German Landscapes

‘Germany’s Landscapes’ is a photographic journey through coastlines, rivers, wetlands, forests and mountains. The first photographs were commissioned by stern and GEO – what began as a commission became an independent project and eventually a book. The project, however, remains an open-ended endeavour and is constantly being expanded.

Landscapes move us – but at what point do we perceive one as beautiful? What makes it worthy of protection, and who decides that? The Federal Nature Conservation Act protects nature and the landscape so that “diversity, character and beauty, as well as recreational value, are permanently safeguarded” – for me, this is a starting point for taking a closer look.

I am not interested in how perfect a landscape appears, but in how we experience it and what connections we form with it. Landscapes are not mere backdrops. They are part of our identity, our history – and our responsibility.