Dear Reader,
Discover Germany Issue 47, February 2017 Published 02.2017 ISSN 2051-7718 Published by Scan Magazine Ltd. Print Liquid Graphic Ltd. Executive Editor Thomas Winther Creative Director Mads E. Petersen Editor Nane Steinhoff Copy-Editor Isa Hemphrey Graphic Designer Mercedes Moulia Feature Writer Thomas Schroers Contributors Barbara Geier Cornelia Brelowski Dorina Reichhold Emmie Collinge Gregor Kleinknecht Ina Frank
Jessica Holzhausen Marilena Stracke Nadine Carstens Ricarda Nieswandt Silke Henkele Sonja Irani Veronika Fafienski Cover Photo © Bernd Brundert Sales & Key Account Managers Emma Fabritius Nørregaard Laura Hummer Noura Draoui Sophie Blecha Freya Plakolb Publisher: SCAN GROUP Scan Magazine Ltd. 15B Bell Yard Mews Bermondsey Street London SE1 3YT United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)870 933 0423 Fax: +44 (0)870 933 0421 Email: info@discovergermany.com For further information please visit www.discovergermany.com
Love it or hate it, February is the month of Valentine’s Day. Regardless of your plans, on 14 February an astounding 150 million Valentine’s cards are exchanged in the USA alone. Furthermore, according to statistics from Travelodge, Brits almost spend one billion pounds on Valentine’s gifts and experiences. Other statistics from Rakuten’s Play.com reveal that the average Brit spends around £119 on 14 February. This is also the global average. Germans, on the other hand, only spend around £59 per person. 31 per cent of Germans even said that they completely forgot about Valentine’s Day. Nobody can really say why this but it may be because the month of February coincides with a rather important event in Germany – Carnival season. This year, the ‘fifth season’, which is especially celebrated in Cologne, is held from 23 February until 1 March. When Germans are preparing their costumes and looking forward to partying and enjoying the parades and numerous events, it seems no wonder that there might not really be time to think about Valentine’s Day. If you’re not planning to get involved in Carnival or Valentine’s Day this year, we have other ideas on offer in this month’s issue. For example, our writer Emmie Collinge found new, adrenalinefuelled ways to experience snow. If you’re bored of skiing, but you don’t want to miss out on a nice winter holiday with plenty of snow, have a read of her feature to get inspired. Furthermore, our ‘Attraction of the Month’ is a must-see for all ocean enthusiasts. Austria’s Haus des Meeres is filled with all manner of sea creatures and much more and will not only delight young ones. Other topics covered in our February issue are great design ideas, German exhibition highlights for the culture fanatics out there, successful enterprises and much, much more. On top of that, our cover star is Valerie Niehaus this month – a successful German actress. Our writer Thomas Schroers spoke to her to find out more about her inspiring life. Sit back, relax and thanks for reading,
Nane Steinhoff, Editor
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