In The Spotlight:

Southwestern France

Les-Eyzies | Photo: © Bert Schwarz

Pays Basque

Nouvelle Aquitaine is located in the far southwest of France and is the country's largest administrative region. The capital is Bordeaux and the region consists of 12 departments: Charente (16), Charente-Maritime (17), Corrèze (19), Creuse (23), Dordogne (24), Gironde (33), Landes (40), Lot-et-Garonne (47), Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64), Deux-Sèvres (79), Vienne (86) and Haute-Vienne (87).

Due to its size alone, Nouvelle Aquitaine is incredibly diverse. The northwest, with the departments of Dordogne and Lot et Garonne, consists of rolling hills, large vineyards in the lower-lying areas, as well as forests and agriculture in the more hilly northeast.

The Basque Country is a region in northern Spain and southwestern France, known for its green landscapes, rugged coastline and rich culture. We travel to the Basque Country to discover people, nature, art, history and, of course, the gastronomy of this area.

Biarritz, Villa Belza | Photo: © Bert Schwarz

Southern Germany

Miltenberg | Photo: © Bert Schwarz

The Spessart

The Spessart is a low mountain range located between the Vogelsberg, Rhön, and Odenwald in Bavaria and Hesse. It contains the largest contiguous area of mixed deciduous forests in Germany and lies north of the Main River, which forms the border to the Odenwald.

The Spessart is dotted with charming villages, medieval castles, and historic sites, such as Burg Brandenstein, still used as a residence today, or Mespelbrunn Castle, a very well-preserved moated castle.

Burg Brandenstein | Photo: © Bert Schwarz

The region has a rich folk tradition, often associated with stories of the "Spessart Bandits," romanticized in German literature and film. In the Spessart, besides the forest, you will find many small villages where you'd think the fox and hare say "goodnight" to each other.

Hasloch Iron Hammer | Photo: © Bert Schwarz

Yet, in earlier times, the Spessart was an industrial hotspot, where craft workshops—such as smithies—evolved into the first mechanized production facilities, drawing the necessary energy from water power. Today, there are still impressive examples of this, such as the hammer smithy in Hasloch.