From DW Documentary. 2024 was a record year for Norwegian tourism, with almost 38.6 million overnight stays. The country’s cuisine, culture, and unique destinations entice visitors. But tourism brings its own problems. At a campsite in Stavanger, Per Arne Haarr is often forced to turn away tourists during the high season. Because reservations can’t be…

From DW Documentary. In Germany, more than half of released prisoners are convicted again within years. What drives this pattern is still debated. Researchers and practitioners point to a combination of factors, including personal history, social environment, and the conditions inside prisons themselves. Watch “Abolish prisons? – What works better than incarceration” on the DW…

From DW Documentary. In Sudan, the government is waging a bloody civil war against rebels. An estimated 12 million people have fled their homes, either to destinations within the country or to neighboring states. Many of them are seeking help in Chad. It is arguably the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis – yet the civil war…

From DW Documentary. More than 140 years after its invention, the car remains a source of fascination for many people. In Germany, for example, there are more vehicles on the road than ever before. For some, the car is a cult object. But it also deeply polarizing. Germany is considered the birthplace of the automobile.…

From DW Documentary. ‘Stolpersteine’, or ‘stumbling stones’ placed in the pavement commemorate the victims of Nazism. The squares are made of brass and measure 10cm x 10cm. More than 100,000 of these memorial plaques have been laid in over 30 countries. It’s the largest decentralized memorial in the world. The project, launched in the 1990s…

From DW Documentary. The Moon is thought to have formed when a Mars-sized object collided with the young Earth. The impact flung debris out into space, which gradually condensed to create the Moon. The Moon’s gravitational pull then generated tides, creating constantly shifting cycles of wet and dry conditions. These harsh environments forced early life…

From DW Documentary. Chris lives in North Carolina (USA) with his girlfriend Mimi, a life-size sex doll. He communicates with her using an AI app. A clear-eyed, fascinating look at AI and its social consequences. Chris, a petrol station attendant in his 30s, lives with his girlfriend Mimi, a life-size love doll, in a small…

From DW Documentary. Ransomware poses an existential threat to businesses. It’s a form of cybercrime that’s a highly professional industry. The criminals operate like a business – by infiltrating systems, encrypting data, and extorting money. Those who refuse to pay, face operational shutdown, loss of data, and bankruptcy. Many criminal groups have a division of…

From DW Documentary. It was 2015 when Nour Elhouda Al Ahmad Alhammash and her family arrived in eastern Germany. After fleeing Syria, the then nine-year-old was enrolled in the first grade at a school in the village of Golzow, Brandenburg. In the summer of 2015, Nour Elhouda Al Ahmad Alhammash, the child of a refugee…

From DW Documentary. The plural of octopus isn’t “octopi,” it’s actually octopuses. But that’s far from the most fascinating thing about them. Octopuses are incredibly smart and well adapted for survival. They’ve been around for over 330 million years, long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, giving them a huge evolutionary head start. Together with their…

From DW Documentary. Haiti gained independence from France in 1804 after a rebellion by the enslaved population. However, the French government forced the young state to make drastic financial reparations to its former colonists. On 1 January 1804, Haitian slaves achieved the unimaginable. They drove out the French colonists and declared their independence. Two centuries…

From DW Documentary. Gothic architecture emerged in France in the 12th century. This architectural style revolutionized church construction, creating cathedrals that soared skywards. But where did the knowledge and technology for building these monuments come from? Light floods the interiors of Gothic cathedrals, which have colorful windows instead of solid walls. All told, the windows…

From DW Documentary. Almost 40% of the planet is covered by natural grasslands. In places like the Alps, these landscapes are a "desert" for humans. Why? Because we can’t eat grass, and the steep slopes make plowing for crops impossible. Plowing here wouldn’t just be hard—it would trigger devastating soil erosion. This is where the…

From DW Documentary. Approximately 58,000 people are currently incarcerated in German prisons. Over half of them reoffend after their release. These statistics raise doubts about the prison system. Is something fundamentally wrong with German prisons? To understand what prison does to people, journalist Frank Seibert voluntarily goes to jail. For a few hours, a cell…

From DW Documentary. Dan Brown’s novel "The Da Vinci Code” is one of the century’s most successful thrillers worldwide. But how much truth is behind the claims made in the book – and what is pure fiction? The novel "The Da Vinci Code” by American author Dan Brown has sold around 80 million copies since…

From DW Documentary. A growing shift is reshaping Italy’s countryside. Data from the Italian farmers’ association shows that increasing numbers of young people are leaving cities behind to work in agriculture. Many of them are making a deliberate mid-career change. In the rugged hills of Genoa, Davide and Matteo are part of this movement. With…

From DW Documentary. Slovakia stands at a crossroads between western and eastern Europe – and not just in geographical terms. Amidst growing social and political divisions in the country, Prime Minister Robert Fico is using his power to amplify tensions and stir up fear. Once a mainstream Social Democrat, Robert Fico has reinvented himself as…