Even the powerhouse of Europe has its fair share of abandoned properties and empty shop fronts as seen in these pictures of decaying buildings in Germany. Photographer Daniel Barter, 30, from London traveled Berlin and the surrounding countryside to capture buildings in need of work on film. Far from being resplendent in vintage glory, the deserted music venues and crumbling hospitals are a shadow of their former selves. German eagle motifs flake off ceilings and concert halls designed for hundreds have not seen a show for years. Photo: Lung sanatorium. (Photo by Daniel Barter/Caters News)

Construction cranes stand on the Unstrut Valley high-speed railway bridge on March 19, 2012 near Karsdorf, Germany. The Unstrut bridge, which is 2,668m long (about 1.6 miles), is among 38 bridges and 26 tunnels German state rail carrier Deutsche Bahn is building along a new ICE high-speed railroad connection between Nuremberg, Erfurt, Halle, Leipzig and Berlin in a multi-billion Euro project across eastern Germany called the German Unity Transportation Project (Verkehrsprojekt der Deutschen Einheit). (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

(L-R) Diana Burkot, Maria Alyokhina and Olga Borisova perform at the concert of the anti-cremlin and feminist band p*ssy Riot at Funkhaus Berlin on May 12, 2022. The 33-year-old Alyokhina had only recently fled Russia. Based on the book “Riot Days” by Alyokhina, the “p*ssy Riot Anti-War Tour” presented a performance project consisting of music, theater and video recordings. 19 performances have been announced for the tour. The punk band has been a thorn in the side of the Russian government for years. (Photo by Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa)

There are many types of hobbies. Some of them are strange, such as piercing your skin with huge metal hooks with ropes attached to them, and dangling yourself from the ceiling. Others might enjoy riding down huge mountain hills on skis, snowboards, mountain boards, bikes, etc. However, some enjoy pastimes that are more tranquil and meditative. For example, the art of contortionism is a very peculiar hobby that is usually practiced by women and children, due to the natural stretchiness of their tendons. Despite the fact that tendons of grown men are usually too stiff, a Berlin-based dancer is able to do amazing things with his body and is not afraid to show it to the world.

The Upside Down Room, with furniture on the ceiling and real beds and chairs that open out of the floor, is one of many creative and even bizarre rooms shown photographed February 14, 2002 at the Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin, Germany. Owner, artist and musician Lars Stroschen designed the rooms of the hotel, which has 28 rooms and has been open since June, 2001. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

“Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara “Claire” (Marquis) and Max Neustädter, a button factory owner. His family was Jewish. Newton attended the Heinrich-von-Treitschke-Realgymnasium and the American School in Berlin. Interested in photography from the age of 12 when he purchased his first camera, he worked for the German photographer Yva (Elsie Neulander Simon) from 1936. The increasingly oppressive restrictions placed on Jews by the Nuremberg laws meant that his father lost control of the factory in which he manufactured buttons and buckles; he was briefly interned in a concentration camp on “Kristallnacht”, November 9, 1938, which finally compelled the family to leave Germany. Newton's parents fled to South America. He was issued with a passport just after turning 18, and left Germany on December 5, 1938. At Trieste he boarded the “Conte Rosso” (along with about 200 others escaping the Nazis) intending to journey to China. After arriving in Singapore he found he was able to remain there, first and briefly as a photographer for the Straits Times and then as a portrait photographer”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Sigourney Weaver by Helmut Newton, 1995.

“The ONE Campaign is a international, nonpartisan, non-profit organization which aims to increase government funding for and effectiveness of international aid programs. ONE was originally founded by a coalition of 11 non-profit humanitarian and advocacy organizations — including DATA, World Vision, Oxfam America, and Bread for the World — with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2007, ONE announced that it would be merging with DATA. Currently, ONE is campaigning for resources to help developing countries adapt to climate change. During the 2008 U.S. presidential election the organization launched a campaign, called ONE Vote '08, which was co-chaired by former U.S. Senate majority leaders Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Bill Frist (R-TN). The campaign is named after the U2 song “One” which was a top ten hit single on the critically acclaimed 1991 Achtung Baby album”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and now philanthropist, poses with One.org charity volunteers at Pariser Platz square during a brief stop at Brandenburg Gate on April 6, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. Gates is in Berlin to meet with German government officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and Development Minister Dirk Niebel, to discuss aid for developing countries and promote his One.org charity initiative, which is part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)