Erotic Perspectives

Winckelmann Changes the World

Winckelmann? Who? It’s 300 years ago that Johann Winckelmann was born in Saxony. With his erotic view of antiquity, he changed the appearance of the world and continues to be…

Karl Marx

The German Prophet

He once said of himself: I am not a Marxist. And yet Karl Marx achieved world fame as a pioneer of Communism and Socialism – albeit after his death. But…

Migration

The Journey of Mankind – presented by Dirk Steffens

Without migration, the world as we know it today would not exist. Because when people migrate, everything migrates with them: their knowledge, culture, religion. But also genes, animals, plants and…

Lesch’s Cosmos – Exercise

Universalmedizin mit Nebenwirkung

Sport can help us live longer and keep us mentally fit. Yet only around 14% of Germans get enough exercise. With unforeseeable consequences. On the one hand, fitness freaks go…

ZDF History: “Russia’s Crown”

Russia’s tsars ruled over the biggest country in the world for more than 300 years. Their power was absolute, their wealth legendary and their downfall cruel. In the end, they…

The Treasures of Timbuktu

When jihadists seized control of northern Mali in March 2012 and burned more than 4,000 priceless ancient manuscripts from the former university city of Timbuktu, several courageous people risked their…

The Mobility of Tomorrow

In an age when rockets equipped with cars are sent into space, one thing is for sure: tomorrow’s mobility is full of crazy ideas – even down here on Earth.…

Forbidden Love in India

For Indian couples wanting to marry against their parents’ will, the men of the Love Commando in New Delhi are their last hope. They offer shelter to elopers and have…

The Fix It Show!

3rd Series

“The Fix It Show!” enters its third round! In ten new episodes, the experts concentrate once again on repairing treasured possessions. Grandpa’s old pocket watch that’s stopped ticking. The precious…

What if…

The battle of Tours and Poitiers in 732 is considered a turning point in the history of Europe. Charles Martel prevented the Islamic advance into Western Europe and for many…

Special People, Special Moments 2017

In an annual review, well-known personalities such as Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, FDP chairman Christian Lindner, actor Elyas M’ Barek, and less prominent persons have the chance to talk…

Markus Lanz – The Unvarnished Truth About America

After taking stock in the run-up to the 2016 presidential elections, Markus Lanz’s second America documentary asks how Americans are faring one year later. A roadtrip through the real America.…

On Days Like These!

We love public holidays! And we love history! In “On Days Like These” we bring together both. On 31 October, we celebrate Reformation Day and Halloween. But a lot of…

The Europe Saga

with Christopher Clark

“Europe is not a place, it’s an idea,” concluded philosopher and journalist Bernhard-Henri Lévy. Strictly speaking, Europe is not a continent, it’s an appendage of Asia. In its 2500-year history,…

Either – Or

In this fast-paced quiz show, presenter Ben gives his candidates only two possible answers and no time to ponder. Two contestants compete against each other in a duel and have…

PUR+: THE MYSTERIES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS

Every year, 20 billion birds migrate to southern Europe. But why are so few blackbirds now joining them from Germany? PUR+ presenter Eric Mayer takes to the air with German…

Vote for me!

Six politicians, six voters. One side is canvassing. The other side is voting. At the end, we find out whether or not the politicians were able to win over their…

MARKUS LANZ – CUBA!

Talks With Fidel Castro's Heirs

This journalistic journey takes Markus Lanz first to Havana and then across the rural Viñales to the secret capital of Cuba: Santiago de Cuba. He meets dockworkers, a German-Cuban woman…

The Docu Quiz II

Why are all gondolas in Venice black? How warm is the Earth’s interior? And: What do the three stripes on a sailor’s uniform stand for? These are just some of…

Lesch’s Cosmos – Digital Vote-Getters

Meinungsmache im Netz

We are online – constantly and all the time. When election campaigns are taking place, this is potentially dangerous – because online opinion-makers can infiltrate social networks and post information…

Europe and the Refugees

On 4 September 2015, Angela Merkel made one of the most momentous decisions in her chancellorship: She opened the German border to refugees from Hungary. In doing so, she changed…

Lesch’s Cosmos – The Future of Mobility

The bigger the world population and the higher our standard of living, the more mobile we become. But existing infrastructure is not designed to cope with increased mobility. Roads and…

Oh, Europe

On the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, we take a light-hearted but critical look at the history of Europe. The hard facts have already been…

Blood Trail – Far-Right Terrorism in Germany

Their victims have the wrong religion, skin colour or political opinion: For decades, a network of far-right terrorists has been carrying out murders in Germany. “ZDF-History” pursues its trail of…

Nobody leaves for good

A homage to life

In this show, Markus Lanz pays tribute to numerous celebrities who passed away in 2016. Götz George, Bud Spencer, Muhammad Ali, Roger Willemsen, Umberto Eco, David Bowie, Hans-Dietrich Genscher and…

50 Magic Moments in History

Unique moments, emotional highlights, dramatic defeats, devastating catastrophes. Our past is defined by countless emotions and memories. Whether sport, cinema, science, politics, religion, or natural disasters – in this ranking…

The Empire of the White Monks

Petra Gerster in search of the Cistercians

This documentary is about the spectacular advancement of a religious order to business empire. For the glory of God, medieval Cistercian monks became early capitalist entrepreneurs. For almost four centuries,…

Special People, Special Moments 2016

In his traditional annual review, Markus Lanz takes stock of the most emotional highlights of 2016, presenting special moments experienced by both famous and lesser known heroes. Alongside athletes such…

Frontal21 Documentary – New Year’s Eve in Cologne

Ever since New Year’s Eve 2015, we no longer associate Cologne merely with its Cathedral, carnival, Kölsch beer and conviviality. We inevitably also think of the mass assaults on women…

Markus Lanz – America in unfiltered form

Markus Lanz travels to the USA to capture the mood of the population in the run-up to the presidential election. In personal conversations, he gets to know people from all…

Terra X – Great Peoples II

The second Great Peoples series embarks once again on a journey in time to the origins of Europe. Three new episodes introduce civilisations that have significantly shaped the modern world…

The Magnificent 10

The Greatest Turning Points in German History

We have chosen October 3rd, the day of German unification, as an occasion for a special episode in the documentary series The Magnificent 10. In The Greatest Turning Points in…

Magic Moments In Evolution

With Dirk Steffens

Evolution produced the elephant and the shrew. It invented bird migration, whale songs and hibernation. It concocted the venom of cobras and gave rise to viruses and bacteria. Mammoths and…

Lesch’s Cosmos: The transformation of the oceans

A disaster in the making

The ocean, a place of people’s dreams, is undergoing a process of change. It is our life support system, it provides us with oxygen and food. But how much longer…

Death in a mobile home

How did the NSU terrorists really die?

For years, the NSU killer trio carried out murders in towns all over Germany. When the terrorists were finally identified, Uwe Böhnhardt and Uwe Mundlos killed themselves, apparently aware of…

Giant of the North

The history of the Port of Hamburg

This is the story about one of the largest ports in the world, its people and their ideas. It is a story about merchants and their merchandise, emigrants and their…

The Power of Volcanoes

Seen in relation to the length of a human life, volcanoes erupt very rarely. Only when we look at traces of such past disasters can we anticipate what may lie…

Terra X – The Celts

The enacted sequences and CGI for this BBC/ZDF coproduction were produced by Gruppe 5. Vast battle scenes, the sacking of Rome by the Celts, the conquest of Gaul by Julius…

37 Grad – Taking a Break from the Ratrace

Recharge your batteries, take time out, try something new. Lots of people dream of doing this, but only a few employees actually have the courage to take a sabbatical, or…

The Magnificent 10

Series 2

The Magnificent 10 enters its second round! In traditionally casual and humorous style, the ranking show introduces a series of historically significant personalities, moments and places. We nominate fanatical eccentrics,…

“The fix-it show” with Eva Brenner

What do you do when teddy’s fur’s all fuzzed up, your chest of drawers is rotten or a clock’s stopped ticking? Presenter Eva Brenner and her team fix whatever can…

Martin Luther

Petra Gerster on the trail of the reformer

Petra Gerster embarks on the trail of the epochal figure of Martin Luther. The impact he had on the world church is undisputed. But his work is also surrounded by…

Slumbering Giants

The Power of Volcanoes

Seen in relation to the length of a human life, volcanoes erupt very rarely. Only when we look at traces of such past disasters we can anticipate what may lie…

Maybrit Illner Special

The controversial issue of refugees – three elections, one subject

Prior to the regional elections in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate und Saxony-Anhalt on March 13, 2016, the refugee problem placed a heavy burden not only on authorities and…

Women and Oceans

The world’s five oceans each has a different colour. They feel different. And smell different. In remote and dangerous parts of the oceans, outstanding women scientists struggle to win a…

Terra X – Rome on the Rhine

“Tear down the walls – kill all Romans.” Many Germanic tribes did not consider rebelling against the Roman rule in the Rhineland region. After all, they benefited from Roman civilisation.…

Moments in history

With 100 short special event and explanatory films, we look back at the era of the Germanic peoples. A historic foray into 2000 years of German history. The films take…

Lesch’s Cosmos – Burnout:

Hysteria or epidemic?

The burnout syndrome seems to have become almost as widespread as an epidemic. Millions of Germans feel drained, exhausted and unmotivated. But what actually is burnout? Officially, the condition is…

Manganese nodules from the ocean floor

Gold rush in the Pacific

It served as a cover story for the most expensive and spectacular CIA operation of all times. It offers hope to people who once had everything – but then lost…

Terra X – Mankind and his Superhuman Powers II

In the second series, more super-talented individuals demonstrate their extraordinary sensory and intellectual capabilities. People with incredible physical abilities fly like birds, ride 20-metre-high waves, live to be as old…

The Docu Quiz

Why, in the Middle Ages, was “alles in Butter” (a German phrase literally meaning “everything in butter”)? A question probably only a specialist can answer. But we ask people on…

Theme evening with Maybrit Illner

"Hospitals in a state of emergency?"

German hospitals are among the best in the world. But how good are they really? The quality of the services they offer differ significantly, patients often feel they are at…

The History of the Southwest

The German states of Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate still show signs of their turbulent past even today. The TV series “The History of the Southwest” presents their history for the…

Theme evening with Maybrit Illner

"Are we a people?"

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of unification, ZDF presenter Maybrit Illner and Lutz van der Horst investigate present-day German reality, combining analytical assessments and reviews with a dash…

Lesch’s Cosmos – Bon appétit! The power of manipulation

Who decides what ends up on our plates? Scientists uncover factors that play an important part in what we eat. Apparently, we don’t always recognise the signals our bodies send…

37° – Circus: the final opportunity

Over a period of three years, we accompanied Adam with our camera. Our film documents the impressive personal development of a supposedly untalented boy – from problematic youth to state-certified…

Best Pupil to Bavarian Premier: Franz Josef Strauß

Ever since he served as defence minister, Franz Josef Strauß divided and polarised society in the Federal Republic of Germany. Some saw him as Bavaria’s saviour and protector against aggressive…

Black Sea and white nights

The myth of eastern Europe. What moves people in this part of the world? Matthias Fornoff, his team and ZDF correspondents take a look at moods and developments in the…

Lesch’s Cosmos – Big data

What measuring the world can tell us

The Earth is rebelling: extreme weather events are on the increase, more and more people throughout the world are suffering from the consequences. In future, Germany will also have to…

Terra X – Germany’s cities

with Harald Lesch

We only have to look at a map to see how densely populated Germany is. No country in Europe has so many cities. What makes cities so fascinating – and…

Terra X – A case for Lesch and Steffens

The weather makers

Household names in Germany, Harald Lesch has been explaining the universe and important and trivial aspects of life to us for years, while intrepid explorer Dirk Steffens travels the world…

The Myth of Byzantium

Petra Gerster in search of an empire

It is the story of an empire of superlatives: the legendary city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. For one thousand years, the Christian city of Byzantium symbolised…

Terra X – The history of food

Fear of the potato, stuffed swan with flamingo, coffee police and soup in a fur pot: the history of food is rich in anecdotes, the most bizarre stories and fascinating…

Vietnam War

The war in Vietnam was one of the bloodiest and most cruel wars in history. Million Vietnamese were killed; most of its victims were civilians. A war known for indiscriminate…

The Magnificent 10

The greatest losers, posers, construction disasters – history told from a very different perspective. The new zdf_neo series takes an unusual look at world history and subjectively ranks all kinds…

The Jesus Mystery – Petra Gerster in search of the Holy Land

This is the story of a man who really did exist: a devout Jew by the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He spent a year working and preaching at the…

Terra X – Mankind and his superhuman powers

From physical superheroes to intellectual geniuses Herbert Nitsch from Austria is the most successful freediver of all times. He has broken 31 world records, and nobody can hold their breath…

Lesch’s Cosmos – Natural gas and the struggle for power:

How secure are our supplies?

In the past, gas was like water – we turned the tap and gas flowed out. It didn’t interest us where it came from. But since the Ukraine crisis, we…

HUNGER! & THIRST!

If we did everything right, no child on planet Earth would have to die of hunger or thirst. Not really. So why does this still happen? This two-part documentary looks…

Terra X – Alexander the Great

He is considered the model of the world ruler: no superlative suffices to adequately describe the Macedonian king’s charismatic personality, his military skills or his vision of a peaceful, multicultural…

Planet Germany

300 million years

This film is an adventurous and awe-inspiring exploration of Germany – today, yesterday and in our very distant past. It describes the dramatic evolution of the country from the Carboniferous…

37° Fight Johnny, fight!

A year-long struggle for survival

This long-term observation tells the remarkable story of a determined young man’s struggle for survival. His personal philosophy: “You have to fight, it’s not over yet”. Johnny is a sportsman…

Terra X – The spark of ingenuity

The history of fireworks

They scared off Mongols, impressed kings and turned a few individuals into heroes: fireworks. Their century-old career began as a weapon of war, but the higher and louder and more…

Terra X – Wild planet

when the Earth runs riot

Earthquakes, volcanoes and storms: since time immemorial, our planet has been at the mercy of these natural phenomena. They destroy, kill, annihilate. But they also give life, they create new…

Terra X – The World of the Knights

The knight: half human, half legend. Minnesang and chivalric novels have left us with a sublime impression of the “noble knight”. But what were knights really like? This series tells…

The Trial of Jesus of Nazareth – Checking facts with Petra Gerster

It is the dramatic end of a unique life. In April, A.D. 30, the itinerant preacher Jesus of Nazareth arrived in Jerusalem. Upon entry into the city, he was immediately…

Terra X – Great Nations

A journey through time to Europe’s roots with comic elements Democracy, laws, science, literature, theatre, the Olympic Games, water supply, road networks, long-distance trade, transoceanic crossings, globalisation – the list…

Friends or Foes?

The Germans and the French

Few relationships between two nations have been so fraught with tension, so complex as that of the French and the Germans. In the last 200 years alone, they have waged…

Women Who Made History

For centuries, women influenced politics only behind the scenes, sometimes they were the driving force behind supposedly powerful rulers. This series of films is about female stereotypes, women’s roles, women’s…

Journey of Discovery

What kind of a world would we live in if there were no discoveries, new knowledge, no curiosity? What kind of world would it be without scientists constantly endeavouring to…

The Legacy of the First Christians

Petra Gerster in search of the early Christian community

Petra Gerster searches for signs of the early Christian community, the zero hour of Christianity. In Turkey, in historical Asia Minor, she visits places where the first communities established themselves…

Terra X – Wild Planet

When the Earth runs riot

At any moment in time, somewhere in the world a volcano can erupt, the Earth can move, or a devastating storm can rage. This often occurs without warning, and we…

Konrad Adenauer

“Why should I care about what I said yesterday” Konrad Adenauer, first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Born January 5th, 1876, expelled by the Nazis and later on…

Frederick the Great

Holy War

At the latest since September 11th, 2001, the armed struggle in the name of Allah has become a serious threat to the West, where many peoples share the view that…

The Germans II

The second season of the series “Die Deutschen” (The Germans) again covers a thousand years of German history, starting with Charlemagne in the early Middle Ages and reaching to the…

Universe of the Oceans with Frank Schätzing

A journey through past, present, and future of the oceans. How did life in the oceans originate billions of years ago? And how could the immense diversity of animals and…

Terra X – America before Columbus

This is the tale of two continents, before they knew each other. Europe is small and crowded, and lacks resources, while America is vast – people have space, and live…

Cape of Storm

Land of Hope

More than 500 years ago, the first Europeans entered the southern tip of the African continent. They found a Garden of Eden and called it the “Cape of Good Hope“.…

Terra X – Superstructures with Sebastian Koch

They shape the face of cities and landscapes and stand for genius, madness, and pride of their owners. They bear the traces of history and have written history. Designs that…

In excellent constitution – 60 Years of Basic Law

60 years ago, on May 23rd, 1949, the fundamental law of the new Federal Republic of Germany was signed in a solemn ceremony of the Parliamentary Council in Bonn. For…

Arminius – Enemy of Rome

Arminius – born as the son of a Cheruscan, abducted as a pawn of the Romans, and raised as a soldier, returns to subdued Germania under Emperor Augustus. He makes…

The Germans

The primetime ten-part documentary about German history spans the period from Otto the Great in the 10th century to the proclamation of the First Republic by Philipp Scheidemann in November…

The Gate of the Dragon

Chinas langer Aufbruch

The century of China has begun. But how has this grand empire called Middle Kingdom become what it is today? The Gate of the Dragon – the Long Rise of…

China’s Forbidden City

In the heart of Beijing lies the largest palace in the world, the Forbidden City. For 500 years, it is the home of the almighty Emperors of China, who live…

Supercomet – After the Impact

65 Million years ago, an asteroid hit planet Earth, destroying 75 percent of all species and ending the reign of the dinosaurs. Such an event can occur at any time…

The Jews – A People’s History

The documentary series „The Jews – A People’s History” undertakes a quest into more than 3,000 years of Jewish history: tracking back to the beginning of Jews as an independent…

The Germanic Tribes

“Through its forests terrible, through its marshes horrible”, thus characterizes the Roman historian Tacitus “Germania”, the area incognita beyond the Rhine. The natives there, the Germanic Tribes, were not in…

China’s Great Wall

“You’re not a real man if you’ve not got to the Great Wall“, Great Chairman Mao once said. For more than 2,000 years, the Emperors of China tried to protect…

Update 2057 – The World in 50 Years

Robots can reproduce while human beings clamor to be cloned. Overhead automobiles whirr through the air. It’s the stuff of far-out science fiction romance novels, but low and behold, tomorrow…

Secrets of the First Emperor

Das Geheimnis des Ersten Kaisers

He conquered “All under Heaven” and gave it his name: Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of China. His most splendid legacy is the Terracotta Army. The film shows the history…

Dragons of the Sea: China’s Forgotten Fleet

In 1405, a gigantic fleet weighs its anchors in the Nanjing harbour. 200 ships and a crew of 27,000 men, under the supreme command of imperial Admiral Zheng He, embark…

Wild East

The Wartburg Castle and the Spree Forest! Two spectacular cultural landscapes in Eastern Germany are shown from their most beautiful and mysterious side: first class natural history footage combined with…

Ways out of Darkness

Europe in the Middle Ages

This four part documentary sheds new light on the ”dark age” of European history. It tells of the scientific, technical and cultural achievements of the Middle Ages which paved the…

Storm over Europe

The Wandering Tribes

This documentary deals with the mass migration of Germanic tribes at the very beginning of European history, while Ancient Rome raced towards inevitable collapse and a new political centre developed…

Dead Men Telling Tales

The History of Forensic Medicine

They are the victims’ advocates, deliver the guilty to justice and relieve the burden of accusation from the innocent. For 700 years, forensic medical experts, armed with bone saw and…

Fabulous Animals

Wildlife Meets Myth

Unicorns, dragons, giant octopuses – tales of fabulous, magical animals are part of the cultural heritage of peoples throughout the world. But is it all just legend? Many of these…

The American Journey of Alexander von Humboldt

In 1799, Alexander von Humboldt and the French physician and botanist Aimé Bonpland set out on a research expedition through Central and South America. The first Europeans to journey into…

Dolphin Stories

Mysteries and Legends

Dolphins are known to be highly developed creatures from whom we can learn a lot. Throughout history, human beings have tried to unlock the secrets of the dolphins’ superior intelligence.…