In The Spotlight:

Southwest France

Les-Eyzies | Foto : © Bert Schwarz

Pays Basque

Nouvelle Aquitaine is located in the south-west of France and is the largest administrative region in the country. 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) .

The sheer size of Nouvelle Aquitaine means that it is extremely diverse. The north-west, comprising the departments of Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne, consists of rolling hills, large wine-growing areas in the lower-lying regions, as well as wooded areas and agriculture in the hillier north-east.

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

Biarritz, Villa Belza | Foto : © Bert Schwarz

In The Spotlight:

Germany's south

Miltenberg | Foto : © Bert Schwarz

The Spessart region

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

The Spessart is dotted with charming villages, medieval castles and historical sites, such as Mespelbrunn Castle, a well-preserved moated castle. The region has a rich folk tradition, often associated with the stories of the ‘Spessart robbers’, which have been romanticised in German literature and film.

Brandenstein Castle | Foto : © Bert Schwarz

The region has a rich folk tradition, often associated with stories of the ‘Spessart robbers’, which have been romanticised in German literature and film. In addition to the forest, the Spessart is home to many small villages, where one imagines foxes and hares saying ‘good night’ to each other.

Iron Hammer Mill Hasloch | Foto : © Bert Schwarz

In earlier times, the Spessart region was an industrial hotspot, where craft businesses such as smithies became the first mechanised production facilities, drawing the necessary energy from hydropower. There are still some noteworthy examples of this today, such as the hammer mill in Hasloch.