Legends of Speed

On November 25, 1973, the first of four car-free Sundays transformed West Germany's deserted highways into spaces for walking, cycling, and horse-drawn carriages, while towns and cities took on a festive atmosphere. Introduced during the oil crisis to conserve fuel after the Arab oil embargo and production cuts following the Yom Kippur War, the measure became an unforgettable collective experience. Beyond the immediate energy shortage, the crisis marked a turning point, ending the postwar economic boom and encouraging greater awareness of energy use, consumerism, and environmental issues.

In autumn of 1921, the AVUS, the ‘Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße’ (The automobile traffic and training road), was inaugurated in the southwest of Berlin with a car race. The two long straights, each ten kilometres long, were connected by two turns: It was a high-speed track which was meant to expedite the development of the automobile in Germany. The Documentary explores the moving story of the first cars-only road in the world.

The spectrum of topics ranges from political history with a focus on contemporary history (especially National Socialism and post-war history) to cultural history and social history. In addition, ZDF-History also regularly deals with pre-modern history, art and cultural history.

In 1921, in the Danish town of Egtved, on the Jutland peninsula, was discovered one of the most important Bronze Age burial sites: the tomb of a girl who lived around 1370 BCE. Who was that girl and what was her daily life like?