HISTORY

  • POSTWAR ALBUM

    POSTWAR ALBUM

    In the 1990s, Spanish war photographer Gervasio Sánchez documented the lives of children in besieged Sarajevo. 25 years later he returns and confronts today’s adults with images from that time. What became of them? What was it like growing up after the war? An often overwhelming encounter with the past

  • THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE

    THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE

    It is 1212: Thousands of children from Central Europe set off for Jerusalem to liberate the Holy City from the Saracens. With no equipment, weapons, provisions or money and driven only by their faith, most meet their death or are sold into slavery. What was behind this historically unprecedented crusade? What is fact, what is fiction? A search for clues.

  • LEGENDARY BATHHOUSES

    LEGENDARY BATHHOUSES

    We are immersed in elegant scenes of traditional temples to wellness. The focus is on design and architecture as well as the culture of bathhouses from various periods: the Géllert Thermal Bath in Budapest, the Sento Takara-yu in Tokyo, the Roman Baths in Bath and the Hamam Kılıç Ali Paşa in Istanbul.

  • LOST TRACES – A FAMILY HISTORY FROM THE HOLOCAUST

    LOST TRACES – A FAMILY HISTORY FROM THE HOLOCAUST

    The story of a rural Jewish family in Germany that was torn apart, its members forced into hard labour, deported and finally murdered. We trace the steps of their destruction, from mere harassment to crimes beyond comprehension. The film takes us to where the Holocaust unfolded: Auschwitz as well as Kaunas and Treblinka.

  • FREDERICK II – HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR

    FREDERICK II – HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR

    He was a patron of science, a reformer, and might even be called the first modern ruler. And yet he was also brutal and power-hungry. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (1194–1250) was an exceptional figure on the Roman-German imperial throne.

  • P06GT2 'Edward II', 1935. Edward (1284-1327) who ruled from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. He is thought to have been murdered later that year, p

    DEADLY POWER GAMES – EDWARD II. KING OF ENGLAND

    Edward II, who ruled England in the early 14th century, was surrounded by opponents: the Scots in the north, the French on the continent, and the barons in his own country. He was eventually brought down by his own wife, who invaded England and forced him to resign. The story of an unprecedented royal downfall.

  • RUSSIA’S MILLENNIUM CHILDREN

    RUSSIA’S MILLENNIUM CHILDREN

    The Putin era in Russian politics began on 31 December 1999, after Yeltsin’s resignation and shortly before the millennium celebrations. The children born on that day have now come of age. They have only ever known ex-KGB man Vladimir Putin at the pinnacle of power. What do the Putin generation think and feel? How do they want to live in the future?

  • IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE CISTERCIANS

    IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE CISTERCIANS

    We travel to France, Germany and Italy to find out about the fascinating world of the medieval Cistercian Order. The old traditions of their monasteries are still preserved and maintained to this day. What was the secret behind their incredible achievements and skills that helped them make such an important contribution to the cultural development of the western world?

  • ANCIENT PALMYRA IN 360° AND 3D

    ANCIENT PALMYRA IN 360° AND 3D

    Before the eyes of the international community, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Palmyra in Syria suffered severe damage. In a sophisticated virtual reality project the “queen of the desert” was digitally reconstructed. Now the cultural heritage of the Syrian people can at least be experienced virtually again.

  • GATEWAYS TO NEW YORK

    GATEWAYS TO NEW YORK

    Othmar Ammann, a structural engineer, designed over half of the eleven bridges that connect New York City to the rest of the United States. With his breathtaking constructions, he was himself an agent of progress in the midst of the fast-changing 20th century. We tell his adventure-filled story.

  • THE FEMALE GUARD – THE CASE OF JOHANNA LANGEFELD

    THE FEMALE GUARD – THE CASE OF JOHANNA LANGEFELD

    The story of Johanna Langefeld is the only known case of an SS guard being saved from a death sentence after the war by her own victims. In 1946, she escaped from a Cracow prison where she was awaiting trial. Her former prisoners not only helped her escape but also hid her from the Polish authorities for ten years. What were their motives?

  • BERNAUER STRASSE – A STREET DIVIDED

    BERNAUER STRASSE – A STREET DIVIDED

    Bernauer Strasse in Berlin is symbolic of the division of Germany. The border line ran along the walls of the houses that stood on the eastern side. Both sides of the street changed radically when the Wall went up. Thirty years after the fall of the Wall, we investigate  a vanished place that brings into focus the history of the Berlin Wall like nowhere else.