An international bilingual perspective on society, culture, art and beyond.

And there's a special focus on what's happening

in the magazine's home town, Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Visit also COSMO-DUS (Articles in German), ALETHEAFLASH, INVICTUS GAMES23 COVERAGE

and our exclusive interview format

See also

Dr Bastian Fleermann: ‘From the first to the very last day in Düsseldorf, there was resistance from very courageous men and women, from very different directions.’

When the Second World War ended in 1945, it was a liberation for Europe and also for Germany. Today, Düsseldorf is home to the third-largest Jewish community in Germany. The Mahn- und Gedenkstätte, a museum dedicated to portraying this period in Düsseldorf, has initiated an extensive month-long programme to commemorate this event.

On 27 January 1945, the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the 322nd Infantry Division of the 60th Army of the I Ukrainian Front under the command of Colonel General Pavel Alexeyevich Kurochkin. What many people probably don't realise today is that there were satellite camps in Düsseldorf. The city was undeniably a witness. Visible to all citizens, the concentration camp prisoners marched through the city in their striped prisoner clothing. A large part of the interview is dedicated to the courageous men and women who formed the resistance in Düsseldorf.

————-

17 Februar 2025

ALETHEATALKS (EN )

ALETHEATALKS (DE)

NEWS ON COSMODUS

„Auf der anderen Seite der Angst wartet etwas Wunderbares“

Düsseldorf:

Von Martial Arts zur Mode: Filmregisseur Tomislav Vujcic über sein neustes Werk „Shela’s Escape“. (DE)

ENVIRONMENT

Mountaineer Tommy Gustafsson is founder of Sagarmatha Next at Mount Everest, the world's highest museum.

ALETHEA TALKS (EN / DE)

PRESS FREEDOM: Memorial to fallen journalists in Amsterdam and a list

World Press Photo and its memorial plaque (EN)

Investigative journalist Andrew Gold: ‘I hope my book will encourage people to stop judging other people because they have a different opinion.’

ALETHEA TALKS (EN)

ENVIRONMENT

007: Who is Paul Watson and why was he arrested?

The Whaling Moratorium

and a little history

August 2024 (EN)

FREEDOM OF SPEACH

Julian Assange und die Pressefreiheit. Eine kleine Chronik (DE)

DÜSSELDORF OPERA

The surprising switch of course (EN / DE)

Mischa Kuball: "My work stands for tolerance, enlightenment and interreligious coexistence."

(DE / EN)

Courtesy of the artist

Benjamin von Wong “Everyone has the opportunity to use whatever superpowers they have to make a difference.“

ALETHEA TALKS (EN / DE)

POLITICS/DÜSSELDORF

Düsseldorf Heine Prize for David Grossman

‘We are experts of war’

David Grossman at the Heine Institute Düsseldorf

In Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, the time had come to present the conflict from both sides and the voice of one of the most prominent peace activists and critics of Israel, the author David Grossmann, was utilised. The Heine Prize, which honours international understanding, was awarded on 13 December, Heinrich Heine's 227th birthday, in a grand ceremony in Düsseldorf's Schauspielhaus. (EN)

"Anything To Say?" by Davide Dormino ©Lucas Tiefenthaler

Davide Dormino "Standing up where the masses sit down."

The artist group Artists for Assange, founded in 2015, has been working alongside many people for years towards the release of Julian Assange. We had the great opportunity to talk to one of these artists, the Roman sculptor Davide Dormino, who created the world-famous sculpture "Anything To Say?".

ALETHEA TALKS (EN / DE)