Wal-Mart and Aldi: Two Retail Giants in Germany

Wal-Mart entered the German market at the end of 1997 but is still running at a loss in its 92 stores. This article tests the hypothesis that there are two main reasons for Wal-Mart’s problems in Germany. First of all, Wal-Mart is competing against very strong and well established deep discounters, especially Aldi. Secondly, there is the difference between the so-called Wal-Mart culture and German customer values. So far, Wal-Mart has not managed to close this gap or create a positive image in Germany. The first part of the article describes the differences between the two retail companies Wal-Mart and Aldi, whereas the second part focuses on the consumer perspective. Four hundred people were interviewed on the phone about their shopping behaviour in the city of Würzburg (northern Bavaria, 140,000 inhabitants). This survey is part of an international study also undertaken in Canada, Great Britain and China.     

Whose neighbourhood is it? Ethnic diversity in urban spaces in Germany

This article focuses on the reciprocal effects that exist between the physical environment and the social interactions between ethno-cultural groups in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Biographical narrative interviews and mental map analyses were carried out with German and Turkish residents in two disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Germany to define the resident's own experience of their physical surroundings.The findings of the research verify that the changes in the environment were not only physical and structural changes: they also led to changing identities having a symbolic meaning for the established German residents. As the Turkish residents work to create a sense of identity, the established residents view these changes more as a threat than as an enrichment. They do not so much feel threatened by the cultural differences between the groups, but they sense that their own `old-time' German socio-cultural position could be affected by the establishment of Turkisch residences and institutions in `their' neighbourhood. The empirical research revealed differences in the ethno-cultural perceptions between Duisburgh-Marxloh where there is a pronounced small-scale segregation between the groups, whereas there is a small-scale mix of different ethnic groups even at the block level in the other area investigated in Wuppertal-Osterbaum. Although both areas have a high percentage of ethnic minorities the small-scale mix in Wuppertal-Ostersbaum seems to have prevented a polarisation in the population.     

Social geographical research in Germany — a balance sheet for the years 1950–1980

Theory and practice in German social geography reflect back on thirty years of an arduous search for identity as a discipline. Both its friends and its adversaries are in agreement that this identity has yet to be achieved. The development of the foundation phase of the 1950s — late because of specifically German conditions — led to the rapid growth of several distinctive research lines. Thereafter the pace of development slowed as various concepts were abandoned, accompanied by hesitancy over material questions, especially as some were revealed to be impractical by completed research. Up to the present there appear to be thresholds that cannot be crossed even by informed geographers. Since 1980 social geography in Germany has stagnated, and become absorbed in behavioural research. This article has attempted a balance of the more important contributions that have tried to develop themes dealing with the social complex from the geographical viewpoint.Translated by editor     

The spa of Baden-Baden,Germany

The famous spa of Baden-Baden is situated in the northern Black Forest area not far from the upper Rhine valley in southwestern Germany. Its natural sodium chloride thermal water (68°C), together with its extremely mild climate and pleasant landscape, made Baden-Baden one of the most favored spas in Germany. Baden-Baden was a former capital of the German state of Baden (which means bath or spa), and its name is now included in the name of the state of Baden-Württemberg. Thus, Baden-Württemberg is the only area in Germany where a geologic phenomenon is part of the name of the state.     

First record of Karydomys (Rodentia, Mammalia) from the German part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin

Karydomys, a rare genus of cricetid rodents from the Middle Miocene of central Europe, had previously been reported only from the Swiss part of the North Alpine Foreland basin; documented evidence from the German part was lacking. This paper describes several new specimens of Karydomys from the German localities Höll and Laimering 3. A correlation of both localities to the Bavarian local biostratigraphic scale OSM F is proposed. Taxonomically, the fossils are most probably linked to K. wigharti from Hambach 6C (north-west Germany), and thus assigned to K. cf. wigharti. In spite of the scarcity of Karydomys fossils in the Upper Freshwatermolasse, the taxon is an important biostratigraphical marker because of its short stratigraphical range.     

People of German descent in CIS States — areas of settlement,territorial autonomy and emigration

Until 1989 the ethnic Germans tended to live in Kazakhstan, Central Asia and South-West Siberia. Not only German but also Russian and Ukrainian residents in Kazakhstan and Central Asia have been induced to leave. In South-West Siberia attempts are beeing made to keep the ethnic Germans there. Two autonomous German districts have been established. The mass scale emigration to Germany has, however, affected these areas, too. That means that not only push factors are effective but also pull factors play a role. They concern the privileged immigrant status of Aussiedler in Germany. The economic damage suffered by Siberia on account of this kind of undifferentiated drain of workers and specialists puts whole economic regions in jeopardy. The German Home Office tried to support the re-establishment of the German Volga Republic which was dissolved by Stalin in 1941. Some German unprofessionally organised economic projects and severe diplomatic mistakes actually strengthened the nationalistic Russian opposition so that the reestablishment failed. An improvement of the ethnic Germans' perspectives in the CIS is only possible if Germany makes use of the tried and tested instruments of development aid and regional planning. German consulates and trade agencies should be opened in the Volga region, and in Siberia. It is necessary to establish a Siberian-German bank and Russian-German universities. A special programme should provide support for well-qualified people whose knowledge and skills are vital for a continuation of the ethnic Germans' economy and culture.     

岩盐三轴压缩试验方法及数据处理方式的对比研究

在能源地下储存及废弃物地下处置库的设计、施工、运行中,岩盐的强度和变形特征是极为重要的参数。正确地获得岩盐的强度参数对地下储存库的设计和安全运行具有重要意义。分别选定江苏金坛和湖北江汉岩样作为试验样本,通过三轴压缩试验获得岩盐短期强度和变形的力学参数,比较并总结了以德国为代表的欧美国家与国内试验方法及数据处理方式的异同。同时介绍了德国短期强度试验确定岩盐损伤起始点的方法及其不足,提出了更为精确地确定方法并确定了金坛岩盐损伤起始点。分析发现:对于大变形岩盐,国内测量的强度数据普遍偏高,应采用横截面积修正以及科学应变代替工程应变的度量方式。     

Stress orientations found in north-east Germany differ from the West European trend

Knowledge about the acting stresses is of crucial importance for understanding the tectonics of a region. Data about the stress field in north-eastern Germany used to be very rare. In general, it was assumed that the orientation of the larger horizontal principal stress (S_H) is similar to that found for western Germany and central West-Europe, i.e. NW–SE. To check this, several borehole logs of the late 1980s were analysed for information on the principal horizontal stress orientations: they include Four-Arm-Dipmeter and borehole televiewer data from 15 boreholes. The depth range of our stress results reaches from 1500 to 6700 m. They were compared to a few other data, especially from hydraulic fracturing, and to recent findings on the stresses in the Northwest German basin. In contrast to expectation, S_H derived from breakout orientations below the salt layers displayed N to NE orientation. The latter was found at 10 locations spread over the NE-German basin from Berlin to the Baltic sea, from the Polish border to the former border between East and West Germany. Moreover, this stress rotation in the subsaline formations seems to be the continuation of a trend found in the NW German basin.     

State–church relationships in Germany: past and present

In the wake of the Reformation, the bitterest religious wars were fought on the territories of what is now Germany. It was here, however, that the rule “cuius region, eius religio” was found as well which can be interpreted as a first step towards religious tolerance. Germany has been characterised by a religious dualism between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant (Lutheran and Reformed) Church since then. Both had the status of state churches until the First World War. Since then, they are still by far the dominant religious communities in the country but they regard themselves wrongly to be Volkskirchen (people’s churches). They, as well as a number of smaller religious communities, enjoy the status of a corporation under public law. This status includes the right to collect church tax from members through state channels. The federal German state system is mirrored by a similar federal character of the Protestant Church, which is a union of regional churches. When Germany was reunited in 1990, the Volkskirche principle was reintroduced in East Germany although Christians had become a minority there due to 40 years of strong influence of Communism. Secularisation and pluralisation have changed the religious landscape in Germany especially after 1960. The two big churches have lost large numbers of members, and new religious communities have arrived. In the light of Europe growing together, the Protestant Church in Germany, being the largest in numbers in Europe, has initiated stronger cooperation between the different Protestant churches in the European countries, many of which are organised as national churches. Islam has come to Germany mainly through Turkish labour migrants. The country has only recently changed its self-perception into being a society with a large immigrant minority, which is to stay; therefore it will certainly take some time until Muslims are fully accommodated.

Defining the subject of speech - Constructions of authorship in post-unification German media discourse

This paper analyses how the authority of west German media workers to produce ‘truthful’ representations about unification and eastern Germany after 1989 was discursively constructed. Rather than simply assuming the superiority of western knowledge, I show that the right of western media producers to speak for and about east Germany had to be constructed and defended discursively on a number of registers. Western journalists, in particular, had to demonstrate their credibility towards west and east German audiences, evidence their ability to report objectively and authoritatively, and prove themselves superior in the production of knowledge. Their truth claims had to be negotiated in the midst of a range of competing discourses. The complicated constitution of audiences meant that western journalists had to cast themselves in various different roles to justify their position as ‘knowing subjects’: as explorers, surveyors, observers, commentators, mediators and/or educators. The paper explores, how the divergence between these different positions was reconciled through a number of discursive strategies. I highlight the ambivalences and internal contradictions produced within journalistic discourses as well as through the existence of differentiated audiences.     

High-resolution seismic analysis of the coastal Mecklenburg Bay (North German Basin): the pre-Alpine evolution

The pre-Alpine structural and geological evolution in the northern part of the North German Basin have been revealed on the basis of a very dense reflection seismic profile grid. The study area is situated in the coastal Mecklenburg Bay (Germany), part of the southwestern Baltic Sea. From the central part of the North German Basin to the northern basin margin in the Grimmen High area a series of high-resolution maps show the evolution from the base Zechstein to the Lower Jurassic. We present a map of basement faults affecting the pre-Zechstein. The pre-Alpine structural evolution of the region has been determined from digital mapping of post-Permian key horizons traced on the processed seismic time sections. The geological evolution of the North German Basin can be separated into four distinct periods in the Rerik study area. During Late Permian and Early Triassic evaporites and clastics were deposited. Salt movement was initiated after the deposition of the Middle Triassic Muschelkalk. Salt pillows, which were previously unmapped in the study area, are responsible for the creation of smaller subsidence centers and angular unconformities in the Late Triassic Keuper, especially in the vicinity of the fault-bounded Grimmen High. In this area, partly Lower Jurassic sediments overlie the Keuper unconformably. The change from extension to compression in the regional stress field remobilized the salt, leading to a major unconformity marked at the base of the Late Cretaceous.     

Anti-Semitism in German geography 1900–1945

The number of Anti-Semitic opinions found in geographical and geopolitical literature gives evidence of a wide-spread hostility towards Jews before 1945. Only very few critical dissidents branded Anti-Semitism as propaganda of political rightists. The extent to which Anti-Semitism served as an ideological bridge between geography and geopolitics in Germany till 1945 must be established. But independent from geopolitics, there are lots of proof for an autochthonously developed Anti-Semitism among German university geographers long before geopolitics was created. All in all geopolitics had no innovative effect on the research and the theory of political geography in Germany till 1945. Its main topics, epistemological premises and methodological apparatus grew on the substratum of authochthonous traditions created in the 19th century. Geopolitics only takes up basic reflections that already exist.     

Space,social reproduction and food security in Cairo/Egypt

Urban life is a highly interconnected historically developed web of social relations. Taking the example of Cairo, Egypt, the construction of urban space over the last 150 years is discussed, and attention is further given to more recent urban planning objectives. The paper then takes up issues of space and social reproduction and traces them down to the microlevel of individual households in order to analyse how larger changes in the food system are shaping local food security.This article is a result of an interdisciplinary research project on the Metropolitan Food System of Cairo, Egypt, untertaken by the Institute of Cultural Geography, Freiburg University, Germany, which is funded by the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). Petra Kuppinger is also grateful for the support offered through a Research Fellowship by the Anthropology Department at the American University in Cairo.     

Man's role in changing the coastal landscapes in Denmark

This article describes the influence of man on the coastal landscapes along the Danish and part of the German west coast. While the tidal coast south of Blåvandshuk was formed by man since premedieval times, the northern part of Jutlands coast nearly avoided human influence until the late 19th century when dune plantation and coast protection was begun. At the same time, the first harbours were built by the Danish state, mainly for fishing purposes. The human influence increased through the 20th century, with tourism as a main factor. The article highlights the radical changes and the fragile balance between human action and natural processes on a debris coast. The article summarizes some of the authors contributions in the Danish landscape magazine Bygd, of which he is editor.     

Traffic-related immissions and their impact on historic buildings: implications from a pilot study at two German cities

Besides the enormous improvement of air quality in Germany due to the reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions in the last decades, high immissions of nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter are frequently observed at traffic-rich urban sites. The changed chemical composition of air pollution requires a new investigation of its impact on historic buildings constructed of natural stone. In a pilot study a multi-disciplinary approach was chosen to obtain information on the actual pollution situation of historic buildings and monuments at traffic hotspots in Germany. The study concentrated on the two German cities of Munich and Mainz of different size, traffic volume and stone inventory. Dose–response functions were calculated to demonstrate the change of impact of different pollutants over the last three decades, and for comparison of traffic hotspots and housing areas of both cities. Numeric modelling on a city-scale was used to identify the historic buildings and monuments affected by elevated traffic immissions. Because a relevant part of these pollutants is dominated by short-range transport, the differences of wind speed and deposition rates were calculated using a street-scale 3D flow and dispersion model regarding traffic volume, wind regime and adjacent buildings. Finally, particulate matter was sampled at different positions of two buildings heavily exposed to traffic emissions. Individual particles were investigated by environmental scanning electron microscopy. After classification of the particles into different chemical groups, the fraction of traffic-induced particulate matter was quantified. Summarizing the results, it must be stated that soiling by traffic-related particulate matter, deposition of nitrates deriving from exhaust emission and other diffusely emitted components bear a severe damage potential for natural building stone at least locally at traffic-rich urban sites.     

Seismic investigations along the European Geotraverse and its surroundings in Central Europe

Since 1975 several high-resolution seismic-refraction and reflection surveys have been carried out in western Germany to investigate the structure of the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle. The investigation culminated in the seismic-refraction survey along the 825 km long central part of the European Geotraverse (EGT) in 1986. This contribution summarizes the main results of the more recent crustal investigations along and around the EGT. The internal crustal structure throughout the area of the Variscides is very complex and changes laterally considerably. Distinct crustal blocks differing in their internal structure can be assigned to geologically defined units of the Variscan and Caledonian orogeny. In spite of local deviations, in general a more or less transparent and low-velocity upper crust contrasts with a highly reflective lower crust. A subdivision of upper and lower crust by a well-defined boundary (Conrad discontinuity) is not always seen. Towards the Alps the average velocity of the lower crust is as low as 6.2 km s^?1, in contrast to the area north of the Swabian Jura where the velocities above Moho vary between 6.8 and 7.2 km s^?1. In Northern Germany, the Elbe line separates the lower crust into two regions with 6.4 km s^?1 average velocity in the south and 6.9 km s^?1 in the north. The total crustal thickness under the Variscan part of Germany is fairly constant between 28 and 30 km, except under the Rhine Graben area with 25–26 km and beneath the central part of the Rhenish Massif where an anomalous crustal thickening to 37 km is observed. Under northern Germany the Moho rises to about 26 km depth and the data indicate at least one fault-like step of 1 km before the crust thickens toward the Ringkobing-Fyn basement high. The synthesis of seismic velocity structure and petrological information from xenolith studies allows us to propose a mafic composition for the deeper levels of the crust and uppermost mantle which may be valid at least for the central part of the Variscan crust along the European Geotraverse in Central Europe.     

Seismostratigraphy and structural framework of the SW Baltic Sea

The SW part of the Baltic Sea between Scania, Rügen, Bornholm and Mön constitutes a complex crustal transition between the Baltic Shield and the accreted Phanerozoic provinces of the West European Platform. An integrated interpretation of marine reflection seismic data sets from the BABEL AC line and two commercial surveys offshore NE Germany and S Sweden have resulted in a complete view of the structural framework in the area. The general seismic picture can best be detected by two characteristic sets of reflection phases. The lower set is dominated by slightly dipping and vertically displaced prominent reflectors corresponding to downfaulted Lower Palaeozoic strata on top of the Precambrian basement. The upper set represents Mesozoic and Cenozoic coherent reflection phases including a thick Upper Cretaceous unit. The Caledonian deformation front is identified in the southern part of the investigated area as the border against which basement rocks have been affected by Caledonian metamorphism and deformation. Major structural elements also include the N–S trending Agricola–Svedala Fault and North Rügen-Skurup Fault. Several NW–SE trending faults are also identified including the Nordadler–Kamien Fault, Jutland–Mön Fault, Carlsberg Fault, Romeleåsen Fault Zone and the Fyledalen Fault Zone. The sedimentary record from NE German offshore wells and Scanian boreholes is compared with the seismic data. The Cambro-Silurian strata are composed mainly of quartzitic sandstones, shales and biomicritic limestones. The Silurian is dominated by grey, micaceous shale and micaceous siltstone deposited in a marginal basin. Upper Palaeozoic strata are merely encountered in the southernmost part of the investigated area. These include Zechstein strata. The Mesozoic deposits are dominated by a thick Cretaceous sequence of mainly limestones with interbedded sandstones.     

A new 'Solenhofen' in Mexico

A new site has recently been discovered near Puebla, Mexico, at which fossils are found in a beautiful state of preservation in Cretaceous limestones. Most of the fossils are of new or little-known fish, but there is also a wide variety of invertebrates. The fossils have been found in a platy limestone that splits easily along the bedding planes containing the fossils. This type of preservation is very similar to that found at the world-famous fossil site at Solenhofen in Bavaria, Federal Republic of Germany, and may shed light on the community structure of this Cretaceous part of the geological column.     

Chosen aspects of sustainable development on the Polish, Czech and German borderland

The shift to market forces in Poland, East Germany and Czech Republic has fundamentally reconfigured its economic geography. In particular, spatial inequalities between neighboring Polish, Czech and German border regions have re-emerged forcefully in response to new values, expectations and preferences. In this paper the example of coal mines illustrates the potency of spatial planning. The abundance of coal mines in the Polish, Czech and German borderland at or near abandonment and their proximity to ecological corridors make them candidates for renewed uses in industry or conservation. Attention will also be given to the main environmental problems caused by wrongly conducted spatial policy on this borderland. Transforming a landscape requires continuation of guidance and financial assistance of the European Union.     

中国、德国古代熬盐情况浅析

我国科学家在对渝东三峡地区挖掘与考古工作中发现不少陶水管、陶筒瓦及陶制尖底器和圜底器等与煮盐相关的器物残片。在忠县(?)井坝和涂井坝,其公元前1300-公元前204年的商周或更早的时期文化堆积层厚度超过10m。而德国学者文德林·雷丁尔等发掘出在维尔市西北部发现的盐锅及相关熬盐灶残体。其时间应与中国春秋-新朝(约公元前722-公元23年)大致相当。史料显示出古代不同地域、不同民族的人类与自然相处过程中的某种趋同性很值得研究。