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Summer staycation: Where Germany’s politicians are spending their holidays

From Chancellor Angela Merkel to Bavarian state premier Markus Söder, Germany's politicians are drawn towards Deutschland's domestic destinations this summer. Here's where they're headed.

Published: 9 July 2020 16:52 CEST

Summer staycation: Where Germany's politicians are spending their holidays

Green party politician Katrin Göring-Eckard is planning on sailing in the Baltic Sea on her holiday. Photo: DPA

After months of coronavirus crisis management, Germany’s Bundestag and Bundesrat have taken their parliamentary summer break.

For many politicians, this means a chance to head on holiday before the last quarter of the legislative period begins.

But in times of pandemic travel warnings and border closures, the choice of potential holiday destinations is limited, even for politicians. Yet that has not stopped them from setting their sights on some of Germany’s best travel destinations.

Due to the virus, Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democrats, or CDU) is planning on spending her summer holiday domestically this year. When asked on ZDF Television in June where she would go exactly, the Chancellor simply said “Germany” without giving a more concrete answer.

In the past years, Merkel was often drawn to the mountains of South Tyrol in northern Italy. But the Chancellor will have to wait a little longer for her Alpine fix.

Next week, the EU special summit on the EU coronavirus reconstruction awaits. That means Merkel is still on duty on her 66th birthday on the first day of the summit on July 17th.

Home, sweet home

Interior Minister Horst Seehofer of CDU sister party CSU is planning a staycation – and not just because of the coronavirus.

“I have not been going on holiday for 25 years, as I would rather stay at home in my Heimat, especially in the Altmühl valley,” in Bavaria said Seehofer. “Once you get to know it, you’ll never want to go elsewhere.”

Germany's Altmühl valley, situated along the river, is a popular hiking destination. Photo: DPA

The Ingolstadt resident has a holiday home in the nature park known for its spectacular low mountain range.

CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak has similar ties to his homeland. He says he is lucky to live “where many Germans go on vacation.” Ziemiak and his family will spend a large portion of their days off from work and school in Sauerland, as he told DPA.

A staycation is also in the cards for Environment Minister Svenja Schulze of the Social Democrats (SPD). “Actually, my husband and I wanted to go on holiday in France this year,” she told DPA. “Now we are staying in Germany and are at home in Münster most of the time.”

Bavaria's state premiere and CSU leader Markus Söder is spending his holidays at home, but is looking forward to a mudflat hike during an official visit to northern Schleswig-Holstein in August.

For CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, “relaxed, sunny days” with family, friends and bicycle tours are on the agenda, she told DPA.

Wherever they get a chance, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender like to relax in the mountains. That’s where they are headed this summer too, though the President's Office stayed silent about the exact destination.

In the past, Steinmeier and Büdenbender crossed the Brenner Pass and hiked in South Tyrol.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) also wants to hike with his wife. According to his ministry, he is also looking forward to a few days to read, sleep in, jog, and ride his bike.

The ministry did not want to reveal whether the Vice Chancellor, who lives in Potsdam, and his wife, Brandenburg's SPD Education Minister Britta Ernst, will stay in their home turf or relax somewhere else.

According to a spokesperson, Green Party leaders Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck will use the holidays to spend more time with their families. But Greens faction leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt has set her sights on sailing in the Baltic Sea.

Lake Ratzeburg in the northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein. Photo: DPA

Highly political

For Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD), the decision on where to go on holiday is highly political. His ministry is responsible for travel warnings and travel advice for foreign countries, which change rapidly in coronavirus times. So personal holiday planning can quickly be seen as a political signal.

That’s why Maas has so far blocked all questions about his holiday destination, not even revealing if he’s staying in Germany or going abroad.

“I don't give any travel recommendations either. Because if I did, it would cause a lot of trouble with about 25 other Member States of the European Union,” he once said at a press conference with his Italian colleague Luigi di Maio.

According to her ministry, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is taking very little time off over the summer because of the coronavirus crisis and the German EU Council Presidency.

“If work permits, she will go to the Dolomites for a few days to recharge her batteries and go hiking”, a spokesperson said.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) Chairman Jörg Meuthen does not yet know how he will spend his holiday: “Everything is still open with me because Covid-19 has reopened all the original plans”.

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Nine hip-hop tracks that will help you learn German

In fact, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that listening to hip-hop in German will boost your German language abilities tenfold.

Ok, so while that might not technically be entirely (read: at all) true, we reckon Jane Austen would have appreciated many German rappers’ way with words.

And with most clearly enunciating their words, and the rhythmic delivery helping with phrasing, the genre is a gift for language learners: it can help you get to grips with new words, sentence patterns and pronunciation, as well as gain an understanding of current phenomena.

We’ve chosen a selection of German hip-hop tracks – including some old-school gems – that are reasonable easy to understand, as well as a couple for more advanced learners who want to get to grips with the finer nuances of the language and word play.

Here are some songs to get you started.

Die Fantastischen Vier – Die Da

You can’t have an article about German hip hop without mentioning Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four, often known as Die Fanta’ 4). Germany’s answer to the Beastie Boys, this Stuttgart band basically kicked off the German hip-hop scene in the late 80s and they’re still going today.

The catchy Die Da!? (Her over there!?) was a tongue-in-cheek hit in 1992 and we love it because the band’s clear articulation makes it easy to understand. Yes, it’s a bit silly – it’s about women the band are interested in, but spoiler: it ends up being the same woman – but it’s packed full of useful German slang.

Want to test your knowledge of German abbreviations? Check out their mfg (Mit freundlichen Grüssen, With best wishes)

Fettes Brot – Jein

Still on an old-school hip-hop vibe, Fettes Brot were a big part of the Hamburg scene.

‘Jein’ – a pleasing amalgamation of Ja and Nein was a big hit in the early 90s. Again, the delivery is clear, they rap slowly and the text is pretty straightforward. Here’s the chorus, for example:

Soll ich’s wirklich machen oder lass ich’s lieber sein / Jein / Ja, ja, oder nein /
Shall I really do it or would it be better to leave it / Jein / Yes, yes, or no

Perfect for the indecisive.

And for a taster of Hamburg dialect, have a listen to Nordisch by Nature.

One of the founder members Der Tobi later got together with another big name on the Hamburg scene – das Bo – and together with marcnesium and DJ Coolmann, they formed cheeky band Fünf Sterne Deluxe. Check out ‘Willst du mit mir geh’n‘ (Do you want to be my boyfriend/girlfriend?)

Mudi – Kind sein

The German rapper with Turkish and Lebanese roots is known for his storytelling that touches on key cultural issues. There’s less wordplay here and he raps slowly and clearly so, even for less confident German learners, the text is quite easy to understand (although some of his songs have a bit of Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish in them).

In 2016’s ‘Kind sein’ (being a child), he raps about feeling nostalgic for his childhood and the context makes it a breeze to put any new vocab into context.

He raps about missing the days when he was klein und so sorgenlos (small and so carefree) in contrast to now where heute sind die Sorgen gross / Krieg, der in den Herzen tobt (today the worries are great / war that rages in our hearts).

Cro – Ein Teil

Arguably more pop than rap (Cro himself calls the mixture raop), Cro is a pretty big deal in Germany.

‘Ein Teil’ is a great starter song as the lyrics are straightforward and it’s quite repetitive, helping with understanding and pronunciation. And while Cro mumbles a bit on some of his other tracks (he tends to eat some of his word endings), he’s quite clear on this track.

(And if you see him live, his penchant for wearing a panda mask on stage doesn’t necessarily help matters). Here’s a section of the refrain that’s repeated throughout:

Du bist und bleibst für immer ein Teil von mir

You are and will always be a part of me

Freundeskreis – A-N-N-A

More known for their socially conscious lyrics, the 90s/00s Stuttgart group had a hit with this slightly soppy but very catchy track.

Immer wenn es regnet / muss ich an dich denken / wie wir uns begegnet sind / und kann mich nicht ablenken

Whenever it rains / I have to think of you / How we met / I can’t stop thinking about it

Group member Max Herre also went on to have success as a solo artist and that’s also worth a listen. Try 1ste Liebe.

S. Castro – Krieger

For something with a more aggressive flow, try S. Castro.

His strong rhythmic delivery in this 2012 battle rap (Krieger means warrior) makes the lyrics fairly easy to understand.

The politically conscious rapper with Kurdish roots uses his raps to expose oppressive aspects of society and the system so there’s plenty of cultural insights to be gained too.

Deichkind – Leider Geil

This one – which translates as ‘unfortunately cool’ – really took off in the noughties with people describing everything as ‘leider geil’ for a while. It’s a really easy one to understand, too as it’s all in the present tense and the Hamburg group rap slowly and clearly.

Here’s a sample:

Es tut mir leid, doch ich muss leider gestehen / Es gibt Dinge auf der Welt, die sind (leider geil) / Autos machen Dreck, Umwelt geht kaputt / Doch ‘ne fette neue Karre ist (leider geil)

I’m sorry, but I’ve got to admit it, unfortunately / There are things in the world that are (unfortunately cool) / Cars are dirty, the environment’s going to hell / But getting an awesome new ride is (unfortunately cool)

Sabrina Setlur – Du liebst mich nicht

Setlur started out in the 90s and was one of the first German female rappers to achieve commercial success – this song went to number one.

Combining hard rap with a sung chorus, ‘You don’t love me’ is a heartfelt attack against a partner who doesn’t love her any more. Perfect for anyone who wants to improve their heartbreak vocab in German.

For a time her rap success was overshadowed by her then-relationship with Boris Becker, but her songs stand the test of time.

This one has since been covered by Ado Kojo featuring Hamburg-based rapper Shirin David.

Bodo Wartke – Barbaras Rhabarberbar

And we couldn’t not include this one. Rapper and cabaret performer Bodo Wartke achieved viral TikTok fame with this tongue-twister that tells the increasingly ludicrous tale of Barbara and her rhubarb bar.

As well as inspiring a dance, the catchy rap also sparked a huge interest in learning German which can never be a bad thing.

Wartke and friend and rapper Matti Fischer both have super-clear pronunciation. Plus it’s a great track for learning how easy it is to make compound nouns in German.

This is obviously just a selection, there are plenty more great hip-hop songs to help you with your German. Have we missed any of your favourites – let us know in the comments!

And if you want to see the lyrics while you listen to the songs, most texts are available on Genius.com and Songtexte.com.

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