The new Poland

A symbol of beauty and grace: The okapi is the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national animal

Having tea brings people together - and if tea is not available, herbs will do. But the most important thing about the Russian tea ceremony is the shared conversation

Appeasing the volcano: Indonesian photographer Putu Sayoga talks about an ancient ritual that is still alive today

Bjeen Alhassan, born in Qamishli, Syria, now lives in Germany. In her Facebook group “Learning with Bijin” she helps refugee women, earning her the German Integration Award 

The government is remodelling the country. Many people in Poland are protesting against the changes. But why does the opposition remain so weak?

The writer Joanna Bator is one of the most important voices of contemporary Polish literature. Her new novel is about angry women and women and deep psychological wounds. Is that coincidence or a statement?

Poland’s foreign policy is steadily turning towards the West. Its relationship with its eastern neighbours is complicated - especially with Russia

Polish photographer Natalia Kepesz travelled to her hometown of Złotoryja in southwestern Poland for her latest works. She also documented a new Polish trend, military summer camps for local children 

Nationalists in government, fanatics on the streets: the German explanation for the situation in Poland is often quite simple. But it is not so clear cut

A judge accuses the Polish government of undermining the rule of law - and has been under investigation by prosecutors since 2016. An interview

Poland’s government ramps up its attacks on media and journalists

The New York architect spent his childhood in Lodz and later became world-famous with buildings like the Jewish Museum in Berlin. In an interview, he talks about his ties to his homeland and how Polish architecture deals with the country’s history

Spectacular buildings were designed in Poland both under socialism and after the fall of communism. Five outstanding examples of Polish architecture of the past seventy years.

Since the annexation of Crimea, increasing numbers of Ukrainians are moving to Poland. For the government this means it has to deal with immigration issues for the first time.

Some Polish dishes leave foreigners perplexed. A defence!

How history contributes to the consolidation of a nation - and its division.

Political scientist Rafał Pankowski explores the links between German and Polish nationalists.

The world’s biggest brown-coal power station is in Poland. That’s not the only reason the Warsaw government is finding it hard to kick-start an energy transition

An alphabet with 32 letters, tongue twisters and infinitely long words: a crash course on the pitfalls of the Polish language

Why “LGBT ideology” is part of the government's fighting talk - and how people are resisting it.

In Chile, a democratically elected assembly is drawing up a new constitution but it remains unclear if it will work out. A snapshot of a country at the crossroads.

German ambassadors are mostly white and male. The up-and-coming diplomat, Tiaji Sio, explains why this has to change 

In 2019, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw and Bratislava formed the “Pact of Free Cities” to counteract the swing to the right of their respective governments. What has happened since then?

Church congregation numbers in Romania beat those of all other European countries. And the popularity of the Romanian Orthodox Church is second to none. But since the advent of the pandemic, its image has started to show cracks.

One of the biggest ethnography museums in Europe is facing up to its colonial past. How exactly is it going about it?

The healthcare system in Japan is under strain due to the pandemic. More and more voices are calling for the 2020 Summer Olympics to be postponed again – or even canceled altogether

About money worries and chocolate bars

Why nature has a right to integrity

In his new book, author Parag Khanna envisages a future in which we are all migrants 

In his new graphic novel, Guy Delisle illustrates the summer job he once had in a Canadian paper and pulp factory. 

In his new novel, Mathias Énard observes French rural life in the 21st century as though it were a strange, foreign culture 

In her debut novel, Nana Oforiatta-Ayim defines both her European experience and her Ghanian roots