Wednesday March 18, 2009, Berlin, Germany

20th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall

Germany will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the wall's fall on next November 9, 2009. Just a few pieces have survived in the city and and became a mayor tourist attraction. This section of the former inner wall still standing is roughly 1.3 km long, making the East Side Gallery "the world's longest open-air gallery." It is also the longest piece of the inner wall to escape demolition in Berlin, and has been classified as a historical monument since 1992. Preserving the East Side Gallery has always been a struggle. The pictures needed restoration already soon after they were painted: done on concrete with the wrong type of paint and without a coat of primer, many of the pictures fell victim to the weather, while others were ruined by graffiti. Only a few of them were able to be properly restored. If the East Side Gallery is to be permanently preserved, the concrete itself will have to be restored and, afterwards, the pictures repainted.

The East Side Gallery. Tourists take pictures and walk in front of the East Side Gallery

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday October 21, 2008, Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

Stocks continue to fall at Frankfurt Stock Exchange

On the day when the first German Bank (BayernLB /State Bank of Bavaria) asked for a first bite of the nation's massive 480-billion Euro financial rescue plan, stocks fell again at Germany's biggest stock exchange in Frankfurt.

A man uses his cell phone in front of a Commerzbank branch.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday June 15, 2010, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Germany bids farewell to Koehler presidency

Soldiers of the German Bundeswehr carry torches in the honorary farewell ceremony for outgoing German President Horst Koehler in front of Bellevue Palace. The ceremony, known as the Zapfenstreich, is the most important German military ceremony. Koehler resigned on May 31 after being criticized for remarks in which he appeared to link military deployments abroad with the country's economic interests.

German soldiers still stand guard while the the farewell ceremony is over since a while.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Friday June 4, 2010, Berlin, Germany

German Presidential candidate Joachim Gauck

Joachim Gauck attends a press meeting at Bundespressekonferenz. Leaders of the Social Democrats and the Green Party presented Gauck as their candidate in upcoming elections for German president scheduled for June 30, following the unexpected recent resignation of previous President Horst Koehler. Gauck is a German Protestant pastor, a former anti-communist dissident in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), a co-founder of the New Forum opposition movement, and the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives, serving from 1990 to 2000.

Joachim Gauck frolics with the chairman of the Greens-fraction in the Bundestag, Juergen Trittin

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Thursday February 4, 2010, Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya

Kenyan women boxers train for 2012 Olympics

Women boxers will have the chance to fight for gold at the 2012 Olympics, for the first time every sport will have women participating in it. International Olympic Committee chiefs voted on to lift the barrier to the last all-male summer sport. Three women's weight classes will be added to the Olympic programme for 2012 Games in London, with one of the 11 men's classes dropped to make room. Women will fight at flyweight (48-51kg), lightweight (56-60kg) and middleweight (69-75kg). Boxgirls International is a social profit organization that supports women and girls using boxing programmes as a catalyst for social change in their cities. Boxgirls runs programs in tough neighborhoods in the cities of Nairobi, Kenya and Berlin, Germany.

Boxgirls train in Nairobi Eastlands district with the help of its founder called 'the Priest'

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Thursday July 22, 2010, Germersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

German Defense Minister zu Guttenberg

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (Bavarian CSU party) travels to Germersheim German Air Force training regiment. zu Guttenberg commented on Germanys compulsory military service, stating that a total abolition of it would be a 'fatal error' as he would prefer a withholding of the draft. The political shooting star zu Guttenberg is according to recent polls Germanys most popular politician and a will be a serious inner party rival to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

German Air Force (Luftwaffe) service men work on board of CH 53 chopper

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday November 17, 2009, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

German students hold protest for financial support

University and secondary students gathered for demonstrations while dozens of German and Austrian Universities ground to a halt as tens of thousands of students protested across the country against education reforms and to call for more financial support.

A protester holds a sign that reads; We are the future

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Sunday November 8, 2009, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Preparation for Fall of the Berlin Wall Celebrations

Preparation for Fall of the Berlin Wall Celebrations A row of giant dominos is placed along the path of the former Berlin wall between Potsdamer Platz and the Reichstags building as part of celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. The over 1,000 dominoes, which run along approximately one mile in the Berlin city center and that will be tipped over to symbolize the fall of one party governments throughout Eastern Europe in 1989, are to be the highlight of celebrations in Berlin on November 9 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall.The 1.000 giant dominos have been painted by 15.000 participants, regular people and famous politicians like Nelson Mandela took part in decorating the dominos.

The Reichstag reflects in a window of the Marie-Elisabeth Lueders House of the German parliament. Before the wall came down this was a part of the 'strip of death' between west and east Berlin.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Friday June 17, 2005, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Kashmir land of beauty and violence

The Jama Masjid mosque is one of the oldest and the most spacious of all the mosques in Kashmir, situated in the heart of the city. The foundation of the mosque, an architectural wonder was laid by Sultan Sikander in 1398 A.D.The area of the mosque is 384 ft x 381 ft., spacious enough for over thirty thousand people to offer prayers at a time. About 95% of the population in Kashmir are Muslims. Torture, endless suffering of civilians, custody killings and clandestine murder as well as rough justice and arbitrary use of power by police and the different Indian Army units continues. On a daily basis, The Himalayan Mail offers its readers a "death count" chart on page one. Just as western papers show sports standings, it sums up the number of persons killed by the day, in order by civilians, militants and security personnel and the total killings since the beginning of the year 2005. On that day it was far above 400 cases.

Believers pray at the Jama Masjid mosque.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Sunday November 1, 2009, Berlin, Germany

Berliners pay hommage to Twenties with 'Boheme Sauvage'

Bohème Sauvage describes itself as a dazzling, glamorous and glittering hommage to the era of the Golden Twenties. 'Bohème Sauvage' usually takes place once in a month in different locations in Berlin. The organizer, as well as the iniciator, inventor and host of 'Bohème Sauvage' is Miss Else Edelstahl who says: ... It is about having a splendid and amusing time in a sophisticated way. Sumptious decorations add to that, so does the entertainment on stage (cabaret, music, dancing-lessons, burlesque dance shows, magic, etc.), and the casino where people play with fake inflation money to win free absinth (or to just barter for a kiss).

Else Edelstahl enjoys the party

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Friday August 21, 2009, Berlin, Germany

Religious insurgence in Germany

In uncertain times religion always finds more attention. Now that consumer capitalism faces a crisis, in Germany, individuals are searching for a helping hand. Religions and places of worship are there to welcome and embrace followers and those in spiritual need. Worshipers gather for Friday prayers at the Dar Essalam mosque, in the Neukoellner Begegnungsstaette - meeting centre, and Sehitlik mosque, both in the Neukoelln district.

Men praying inside the mosque

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Friday September 18, 2009, Berlin, Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

A unusual relaxed German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU party) addresses a press conference. Germany faces federal elections scheduled for September 27. According to latest polls Merkel will remain Chancellor regardless with which party she has to form a new coalition government.

Angela Merkel

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Sunday September 27, 2009, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Angela Merkel wins 2nd as Chancellor

German Chancellor Angela Merkel with leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) and CDU's general secretary Ronald Pofalla (R) wave to supporters during the election evening after parliamentary elections at the CDU headquarters. Some 62 million Germans were eligible to vote in an election that will decide who governs Europe's most populous nation and biggest economy for the next four years. 55-year-old Merkel won a new term in German elections and looked set to be able to form her preferred centre-right coalition with the Free Democrats (FDP) party.

Angela Merkel and Ronald Pofalla (R)

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Thursday October 15, 2009, Berlin, Germany

Neues Museum to re-open

After more than 60 years in ruins, the Neues Museum (New Museum) on Berlin's Museum Island is scheduled to re-open its doors on October 17, 2009. The Neues Museum will once again house the archaeological collections of the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, the Museum of Pre- and Early History, as well as works from the Collection of Classical Antiquities. The most prominent feature of the exhibit, the bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, described as "the world's most beautiful woman," will be centrally and prominently displayed in the north cupola of the building.

The bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Monday June 6, 2005, near Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Kashmir land of beauty and violence

Thanks to a Government campaign and positive articles in Newspapers and Magazines tourism in Kashmir is rebounding and Srinagar has not seen such a mass of tourists since the start of the militancy 16 years ago. 200,000 visitors came to the valley in the last two months and 400,000 more are expected before the end of the season. Still, over 95 per cent are inner Indian tourists; foreign tourists are still a rare species. The media campaign on the "peace process" between Pakistan and India has not yet reached the western tourists, but western tourist managers and agents are already touring the valley, exploring business opportunities. Saleem Beg, director-general of Kashmir Tourism, is quoted on June 6th in the India Today magazine: "We need to work towards removing perceptions that the state is very unsafe. In fact, we have a 100 percent safety record as far as tourists in Srinagar are concerned." After the Tourist Reception Center in Srinagar was destroyed by a bombing one month ago the Srinagar airport is now heavily protected with various well-armed checkpoints at access points into town which makes going through this welcome cordon a bit special for tourists. Although the Indian authorities removed a lot of bunkers on the roads to the main tourist attractions the counter insurgency and the militancy goes on unchanged. Torture, endless suffering of civilians, custody killings and clandestine murder as well as rough justice and arbitrary use of power by police and the different Indian Army units continues. On a daily basis, The Himalayan Mail offers its readers a "death count" chart on page one. Just as western papers show sports standings, it sums up the number of persons killed by the day, in order by civilians, militants and security personnel and the total killings since the beginning of the year 2005. On that day it was far above 400 cases.

Villagers planting rice. Most of the farm work in the valley is still done by manual labor and with the help of animals. Modern machines or even tractors are a rare sight.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Sunday September 6, 2009, Iffezheim, Germany

German racing society

Great Festival Week is the highlight of the German racing season and this year the Iffezheim racetrack celebrates its 150 anniversary. During the recent economic crisis Iffezheim racetrack's international club had to file for bankruptcy in June 2009 and awaits an uncertain future. Nevertheless, the event remains a meeting point for the parallel societies of the rich and superrich. The 'Grosse Mercedes-Benz Preis von Baden', a group one 1.5-mile race is worth a $365,000.

Visitors at the VIP lounge of the international club follow the races and enjoy the surrounding luxury

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Sunday September 6, 2009, Iffezheim, Germany

German racing society

Great Festival Week is the highlight of the German racing season and this year the Iffezheim racetrack celebrates its 150 anniversary. During the recent economic crisis Iffezheim racetrack's international club had to file for bankruptcy in June 2009 and awaits an uncertain future. Nevertheless, the event remains a meeting point for the parallel societies of the rich and superrich. The 'Grosse Mercedes-Benz Preis von Baden', a group one 1.5-mile race is worth a $365,000.

Visitors at the VIP lounge of the international club follow the races and enjoy the surrounding luxury

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday March 17, 2009, Berlin, Germany

20th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall

Germany will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall on November 9, 2009. Just a few pieces of the wall have survived and have become a major tourist attraction.

Tourists at Niederkirchnerstrasse take pictures in front of the wall celebrating St. Patrick's Day

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday October 21, 2008, Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

Stocks continue to fall at Frankfurt Stock Exchange

On the day when the first German Bank (BayernLB /State Bank of Bavaria) asked for a first bite of the nation's massive 480-billion Euro financial rescue plan, stocks fell again at Germany's biggest stock exchange in Frankfurt.

The trading floor of the stock exchange

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Friday August 21, 2009, Berlin, Germany

Religion in Germany

In uncertain times religion always found more attention. Now that consumer capitalism faces a crisis its individualized souls search for a helping hand. And hands are there, hands that welcome, touch and embrace, regardless what religious branch the searcher chooses. Friday prayers at the mosque at NBS (Neukoellner Begegnungsstaette - meeting centre) in Neukoelln district

Believers hug each other after friday prayers on the first day of this years Ramadan inside the mosque.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Friday March 23, 2007, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany

German author Gunter Grass

German author and Nobel literature laureate Gunter Grass signs books and gives interviews at the Leipzig Book Fair. Grass is here to promote his latest book: "Dummer August" (Dumb August, German expression for a jerk). In his memoir, " Peeling the Onion " published in 2006, Grass remembers his early life, from boyhood in Danzig through the late 1950s, in Paris. He also confessed about his enrollement in the German army during the Second World War, and how at the age of 17 he was drafted into the Waffen-SS. The SS units committed numerous war crimes during the war. Grass today said that he believed until the end of the war that the Nazi Army will gain the "Endsieg" (total victory). Around 2,200 exhibitors from 36 countries present their titles during the spring meeting for the book and media industry running until 25 March 2007. Slovenia is in the special focus of this year's Leipzig Book Fair edition.

Gunter Grass

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Monday January 10, 2005, Ban Nam Kem, Thailand

Thailand recovers from tsunami hit

Villagers remove items from the ruins of their house. At the time the Tsunami hit the shore here were about 2000 houses, of which 1700 are now destroyed and according to villagers, 3000 lifes were taken by the sea.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday April 7, 2009, Berlin, Germany

Section of Berlin Wall open to graffiti artists

Mauerpark (Wall park) is a roughly 300-meter-long section of the Berlin Wall running along the back of the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Stadion which is open to graffiti artists. This inner wall section was unusually high and massive due to the amount of people visiting the nearby soccer stadium, home of the Dynamo Berlin soccer team during the Cold War period.

Graffiti artist at work on a stretch of the Berlin Wall.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Tuesday June 30, 2009, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Ron Carter

The Ron Carter Quintett plays at Georg Neumann Saal of Jazzinstitut Berlin. Ron Carter is an American jazz bassist. His unique sound has made him a long sought after studio man. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history. Carter played among so many others with with Eric Dolphy, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams.

Ron Carter plays the bass.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Monday June 13, 2005, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Kashmir land of beauty and violence

A relative of Khalik Malik crys over his death and nearly collapse as friends bring the corpses to the families home. He was a truck driver and killed hours before due to a huge bomb blast near his home. At 11:30 AM a huge bomb went of outside the boys high school at Washibugh, Pulwama district. Hundreds of students were present inside the single storey school at the time of the explosion and students of the 9th class were sitting in the open lawns. 16 people where killed and more than 60 seriously wounded. According to Kashmir Inspector General of Police a car packed with about 40 kilos of RDX explosives went of in front of the school. The first life official police version was that the car (driven by militants) hit a truck by accident and than the IED (improvised explosive device) inside went of, causing the huge damage around. Locals said minutes before the blast an Indian Army helicopter circled the area and than the bomb went of. So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the blast, but all political and militant organizations of the valley condemned this act of terror. 4 weeks before a similar, but not so huge blast went of in front of a school in Srinagar without any party or outfit taking responsibility. Local journalists point out private that one might have to think about who benefits the most of the ongoing conflict and who depends personal on the massive presence of Indian military in the valley. The Himalayan Mail offers his readers on a daily basis a death toll chart on page one, like western papers show soccer charts, it sums up the number of killed by the day, by civilians, militants and security personal and the total killings since the beginning of the year. On that day they counted 590 in total and 20 for the day.

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Wednesday October 29, 2008, Berlin, Germany

Jeff Koons opens new exhibition in Berlin

American artist Jeff Koons at the media preview of the exhibition 'Jeff Koons Celebration' at the Neue National galerie. The exhibition, which is coupled with the exhibition 'Das Universum Klee,' about German painter Paul Klee, will run from October 29 until February 8, 2009.

Jeff Koons poses in front of one of his works

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Thursday July 22, 2010, Germersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

German Defense Minister zu Guttenberg

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (Bavarian CSU party) travels to Germersheim German Air Force training regiment. zu Guttenberg commented on Germanys compulsory military service, stating that a total abolition of it would be a 'fatal error' as he would prefer a withholding of the draft. The young (born 1971) political shooting star zu Guttenberg is according to recent polls Germanys most popular politician and a will be a serious inner party rival to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

zu Guttenberg watches Armenian soldiers train for ISAF in Afghanistan

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Saturday July 3, 2010, Berlin, Germany

Berlin celebrates World Cup win over Argentina

German soccer football supporters watched the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter final match between Germany and Argentina at a live public viewing on a large screen monitor at FIFA Fanmeile. Germany won the match 4-0.

Fans celebrate Germany's victory

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Monday September 21, 2009, Berlin, Germany

Openly gay politician possibly next German Foreign Minister

Dr. Guido Westerwelle, head of the German Liberal Free Democrats (FDP) party, attends a press meeting one week before federal elections. Recent polls for the upcoming elections show a strong possibility for a coalition between Chancellor Merkel's CDU party and the FDP. If that happens Westerwelle, who is openly gay, will most likely be Germany's next Foreign Minister.,

Guido Westerwelle speaks at the press conference

Credit: Hermann Bredehorst / Polaris

Hermann Bredehorst

Photographer Hermann Bredehorst, born 1965, is based in Berlin, Germany and specializes in portraiture and feature photography.

After completing his studies at Berlin’s Freie Universitaet in journalism, economy and theater arts, Hermann has worked from Berlin as a freelance photojournalist. Until he joined Polaris in Feb. 2003 he has been working with the Getty Images Assignment Service. His specialties are sensitive, telling portraits of political and business leaders as well as photo feature stories. He has worked as a photographer from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

His clients include corporations such as Siemens AG, Gillette Co. and Exxon Mobile. Hermann is a regular contributor to Bloomberg Markets Magazine, as well as Handelsblatt, Germany’s leading daily financial newspaper. His work has appeared among many others in Format, Los Angeles Times, Readers Digest and Wirtschaftswoche.

He lives with his wife Esther and his cat in Berlin.

Personal web site of Hermann Bredehorst