A Man and the Sea
A love of the sea made Nikolaus Gelpke into a publisher. He found his calling in life working on Mare in Hamburg.
Behind the Curtain
Hans-Joachim Flebbe has created a business out of his love for film. COMPANION sat down with the visionary entrepreneur to talk premium movie theaters, smelly nachos, and receiving praise from Hollywood.
Schindelhauer Bikes
Les amis 25hours
Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg
Les amis 25hours
Blau Pause
For Companion Theresia Enzenberger has created a very different kind of map, which highlights unusual Bauhaus locations to be discovered in cities that are home to our 25hours Hotels
Find Your Own Woodstock
Be it for a musical weekend trip with the family, melodious evenings at a winery, or experiencing the jazz stars of tomorrow performing live — COMPANION presents the best festivals close to our cities.
Freunde von Freunden
Les amis 25hours
Eating with a Companion
Internationally inspired dishes made with seasonal and regional products are prepared with a distinctly French touch at Gesa Hansen and Charles Compagnon’s neo-brasserie 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis in Paris. The couple cooked a favourite for us to sample.
The Science of Scent
Subtle and seductive, the aroma molecule Iso E Super was created in a laboratory in 1973. In 2006, the master perfumer Geza Schön bottled it pure to create Molecule 01 - a fragrance that fast gained a cult following the world over. Many more scents later, COMPANION visited Schön at his Berlin apartment and lab to get a whiff of the chemistry behind his 'anti-fragrances', and glean his take on the wellness industry's obsession with nature (hint: it's overrated).
The International Heartbeat of Frankfurt
Dasitu Kajela-Röttger and her husband, Michael Röttger, are a real dream team, both privately and professionally. They met and fell in love in 1985, at an African festival in their chosen home of Frankfurt am Main. At the time, Dasitu was organising an evening of Ethiopian Oromo culture, and Michael had just returned from a long trip to Africa and was enthusiastic about the music. Later, he also managed to convince Dasitu to become his accomplice in professional matters as well. Dasitu was already working in the intercultural field anyway, and she thought combining that with musical culture would be the perfect match. ‘I was only able to really spark her interest in West African music culture as time went on, though,’ says Michael, laughing.
Future Ballet
Wayne McGregor is one of the most prominent contemporary choreographers of today. He will make his Munich debut in 2018 at Bayerisches Staatsballett’s annual Ballet Festival Week.
Roaring Berlin
companion joins author and journalist Boris and illustrator Robert on a tour inspired by the Roaring Twenties
When in Doubt, Anarchy
Tim Renner is a legend in the music and culture business. As a manager at Universal, he discovered bands such as Rammstein, and from 2014 to 2016, he was Berlin’s state secretary for cultural affairs, initiating a digitalisation offensive. Aside from having worked as a music journalist and radio host, and founding his own media startup, Motor Entertainment, he also lectures at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg and writes books on the industry. In short, it’s hard to think of anyone with a better grasp on the present and future of pop culture. A conversation about youthful anarchism, the vastness of the unregulated internet, and what’s next for the music industry.
Happy Go Vienna
Once again, Vienna has been named the most liveable city in the world. Horse-drawn carriages, Sachertorte chocolate gateau, 'Küss die Hand' - really now? Oh yes, says Zara Pfeifer. Thirteen years ago, she came here from Cologne to study and, bar a few short hiatuses, has stayed ever since.
Bordeaux on Board
A slightly lesser-known side to the town Bordeaux is its vibrant street culture — a facet that comes to life when experienced through the world of underground skateboarding.
