FRM Magazine Spring 2012
Transcription
FRM Magazine Spring 2012
// Rubrik 1 Excellence Pixomondo – the Oscar factory The magazine on the FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region Networks FRM the international financial hub Excursions Places with innovative potential: the Main-Kinzig-Kreis and Hanau Interview Siemens manager Michael Kassner Discoveries Events The Romantic Impulse – picture of an epoch Plus FRM-Pocket-Guide www.frankfurt-rhein-main.net Ferries across the Main >glish En ion Edit The Oscar Factory How Hollywood came to FRM 1 1 FRM 01 I 09 FRM- 6.50 Euro | 1 / 2012 Discover how our technology pioneers your future success. FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH | International Marketing of the Region Regarding renewable energy FrankfurtRheinMain sowed the seeds for the fusion of eco logical and economic objectives long before it became popular. Today FrankfurtRheinMain is one of the leading research, development and production centres for the rapidly growing business sector worldwide. From solar to geothermal, and from wind to bio energy – our region offers you sustainable power for a future as ecofriendly as successful. Discover how to make the most of your business. Join the network of FrankfurtRheinMain. For more information go to www.frm-united.com Visit our region online at www.frankfurt-rhein-main.net // Editorial Dear Readers > One news item that is definitely fit to print, and one that could not be better. At this year’s Oscar awards, one of the coveted trophies went to Pixomondo, for Visual Effects in Martin Scorsese’s movie “Hugo”. Great confirmation of how creative FrankfurtRhineMain can be. What greater praise could there be from Hollywood? It’s the first Oscar in which a company based in FrankfurtRhineMain has played a major part. Pixomondo was founded in 2001 in Pfungstadt and now operates as an international creative network spread across 12 offices – in line with the notion of “follow the sun”, namely 24/7, with tasks carefully divided up to fit the pattern. What is now discernible in the creative industries has long since been the norm in Frankfurt’s financial community: the blend of international reach and global networking that can rely on an outstanding, highly competitive local infrastructure. International networks and competition also mean that you need to be able to rival other metropolitan regions in a field that will become ever more important for us moving forward. The future of our planet will be evidently decided in the cities. What ever more clearly sets the pace in this respect is how strongly a region realizes a concept that has become increasingly important over the last 25 years: sustainable development. The two words have a truly magical attraction in the worlds of politics and business, and in civil society. So what could sustainable urban and regional development in FrankfurtRhineMain look like? In what direction are our cities heading in the 21st century? How will we tackle the energy, transport, construction and residential challenges, over and above Frankfurt’s application to be made “Europe’s Green Capital”? Culturally speaking, this spring FrankfurtRhineMain is also making the running, with events that will attract attention far beyond the region itself. The re-opening of Frankfurt’s Historisches Museum is following fast in the footsteps of the internationally highly praised Städel extension. At the same time, Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain is launching its focal agenda, which will run thru 2014: “Romantic // Rubrik 1 ExcEllEncE Pixomondo – the Oscar factory ExcuRsion Places with innovative potential: The magazine on the FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region nEtwoRks FRM the international financial hub the Main-Kinzig-Kreis and Hanau FRM- intERviEw Siemens manager Michael Kassner DiscovERiEs EvEnts The Romantic Impulse – picture of an epoch Plus FRM-PockEt-GuiDE www.frankfurt-rhein-main.net > Ferries across the Main 6,50 Euro | 1 / 2012 h Englis n Editio Impulse. Rhine & Main Romanticism”. We can expect light to be shed on all aspects of an epoch, which philosopher Rüdiger Safranski claims is probably the most decisive cultural epoch of the 19th century and a “decidedly German affair”. The Oscar Factory How Hollywood came to FRM Let me close with some great ‘home’ news: at the end of last year our Website www. frankfurt-rhein-main.net won the “Good Design Award” in the “Digital Media” 1 1 FRM 01 I 09 The cover shows the Oscar statuette that the Frankfurt-based company Pixomondo won in February 2012 for the visual effects in Scorsese’s film “Hugo”. The statuette is 35 cm high, weighs just short of 4 kilos, and is covered in a coat of 24-carat gold. The value of the materials is a mere 300 dollars – nothing compared with its incomparable value to the company. category at the DDC – Deutscher Designer Club competition on “Good Design 12”. I look forward with you to reading the latest issue of “FRM – The Magazine on the FrankfurtRhineMain Metropolitan Region”. Dr. Hartmut Schwesinger Managing Director of FrankfurtRheinMain International Marketing of the Region GmbH // Content 12 // 1 ThE Oscar facTOry 5 0 ° 6 ‘4 4 . 7 0 “ N 8 ° 4 3 ‘ 7. 3 6 “ E 1 F Object of desire The first Oscar with a key contribution from FRM went to Pixomondo 12 13 20 Excellence Pixomondo was founded in Pfungstadt, it is now the market leader in digital postproduction, has offices in three continents, and since February 2012 has been winner of one of the glorious Oscars. We pay them a visit in Frankfurt by ChRIstIan sälzeR (text), Jonas RateRMann and tIM WegneR/laIF (photos) FRM 01 I 12 // networks 40 The global financial hub foreign banks have representative offices in FRM 150 foreign banks do business in FRM FrankfurtRhineMain plays in the Champions League of the financial world – and advises upcoming financial centers worldwide BY Tim Kanning und marTin gorKa (illusTraTion) 11 29 33 8 17 38 12 26 37 > 22 5 21 34 32 25 2 31 19 4 14 13 36 3 35 18 10 28 9 16 6 Hubertus Väth gets around a lot. Sometimes he is in 20 23 27 15 Istanbul, sometimes in Mumbai, and lately he has been frequently travelling to Moscow frequently. As he did early 39 March when an entire conference was organized on one of the 24 city’s favorite topics: creating a leading international financial center in Russia’s capital. It is also one of Väth’s favorite topics. After all, he is managing director of Frankfurt Main Finance, the and the City of Frankfurt. 30 Frankfurt as a financial hub is a real magnet for banks association set up in 2008 to market the city as a financial center, comprising leading banks, Deutsche Börse, the state of Hessen 7 // From the very start executive committee spokesperson Lutz Raettig put cooperation with Moscow at the top of the agenda. Then at the end of January representatives from the German and 1 Russian economic ministries signed an official agreement. And Väth was not left with a minor role in the conference program, but was the first to present the financial center Frankfurt to the audience of financial professionals in Moscow. 1 Australia: australia and new Zealand Banking group 2 Austria: absolute Portfolio management | denizBank | investkredit Bank | Jung, dms & Cie. | raiffeisen Bank international | raiffeisen interna- In the coming years the Russian government wants to invest 40 billion U.S. dollars in expanding the capital. The area covered by the city is to be more than doubled. Russia’s two leading men Vladimir Putin and Dimitri Medvedev are making the expansion of city into an internationally renowned 20 21 Frm 01 i 12 tional Fund advisory | superfund asset management | VakifBank international | VTB Bank | Western Fédérative du Crédit mutuel | Banque Psa Finance | Banque regionale de l‘ouest | Banque scalbert-dupont | Banque Transatlantique | BnP Paribas Equities France | BnP Paribas | BnP Paribas securities services | Bonnasse lyonnaise de Banque | Crédit agricole Cheuvreux | Crédit agricole Corporate and union international Bank 3 Azerbaijan: The inter- investment Bank deutschland | Crédit industriel de national Bank of azerbaijan republic 4 Belarus: 5 Belgium: Euroclear Bank | The Bank of new York mellon 6 Bermuda: Frankfurter Fondsbank 7 Brazil: Banco do Brasil | Banco itaú l‘ouest | Crédit industriel de normandie | Crédit industriel et Commercial de Paris | Crédit mutuel Belarusbank 8 Canada: maple Bank 9 China: agricultural Bank of China | Bank of China | Bank of Communications | China Construction Bank | industrial and Commercial Bank of China | People‘s Bank of China 10 Egypt: misr Bank 11 Finland: nordea Bank 12 France: attijariwafa Bank | Banque CiC | Banque 16 Iran: Bank sepah-iran 17 Ireland: Bank of ire- land | depfa Bank | Elavon Financial services | merrill lynch international Bank | Wells Fargo Bank international 18 Israel: Bank Hapoalim | Bank leumi le-israel | mizrahi Tefahot Bank 19 Italy: Banca monte dei Paschi di siena | intesa sanpaolo | mediobanca 20 Japan: Honda Bank | mCE Bank | nomura Bank | The Bank of Japan 21 Luxembourg: ippines: asian development Bank 25 Poland: XTrade Brokers dom maklerski 26 Portugal: Banco itaú BBa international | Caixa Económica montepio geral 27 Qatar: doha Bank 28 Republic of Korea: shinhan Bank | The Bank of Korea | The Korea devel- merkez Bankasi | Ziraat Bank international 37 United States: Bank of america | Citibank n.a. in new York | Citigroup global markets | gE Capital Bank | gmaC Bank | goldman sachs | J.P. morgan | JPmorgan Chase Bank | morgan stanley Bank | The investors | Houlihan lokey | iCaP securities | iCiCi Bank | Jefferies international | J.P. morgan international Bank | J.P. morgan securities | Knight Capital Europe | Korea Exchange Bank | legg mason investments | macquarie Capital | mFs international | opment Bank 29 Russian Federation : sberbank | Vnesheconombank | VTB Bank 30 Singapore: FCB Bank of new York mellon 38 United Kingdom: aBC international Bank | aberdeen asset managers | mHB-Bank | morgan stanley Bank | otkritie securities | Pricoa Capital group | Putnam investments | Firmen-Credit Bank 31 Slovenia: lHB internationale Handelsbank 32 Spain: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya aviva investors global services | Bank leumi | Bank of Beirut | Bankhaus main | Barclays Bank | Black- argentaria | Banco Pastor | Banco santander | rock investment management | Close Brothers seydler Bank | Corealcredit Bank | Credit suisse securi- rBs | russell implementation services | russell investments limited | schroder & Co. | shinsei international | standard Chartered Bank | The royal Bank of scotland | Threadneedle Portfolio services | Banque de l‘Economie du Commerce et de la moné- Bgl BnP Paribas | moventum | north Channel Bank | Pictet & Cie | WH selfinvest 22 Netherlands: aBn tique | Exane | gE Corporate Finance Bank | Kepler Capital markets | lyonnaise de Banque | natixis | amro Bank | aBn amro Clearing Bank | Bank sarasin | Bethmann Bank | Coöperatieve Centrale Confederacion Espanola de Cajas de ahorros | nCg Banco | unicaja 33 Sweden: sEB | skandi- newedge group | onVista Bank | société Bordelaise de Crédit industriel et Commerical | société générale 13 Greece: agricultural Bank of greece | First raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank | Credit Europe Bank | FgH Bank | HKB Bank | ing asset management | ing-diBa | Kas Bank | niBC Bank | robeco deut- naviska Enskilda Banken | svenska Handelsbanken 34 Switzerland: Bank Julius Bär | Credit suisse | main- international Bank 14 Hungary: FHB Kereskedelmi Bank | oTP Bank nyrt 15 India: state Bank of india schland | The royal Bank of scotland | Triodos Bank 23 Pakistan: national Bank of Pakistan | 24 Phil- First Bank | sECB swiss Euro Clearing Bank | uBs 35 Tajikistan: orienbank 36 Turkey: akbank | isbank | oyak anker Bank | Türkiye Cumhuriyet ties | Cushman & Wakefield investors | daiwa Capital markets | Europe arab Bank | European Capital Financial services | F&C management | Fil invest- Tullett Prebon | uBs | Wellington management international | Worldspreads | Xchanging Transaction Bank 39 Vietnam: VietinBank ments international | Franklin Templeton investment management | goldman sachs international | greenhill & Co. | gries & Heissel | Henderson global source: deutsche Bundesbank/stand: 31.12.2011 Excellence > The Oscar Factory Networks > The global financial hub Where Hollywood goes for help How Frankfurt drives the world of finance 26 // 42 Excursions frm SeRIeS MAIN-KINzIgKReIS AND HANAu WhErE nEW idEas arE born The Main-Kinzig-Kreis district and Hanau offer many an interesting prospect: for the culture vultures, for recreation-seekers, for lovers of fairytales, for entrepreneurs - and for visionaries BY LuIsE GLasER-Lotz, MaRtIN oRth aNd JoNas RatERMaNN (Photos) 5 0 ° 9 ‘ 2 4 . 0 5“ N 8°50‘34.18“E Dr. Johanna Höhl Managing Director, Kelterei Höhl, Maintal-Hochstadt Hessen is firmly at home high above Hochstadt. Close to the orchards and meadows on a ridge at the edge of the town, in the Konrad Höhl Strasse, there are huge stainless steel tanks: containing fresh apple wine, Hessen’s “national beverage”. Johanna Höhl, who as an member of the 8th-generation of the founding family dynasty, now heads the company, is the uncrowned queen of apple wine. She insists it has to ferment cold, a process that may be more expensive, because it takes longer, but delivers the best aroma. And competing with trend drinks or beer she believes apple wine has a not inconsiderable edge: “It’s healthy and sustainable.” Not that this has prevented her from occasionally floating a new product on the market, such as “Pomp”. A cuvée of Riesling sparkling winde from the Rheingau and Champagne russet apples. www.hoehl-hochstadt.de > On Wednesdays and Saturdays, in the early morning the City of Hanau can be seen from one of its best sides. The market traders spread out their wares for all to see on Marktplatz, at the feet of the national monument to the Brothers Grimm; it’s one of the oldest weekly markets in Germany, and awash in an impressive range of local farm goods: fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants, bread and cake, meat, fish, fowl and sausages. And almost all of it grown nearby. That said, Hanau is actually an industrial city and above all the key center of Hessen’s most populous district, the Main-Kinzig-Kreis. The area sized just under 1,400 square kilometers between the orchards and meadows of the Main valley in the southwest and the Sinn Valley to the east is home to a good 407,000 people. There’s an invisible dividing line somewhere in the middle, roughly level with Geln hausen, founded by Kaiser Friedrich I. It separates the densely populated 26 27 FRM 01 I 12 // Events August Lucas Niccolo, approx. 1830 © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, photo: Wolfgang Fuhrmannek ThaT RomanTic WoRld The complex image of an epoch: With its major “The Romantic Impulse. The Romanticism of the Rhine and Main” program, Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain is tracing the steps of Romanticism throughout the region – an exciting high-brow tour Max Beckmann Etching for Clemens Brentano’s fairytale on “Fanferlieschen Schönefüßchen”, 1923 BY claudia Schülke © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift Carl Philipp Fohr Götz von Berlichingen rides to the gypsy camp, approx. 1816 © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, photo: Wolfgang Fuhrmannek Christian Rohlfs Heyday of Romantic book illustrations Title engraving for Clemens Brentano’s book of fairytales “Gockel, Hinkel and Gakeleia”, published in Frankfurt, 1838 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift Frog princess, 1913 © Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Oldenburg, photo: R. Wacker 42 43 FRM 01 I 12 Excursions > Main-Kinzig-Kreis and Hanau vents > E The Romantic Impulse Where new ideas arise How an epoch has shaped a region 03 Editorial 05 New in FRM / News from FRM 06 People in FRM > David Adjaye > Susanne Schödel > Rainer Forst 12 Excellence > The Oscar Factory LIMBURG 20 Networks Friedrichsdorf BAD HOMBURG > FRM the financial hub Kronberg EschBorn 26 Excursions 34 FRM News 35 FRM Pocket-Guide 36 FRM Interview > With Siemens manager Dr. Michael > The Romantic Impulse 52 Discoveries > Main ferries 58 Preview Imprint 4 5 FRM 01 I 12 Hanau OFFENBACH Wiesbaden Seligenstadt MAINZ ASCHAFFENBURG DARMSTADT Kassner on the Green City 42 Events Maintal FRANKFURT > FRM series: Main-Kinzig-Kreis and Hanau Steinau a.d. StraSSe Friedberg Pfungstadt New in FRM picture alliance / dpa Patrick Burghardt Lord Mayor F.A.Z.-Foto / Lucas Wahl // Eva Wunsch-Weber CEO Eva Wunsch-Weber has been CEO of Frankfurter Volksbank January 1, 2012. Making the 31-year-old Conservative the since April 2012. A graduate in commerce, she trained at youngest lord mayor in the State of Hessen. He wants to Deutsche Bank, and is now taking the helm at Germany’s expand the city that is home to Opel into a R&D center. most profitable and second-largest Volksbank (after Berlin). Jonas Ratermann Stephan Pauly DIRECTOR Andreas Arnold Patrick Burghardt has been Lord Mayor of Rüsselsheim since Matthias Wagner K Museum DIRECTOR Stephan Pauly has been Managing Director and Artistic Matthias Wagner K took charge of Frankfurt’s Museum für Director of Alte Oper in Frankfurt since March 1, 2012. The Angewandte Kunst on March 1, 2012. Hitherto active as a musician and former management consultant brings a lot freelance curator, Wagner K intends to transform the museum of talents to the job. into a European beacon. // News from FRM ADC summit and Effie awards ceremony “Ideas are the money of tomorrow. Creative minds are the harbingers of a new economy.” When the creative directors hit town, the talk is all about the future, dialogs, and contacts. And that was the case in mid-May at the third ADC Festival of the Art Directors Club für Deutschland (ADC) in Frankfurt, where the sector engaged with the business world. Highlights of the congress, with keynote speeches by Amir Kassaei (DDB Worldwide) and Lo Breier (Axel Springer), was the award of the cherished ADC Pins in gold, silver and bronze. The ADC Festival is the largest ad-industry meet in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and this year attracted more than 10,000 visitors. In the run-up to the event, it was announced that for the first time the “Effie” prize bestowed by Gesamtverband der Kommunikationsagenturen (GWA) will be awarded in October 2012 in Frankfurt. The “Effie” is considered the most coveted adindustry prize and is awarded for communications concepts sales figures. In other words, Frankfurt will become home to the most important German advertising prize. ADC that demonstrably help boost awareness of a product and its “Ideas are the money of tomorrow,” the campaign for the ADC summit was created by Berlin-based designer Raban Ruddigkeit. // People in FRM Culture on campus: 2,000 artists, dancers and actors will eventually work and study at the various cultural institutions He plays Tetris with the volumes David Adjaye Culture and living: The London-based architect is planning one huge flat-share for the Frankfurt Culture Campus – boasting flexible and open structures 1 Architect David Adjaye, the preferred choice of the London art scene, has designed an academy 5 0 ° 7 ' 7. 0 0 " N 8°39'11.58"E in Moscow, museums in Washington and a center in Oslo. And now he’s put some thought into Frankfurt. On behalf of Forum Kulturcampus he has developed a master plan for the ongoing use of the former university grounds between Bockenheim and Westend. The result: a “completely F1 new typology for architecture”. Nine Frankfurt cultural, teaching and research institutions are to be located on the 16.5-hectare large complex, along with apartments, as the site belongs to the municipal housing association. Thus, the nine (Ensemble Modern, Academy of Music and the Performing Arts, The Forsythe Company, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Frankfurt Lab, Hessische Theaterakademie, Hindemith Institut, Senckenberg Society For the Natural Sciences, Institute of Social Research) commissioned an architect whose creed it is to make certain “public space is as vibrant as possible.” His plan envisages the buildings of the individual institutes being aligned to one another such that at their heart a spacious plaza arises with glazed rehearsal rooms, studios and cafés across which the inhabitants cross day in day out. “Adjaye plays Tetris the respective establishments,” commented Süddeutsche Zeitung. The sense of permeability and openness is destined to foster collaboration and create synergies, in short to combine what is already there – and not least enhance transparency. Famed international choreographer William Forsythe welcomed the idea, as what he wanted to see was a place “where my work is not just visible to me, but to others, too.” Meaning on the former university campus, everything will essentially culminate in one large flat-share. 6 7 FRM 01 I 12 www.kulturcampusfrankfurt.de Adjaye Associates, Text: Martin Orth with the institutes, shifts and combines the volumes without ever dissolving the boundaries of Linda Nylind People in FRM Jonas Ratermann // 8 8 FRM 01 I 12 Susanne Schödel Talent and commitment: The Frankfurt world gliding champion’s main job is supporting patients with breast cancer Susanne Schödel loves bright blue and pink. She raves about bright blue, as the 39-year-old feels it’s so summery and light, with a few little clouds speckled here and there. “Cumulus clouds spell good thermals,” she says. And for her it’s critical that the meteorological data is right – without precise planning and a sense of technology and the weather she’d never have emerged as one of the world’s best gliders. In January 2012 Susanne Schödel returned from Namibia – with three world records under her belt. In 2010 she won the Women’s World Championship in Sweden and qualified for the 32nd Worlds in the FAI classes (a preserve of the men, with 45 men starting in each class, and max. 1-2 women) in the summer of 2012 in Uvalde/Texas. That said, Schödel, who lives in Frankfurt’s Niederrad district, and flies out of Langenselbold airfield, as gliding is banned in the vicinity of the RhineMain airport, has to keep her sport and her profession in line. And pink is her absolutely favorite color. Susanne Schödel, originally a political science graduate, is Managing Director of Susan G. Komen Deutschland e.V., whose symbol is a pink ribbon – it’s the breast cancer help organization that was first founded in the United States. In her office close to the Frankfurt University Teaching Hospital the eye-catchers are 1 50° 5'32.53"N 8°39'1.89"E the pink merchandising products. Susanne Schödel is constantly dreaming up new charity events for Komen – the “Race for the Cure” is now an established classic, and takes place in several cities around the world. She also raises money by bike races, and has of late also relied on the new trend sport, “Zumba”. Komen has distributed around 20,000 pink information bags to patients. By means of events, brochures, and hand-outs Komen sets out to encourage breast cancer patients not to lose hope. Schödel is brimming over with ideas on how to raise money and spread the message. In fact, her office is decorated among other things by a photo of the box in which she tows her glider, which boasts a Jonas Ratermann, KOMEN e. V., Text: Bettina Behler pink ribbon. “I want to do practical work, and change things,” she comments. www.komen.de I want to change things Up above and down on earth: Susanne Schödel breaks the records in her glider. And she organizes the “Race for the Cure” on behalf of women with breast cancer F1 // People in FRM Rainer Forst Theory and practice: The Frankfurt philosopher, who has won the Leibniz Prize, redefines core concepts and intervenes in the political discourse Hungarian philosopher Georg Lukács once described the “Frankfurt School” thinkers as living in the “Grand Hotel Abyss”, from the terrace of which they looked out over the world’s misery while sipping 1 50° 7'0.04"N 8 ° 3 9 ' 7. 9 2 " E their aperitifs. That certainly does not apply to philosopher Rainer Forst. Firmly in the footsteps of Horkheimer, Adorno and Habermas, he has established a quite unique form of political philosophy at Frankfurt’s Goethe University. And if today concepts such as justice, tolerance, freedom and democracy get discussed in the political domain, then reference is often made to his trailblazing work. And F1 he has just received the most prestigious international prize (with the most prize money), the Leibniz Prize bestowed by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for it. The jury stated that “in an original way, and well thought through, Forst has formulated the insight that man is always embedded in different “practices of justification” that “in the final instance ensures that all actions have to be legitimated by the intrinsic logics of morality, right and other discourses. Our practical reason is thus nothing other than the ability to discern these logics and accord them recognition.” Born in 1964 in Wiesbaden, Forst is considered world-wide as the most important German philosopher “under 50”. “Spiegel” magazine has called him the most interesting intellectual alive today. Forst’s focus was international from an early date. He studied in Frankfurt, New York and Harvard University and was research assistant and visiting professor in Berlin, Frankfurt and New York, before in 2004 being appointed Professor of Political Theory and Philosophy in Frankfurt. For Forst, the Leibniz Prize completes the circle of his scholarly work. For it was Jürgen Habermas who was the first Frankfurt scholar to win the prize. Back then, Habermas used the prize money to set up the Theory of Right Working Party, and welcomed Forst on board. But the entrance to the “Grand Hotel” did not lead him out onto the terrace . . . www.gesellschaftswissenschaften.uni-frankfurt.de Philosophy must stimulate discussion A real honor: Leibniz Prize for 10 11 FRM 01 I 12 DFG /David Ausserhofer, picture-alliance, Text: Martin Orth Habermas student Rainer Forst – also a sign of the quality of the humanities at Frankfurt University laif // 1 Excellence 5 0 ° 6 ‘4 4 . 7 0 “ N 8 ° 4 3 ‘ 7. 3 6 “ E 1 F Object of desire The first Oscar with a key contribution from FRM went to Pixomondo 12 13 FRM 01 I 12 The Oscar factory Pixomondo was founded in Pfungstadt, it is now the market leader in digital postproduction, has offices in three continents, and since February 2012 has been winner of one of the glorious Oscars. We pay them a visit in Frankfurt by Christian Sälzer (text), Jonas Ratermann and Tim Wegner/Laif (photos) // Excellence The “Frankfurt team” Pixomondo Frankfurt MD, Sabrina Gerhard with Visual Effects Adviser Sven Martin The “Lighting man” Irfan Celik is something like the Lord of Light. But the light he deploys is generated onscreen Success movie “Hugo” In 854 shots, Pixomondo presented visual effects for Martin Scorsese’s multi-Oscar-winning “Hugo” 14 15 FRM 01 I 12 “MD Germany” What Christian Vogt likes about Frankfurt is not least the outstanding infrastructure catering to postproduction The “Composer” Miguel Diaz Cachero gives a piece its finishing touches by combining all the different levels // Excellence The “IT Engineer” Tolga Yakir makes certain the data are secure and that the IT’s always running The “Rigger” The “Animator” Florian Friedmann skillfully ensures the models have joints so that they can be moved Chris Stenner is specialized in mimic effects. For “Hugo” every single movement was recreated onscreen 16 17 FRM 01 I 12 > Can this be true? Is it possible that the golden trophy which anyone who’s anyone in the film business worldwide just yearns to have and Pixomondo recently won, is sim- ply left in a display case in the entrance to the company’s Frankfurt office? The “Oscar” as a neighbor for a football table, a kitchenette and a shelf with merchandising products? The answer will have to wait, as MD and Pixomondo Germany CEO Christian Vogt is already waiting in the meeting room. In a hoody and sneakers, he talks about the company and the digital effects production industry. He first shows us a compilation of homegrown works, whereby the boundary between reality and simulation becomes completely blurred: cars racing through the night, a dirigible explodes in a gigantic ball of fire, chocolate sauce runs onto a pudding, a snowman stands alone in the countryside, an airplane floats over the clouds before the rising sun. You simply cannot discern which parts of it are film footage and which are simply reality generated onscreen. Unlike special effects, such as a real explosion on-set, visual effects are exclusively created dig- itally during postproduction. Here a sky is rendered more radiant, there newly-made elements incorporated into a scene; and on occasion an entire film is made on screen. These simulated realities are ubiquitous anyway. “Be it industrial films, commercials or action films, people like us are at work almost everywhere,” explains Vogt. And ever more frequently there’s a Pixomondo computer involved. Just short of 700 employees are busy in 12 different offices on three continents producing digital realities. And Pixomondo was welcomed into the club of the greats when in February 2012 the company won the Oscar for its contribution to Martin Scorsese’s 3D film “Hugo”. Pixomondo effects can be seen in 62 minutes of the film (just under two hours) and in 854 shots, a large part of the Paris railway station from the 1930s was computer-generated, as were the snowflakes, most of the people thronging on the railroad platforms, the mechanical windup doll and the clockwork of the station clock, in other words about half the film. And because it all is so convincing, the door is wide open for the company to shoulder new projects of this kind. But first things first. The Pixomondo story began like many other success stories in the digital world; in a garage. Not one in Silicon Valley, but in Pfungstadt south of Frankfurt, and it belonged to Thilo Kuther’s parents. He founded Pixomondo there in 2001 and provided ad clients with his first computer-generated images (CGIs); from today’s viewpoint trifles, such as a speaking toothbrush. And then, when the company was less than three years old, along came Porsche and had an elaborate industry film made. Pixomondo had landed its first “big fish”, and others were to follow. Industry and ad-world jobs are the company’s bread and butter. But prestige is something you get from working with the smaller-ticket film and TV industry, with its ups and downs. Pixomondo got a foot in the door there with its effort for the movie “The Red Baron”. Critics trashed the film, but its visual effects were masterful. “Thankfully, they differentiated in this regard,” comments Vogt. And thus it was that the big Hollywood players such as Roland Emmerich, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas came knocking at the Pixomondo door. With the job for “Hugo”, Pixomondo moved into the top league: for the first time, the company was not just one of several effects providers for a contract on this scale, but was the lead house in charge of the whole process. Pixomondo has grown with the jobs. In 2005, the firm relocated from Pfungstadt to Frankfurt’s Ostend district. At the time, it was mainly a matter of image. “We didn’t just want to be country bumpkins who toyed around with 3D,” Vogt says. Looking back, the relocation was also invaluable in terms of technology. Because what the company needs at its offices is, Vogt comments, “power and the Internet”. In order to highlight the requirements: just the rendering of the initial sequence for “Hugo”, which was completely computer generated and features a minute panning across the wintry sky into the innards of the railroad station, meant an electricity bill of 28,000 euros. As regards the data transmission capacities, there could be no better home for Pixomondo // Excellence The “Modeler” – Sean Raffel uses a graphics tablet PC to model a foot – the anatomy’s perfect than in the building where it has rented offices in Frankfurt’s eastern harbor. After all, the cellar of the old merchant building houses the DE-CIX, the world’s largest commercial Internet node. It enables massive amounts of data to be moved back and forth, stably and speedily – for “Hugo”, for example, it was more than three Petabyte, or three million Gigabytes. Such data volumes are necessary because as part of its expansion Pixomondo has spread out across the globe. In Germany, the company now has offices in five big cities. The bureaus in Hamburg, Munich and Shanghai handle local ad accounts; in Toronto, London, Beijing and Los Angeles there are film production hubs; in Burbank on the northern edge of LA, Pixomondo creates TV series. And the firm’s global presence has additional advantages: several offices tend to work on each project simultaneously – eight offices took part in “Hugo”, for example. The tasks are split up among the offices, time pressures offset by transcontinental collaboration. And thanks to the time differences, work can be done on one particular job 24 hours a day. When people down tools in the evening in Frankfurt, their colleagues in Los Angeles take over. A decentralized global network that works round the clock: “Only we work this way,” suggests Vogt with a touch of pride. The whole thing is held together by a homegrown database. It structures responsibilities, 18 19 FRM 01 I 12 Pixomondo uses a decentralized global network // FRM: The post production center Back in the late 1980s, the first postproduction company was founded in Frankfurt: Bildwerk. Since then, FrankfurtRhineMain has evolved into a recognized international postproduction hub and a European center for digital image processing and visual effects. The Chamber of Commerce reports that in spring 2011 there were 269 f ilm-industry corporations operating in Frankfurt alone. Countless companies specialize in finishing and enhancing a film that has been shot: from editing, via toning of the footage and the insertion of visual effects and titles through to sound processing. The companies are by no means simply the extended arm of the ad and film industries and increasingly work directly with clients from industry, trade and TV. The reasons for the sector’s success in FrankfurtRhineMain: the strong regional market, the proximity to ad agencies, the central location, and the film production and distribution companies operating here. In addition to Pixomondo, for example the following companies are active in postproduction and visual effects: Acht Frankfurt, Das Werk Frankfurt, Fiftyeight, seed.digital.vision, metricminds, Firsteight, tvt.film + vfx und Magna Mana. keeps staff members worldwide abreast of developments, and aesthetically aligns the respective effects to one another. Within this global cooperation, each hub has a focal theme. Berlin is home to the specialists for all kinds of destruction visuals. In Frankfurt, they create environments and breathe life into characters, be they monsters, mice or men. So how does that work: How do you create a fire-breathing dragon or a photo-realistic elephant? A tour of the effects factory. In an open-plan office, it’s one screen next to the other. And a lmost exclusively young men in their mid-20s sitting in front of them. By contrast, Sven Martin has a room of his own. He’s the Visual Effects Supervisor and has been at the company for quite a while now. Plastic figures on the shelf next to his desk show which characters he most loves working on: There’s Yoda from “Star Wars” and an alien from the same movie. To demonstrate how you generate an object digitally, for example one of the cogwheels from “Hugo”, he starts moving a mouse. “We work in 3D from the outset. We don’t draw objects, no, we model them. A bit like toying around with papier-mâché,” he explains. On his screen a 3D model of a green sphere appears, each dot on its surface can be moved and the sphere thus molded at will. Of course, the software also lets you start with other geometrical shapes, too. Martin selects a cylinder, squeezes it, swivels it to the desired point, marks and shifts polygons, and Hey Presto a cogwheel arises. A few more clicks and he’s “wallpapered” it with a picture. He now defines the surface texture, smooth, rough, or something else? He adds a spotlight to illuminate the object and thus create shadows. And then specifies at what speed the cogwheel should turn and move from Point A to Point B. He finishes up by defining the camera position – and then the film sequence starts in which the cogwheel rolls from here to there. All done in less than three m inutes. In trade talk, Martin showed us the following processing steps: modeling, animation, shader writing, texturing, lighting and rendering. During the next step, composing, the 3D elements this generates are then interfused with shot film footage such that they blend to form a realistic image down to the smallest detail. And for all of this you need not only to know the software inside out, but to have an aesthetic feel and a passion for the details. What exactly did the interior of a Parisian railroad station look like back then? How did the smoke rise, how did cogwheels in a clock turn? Where do you need a cut, and where should the camera be positioned? In the final instance, effect artists are also props men, designers, researchers, architects, lighting directors, cameramen and directors rolled into one. Back to MD Christian Vogt. So that leaves the question: Is the Oscar in the display case in the lobby the real thing? Vogt laughs and shakes his head. The real statue duly stands in a vitrine at Pixomondo in Los Angeles, the office that landed the job. The one in Frankfurt is older, and made of plastic. A glance at the little sign attached to its base when we leave shows what it was awarded for: it was the winning trophy in the Pixomondo table football tournament. \\ // Networks The global financial hub FrankfurtRhineMain plays in the Champions League of the financial world – and advises upcoming financial centers worldwide BY Tim Kanning und Martin Gorka (Illustration) 8 37 > 6 Hubertus Väth gets around a lot. Sometimes he is in Istanbul, sometimes in Mumbai, and lately he has been frequently travelling to Moscow frequently. As he did early March when an entire conference was organized on one of the city’s favorite topics: creating a leading international financial center in Russia’s capital. It is also one of Väth’s favorite topics. After all, he is managing director of Frankfurt Main Finance, the association set up in 2008 to market the city as a financial center, comprising leading banks, Deutsche Börse, the state of Hessen and the City of Frankfurt. 7 From the very start executive committee spokesperson Lutz Raettig put cooperation with Moscow at the top of the agenda. Then at the end of January representatives from the German and Russian economic ministries signed an official agreement. And Väth was not left with a minor role in the conference program, but was the first to present the financial center Frankfurt to the audience of financial professionals in Moscow. In the coming years the Russian government wants to invest 40 billion U.S. dollars in expanding the capital. The area covered by the city is to be more than doubled. Russia’s two leading men Vladimir Putin and Dimitri Medvedev are making the expansion of city into an internationally renowned 20 21 FRM 01 I 12 1 Australia: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group 2 Austria: Absolute Portfolio Management | DenizBank | Investkredit Bank | Jung, DMS & Cie. | Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel | Banque PSA Finance | Banque Regionale de l‘Ouest | Banque Scalbert-Du- Raiffeisen Bank International | Raiffeisen International Fund Advisory | Superfund Asset Manage- pont | Banque Transatlantique | BNP Paribas Equities France | BNP Paribas | BNP Paribas Securities Services | Bonnasse Lyonnaise de Banque | Crédit ment | VakifBank International | VTB Bank | Western Union International Bank 3 Azerbaijan: The Inter- Agricole Cheuvreux | Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank Deutschland | Crédit Industriel de national Bank of Azerbaijan Republic 4 Belarus: 5 Belgium: Euroclear Bank | The Bank of New York Mellon 6 Bermuda: Frankfurter l‘Ouest | Crédit Industriel de Normandie | Crédit Industriel et Commercial de Paris | Crédit Mutuel Belarusbank Fondsbank 7 Brazil: Banco do Brasil | Banco Itaú 8 Canada: Maple Bank 9 China: Agricultural Bank of China | Bank of China | Bank of Communications | China Construction Bank | Industrial and Commercial Bank of China | People‘s Bank of China 10 Egypt: Misr Bank 11 Finland: Nordea Bank 12 France: Attijariwafa Bank | Banque CIC | Banque Banque de l‘Economie du Commerce et de la Monétique | Exane | GE Corporate Finance Bank | Kepler Capital Markets | Lyonnaise de Banque | Natixis | Newedge Group | OnVista Bank | Société Bordelaise de Crédit Industriel et Commerical | Société Générale 13 Greece: Agricultural Bank of Greece | First International Bank 14 Hungary: FHB Kereskedelmi Bank | OTP Bank Nyrt 15 India: State Bank of India 40 foreign banks have representative offices in FRM 150 foreign banks do business in FRM 11 29 33 17 26 38 32 22 5 21 12 34 25 2 31 19 4 14 13 36 3 35 18 10 28 9 16 20 23 27 15 39 Frankfurt as a financial hub is a real magnet for banks 24 30 // 16 Iran: Bank Sepah-Iran 17 Ireland: Bank of Ire- land | Depfa Bank | Elavon Financial Services | Merrill Lynch International Bank | Wells Fargo Bank International 18 Israel: Bank Hapoalim | Bank Leumi le-Israel | Mizrahi Tefahot Bank 19 Italy: Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena | Intesa Sanpaolo | Mediobanca 20 Japan: Honda Bank | MCE Bank | Nomura Bank | The Bank of Japan 21 Luxembourg: BGL BNP Paribas | Moventum | North Channel Bank | Pictet & Cie | WH Selfinvest 22 Netherlands: ABN AMRO Bank | ABN AMRO Clearing Bank | Bank Sarasin | Bethmann Bank | Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank | Credit Europe Bank | FGH Bank | HKB Bank | ING Asset Management | ING-DiBa | KAS Bank | NIBC Bank | Robeco Deutschland | The Royal Bank of Scotland | Triodos Bank 23 Pakistan: National Bank of Pakistan | 24 Phil- 1 ippines: Asian Development Bank 25 Poland: XTrade Brokers Dom Maklerski 26 Portugal: Banco Merkez Bankasi | Ziraat Bank International 37 United States: Bank of America | Citibank N.A. Itaú BBA International | Caixa Económica Montepio Geral 27 Qatar: Doha Bank 28 Republic of Korea: in New York | Citigroup Global Markets | GE Capital Bank | GMAC Bank | Goldman Sachs | J.P. Morgan | Shinhan Bank | The Bank of Korea | The Korea Development Bank 29 Russian Federation : Sberbank | JPMorgan Chase Bank | Morgan Stanley Bank | The Bank of New York Mellon 38 United Kingdom: ABC Vnesheconombank | VTB Bank 30 Singapore: FCB Firmen-Credit Bank 31 Slovenia: LHB Internation- International Bank | Aberdeen Asset Managers | Aviva Investors Global Services | Bank Leumi | Bank ale Handelsbank 32 Spain: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria | Banco Pastor | Banco Santander | Confederacion Espanola de Cajas de Ahorros | of Beirut | Bankhaus Main | Barclays Bank | BlackRock Investment Management | Close Brothers Sey- NCG Banco | Unicaja 33 Sweden: SEB | Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken | Svenska Handelsbanken 34 Switzerland: Bank Julius Bär | Credit Suisse | MainFirst Bank | SECB Swiss Euro Clearing Bank | UBS 35 Tajikistan: Orienbank 36 Turkey: Akbank | Isbank | Oyak Anker Bank | Türkiye Cumhuriyet Investors | Houlihan Lokey | ICAP Securities | ICICI Bank | Jefferies International | J.P. Morgan International Bank | J.P. Morgan Securities | Knight Capital Europe | Korea Exchange Bank | Legg Mason Investments | Macquarie Capital | MFS International | MHB-Bank | Morgan Stanley Bank | Otkritie Securities | Pricoa Capital Group | Putnam Investments | RBS | Russell Implementation Services | Russell Investments Limited | Schroder & Co. | Shinsei International | Standard Chartered Bank | The Royal dler Bank | Corealcredit Bank | Credit Suisse Securities | Cushman & Wakefield Investors | Daiwa Capital Bank of Scotland | Threadneedle Portfolio Services | Tullett Prebon | UBS | Wellington Management In- Markets | Europe Arab Bank | European Capital Financial Services | F&C Management | FIL Invest- ternational | WorldSpreads | Xchanging Transaction Bank 39 Vietnam: VietinBank ments International | Franklin Templeton Investment Management | Goldman Sachs International | Greenhill & Co. | Gries & Heissel | Henderson Global Source: Deutsche Bundesbank/Stand: 31.12.2011 // Networks financial center a top-level matter. And when in the coming years the big money starts rolling in, Frankfurt and Hessen want to be in on the act. The cooperation agreement is designed to help this happen. Among other things the partners want to make the Russian capital market more transparent and calculable, exchange ideas for better living and working conditions in Moscow and identify key infrastructural factors. A financial center index is also planned as a means of promotion. The state of Hessen will post the major projects related to Moscow’s expansion on its central tender platform so that local firms can bid for them. In order to make the financial center Moscow more interesting for Institutions, research and the media form a strong cluster // foreign investors it is above all the image of the Russian financial system that needs to be improved. Frankfurt’s uni versities, regulatory authorities and the Frankfurter Institut für Risikomanagement und Regulierung (Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation) are to assist in implementing corporate governance. Väth says considerable progress has already been made on creating the respective legislation. Now it merely remained to implement these measures and supervise their observance. But that kind of thing takes time, “it is more a question of years than months”. Deutsche Börse AG The association is not aiming to initiate specific business. “We cannot pave the way for contracts, the mission of Frankfurt Main Finance is to open markets to Frankfurt companies,” says Väth. This could also result in interesting connections for universities – not only in Moscow, but also in Istanbul, Mumbai or Tianjin (China). For instance at the end of March the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute signed an agreement to develop joint study units Germany and India. This could ultimately lead to Indian specialists wanting to start their careers in Frankfurt. Internationality is key to Frankfurt as a banking center. Of W iesb a d e n the 215 banks that the Bundesbank lists in the financial city, EBS European Business School RH IN E 22 23 FRM 01 I 12 73,000 people work in banks and financial institutions in Frankfurt Finanzagentur der Bundesrepublik Deutschland F r a n k f u r t Federal Financial Supervisory Authority 170 German Bundesbank House of Finance researchers study the world of finance in Goethe University’s House of Finance Institut für bankhistorische Forschung Chamber of Commerce and Industry Deutsches Aktieninstitut Deutsche Vereinigung für Finanzanalyse und Asset Management Börsenzeitung European Central Bank European Systemic Risk Board German CFA Society Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Frankfurt Institute for Risk Management and Regulation European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority in a M // Networks Deutsche Börse is a member of the pre- mier league along- side New York, London and Tokyo 75 // foreign corporations went public in Frankfurt namtd. Vietolding L IsRael . 0 Ltd e 3 0 0 Ltd . s td m L e y ys t g cS lo Te no H ih d c a Or Te n si o Vi d e nc va on Electr ics Lin ol H FRM 01 I 12 iz C W ic ations AG Commun Highlight tmc Content Group AG API Inve st & Fina iQ Po nz AG Op wer AG B io e nlim it H BB pe old C o B t ro ing AG r p i o te l I n d us or c tr i at h A es G e A Eq G ui ty Pa rt ne rs AG la nds Nether 4 4 nd la 8 7 7 Italy F Fiaiat S. t S p. A . S .p t .A .V z ti e ak ar Sp .A. A. S.p p. S. ing at old Fi R H U Ad 24 25 o Ho r P ldi LC ng s hn m ct Te c tn a du 3 om Vie on rix 4 1 1 ic dP . AB m td utic al old an ie rmace Ro ss ii O ing AO Ltd C.A .T. oil AG . pH Se sL gle O Pha asmia ou nk Gr g og Ea 1 Swede n Gr ba ms PLC UK) PLC eti ( lin er rB Ai o- adaLtd. Can Mines nic IB S er Russia Ag Sb llia lo s Vas Wi ia Great Britain D . .V. N.V nal N atio rac ar t n Intern m S lepla .V. Te urope N Lycos E Catalis SE European Aeronaut ad p ic Defenc e and Spac Q ia e p p e r m edia e Compa ge n ny Inter N.V natio . nal N .V. The key DAX index covers the 30 largest German blue chips // Ourg xemb .A . Lu we r S 3 W Po Logwin AG Orco Germ any S. A. Elite Wor G ex ag fah ld S.A . c Eu e S ro e t G . A . p e ro an up SE Cl ea nT ec h IS E itzer Sw Chin a CB A s F Chin aB M ia n io -F J o a dis B a m er t bo i l i ze K i yo o n oA r AG ng u A Pr G op he G e r ro ty A AG G Frankfurt advises Moscow, Mumbai and Istanbul // 16 F m aba az e s s o u t i of t f t w ka AG C- Q u are AG V e adra t Inv rbund AG e s tm ent AAG G ar te Ph da ia no Sa up em I ch BD 9 . d C orp -Midlan Daniels ArcherCaterpillar Inc. Dow Chemica l Corp. E.I. D u Po n t d MyP e Nem h o Id ours & to A lbum C o. P e n ti In c. Ro a r a m v e G r fin ou oup In c n -S . in t G o ar l Te d & S ch ilv er no Co lo rp gi . es In c. . c. nc In tI rs en to m ge ac sF a na es M cc n e Su or tu F G nk AAG oba Aut max haf tG n sc A a Q u s e ll al e ion t ng ti e r n a k e A t t n u I a l y P rg ne oE i -B sA G yA log no t l h G A cia Tec r G x y pe rA e r a S owe n ape G n i E h G nP d P ic A e e e gy A C nit on Gr nolo U tras e n g e ch Ul ubish eless T Yo n Wir AG Vtio rland AG nolog y Powe e Waste Tech nts Ltd. Zh o n gD cision Compone Greater China Pre Classic Dream Properties Ltd. Euro Asia Pr emier Real Estate Com pany Ltd as USA 10 AUstRIA G l yG 150 have foreign parent companies. It is with a certain pride that several years ago; while in China it cooperates with the impor- Väth points out that there are even three more than before the tant trading center Tianjin. crisis in 2006. Frankfurt also boasts 40 representative offices of foreign banks. The international office authorized to offer advice Frankfurt Main Finance has entered into closer cooperation with is to enhance Frankfurt’s image in the finance world and pro- all these cities. According to Väth colleagues in Istanbul have al- mote competent newcomers still further. ready sent a multi-year plan to Frankfurt in which they explain how they envisage the creation of an international financial With their headquarters in nearby Eschborn, Deutsche Börse is center on the Bosphorus. Now thoughts are being made on the also an important driver of international cooperation. After all, Main as to how help can be provided. But by cooperating with its trading platforms and other technologies can easily be ex- them in this way is Frankfurt not strengthening the internation- ported to other financial centers. In November, for example, the al financial centers it competes with? Only up to a certain point Frankfurt Stock Exchange agreed to cooperate closely with Is- argues Väth. Given the expanding economies in their countries tanbul Stock Exchange. They plan to jointly develop share indices these financial centers would seek to expand anyhow, and that such as the DAX, and to help each other with marketing. Deut- being so it is better to be involved in achieving the goals and sche Börse also bought a stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange share in the success.” \\ // Excursions frm Series Main-KinzigKreis And Hanau 5 0 ° 9 ‘ 2 4 . 0 5“ N 8°50‘34.18“E Dr. Johanna Höhl Managing Director, Kelterei Höhl, Maintal-Hochstadt Hessen is firmly at home high above Hochstadt. Close to the orchards and meadows on a ridge at the edge of the town, in the Konrad Höhl Strasse, there are huge stainless steel tanks: containing fresh apple wine, Hessen’s “national beverage”. Johanna Höhl, who as an member of the 8th-generation of the founding family dynasty, now heads the company, is the uncrowned queen of apple wine. She insists it has to ferment cold, a process that may be more expensive, because it takes longer, but delivers the best aroma. And competing with trend drinks or beer she believes apple wine has a not inconsiderable edge: “It’s healthy and sustainable.” Not that this has prevented her from occasionally floating a new product on the market, such as “Pomp”. A cuvée of Riesling spark ling winde from the Rheingau and Champagne russet apples. www.hoehl-hochstadt.de 26 27 FRM 01 I 12 Where new ideas are born The Main-Kinzig-Kreis district and Hanau offer many an interesting prospect: for the culture vultures, for recreation-seekers, for lovers of fairytales, for entrepreneurs - and for visionaries BY Luise Glaser-Lotz, Martin Orth And Jonas Ratermann (Photos) > On Wednesdays and Saturdays, in the early morning the City of Hanau can be seen from one of its best sides. The market traders spread out their wares for all to see on Marktplatz, at the feet of the national monument to the Brothers Grimm; it’s one of the oldest weekly markets in Germany, and awash in an impressive range of local farm goods: fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants, bread and cake, meat, fish, fowl and sausages. And almost all of it grown nearby. That said, Hanau is actually an industrial city and above all the key center of Hessen’s most populous district, the Main-Kinzig-Kreis. The area sized just under 1,400 square kilometers between the orchards and meadows of the Main valley in the southwest and the Sinn Valley to the east is home to a good 407,000 people. There’s an invisible dividing line somewhere in the middle, roughly level with Gelnhausen, founded by Kaiser Friedrich I. It separates the densely populated // Excursions area around the cities of Hanau and Maintal (together they form an up-and-coming part of the FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region), from the second, economically weaker East, with its marvelous countryside, a real magnet for those in neighboring Bavaria, Frankfurt, and the region round Fulda who seek rest and recreation. The two spa towns of Bad Orb and Bad Soden-Salmünster with all their healthcare facilities and thermal baths are an inviting destination for a daytrip just as are the foothills of the Vogelsberg nr. Brachttal and Birstein or the Bergwinkel villages on the edge of the Spessart hills. The Main-Kinzig-Kreis district arose as a result of the county boundary reforms of 1974, when the former counties of Hanau, Gelnhausen and Schlüchtern were merged to form it. Yet it has still not become a real unit, although the tension bet ween the district as a whole and Hanau has eased since the administrative offices were relocated from Hanau to Gelnhausen in 2005. However the idea of separating Hanau from the district entirely is forever resurfacing. As one of seven cities with a special status in the State of Hessen, it is therefore itself responsible for areas such as schooling or hospitals. At times, the city seeks complete independence. However, the population of around 92,600 does not suffice to qualify Hanau as a city independent of a district. Things could soon change in the former city where the Counts of Hanau held court, as the city is busy making up for past mistakes and exploiting new opportunities. Recently, for example, major modernization work started on downtown Hanau. The focus of attention is the central Freiheitsplatz, which in the post-War decades served as a carpark and bus terminus, and its urban design potential thus went unheeded. For decades, all the planning to upgrade it came to nothing, until Hanau resolved to be the first city in Germany to make use of a new procedure, namely that of “Competition Dialog”; here, the town hall and the investors work together in dialog from the first draft plans through realization to the later use of the real estate. The joint project initially covered the entire downtown area with an axis of five plazas. Essentially, the investor is now concentrating on erecting a shopping mall on Freiheitsplatz with an integrated media center. Indeed, the “Competition Dialog” has provided the key spark starting the rejuvenation of downtown Hanau. Now the construction machinery rules the roost on Freiheits Keen sense of tradition and culture// 28 29 FRM 01 I 12 50° 8‘11.67“N 8 ° 5 5‘4 . 5 1“ E Dr. Christianne Weber-Stöber Director, Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau Christianne Weber-Stöber wears a silver poppy pod as a broach and takes us round the Goldschmiedehaus in Hanau’s old town as if it were her living room. You can truly feel her strong links to jewelry and her love of detail. Her heart goes out to the old building – she took the helm here in 2006. Today, alongside the Jewelry Museum in Pforzheim it is one of the most important of its kind in Germany. It arose back at the end of the 16th century, when Dutch and Walloon immigrants laid the foundations of the gold- and silversmiths’ trade in Hanau. Later, the Zeichenakademie was founded, Germany’s largest training academy for gold- and silversmiths, and the Association for the Goldsmiths’ Art. Christianne Weber-Stöber has insisted on a modern touch. For example, in the “Silver Gallery” there’s a show by Peter Bauhuis, who trained at Zeichenakademie and is now one of the champions of contemporary jewelry design. The magnet that really draws the crowds: the “Gifted” exhibition in the “Gold Gallery”, where precious items from the Federal President’s Office are on display. www.hanau.de 5 0 ° 1 8 ‘4 5 . 7 6“ N 9°27‘34.99“E Burkhard Kling Director, Brüder Grimm-Haus, Steinau an der Straße “Steinau and its surroundings really are pleasant,” wrote Wilhelm Grimm describing his happy youth in the Kinzig valley. The Brothers Grimm House reminds us of this today: here, the fairytale collectors Jacob (born 1785) and Wilhelm (born 1786) Grimm grew up. Born in Hanau, they moved to Steinau in 1791 and lived there until their father’s death in 1798. Later they studied in Marburg and spent their most creative years in Kassel and Berlin. In Steinau the former deanery is now home to a new museum, developed mainly by Burkhard Kling, that outlines their lives. There’s a replica of the Grimm’s family kitchen on the ground floor, where the family history is also explained. On the second floor, the world of the Grimms’ tales is recounted in a total of ten rooms – you hear, see and feel those past times. A must for the 200 th anniversary of the publication of their “Children’s and House Tales” in 2012. www.brueder-grimm-haus.de // Excursions 50° 8‘55.83“N 8 ° 5 2 ‘ 5 7. 6 6“ E Dr. Maren Raetzer Director, Hessen Dolls Museum, Hanau-Wilhelmsbad Maren Raetzer always wanted to be a museum director. As a child she liked playing with a doll, which of course played the part of museum director. Later, during her youth, she enquired of the local museum director how one went about becoming just that. And as a young woman she pursued the relevant studies, and in 2005 reached her goal. Maren Raetzer’s dream came true when she was appointed Director of the Hessen Dolls Museum. Her first project was to direct the extensive modernization of the facility in Wilhelmsbad, nr. Hanau, and redefine the underlying concept. Since 2009 the building in the former spa complex is fully in line with her ideas. The bright open rooms house a permanent ex hibition of over 2,400 years of dolls history and special shows on themes such as tea-cozy dolls, dolls company owners Margarete Steiff and Käthe Kruse, and dolls from Japan. Thanks to Mrs. Ratzer the shows are structured such that even people not interested in dolls will be taken by surprise and thrilled. For the everyday history and lived reality of days of yore emerge superbly – in the dolls worlds. www.hessisches-puppenmuseum.de 5 0° 7 ‘59.42 “N 8 ° 5 5‘4 0 . 5 8 “ E Dr. Wulf Brämer Managing Director, Materials Valley e.V., Hanau Wulf Brämer knows what he’s talking about. The chemist developed materials, allows and processes for Hanau-based technology corporation Heraeus for three decades, and was in charge of innovation management there. Today, he’s a consultant and the powerhouse behind the “Materials Valley” initiative. The non-profit organization was founded in 2002 by local companies, institutions and private individuals in order to bundle know-how. Today, almost 90 companies from the region are members, as are research institutes, universities and private persons. Current, interdisciplinary topics are addressed in workshops and lectures. The Fraunhofer Society’s project group for Materials Cycles and the Substitution of Materials in Alzenau is relocating to Hanau, and until the institute is fully established will be attached to the Fraunhofer ISC in Würzburg. www.materials-valley.de 30 31 FRM 01 I 12 platz and the city itself is planning to enhance Marktplatz and other downtown areas. Although Hanau is highly indebted, the idea shared by the town hall majority of SPD, Greens, FDP and a voter’s alliance is to give the city a new decidedly modern look, shoring up its position as an urban center in the eastern section of FrankfurtRhineMain. The politicians hope the financing will be generated by extra tax revenues from new inhabitants and companies that relocate to the areas once used by the American Armed Forces. When the Americans arrived in Hanau the entire downtown was in ruins following wave after wave of bombing raids. They came as the occupying military but soon turned into welcome helpers in the rebuilding effort. When the US Army took down its last Stars and Stripes in Hanau in 2008, a good 340 hectares of barracks with residential blocks, listed buildings, spacious green areas and workshops awaited a new lease of life. Together with the Bundesanstalt für Immobilienauf gaben (Bima) a large part of the real estate has already been put to new use with the help of investors: alongside modern residential quarters with schools, kindergartens and sports facilities, there’s a new main fire department, and the former training grounds are now home to a herf of Przewalski’s horses as part of a protected species project. Above all, the “Wolfgang Barracks” offers great potential for Hanau’s emergence as a technology center; following the discontinuation of the nuclear operations there, the city has managed to shrug off the image of being a center of atomic energy. The “Wolfgang Barracks” complex has been vacated by the US Army and is located in the district of the same name, directly adjacent to the Wolfgang Industrial Estate, which is now home to 11 international companies such as Umicore, Evonik and Degudent – with more than 5,000 staff employed there. In what is the largest technology center in the Main Kinzig Region, 1,300 people are busy focusing on R&D in the fields of materials technology, specialty chemicals and biotech. The main output of the industrial estate include precious metal products, pharmaceutical active compounds, chemical catalysts and dental products. Evonik (formerly Degussa) has opened a new office complex at the entrance to the 82-hectare-sized estate – 750 staff members now work there rather than in Frank- Potential for new technologies // // Excursions furt. This summer, the project group from the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicates Research in Würzburg will, with support from the State of Hessen, start research here – in the field of material substitution. Headquartered in downtown Hanau, the Heraeus company, active worldwide in the precious metals and technology segments, likewise runs various research projects and is expanding fast. Hanau is attempting to catch up with the traditional scientific and knowledge strongholds in the region – it’s teamed up with Fraunhofer Institute, is collaborating with the international Steinbeis School and is establishing a vocational college. For many years it failed to encourage foundation of a university of the applied sciences – and then neighboring towns such as Aschaffenburg in Bavaria beat it to the line. Despite its impressive industrial growth, Hanau has for some time now prioritized culture as the basis for its image. As the birthplace of famed fairytale collectors and Germans scholars, it got the State of Hessen to grant it the title of City of the Brothers Grimm. Meaning that its centuries-old tradition as a center of silver and goldsmiths got a bit neglected. Hanau has since 1772 been home to Zeichenakademie, one of Germany’s oldest training centers for the gold and silversmiths, and the German Society for the Goldsmiths’ Art is domiciled in Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus on Altstädter Markt square, where there are regular shows by renowned jewelry designers and colleges. That said, much links Hanau to the Brothers Grimm: the Brothers Grimm Fairytale Festival has taken place for almost 30 years now. The national monument to Jacob and Wilhelm on Marktplatz marks the beginning of the German Fairytale Route, which runs through to Bremen – and the second stop is also in Main-Kinzig- Kreis, outside the former deanery in Steinau, which has just re-opened in a new design as the Brothers Grimm House, where the brothers spent their youth. And Steinau is another pearl in Main-Kinzig-Kreis’ crown of tourist attractions: with a castle, a cave with stalagmites, a theme park with a forest adventure course, and the “Die Holzköppe” puppet theater; like Gelnhausen with its Kaiserpfalz Castle and Schlüchtern with Ramholz Castle, these are sights just waiting to be explored by inquisitive visitors from the FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region. 32 33 \\ 5 0° 7 ‘ 9.4 8“N 8°57‘51.58“E Dr. Jörg Beuers Chairman of the Board, Umicore Technical Materials, Wolfgang, nr. Hanau The workers have white shirts. The hierarchies are flat, and the atmosphere pleasant. The Umicore factory hall in the Wolfgang Industrial Estate in Hanau is filled with natural light – star Frankfurt architect Christoph Mäckler designed it. 300 employees here turn out semi-conductors that contain precious metals – for electronic uses, indispensable components for anything from power switches to car indicators. When Jörg Beuers walks round the halls, he is rightly proud. That said, most of the products made by the Belgian materials technology specialist that took over Degussa’s erstwhile precious-metals set-up in Hanau, are as good as invisible for the end user. Which is why the largest corporation in Hanau is definitely not a household name. Now and then, Beuers mulls this over. His answer: “Umicore is one of the Top 10 most sustainable companies worldwide. We are the leaders in battery recycling. And every third auto worldwide has a Umicore catalytic converter.” www.umicore.de FRM 01 I 12 5 0 ° 6‘ 2 4 . 0 1“ N 8 °5 4‘5 0. 8 0“E Kai Walter Managing Director, International Operations Europe of the World Triathlon Corporation Steinheim, nr. Hanau Kai Walter is a “finisher”, and he likes to use the English term for someone who sees something through to the finishing line – like with the Ironman. Kai Walter, 44 years old and a father of two, is the man behind Ironman Frankfurt. He’s been part of the team since the first edition back in 2002 and from his base in Steinheim, nr. Hanau, is part responsible for all 20 Ironman competitions in Europe. Kai Walter has himself completed various Ironman competitions, and the endurance and focus are required in his job, too. Preparing an event is itself a marathon – from choosing a safe course via getting all the required official approvals through to collaborating with sponsors, the media, and of course the athletes. “2000 plus x athletes” will flock to Frankfurt this year, as “Frankfurt” is the event. Because of the hosts of enthusiastic spectators and the atmosphere. And because the winner is at the same time European champion, with a ticket to Hawaii. “The Ironman is an event that brings the whole region together,” comments Walter. www.ironmanfrankfurt.com Schlüchtern Steinau an der Straße Wächtersbach Bad Soden-Salmünster Gelnhausen Langenselbold Maintal Hanau The Main-Kinzig-Kreis district is made up of 29 local authorities, 11 towns and 18 localities. The district has a total area of 1,400 square kilometers, and the population is growing by the day // News M R FNEWS Landmark and green hill Re-opening of Historisches Museum and the Städel extension Frankfurt’s museum world now has even more attractions. In February 2012 the Städel Museum opened its underground extension, to great acclaim in the press it was as good as overrun by visitors. It’s been nicknamed “Green Hill”, poking fun at the label given to the pompous Wagner Festival Hall in Bayreuth. Or “Subterranean Happiness”. In the very first weekend 18,000 visitors came to admire the exhibition on “Contemporary Art 1945 to the Present”. And now there’s another highlight on the horizon. On May 24, 2012 Historisches Museum will re-open after elaborate modernization. For the first time, the ensemble will comprise five buildings, dating from the 12th to the 19th century, that are all visible as individual entities, including Saalhof, the oldest building in the city. For the first time in its 500-plus history the Ren tenturm will now be open to the public. Museum Director Jan Gerchow considers the buildings a key part of future exhibitions. For example, the first show will be on the “Age of the Staufer” and will also involve the history of the venue. In the Baroque Bernuspalais the “History of Old Town Frankfurt” will be presented – against the backdrop of Römerberg. And in August the major exhibition on “Frankfurter Collectors and Patrons” will open in Burnitzbau. Over Whitsun, entry will be free for everyone Historisches Museum and Städel A new landmark - Historisches Museum on the Main’s north bank has been renovated at great expense (above). The underground Städel extension is already pulling the crowds 34 35 FRM 01 I 12 © Städel Museum/Norbert Miguletz (2), Historsches Museum Frankfurt (May 26–28, 2012). For the After Work Logistics! With useful information and recommendations FRM Interview Monika Müller // 36 37 FRM 01 I 12 1 50° 7‘18.73“N 8°37 ‘56. 35“E F1 Green City What does sustainability mean for FrankfurtRhineMain? What do the London, Stockholm or Copenhagen models offer? We talked to Dr. Michael Kassner, President Siemens Central Region, on the issues of tomorrow Interview: Manfred Köhler En route to the “Green City” The “Green City Index” commissioned by Siemens AG certifies Frankfurt’s “green” development // Green Towers FRM Interview The Deutsche Bank’s modernized twin towers gained +LEED Platinum certification for existing buildings and have also received the German Sustainable Building Council’s seal of approval. The modernization has lowered energy consumption by half, water consumption by over 70 percent and CO2 emissions by almost 90 percent > Dr. Kassner, is FrankfurtRhineMain a green and sustainable conurbation? Most certainly when compared to other regions. People like living here, many companies locate to here. And FrankfurtRhineMain is not only green in the literal sense. It is also a region that strongly emphasizes sustainability. Siemens has commissioned a “Green City Index” – for it London-based Economist Intelligence Unit compared more than 100 major cities worldwide. Among the German cities studied, Frankfurt outperformed as regards buildings, transportation, water and waste, and came out on average in terms of CO2 emissions, energy, air quality and eco-management. All in all, FrankfurtRhineMain is on the right path, even if at the moment major Scandinavian cities such as Stockholm or Copenhagen still lead the way. > What do they do better? They are devising masterplans that enable them to move somewhat more consistently in the direction of a green city. Stockholm was not declared European eco-capital for nothing. One advantage these cities have is that they are busy collecting knowledge on how to convert a region, and bringing many innovations to bear. However, they also have an edge because they are not so large. In FrankfurtRhineMain the decentralized urban fabric is often considered a weakness. While it can actually be an advantage if one considers the ideal of the megacity. A rationally organized big metropolis is not possible without decentralized substructures. And precisely such nitely need, though, is a better shared regional identity. 38 39 FRM 01 I 12 Rainer Martini/LOOK structures exist in FrankfurtRhineMain. What we most defi- Dr. Michael Kassner Based in the Siemens Frankfurt’s HQ, Dr. Michael Kassner is Head of Siemens Central Region. In Frankfurt and Hessen he holds a series of voluntary positions, among others he is one of the two representatives of Hessen’s business world on the State of Hessen Advisory Council of the LOEWE Excellency Program. Michael Kassner is also active on the City of Frankfurt Sustainability Forum > Is the key issue here good planning? transport electricity generated by renewable sources from the Planning in combination with project management based north to the south of the country. The next thing must to be on this; when it comes to implementation, they’re both key. considered is how to distribute this energy using an intelli- London also has a masterplan that closely defines the goals gent network, a so-called smart power grid, and ensure grid and measures required to make a city greener. That Frank- stability in the cities. The topic of energy efficiency will be a furtRhineMain lacks. Although the region has prime poten- key component here. After all, the cleanest form of energy is tial. Frankfurt’s international reach is a good basis for the still that which we do not need to consume in the first place. city’s sustainable development, for Frankfurt is resultantly On balance, the energy turn is thus a complex undertaking, embedded in global networks. Essentially, the region with one which we can only make progress on if we take our cue its many towns and the big city at its heart mirrors Europe’s from the engineers. diversity. For this reason, the region has a unique opportunity to become a model for the entire continent, in all four > That sounds a little as though it’s primarily all up to the en- key aspects of sustainability: competitiveness, the environ- gineers and business administration experts? ment, the quality of life, and sustainability management. It is definitely the case that technological modernization will Whereby the crucial thing is effective management. With- make the decisive contribution to sustainable urban develop- out a vision, a strategy and implementation plans won’t ment. And the great thing is that most investments finance work. themselves in the long term through the savings in energy consumption. It is worth remembering that the battle against > You constantly refer to planning and management. climate change will be decided in the cities. Individual light- Yes. This “thinking in categories” could mark the beginning house projects no longer suffice. Real improvements on a mas- of a concrete plan with goals and implementation scheduled sive scale are called for. It bears remembering how large the for FrankfurtRhineMain. I am thinking of five focal points, changes are that will be triggered by innovations, meaning namely the energy turn, mobility & logistics hub, urban value the kind of economic leverage the investments have. That’s added, sustainable development of districts, and a carbon- what counts. Jonas Ratermann neutral city corporation and could well imagine a kind of governance strategy with an associated implementation plan and > What aspects of transportation must change? overall project management, too. Take the major project ef- First of all, we must consistently strengthen the key factor for fecting society as a whole: the energy turn. Here, conurba- the region’s strength as an intermodal and international tions will play a key role. In the first instance, this involves transport hub, as this is crucial to employment and its com- questions of decentralized energy generation and how we petitiveness. If I simply take the Siemens employees in our // FRM Interview Central Region: firstly, my colleagues and I are on the road Green City goals. Many companies are dedicated to environ- every day between our many Siemens locations and our cli- mental protection and efficiency, as can be seen from our ents. About three quarters of the some 9,000 Siemens em Frankfurt plant in Fechenheim, which won an eco prize. In- ployees in the region are active internationally and thus travel. dustry is fast becoming an innovative “smart factory” as the We are all dependent on mobility as a factor for the region’s example of Sanofi shows. Using the latest Siemens industrial success. The conurbation needs an eco-friendly transporta- software the product development and production cycle is tion infrastructure, in which context electromobility has planned and realized holistically: this is industry that has strong potential. In the future, the car will be less of a status nothing more in common with filthy smokestacks. symbol than today, things will hinge on a mobility flat-rate, i.e., a ticket that allows you to use the public transportation > So in your view, industry and ecology are not mutually system and hire cars. Our region is predestined to create an contradictory. exemplary, intelligent system of this kind. Technology and On the contrary. I believe innovation and growth play a decisive people’s life style will both change at once. role for the sustainable city of the future, as the green model cities such as Copenhagen show. In FrankfurtRhineMain > Intelligent – sounds good. But what does it mean? we’re making progress here if one considers the current city There are now any amount of technologies and experiences and state initiatives. I’m thinking here of the Industry Hub gained in other cities worldwide. I believe it would be impor- Initiative of the “House of Logistics and Mobility” in the Air- tant to test the practical viability of these experiences and, port City district of Gateway Gardens close to the airport. wherever fitting, to apply them swiftly and consistently. With these ideas we’re consciously strengthening the region’s Would it be sensible, for instance, to introduce a City Consoli- strengths. A key component is the cooperation between local dation Center like that in London? This means that not every businessmen and scientists. truck drives into town to offload at a few clients’ places, but that outside the metropolis there’s a logistics center where > Siemens is not addressing these issues as charity? goods get resorted to reduce the amount of driving. In London Siemens is now one of the largest companies in the world in they have cut CO2 emissions by three quarters this way. Why the field of environmental technology. We focus not only on not realize such a pilot project here? the energy turn but consistently on the trends in global industrial competitiveness, urbanization and demographic change. > Transport is the one thing. But the focus has been more on As a result, we have four divisions: Industry, Health, Energy modernizing buildings. and Cities. To this extent, the pending changes in Frank- With good reason. Buildings consume 40 percent of the ener- furtRhineMain are very interesting for us. And Siemens is not gy we use. If you insulate a house’s façade, you can of course only a company for this conurbation, but also a company be- significantly reduce the CO2 emissions. With each euro you longing to it. In our Central Region the corporation employs use to improve the energy balance you save four times as much some 9,000 staff, of whom about 5,000 are in and around as you would if you improved the facility technology instead Frankfurt itself. And about as many people work in our re- or even in addition. Wherever a lot of power is used, there is a gional suppliers from whom we purchase goods each year for lot of potential for savings. This applies primarily to buildings, about EUR 1.6 billion. Siemens has long since been playing a but also to individual industrial plants and production pro major part in many projects that serve sustainability in terms cesses. of eco-friendliness, quality of life, and competitiveness, as the examples I’ve mentioned and many others show. Ideally, the > What role does local industry play here? conurbation of tomorrow places less of a strain on the envi- Industry is an important part of our metropolitan region and ronment, brings greater security and improved traffic flows. contributes decisively to prosperity, and thus to sustaining Its companies are as a consequence more competitive, and is secure jobs and innovations and by extension to attaining the easier to attract employees. 40 41 FRM 01 I 12 \\ E-mobility Electromobility, or when your fuel comes from the power socket. E-mobility is one of the major themes as regards urban mobility of the future Life in the “Green City” Gavin Hellie r/ AWL Im ages, Daim ler A G, pic ture allian ce/U do B ernh art, Jo nas R aterm ann ”Technology and life will both change in parallel in the future,” forecasts Dr. Michael Kassner // Events August Lucas Niccolo, approx. 1830 © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, photo: Wolfgang Fuhrmannek That Romantic World The complex image of an epoch: With its major “The Romantic Impulse. The Romanticism of the Rhine and Main” program, Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain is tracing the steps of Romanticism throughout the region – an exciting high-brow tour BY claudia Schülke Carl Philipp Fohr Götz von Berlichingen rides to the gypsy camp, approx. 1816 © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, photo: Wolfgang Fuhrmannek Christian Rohlfs Frog princess, 1913 © Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Oldenburg, photo: R. Wacker 42 43 FRM 01 I 12 Max Beckmann Etching for Clemens Brentano’s fairytale on “Fanferlieschen Schönefüßchen”, 1923 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift Heyday of Romantic book illustrations Title engraving for Clemens Brentano’s book of fairytales “Gockel, Hinkel and Gakeleia”, published in Frankfurt, 1838 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift // > Events He had forgotten his “Godwi”. And yet he had wanted to join Achim von Arnim and wander in the tracks of his own “overgrown novel”. Clemens Brentano did not know what to do. His very first trip to the Rhine had been a bit of a disaster because his then companion Friedrich Carl von Savigny, a legal scholar, had simply been too dry to translate literature into life. “Brentano needed the right casting for his script,” says Freie Deutsche Hochstift’s Wolfgang Bunzel with a smile; he’s the literary scholar busy coordinating the historical, critical edition of the Romantic’s oeuvre. Brentano had friends send him his text. As only with his “Godwi” in his hands, and in it he had invented the legendary figure of the Loreley, did he believe would he be able to imagine that supernatural experience in the Osteinpark close to Rüdesheim that he had himself created, black on white. With their trip to the Rhine, Brentano and his buddy von Arnim ushered in the period of Rhine Romanticism. That same year, the Frankfurt Council resolved to have the city’s walls and fortifications razed in order to avoid giving Napoleon’s troops an excuse to lay siege to Frankfurt. And when the resolution was implemented it resulted in a new experience of the countryside, an ‘open’ city. Garden artist Guillett Sebastian Rinz created the area formerly occupied by the bastions, taking his cue from English landscaped gardens. “The old walls have been razed, the old gates torn down, and the whole town is a park, as if out in the countryside,” wrote Goethe’s mother in 1808 to him, in Weimar. And Alexandre Dumas reported in 1837: “Frankfurt with its white, pistachio green and pink houses resembles a huge bouquet of camellias in a wreath of heather.” Romanticism was thus not confined to Jena, Berlin and Heidelberg; and Romanti- cism is more than an epoch, more than just a cult that looks back in time and was Clemens Brentano Portrait painted by Swiss artist Emilie Linder (after 1833). Brentano dedicated several poems to her, and nicknamed her “Prüdchen” © picture alliance/akg-images later misused by the Nazis. And the movement continues to be a source of inspiration. Philosopher Rüdiger Safranski called what is most probably the all-defining 19th-century cultural epoch “a German affair”. With four major focal points the 2012-2014 “Romantic Impulse” project organized by Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain will seek to highlight the historical epoch and demonstrate how its mark is still felt today – it will be supporting projects in the fine arts, music, landscape gardening and literature. In the process, FrankfurtRhineMain will emerge as an important if not “decisive” region of that period. Anne Bohnenkamp-Renken: “Romanticism opens the door to Modernism.” Professor Anne Bohnenkamp-Renken, Director of Freies Deutsches Hochstift, E.T.A. Hoffmann terms Romanticism the “door opener” to Modernism and “immensely fruitful for Edition of “Master Flea” published in 1826 with the flea in boots and with a torch cultural developments.” At the Stift’s location, the Goethe House in Frankfurt, the Romanticism Project opened on April 24, 2012 with an exhibition curated by 44 45 FRM 01 I 12 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift Achim von Arnim Portrait of the poet by Peter Eduard Ströhling, 1805 © picture-alliance/dpa Alexander Zick Illustration for “Tischlein deck dich, Goldesel und Knüppel Aus dem Sack”, 1886 Above: illustration of the Gockel fairytale, 1872 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift, zu sehen in der Ausstellung “Hänsel und Gretel im Bilderwald” // Events the foundation’s expert on the subject, Bunzel. Entitled “Hänsel and Gretel in a Forest of Pictures” illustrations attest to the Romantic fairytales, such as those of the Brothers Grimm or Brentano, the emphatic impact these texts have had on the fine arts to this very day and thus come good on the synaesthetic standards that Friedrich Schlegel set in his theoretical concept of Romanticism as a “progressive universal poetry” back in 1798. Friedrich Schlegel, the theoretical founding father of Early Romanticism, who tends to be associated with Jena and Berlin, also spent three years living in Frankfurt: Legation Councillor at the Austrian Mission to the German Parliament from 1815 to 1818 he intervened so unskillfully in local politics that Metternich was forced to discretely order him to return. And Schlegel also sought to merge the art genres, and mind and nature, alike. The finite and the infinite, the past and the present, were to permeate each other. For him, what was more important than the poetic work was the poetic way of life: The creative “Ego” was meant to burst its individual limits and merge with the universal. This openness gave rise to a yearning for an all-melding world, that Romantic feeling for life that goes hand in glove with the risk of psychological instability to the point of a loss of self. Mareike Hennig: “People are once again daring to find Romanticism beautiful.” So, given such a yardstick, who could keep a clear head? asks Mareike Hennig. The art historian has concerned herself with Romanticism for 20 years now, among others at the Goethe House and the Städel Gallery. She is now coordinating the diverse range of events Kulturfonds is arranging. And she is an expert on the largely unknown Rhine and Main strands of Romanticism. Not only the notorious siblings Clemens and Bettine Brentano, not only their friend, the unfortunate Frankfurter canoness Karoline von Günderrode, who heartbroken stabbed herself to death in Winkel on the Rhine. And of course not only the Brothers Grimm from Hanau, whose “tales” came out exactly 200 years ago. She also knows that “outside Germany, Goethe with his ‘Faust II’ and ‘Wilhelm Meister’ is also considered a Romantic Hennig even knows of the long-forgotten scandals: such as how Brentano seduced the 16-year-old Auguste Bußmann. The libertine found the overstrung charge of banker Moritz von Bethmann not Romantic enough, and the two got divorced; then after a second failed marriage Auguste drowned herself in the Main. By contrast, her first husband sought succor in the arms of the Catholic Church. Along the “Via Brentano”, the first project the Kulturfonds and Kulturregion are collaborating on, the “Romantics’ Route” from Winkel/Bingen/Rüdesheim via Frankfurt/Hanau/Steinau to Aschaffenburg (where Clemens Brentano died in 1842) will provided a basis for exploration – with guided tours, readings and concerts. In Frankfurt there will be an installation complete with readings and wine held in June in Parkhaus Hauptwache (where the headquarters of the Brentano merchants once stood), and a tour of the town in the poet’s footsteps is also planned. 46 47 FRM 01 I 12 Karl Friedrich Schinkel Draft cover page for Clemens Brentano’s “Italian Tales”, 1815 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift Max Slevogt Interpretation of King Drosselbart, 1922 © Frankfurter Goethe-Haus/Freies Deutsches Hochstift Herbert Leupin Illustration for “Puss in Boots”, 1946 © 2011 by Collection HERBERT LEUPIN, www.herbert-leupin.ch Brüderchen und Schwesterchen Illustration of the Grimms’ fairytale of 1818 © Museum Hanau, Schloss Philippsruhe // Events Inken Forman: “There probably is no such thing as the Romantic garden.” Today, the name Brentano is also inextricably connected to the “Rhine Romanticism Main Romanticism” landscaped gardens that Inken Forman coordinates on behalf of the State of Hessen Castles and Gardens Administration. However, there is “probably no such thing as a Romantic garden,” she concedes frankly. What makes a garden “romantic” will be the subject of discussions by experts at a transdisciplinary public conference in September. Then specialists such as art historian Adrian von Buttlar and literary scholar Hubertus Fischer will talk in Bad Homburg and Wilhelmsbad close to Hanau, among other things, on the positioning of the countryside and the construction of a Romantic nature by Ludwig Tieck and Joseph von Eichendorff. The linkages of “art and nature” will also be explored at Museum Wiesbaden next year in the eponymous exhibition on “Rhine Romanticism”. After all, it is indebted to the collection of Frankfurt banker Johann Christian Gerning, who collected not only paintings but also butterflies. In 2013, the individual types who don’t like trotting around in a group will also be wooed to visit “Romantic” places – by Smartphone Apps: examples being the “Nobles Camp” of the Court of Darmstadt in Auerbach close to Bensheim or to the castle ruins in Eppstein, where Alexandre Dumas wrote his Gothic novel of the same name. Inken Forman is ardent that “these are treasures that we can rightly boast about.” Ruins must definitely always form part of the backdrop for Romantic scenes through to the misty horizons. The Romantics not only loved limitlessness, the indeterminate open landscape, but also emotional rollercoaster rides: from basking in an idyll to pleasantly morbid horror. Felix Krämer finds it annoying that Romanticism is forever being confused with the idyllic, the sentimental. The art historian will be curating a show at Städel Gallery on “Black Romanticism. From Goya to Max Ernst”. Founded in 1817, the Städel is itself a child of Romanticism, and Philipp Veit, its very first director, was a son from the first marriage of Wilhelmsbad Palace, Hanau The promenade with the temple fountain and the artificial castle ruins of 1779 (above) © Oana Szekely für Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg, 2011 48 49 FRM 01 I 12 Osteinscher Parkwald, Rüdesheim The “most mysterious magic cave” in one of Germany’s earliest landscaped gardens Below: view out over the vineyards © Oana Szekely für Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser und Gärten Hessen, Bad Homburg, 2011 Arnold Böcklin For decades, the Swiss painter took the “seashore villa” as his theme; the painting in the Städel Gallery dates to 1871–1874 © U. Edelmann - Städel Museum - ARTOTHEK // Events Caspar David Friedrich Dorothea Veit, the wife of Friedrich Schlegel. Krämer is interested in the dark side of Romantic energies, something that has inspired art from 1800 to 1945, “Friedrich Kügelgen’s Grave”, 1821–22, on show in the Städel Gallery in the exhibition on “Black Romanticism” © Privatbesitz, Deutschland, on loan in Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus. Gallery of the 19th Century and Classical Modernism, Lübeck from Symbolism to Surrealism. “An element that will unsettle viewers,” Krämer readily concedes: nightmarish themes such as Henry Fuseli’s painting “The Nightmare”, the witches in Delacroix’s work, vampires in pictures by Munch, gravestones and ruins in the works of Carl Gustav Carus, “figures of the night” by Magritte. A total of 150 objects stand witness to the unconscious fears and energy unleashed after years of enlightened rationality, in short to the destabilization of the limitless Romantic ego. MechtHild Haas: “The War of Liberation against Napoleon led the Romantics to close ranks.” The exhibition on “Romanticism and Witnesses of the Day – German Drawings and Water Colors from 1780 to 1840” that Mechthild Haas is curating and will open at Landesmuseum Darmstadt in early 2014 focuses not on the depths of the psyche, but on the change in themes, not on a bourgeois zest for collecting, but an aristocratic feel for art. Haas, who is Head of the Prints Collection, points out that the larger part of the drawings (nudes and portraits, themes from legends and fairytales, the ideal of Italy, and scientific documentation) were acquired at the time they were made. Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hessen-Darmstadt was friends with Goethe’s mentor art critic Johann Heinrich Merck and after the latter’s suicide in 1791 acquired his art collection. As a monarch very much in tune with the day, Ludwig had agents advise him, founded a public drawing school that was free of charge, and awarded stipends to artists. “Napoleon established the Grand Duchy in South Hessen,” explains Haas. The struggle against him led the Romantics to close ranks. The joint search for a national identity was an umbrella for the disintegrated ego. With its cross-genre “Freispiel” festival in Frankfurt the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie likewise embarks on a “search for Friedrich Maximilian Hessemer “The Artist’s Room in Rome”, 1828 © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Foto: Wolfgang Fuhrmannek identity”. On tours of the city during the summer evenings, music students will perform nocturnes and serenades, exploring the ambivalent relationship the Romantics had to night. Romanticism, an epoch of eager communication, is also considered the age when choirs were founded. For this reason, Deutscher Chorverband will from June 7–10 host its second German Choir Festival in Frankfurt. Almost 500 choirs are expected to take part – with about 20,000 singers from all over the world. One of the event’s highpoints will be the performance in Alte Oper Frankfurt of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s oratory “Elias”. He composed parts of the oratory while residing in Bad Soden. Composer and conductor Matthias Pintscher, one of the four scholarly advisors to the Romanticism project, has dreamed up a gigantic program. Stadthalle Hofheim will witness not only Mendelssohn’s “Walpurgis nacht” but two overtures by Hofheim composer Franz Joseph Messer (1811–1860). A local hero almost no one has heard of? “For me, art is Romantic if it possesses inner wealth,” claimed Pintscher in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntags zeitung” newspaper. Alte Oper will bring the “Romantic Impulse” to a close in March 2014 with a four-day Romanticism Festival devoted to Robert Schumann, whose wife Clara taught piano in Frankfurt. 50 51 FRM 01 I 12 \\ With its focal theme “The Romantic Impulse”, Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain will from 2012 to 2014 be casting an eye over Romanticism on the Rhine and Main, drawing on the wealth of outstanding artists who lived and worked here. Romanticism is understood here not only as an historical epoch, but also as an ongoing stimulus for the imagination. For details, click kulturfonds-frm.de Johann Anton Ramboux Portrait of Dr. Ringseis, 1818 © Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, photo: Wolfgang Fuhrmannek Romantic music Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (left) and Clara Schumann (shown with her husband Robert Schumann) lived and worked in Frankfurt for several years © picture-alliance/akg-images // Discoveries Main Ferries Cult boats and relics of a former age. Five car and passenger ferries still ply their trade in FrankfurtRhineMain. An adventure that costs only a few cents. by Martin Orth And Jonas Ratermann (photos) Bischhofsheim Rumpenheim Höchst Dörnigheim Mühlheim Schwanheim Okriftel Kelsterbach 52 53 FRM 01 I 12 Großwelzheim Seligenstadt Höchst-Schwanheim At the weekend the first day-trippers use the passenger ferry that links old town Höchst with the “Dunes” in Schwanheim > When Werner Link starts work at 6 in the morning them steers up top at the helm, the other raises or lowers the at Kilometer 69.6 on the Main, the first ferry pas- ramp and sells the tickets. 80 cents a person, 3 euros per car. sengers already await him. They want to travel to work by the Day-in day-out, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday the boat weighs shortest and fastest route possible – on the “Stadt Seligenstadt” anchor at 7 a.m. and two hours later on Sundays; the ferry de- ferry. The next bridges for cars are about 10 kilometers outside parts as soon as it has filled up or custom waits on the other Seligenstadt. Werner Link undoes the ropes, pulls up the land- side. ing ramp, and off the ferry goes: the full 120 meters across the Main to Bavaria and then back to Hessen. Werner Link is one of There are still five ferries on the Main in FrankfurtRhineMain – in two ferrymen on board – together they run the ship. One of addition to the one between Seligenstadt and Großwelzheim // Discoveries there are the Dörnigheim – Mühlheim and Rumpenheim – town or the Höchst palace in the background, enjoying the brief Bischofsheim car ferries as well as the Höchst – Schwanheim and sail into a past age, would agree. Okriftel – Kelsterbach passenger ferries. They may be the dinos among the transportation systems, relics of bygone days. But In actual fact, the history of the Main ferries goes back a fair few whenever the local authorities start to talk about profitability, centuries. “The ferry was really important for the Seligenstadt the citizens protest and come out in arms for their “ferries”. Any- Monastery, as the villagers in the Spessart foothills and in one who sees the starry eyes of the kids riding the ferry at the Freigericht were part of the region served by the abbey. Especial- weekend with their parents, the picturesque Seligenstadt old ly crucial were wine and wood,” states a sign on the wall of the 54 55 FRM 01 I 12 Seligenstadt – Großwelzheim The “Stadt Seligenstadt” ferry links Hessen and Bavaria. Ferryman Werner Link has to have a “certificate for cross-ferrying” to ply the route // Discoveries Rumpenheim – Bischofsheim A passenger can travel from Offenbach to Maintal for the princely sum of 30 cents. Car drivers have to dig deeper into their pockets: 1 euro each 56 57 FRM 01 I 12 Basilica close to the docking point. That was in the 18th century. prop is positioned under the hull and can be turned 360° while also The Höchst ferry can be traced back even further, as far as 1623. acting as a rudder. In order to be able to work on the ferries the ferrymen need shortwave approval – shipping has right of way and The “Stadt Seligenstadt” went into service in 1971 and is the larg- announces by radio on channel 10 – and a ferryman’s certificate. est and most modern of the ferries. Werner Link came on board in “We have the same status as a pilot or a ship’s captain on the high 1982. He started out as a mechanic and still does all the repairs seas,” comments Werner Link, “although we’re not nearly as well himself. The ferry is powered by two 80hp diesel engines. A so- paid and only have a certificate allowing us to cross-ferry, i.e., called Z-drive ensures the boat is exceptionally maneuverable: the travel from one side of the river to the other.” \\ // Preview Issue 02 Fall 2012 Messe Frankfurt FRM International FRM Recommendation “Hessentag”, FrankfurtRhineMain is Germany’s most international region. So how do foreign citizens like living in FRM? Where do they go to school, where do they work? takes location within the State of Hessen, will be held this year from June 1-10 in Wetzlar. There’ll be over 1,000 program highlights, including top shows with Badesalz, Tim Bendzko, Regional Portrait picture-alliance/Friedel Gierth which place each year in a different Xavier Naidoo and Elton John. So get your tickets now at w w w. h e s s e n t a g -2 0 1 2 . d e . Hochtaunuskreis is the district with the highest purchasing power in Germany. What makes Königstein and Kronberg so appealing? What kind of people live there? Some of the events have already sold out. +++ The motto of this year’s “Industrial Culture Show”, which has been held for ten years now in the FrankfurtRhineMain cultural region, will be “On the Fluxus is a current in art that came to fame in the 1960s and started out in Wiesbaden. So what did the movement achieve 50 years ago? and guided tours hosted in collaboration with regional institutions and corporations. To subscribe to the newsletter click www.krfrm.de and keep yourself informed on program updates. FRM Choice IMPRINT In her family novel “Yesterday’s Streets”, Publisher FRM – The Magazine on the FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region is published by FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region in cooperation with Societäts-Medien GmbH, Frankfurt/Main. For FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH: Dr. Hartmut Schwesinger Silvia Tennenbaum tells a powerful tale of the rise of a Jewish family in Frankfurt in the years 1903 to 1945. There’s a touch of Buddenbrooks about it, and a lot of love Silvia Tennenbaum Straßen von gestern, Schöffling & Co., 19,95 € there’ll be countless events Fluxus Movement Mario Vedder/pictureNEWS Hartmut Rekort/Archiv Sohm, Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart Road – Mobility”. It will take place from August 7–12, and for the upper-class world of Frankfurt before World War II. And she really brings it back to life. The novel first came out in German in 1983. Since then, the GermanAmerican, who was born in Frankfurt in 1928 and emigrated to the States in 1938, regularly visits Frankfurt. Now, Frankfurt’s Schöffling Verlag has rediscovered the book and re-published it. Publishing house Frankfurter Societäts-Medien GmbH, tel. + 49 69 75 01-0, Managing Director: Hans Homrighausen Address of the publisher and Editorial Office Frankenallee 71–81, 60327 Frankfurt am Main, this is also the service address for all responsible parties and authorized persons mentioned in the imprint. Editorial Office Editor-in-Chief: Peter Hintereder, Martin Orth (managing editor), Janet Schayan, Julia Söhngen (pocket guide) tel. + 49 69 75 01 43 52, fax: + 69 75 01 43 61 Art Direction Martin Gorka Translation Gainestranslations.de Production Kerim Demir Distribution Klaus Hofmann, tel. + 49 69 75 01 42 74, fax + 49 69 75 01 45 02 Notes FRM – The magazine on the FrankfurtRhineMain metropolitan region is published twice yearly. Articles by named contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial desk. Reprints only with the publisher’s authorization. Printed in Germany, Copyright © by Frankfurter Societäts-Medien GmbH 2012. The magazine’s paper is eco-friendly. It has been produced with chlorine-free bleached pulp. Cover illustration Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 58 59 FRM 01 I 12 FRM Available online, on TV and as a magazine www.frankfurt-rhein-main.net The web portal provides access to a new FRM universe – exploratory and innovative www. Print issue The magazine on the metropolitan region delivers stories from the region – packed with information facts rhein-main-TV The regional channel reports live on events and trends – presenting things hands-on, as they are All over the world FrankfurtRhineMain is synonymous with internationality, dynamic drive and change. So what makes FrankfurtRhineMain so special? "FRM" presents new ideas, casts a fresh light on the familiar, and focuses readers’ attention on details well worth exploring. Discover how our technology pioneers your future success. FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH | International Marketing of the Region Regarding renewable energy FrankfurtRheinMain sowed the seeds for the fusion of eco logical and economic objectives long before it became popular. Today FrankfurtRheinMain is one of the leading research, development and production centres for the rapidly growing business sector worldwide. From solar to geothermal, and from wind to bio energy – our region offers you sustainable power for a future as ecofriendly as successful. Discover how to make the most of your business. Join the network of FrankfurtRheinMain. For more information go to www.frm-united.com Visit our region online at www.frankfurt-rhein-main.net