Mission Sommermärchen - Deutschlands Weg zur WM 2006

The focus is on the years 1996 to 2001, into which the likes of Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Mario Basler and Stefan Effenberg provide insights on how a group of individualists became a team that laid the foundation for FC Bayern's current success.

Wacky hairstyles, flamboyant characters, and plenty of highlights—let's go back to the '80s! We celebrated new stars—and weathered some serious crises.

In this ten-part series, WDR takes viewers back to the 1990s—a time when cell phones were still huge bricks pressed against people’s ears, music channels like EinsLive and Viva were launching, and the old industrial area was transforming into a recreational destination.

Footballer, entrepreneur, fan favorite and true community hero — Lukas Podolski reflects on his journey and what comes next in this intimate documentary.

Even 2,000 years after his death, General Hannibal's battle strategies are still studied today. But of all his military feats, perhaps his greatest was leading his massive Carthaginian army of men and three-dozen elephants across the Alps and into the heartland of Rome in 218 B.C. Until now, the route they took has been a matter of dispute, but thanks to modern-day technology, geomorphologist Bill Mahaney and microbiologist Chris Allen believe they've accurately traced this ancient journey.

Even today it is considered one of the greatest military feats ever. In 218 BC, a Carthaginian army of ninety thousand men and three dozen elephants set out to cross the Alps to challenge the might of Rome. The exact route chosen by Hannibal, its charismatic commander, has been a matter of dispute ever since. Now, researchers believe they might be able to track his route. It is one of the mysteries of history, which way the Carthaginian commander Hannibal took in 218 BC to cross the Alps.

In 2026, the Eurovision Song Contest celebrates its 70th anniversary. With around 160 million viewers, the ESC is one of the world's biggest music spectacles. This documentary looks back on seven decades filled with music, emotions and passion. From its beginnings as a chanson competition in 1956 through flamboyant outfits and spectacular performances to unforgettable victories, bitter defeats and the political debates of the recent past. Stars like Jean Paul Gaultier, Hape Kerkeling, Tom Neuwirth (aka Conchita Wurst), and Germany's first ESC winner, Nicole, share their experiences on and off stage. The documentary paints a multifaceted portrait of the ESC, highlighting its profound influence on music, fashion, and society, as well as on the LGBTQIA+ community, thus becoming a vibrant journey through seven decades of European pop culture history.

The ’60s—a decade that shaped our country like almost no other. The architecture of that era continues to define the character of our cities and towns to this day. Tens of thousands of people who came here back then as so-called “guest workers” to keep the economy in the Rhine and Ruhr regions running have long since made this their home. And the hits from those years are now timeless classics. Our series begins in 1960—the dawn of a new decade in which North Rhine-Westphalia knew only one direction: full steam ahead! The economic miracle made it possible. “We’re somebody again!”—that’s what we wanted to show, too. There were triumphs, but also tragedies.