German Expo 2000 landmark Pavilion of Hope

The Netherlands Pavilion at EXPO 2000

The Venezuela Pavilion

Hungary Pavilion

EXPO Mascot Twipsy

The Mexico pavilion in its new home as the library of the HBK

Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hanover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hanover fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is famous for hosting CeBIT. The fair was not a financial success.

The fair's masterplan was designed in a joint venture with Studio d'Arnaboldi / Cavadini, Locarno and AS&P (Albert Speer und Partner GmbH).

History[link]

Background[link]

On June 14, 1990 the international world's fair organization B.I.E. awarded Expo 2000 to Hanover, beating out Toronto by a 21 to 20 vote. In 1992 the architects Studio Arnaboldi/Cavadini of Locarno won an international design competition for the masterplan of the exhibition grounds. On June 12 of that same year a survey conducted by the city council was made public showing only 51.5% of area residents supported hosting the expo.

Construction[link]

On May 5, 1994 a new company was created by the government in Bonn, Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung und Durchführung der Weltausstellung EXPO 2000 in Hannover (EXPO 2000 Hanover GmbH). Headed by chairman Helmut Werner, the company was responsible for the construction and management of the fair.

In 1995 the supervisory board agreed on the concept for the thematics of the fair. Construction finally began on April 22, 1996.

Unlike previous expos, which focused on present advances in science and technology, EXPO 2000 focused more on developing and presenting solutions for the future.

The Fair[link]

The fair opened to the public on Thursday, June 1, 2000 and ran five months, ending on Tuesday, October 31.

The Expo site was situated on the original 1,000,000 square meters of the Hanover fairground; an additional 600,000 m² was also made available as a newly opened section to the grounds. As a visitor walked in and tickets were taken, looking above to the approximately four-story-high ceiling, a visitor would have noticed the huge circular pods that held large TVs showing animated people greeting the visitors and providing tourist information in different languages. Some ten large McDonald's restaurants were also built, along with restaurants representing several of the exhibitor countries. Small retail locations were also set up to supply Expo merchandise. The United States reversed its decision to take part at a relatively late stage, and the area set aside for the American pavilion was left undeveloped.

40,000,000 visitors were expected at Expo 2000, but only 25,210,000 people came to see the event. This led to a financial deficit of about $600,000,000. With pre-ordered tickets priced at 69 DM, the fair seemed expensive compared to other days out. Commentator Georg Giersberg wrote in the Frankfurter Allgemeine that entrance fees for Germany's 53 main theme parks cost on average less than half the price of the Expo (about 30 DM). Other financial shortfalls came from a lack of corporate sponsorship, since it cost US$4.8 million to be an official product supplier or US$14.5 million to become a world partner.

Part of the failure of the Expo was a lack of clear perception of what to expect at Expo 2000, not helped by a "cerebral" advertising campaign that had failed to explain what the Expo was for. In a 2000 Time article a Berlin-based marketing firm, Scholz & Friends, stated that "the organizers have failed to convey to the public a clear image of what Expo 2000 is going to be: an entertainment park, a blown-up museum, or a nature reserve." In the same article Ralf Strobach, secretary of Hanover's Citizens' Initiative for Environment Protection, said that "For a long time, companies were unsure if they would be putting money in an eco-show or a showcase for their latest inventions." Only after the fair was open and clearly not meeting expectations was a new advertising campaign created, aimed at the domestic market with British actor Peter Ustinov and German television star Verona Feldbusch and stressing the fun side of the Expo, under the slogan "Das gibt's nur einmal, es kommt nie wieder" ("This only happens once, it's never coming back").

The German band Kraftwerk created a vocoded speech signature theme, "Expo 2000", which was also developed into a single of the same name. Later a remix single "Expo Remix" was released. The band was also paid US$190,000 for a five-second jingle, leading Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to state that he "wouldn't have spent so much money".

Expo-Settlement[link]

On the western slope of Kronsberg emerged in the late 1990s in conjunction with the EXPO 2000, established an environmental point of settlement at the Hannover Expo. The district is a result of independent evolutionary history and unique structure often perceived as a separate district.

Pavilions[link]

Themed pavilions[link]

• The 21st Century
• Planet of Visions
• Human
• Knowledge
• Mobility
• Communication
• Energy
• Health
• Nutrition
• Environment
• Basic Needs
• Future of Labour

National pavilions[link]

In total, 155 nations took part. Some are outlined below:

• The Bhutan Pavilion A Buddhist Temple brought from Bhutan to the World Exhibition in Hannover, having been prefabricated in 16'000 construction parts in Bhutan

• Finland - Titled "Wind Nest", the building was created by architects Sarlotta Narjus and Antti-Matti Siikala. Four-storey twin buildings measuring 50 x 7.5m each were clad in heat-treated thermowood. The two buildings were connected by bridges, allowing visitors to move amongst the three exhibit halls on the first two stories. A 15 m wide birch forest was also created.

• Germany - Designed by architect Wund Gruppe, the 24,000 m² building was the largest nation pavilion at Expo.

• Japan - The Japanese Pavilion was a gridshell structure made out of recycled paper tubes that created a honeycomb-like building. The German authorities refused to allow a paper-only structure, literally held together at the joints by tape, so a secondary supporting structure made of wood was created to obtain the needed legal approval. Designed by architect Shigeru Ban along with consultants Frei Otto (the German architect who created the Olympic Stadium (Munich) and the German pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal), Buro Happold (the British engineering firm which created the Millennium Dome) and Stefan Polonyi (a structural engineering professor), the building took 3 weeks to assemble and covered an exhibit area of 72m (long) x 35 m (wide) x 15.5m (high), pavilion lot size: 5.450 m² and building surface area: 3.600 m².

• Latvia - about 300.000 people participated in the "Zime" project created by Armands Strazds and Modris Tenisons. [1]

• Lithuania - The pavilion was designed by Marina and Audrius Bucas, Gintaras Kuginys, Valdas Ozarinskas and Aida Ceponyte. The building was a futuristic glossy yellow. The main attraction was the film "Flight over Lithuania".

• Mexico - The pavilion conisted of 5 separate buildings linked by ramps, and after the Expo was relocated to the Braunschweig Braunschweig Fine Arts College. The architect was Ricardo Legorreta.

• Monaco - Monaco contributed at the exhibition by constructing a hypermodern pavilion which was designed by the architect Hans Ferdinand Degraeuwe.^[1]

• Mongolia -Mongolia participated at the exhibition by constructing the nomadic town of XIII century, called “Chingis’s Town”, covering the area of one hectare. The pavilion was designed by the architect Adiya Baldandorj Bayud, to show the ger residences of Great Khans of Mongol Empire of XIII century. The feature of this town was that, it created the town with ger, ger-carriage and various kinds of cotton residents, which are different in forms, sizes and applications, used by Mongolians in the concerned century. Moreover, the King’s privilege armchair, clothing and accessories of ancient heroes and weapons were shown in the "Chingis's Town".http://mongolwall.com/mw_wp/

• Netherlands located at '3' Europa Boulevard, the Dutch pavilion was one of the most popular buildings, winning international acclaim, and was designed by the firm MVRDV. The theme of the 36 m high building (the fair's tallest structure) was "Holland creates Space". Six Holland eco-system landscapes were stacked to showcase how a country can make the most out of a small space. Guests entered on the ground floor and moved through the exhibit space via grand exterior staircases that wrapped around the building. The top level contained a small lake surrounded with windmills that generated power for the building. The interior spaces were designed by MET Studio. The original plan was to dismantle the building and move it back to Amsterdam, but it was determined that it would be much cheaper to just create a new building from scratch. As of 2006 the building sits empty and is partially looted with windows smashed and garbage everywhere. Photos of the building in its current state; also visit: for more updates on the pavilion.

• Portugal - Designed by architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura, the 2,350 m² pavilion was located on the Europa Boulevard. The prefabricated two-story building was covered with around 55 tons of expanded cork agglomerate and with hand-made glazed tiles on the patio and had a double glass fibre canvas membrane roof. Portugal Pavilion Website

• Spain - Designed with the theme "Familiarity and Solidarity" Spain Pavilion Website^{[dead link]}

• Switzerland - The 3019 square meter pavilion designed by Peter Zumthor was built of stacked wooden beams of larchwood and Scots pine held together by steel rods and springs^[2]

• UAE United Arab Emirates - The 3000 m² pavilion, situated on a 6000 meter plot (the largest of the Expo sites), was a recreated desert fort. Designed by the French architect Alain Durand-Heriot the exhibit tried to evoke the feeling of being in the Arab state. The main attraction was a 360° circular cinema. The building was 84 m x 36 m and built out of recyclable materials. The theme of the pavilion was "From the traditional to the modern" and presented the history of the country.

• Venezuela - The pavilion was a tensegrity structure which opened and closed like a flower. It was very lightweight, was constructed with no waste and completely re-usable. The flower petals were positioned according to the weather, to shade, keep dry or allow sun to shine on the pavilion. It was designed by Buro Happold and Josep Ignasi de Llorens Duran.

Other pavilions[link]

• Bertelsmann - "Planet" pavilion

• BMW World - The exhibit focused on BMW's efforts to create clean-energy operated vehicles. The BMW 750hL Clean Energy car was on display. There were also exhibits on the possibilities of solar- and water-fueled cars. Daimler Chrysler also operated Lab.01, an interactive laboratory showcasing mobility devices including mini-robots.

• EU European Union - The pavilion presented the European Union's vision of Europe. The walk-through exhibit was divided into seven zones: 50's, Time Shuttle, Euro, Blue Planet, Bridge, Tunnel, Here and Now. Pavilion Webpage^{[dead link]}

• Global House - The building housed the One World Cafe and a variety of exhibits, including Indigenous Peoples' Wisdom from the Earth, a display of 26 initiatives by indigenous groups from around the globe. Each initiative was shown in a flight case and featured text, images, and in many cases, contemporary handicraft. The exhibit was the first opportunity for indigenous people to represent themselves at a World's Fair.

• WWF (World Wildlife Fund) - Pavilion

• The ZERI Pavilion - The largest bamboo structure designed by Simon Velez, was built by 41 Colombian wood workers in less than three months. Over 4,500 bamboos (Guadua angustifolia) were joined to become the first building which dances with the rhythm of the earth - and this with a German building permit. Nine months of intensive scientific research and testing first enabled the acquisition of a temporary permit, and after the building was constructed twice (once in Manizales, Colombia and once in Hanover) the final permit was granted the day before the opening of the Expo 2000. This pavilion presented 7 projects from around the world which demonstrated that it is possible to respond to everyone's needs on Earth with what we have. The projects from Colombia, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Sweden and Japan inspired many young people. The pavilion nearly went bankrupt when sales and attendance were so low, but fortunately thanks to a single bamboo in the center of the pavilion, enough money was collected to make it to the end. The ZERI Pavilion had an estimated 6.4 million visitors, but it had no doors and no queues. for information on ZERI today

Expo 2000 Projects[link]

• Lost Paradise Lost - art meets church
• Rain Forest House - hear, smell, taste and feel the diversity of the tropical highland rain forest
• Hannover Zoo - where the animals can live in conditions similar to their natural habitats
• Hornemann Institute - world wide knowledge transfer as well as further education in the field of conservation and restoration

Legacy[link]

The Nepal Himalaya Pavilion from the Expo 2000, rebuilt with a small botanical garden at Wiesent near Regensburg

Some of the buildings on the EXPO site were sold after EXPO 2000 ended, but most of the exhibition area is still used for major fairs in Germany, as it has been since 1949. The southeastern area around Expo Plaza has been turned into Hanover's new centre of information technology, design, media and arts.

Most of the national pavilion buildings were demolished following the fair. Some buildings (far more than in any other world expositions)^{[citation needed]} were 'saved', including the Netherlands Pavilion. The structure has now fallen into disrepair.

See also[link]

• Hannover Principles

External links[link]

1. ^ "MONACO INTER EXP". http://www.monaco-inter-expo.mc/expoPasse.php?idExpo=2&ecran=pavillon. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
2. ^ Hatje Cantz. Architektur Architecture EXPO 2000 Hannover. pp. 288. ISBN 3-7757-0924-X. 

• Official site
• Exposeeum - see what is left from EXPO
• Expo 2000 page at ExpoMuseum - online world's fair museum
• German Pavilion Mainshow Video

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Expo 2000

• More about the Japanese Pavilion
• Failure of Expo 2000 (Time Magazine)
• Christian Expo 2000 Wallpaper
• Hannover 2000 review and photos of all pavilions by WorldExpositions.info

Coordinates: 52°19′18″N 9°48′44″E / 52.32167°N 9.81222°E / 52.32167; 9.81222

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2010)

Hape Kerkeling
Born	Hans Peter Wilhelm Kerkeling (1964-12-09) 9 December 1964 (age 47) Recklinghausen, West Germany
Occupation	comedian, author, presenter, actor, singer, voice actor
Website
http://www.hapekerkeling.de/

Hans Peter Wilhelm "Hape" Kerkeling (German pronunciation: [ˈhaːpə ˈkɛʁkəlɪŋ]; born 9 December 1964, in Recklinghausen, Germany) is a well-known German actor, presenter and comedian.

Career[link]

At secondary school in Recklinghausen, Hape Kerkeling and some fellow students formed a band (Gesundfutter, meaning: health fodder) and published a record (Hawaii).

Kerkeling started his career as a comedian in radio, working for various German broadcasting companies, such as WDR and BR.

The real breakthrough came in 1984/85 when, still aged only 19, Kerkeling got a role in the Känguru [sic] television comedy show (the German word for kangaroo deliberately spelt without an "h" at the end although this broke the spelling rules at that time). The best-known character in this show was the little boy Hannilein, played by Kerkeling, an irritating child with red hair in a pudding-basin style, dungarees^{[disambiguation needed ]} and sitting on giant-sized chairs, who commented on the world of adults.

Later came guest appearances and sketches on the Radio Bremen show Extratour. Then in 1989 Kerkeling started up his own comedy TV show, Total Normal (Totally Normal) along with pianist Achim Hagemann. This show, a satirical spoof on prime-time TV-Shows, had a totally new format and was awarded several television prizes such as the Goldene Kamera, the Adolf-Grimme-Preis and the Bayerischer Fernsehpreis.

On the show, Kerkeling made television history on 25 April 1991 when he dressed up as Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on a state visit to Berlin and almost managed to get into Schloss Bellevue to meet the President of Germany for dinner. The satirical song from this show, Das ganze Leben ist ein Quiz (All life is a quiz) made it into the German pop charts.

On 10 December 1991 in German television talkshow, the filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim revealed that Kerkeling, among others, was gay. Kerkeling's comment on the ensuing fuss (mostly in the gutter press) was that while anyone of a more sensitive nature than him would probably have climbed into the bath with a hairdryer, he could not see the point: they would be dragging another poor soul through the dirt the next day anyway.

In 1992, Kerkeling's first film came out: Kein Pardon, which he directed and starred in, as well as helping to write the script.

In 1992, Kerkeling turned down an offer by the big public broadcasting company ZDF to work on the immensely popular prime-time show Wetten, dass..? and instead, without his previous partner Hagemann, moved to the independent television sector with the show Cheese. This was similar in concept to Total Normal and viewing figures were relatively high; still this is considered as his first flop.

In the second half of the 90s, Kerkeling worked once more for ARD, presenting the show Warmumsherz (Heartwarming), and filmed several television films (Club Las Piranjas (1995), Willi und die Windzors, 1996; Die Oma ist tot, 1997).

In 1999 Kerkeling returned to success with his Sat.1 show Darüber lacht die Welt (What makes the world laugh). He also presented the yearly fundraising gala for the German AIDS fund Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe. In 2003 he was awarded the Deutscher Fernsehpreis (German Television Prize) in the category Best Entertainment Presenter.

In January 2004 Kerkeling made another film entitled Samba in Mettmann, which is set in Mettmann in North Rhine Westphalia. In May 2004 and a year later in May 2005 he presented the Großer Deutsch-Test (a national test show for German grammar and spelling) and in October 2004 the Großer Deutschlandtest (a test about people's knowledge of Germany). In April and May 2006 he presented the live TV show Let's Dance, the German version of Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, with Nazan Eckes.

German broadcaster ZDF started the production of Kerkeling's Ein Mann, ein Fjord! (A Man, A Fjord!) in May 2008, directed by Angelo Colagrossi and written by Kerkeling, Angelo Colagrossi and Angelina Maccarone. Starring Jürgen Tarrach, Anneke Kim Sarnau, Matthias Brandt and Horst Krause the film portrays Kerkeling as Horst Schlämmer, Uschi Blum and Gisela. The movie premiered 21. January 2009 on ZDF. ^[1]

In a survey by the television station Kabel 1 in 2005, Kerkeling made it into the top ten favourite faces on German television; the only other two presenters were Günther Jauch and Thomas Gottschalk.

In 2001 Kerkeling went on a pilgrimage, following the Way of St James for 650 kilometres (400 mi) to Santiago de Compostela. In June 2006 his book Ich bin dann mal weg (I'm off for a bit, then), his diary of this pilgrimage, was top of the Spiegel magazine non-fiction bestseller list. By May 2008 it had sold 3 million copies.^[2] It is to appear in English in June 2009 entitled I'm Off Then: My Journey Along the Camino De Santiago. It has also been translated into French, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Spanish.

Hape Kerkeling lives with his life partner and co-author Angelo Colagrossi in Berlin. Colagrossi wrote a large number of texts and sketches for Total Normal and other shows, and co-directed the films Kein Pardon, Willi und die Windzors, Die Oma ist tot, Samba in Mettmann and Ein Mann, ein Fjord!.

In March 2011, Kerkeling announce that he be divorced with Colagrossi.^[3]

Since Spring 2005, Kerkeling has presented the show Hape trifft! (which is ambiguous in the German language and may be translated as Hape hits the spot! or Hape meets!) show, produced by Günther Jauch's production team i&u TV on RTL.

Characters[link]

Horst Schlämmer[link]

Horst Schlämmer is one of Kerkeling's current characters (and the most successful), the deputy editor of the fictitious newspaper Grevenbroicher Tagblatt. His motto is to "get up close and ask tough questions". Dressed in a grey trenchcoat and with a small black manbag on his arm, he holds interviews at real events such as the Bundestag elections.

Schlämmer speaks to interviewees in an overfamiliar manner, using du for you rather than the polite Sie, and addressing them as Schätzelein (sweetheart). He seems to think he is a sex symbol, attempting to kiss female interviewees despite his loose false teeth. To impress women, he boasts that he earns three thousand (euro) net a month.

On the ARD's Harald Schmidt show, Kerkeling explained his methods. Before a Schlämmer interview, he said, he pours a few drops of strong liquor over his coat, to give the interviewee the impression he or she is being interviewed by a real reporter, but with an alcohol problem, prompting a real response.

The single Schätzelein came out at the start of 2006, including the songs Schätzelein and Meine letzte Zigarette (My last cigarette).

In May 2006, Schlämmer appeared on Wer wird Millionär (the German Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) as a celebrity candidate, and became the first person to persuade Günther Jauch, the presenter of Wer wird Millionär, into the contestant's seat. The two made 500,000 euro for a good cause (German AIDS Foundation).

In 2007, a computer game "Weisse Bescheid?!", based on Horst Schlämmer, was released.

In 2009 Kerkeling announced a mockumentary about Horst Schlämmer running for German Chancellor. It is scheduled to be released to cinemas in Germany shortly before the German federal election of 2009. According to a BBC piece, Horst Schlämmer would receive 18% of the German vote due partly to his Obama inspired slogan, "Yes weekend".^[4]

Hannilein[link]

Kerkeling, in Kerkelings Kinderstunde (Kerkelings children's hour), as a cheeky child of preschool age named Hannilein, with red tousled hair and a bib overall, sits on oversized chairs and comments on the adult world.

Evje van Dampen[link]

Is a female Dutch relationships counsellor, who meets various German celebrities (such as Günther Jauch or Udo Jürgens).

Siggi Schwäbli[link]

Siegfried (Siggi) Schwäbli is a character who first appeared in 1990 in some episodes of Total Normal. Slow-witted, short-sighted and with glasses made of plastic blocks, Siggi constantly puts his foot in it and often has no idea what is going on. At the Cannstatter Volksfest festival in Stuttgart, for example, he went on the ghost train with Barbara Schöneberger, a TV host, and almost passed out with fear.

Gisela[link]

Gisela is a woman in her middle ages. She has done several tv commercials for "krueger" coffee. She "met" Horst Schlaemmer at a bar and became famous quite quickly. Her favourite line is "I don't want that".

Awards[link]

1983

• Scharfrichterbeil

1991

• Adolf-Grimme-Preis in silver for Total Normal
• Bambi
• Bayerischer Fernsehpreis for Total Normal
• Goldene Europa
• Goldene Kamera for Total Normal
• Goldener Gong of the TV program magazine Gong
• Bronze Rose of Montreux for Total Normal
• Telestar^{[disambiguation needed ]}

2002

• Peter-Frankenfeld-Preis

2003

• Deutscher Fernsehpreis (as a host) for Die 70er Show

2004

• Bayerischer Fernsehpreis for presenting Die 70er Show
• Deutscher Comedypreis as best presenter, for Die 70er Show

2005

• Deutscher Comedypreis "Best Comedian"
• Goldene Kamera "Best TV Entertainer"

2006

• Deutscher Comedypreis best comedian and special award for Horst Schlämmer
• Deutscher Fernsehpreis in the category best entertainment broadcasting/best presentation for his participation in Wer wird Millionär (Who Wants to be a Millionaire?) celebrity special WM 2006 (RTL)
• 1Live Krone from the 1LIVE radio network by (WDR) best comedian
• Horst Schlämmer given an award by the independent MediumMagazin as "honorary entertainment journalist of the year"
• Bestseller Author of the Year for 1.1 million copies sold of his travelogue Ich bin dann mal weg
• Honorary member of the Verein Deutsche Sprache (German Language Association)

2007

• Adolf-Grimme-Preis Special Honor of the Association of German Adult Education Centres ^[5]
• Verdienstorden des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen Order of Merit from North Rhine-Westphalia
• Osgar in the category "Charity"

Works[link]

• Grosse, Dietmar; Kerkeling, Hape; Waller, Klaus (1993) (in German). Hape Kerkeling – Cheese (62. ed.). München: Droemer Knaur. ISBN 978-3-426-26695-3. 
• Kerkeling, Hape (2008) (in German). Ich bin dann mal weg: meine Reise auf dem Jakobsweg. München: Malik. ISBN 978-3-89029-312-7. 
  • I'm off then: my journey along the Camino de Santiago. New York: Free Press. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4165-5387-8. 

References[link]

External links[link]

• German homepage
• "Weisse Bescheid" homepage
• Hape Kerkeling erhält den Adolf-Grimme-Preis
• "German Borat shakes up election" BBC