.

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Daniela, how very good to see you.

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Dr Daniela Heiner is part of the team

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developing and testing new high-speed trains.

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This is a model, really, of the train

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that I probably arrived today in Gottingen.

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Yes, exactly.

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And what about this one behind?

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-So, this is something new?

-Yes.

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So, we have the next generation train and it's fast,

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it will travel with about 400km per hour.

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Goodness gracious.

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The team experiments with different shapes to see how

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these 250-mile-per-hour trains will perform on the track.

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-So this is the catapult.

-Yes.

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Yes, it is. So, Michael, would you, please, pull the rope to prepare

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-this side of the catapult and I go and prepare the other one?

-OK.

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Jens, what was it that gave you the idea of having a catapult?

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Yes, with this facility we had the task to accelerate train models

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very, very fast in a short moment of time,

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and our scientists got inspired by Roman catapults

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and we kind of transformed this idea

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to fire models of trains instead of arrows,

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-and that's what we're doing here.

-A 2,000-year-old of technology.

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Yes, definitely, and it's working to improve the trains of the future.

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Firing the models at high speeds allows the team to see how

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trains will cope with crosswinds and tunnel pressure.

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So, three, two, one.

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MICHAEL LAUGHS

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I can't wait to be a passenger on that thing.

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The new trains aren't due for release for several years yet,

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so I'm catching the existing high-speed

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Intercity-Express train north,

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towards the final stop of my journey.

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-May I see your ticket, please?

-Here we are.

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-Yes, thank you, sir.

-Hanover.

-To Hanover.

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-Thanks a lot, sir.

-Thank you.

-Have a pleasant journey.

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-Thank you. Bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

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Hanover was one of Germany's main manufacturing cities during

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the 19th century and became a centre for arms production

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during the Second World War.

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As a result, it was largely destroyed by Allied bombs.

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It's been rebuilt, and in its history,

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it has experienced several renewals.

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"Hanover," says Bradshaw's, "is situated on the River Leine,"

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and I learn that it is the capital of a Prussian province.

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This is the Rathaus,

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which was brand-new at the time of my Bradshaw's guide,

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and just imagine the success and the pride of this manufacturing city

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that lay behind the creation of such a palatial city hall.

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From the mid-19th century, Hanover's economy took off

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and in the four decades before my guide book,

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the population more than tripled.

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When British tourists came here in 1913, they discovered a city

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flexing serious economic muscle,

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visible in its streets and architecture.

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Katrin Baumgarten is an expert on the town hall's history.

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Katrin, this is a magnificent city hall.

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Hanover must have been a great city by the end of the 19th century.

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Yes, this is true.

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In the second half of the 19th century, a lot of companies

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were founded in Hanover,

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people moved from the countryside to the city, so the population

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was growing, the tax was growing as well, so they decided to build

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this really huge and impressive city hall

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to show the power of the people.

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The mayor, Heinrich Tramm,

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decided to pour Hanover's new-found wealth into building

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a grand northern hub.

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By 1913, the city was of such importance

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that the Kaiser came to open the town hall.

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Even my great-grandmother, she was there,

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she was about 13 or 14 years old.

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Nearly all schoolchildren got the day off

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to stand in the streets and wave to the emperor.

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It impressed her, really, a lot, she was telling the story for decades.

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It wasn't just the building's grand facades

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that were meant to show off the city's success.

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A lift with a sloping floor.

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We've got a glass roof as well

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and I can see the weirdest thing, which is a curved lift shaft.

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The addition of Europe's only curved elevator

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was designed to showcase the very latest

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in Germany's engineering prowess.

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And such an odd feeling as the lift tips to one side

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and now, of course, the floor is straight again.

0:23:300:23:34

Amazing - early 20th century German technology.

0:23:370:23:41

When he came to open the city hall,

0:23:500:23:52

Kaiser Wilhelm II did not ascend the dome to enjoy

0:23:520:23:56

this magnificent view.

0:23:560:23:57

In that respect, I am luckier than an emperor.

0:23:570:24:01

50 years before the grand town hall was opened,

0:24:130:24:16

the kingdom of Hanover had been annexed by Prussia.

0:24:160:24:20

A new era began of manufacturing, an industry that lasts to this day.

0:24:200:24:26

As the city grew, it developed a modern network of trams,

0:24:260:24:29

which is still in use.

0:24:290:24:31

-Hello, Udo.

-Hello, Michael. Welcome.

-Thank you very much.

0:24:400:24:43

I'm meeting Udo Iwannek from Uestra,

0:24:440:24:47

the company which runs the tram system.

0:24:470:24:49

Well, Udo, this is a very, very smart new tram.

0:24:560:25:00

What are the new features?

0:25:000:25:01

It has a lot of new features.

0:25:010:25:03

We cover kinetic energy like they do in Formula 1.

0:25:030:25:07

When the tram brakes, then it produces electricity,

0:25:070:25:10

it turns into a generator, and we put this energy

0:25:100:25:13

into the wiring, by this we save up to 50% energy.

0:25:130:25:17

Made in Germany, I assume.

0:25:170:25:19

Yeah, it's... Well, it's an example of German engineering.

0:25:190:25:23

Well, I can't pass up the chance to drive the Formula 1-inspired tram

0:25:230:25:28

on its test track.

0:25:280:25:30

-Hello, Frank.

-Hello, Michael.

0:25:300:25:32

-Please, take a seat.

-Thank you very much.

0:25:320:25:33

-I'll put my Bradshaw there.

-OK.

0:25:360:25:38

OK. We have to close the doors, please.

0:25:380:25:40

-Like that?

-Yeah.

-BELL CHIMES

0:25:400:25:42

-Aha! Let's ring the bell.

-BELL RINGS

0:25:420:25:46

Stand clear, everybody.

0:25:460:25:48

Lovely smooth ride, Frank.

0:25:520:25:55

A little faster, please.

0:25:550:25:57

Oh, I didn't expect that, we turned left!

0:26:020:26:05

And it feels good.

0:26:080:26:10

I'm really enjoying this, Frank.

0:26:100:26:12

A little bit of acceleration.

0:26:170:26:19

Into another curve.

0:26:190:26:21

A nice straight.

0:26:240:26:26

BELL RINGS

0:26:260:26:28

I have control of a tram, move over, Hanover.

0:26:290:26:35

BELL RINGS

0:26:350:26:36

Trams still travel at 15km per hour through the city -

0:26:360:26:40

the same speed as 100 years ago.

0:26:400:26:43

Into the bend.

0:26:460:26:49

Coming around towards the station.

0:26:530:26:55

German technology - smooth and green.

0:27:000:27:04

ALARM BLARES

0:27:060:27:09

-Oh, sorry, Frank. Oh, sorry, everybody.

-OK?

0:27:090:27:13

200 years ago, amongst the many German states

0:27:290:27:32

that had been overrun by the French emperor Napoleon

0:27:320:27:35

and whose people were proud to speak the language of Goethe,

0:27:350:27:39

there arose the idea of creating a nation.

0:27:390:27:43

It drew inspiration from the landscape

0:27:430:27:46

and from the fairy tales gathered in the forests.

0:27:460:27:49

By 1913, Germany was a great power, with industry surging ahead,

0:27:490:27:55

thanks, not least, to the breakthroughs made by scientists

0:27:550:27:59

at Gottingen University.

0:27:590:28:01

A modern version of Bradshaw's would point to this country's lead

0:28:010:28:06

in technology and,

0:28:060:28:08

for this traveller at least, its excellence, quality

0:28:080:28:12

and reliability would provide

0:28:120:28:14

an up-to-date definition of German-ness.

0:28:140:28:17

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