Duels of History

The new ARTE talk format visits exceptional thinkers throughout Europe and invites them for in-depth conversations.

Author of Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain. Who was Germany’s most important writer of the twentieth century?

The US and Israel’s war is inevitably also Europe’s war. But Europe is divided on how to act.

A small community in Brandenburg is torn over how to remember terrible events of World War 2.

Sculptors Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel had a passionate affair, but things turned sour.

Could the Spanish have conquered Mexico without the help of Malinche, a Native American slave who became Hernan Cortés' translator? 

How did Marie Curie's love affair with the married physicist Paul Langevin become a national story that divided France?

In her battle against Ronald Reagan, activist Angela Davis became the icon of an entire generation.

Did French Queen Marie-Antoinette really betray her adopted country? And was Robespierre a dictator or a democrat?

How can we have more fulfilling sex? Ronja von Rönne meets couples and singles who have reinvented their sexuality.

Culture magazine Twist meets artists and creatives to discuss insomnia and how it manifests in their art.

Claude Monet made the cliffs at Étretat famous, but the charming town now suffers from overtourism.

A look back at the Jeffrey Epstein's life and how the Epstein Files are exposing corruption at the highest level.

Jean-Michel Jarre sets up his equipment on Seville's Plaza de España for an immersive concert-show.

Using the latest technology, researchers are discovering the bright colours of ancient Greek art and architecture.  

The US and Israel’s war is inevitably also Europe’s war. But Europe is divided on how to act.

ow can we age well? Ronja von Rönne trys to find out by talking to chimney sweep Norbert Skrobek, who is close to retirement and Monika Gutte who defies age with a zest for life

Cultural workers are calling for a Europe-wide work status that protects artists in the face of shrinking budgets and the rise of AI.