THE ALPS:
TIMELESS AND CHANGING
The Alps is a region of contrasts.
At the heart of Europe, connecting some of the world’s most developed countries, it also contains some of the continent’s most remote and isolated locations.
For millions of years the Alps have dominated the landscape – but climate change means the mountain environment is already altering faster than almost anywhere else.
In this series, The Alps: timeless and changing, CGTN Europe visits seven Alpine countries - Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Liechtenstein -to explore the interaction between people, wildlife and their landscapes through video, text, photos and podcasts.
Melting glaciers are one of climate change’s most visible symbols: locals and scientists watch the snows retreat year by year – affecting tourism, causing deadly rockfalls and shutting down hydroelectric power.
Find out how the Alps are adapting in
THE DEATH OF ICE
The forest above the Italian town of Cremona has produced perhaps the most valuable wood in history – used to make the violins of Antonio Stradivari.
When a storm of unimaginable ferocity practically wiped out the forest in 2018, master craftsman Giorgio Leonardelli entered a race against time to save the wood from being converted to paper pulp.
Find out what happened next in
THE MUSICAL WOOD
Lurking in the centuries-old ice of retreating Alpine glaciers lie microorganisms unknown to modern man.
They’re potentially deadly – but could be lifesaving if they unlock the secrets to new antibiotics.
Find out what these thousand-year-old glaciers have revealed in
WHAT LURKS BENEATH
In Slovenia, there is a traditional method of making hard cheese from sour milk. Discovered by the local cowherds, it is intrinsic in the customs of the region and has been handed down for generations.
Having survived many challenges including the destruction of the village by Nazis, only a couple of elderly residents of one hamlet kept the tradition alive.
We meet 92 year-old Rezka Mali as she initiates new cheesemakers in her craft in
THE DAIRY OF ENDURING LOVE
Mountain farming might seem like an emblem of idyllic life up on high, but the modern world is putting pressure on this Alpine tradition.
Warmer weather means forests are rapidly encroaching on pastures – and with long hours, hard work and little reward, farming is struggling to attract a new generation to the land.
As the number of herds dwindle, we find out how remaining farmers keep the treeline at bay in
FIGHTING THE FOREST INVASION
The most majestic of predators, the golden eagle was once a common sight in Alpine skies. Persecuted for many years, the birds are now a rare sight.
We travel to the tiny principality of Liechtenstein to meet one eagle that has formed an incredible bond with tour guide Norman Vögeli in
QUEEN OF THE SKIES
The Alps has enjoyed a surge in the number of visitors in recent years, but city dwellers are not used to the necessary rural habits of tidying up behind themselves.
Local volunteers must scale Mont Blanc every year armed with trash bags to collect litter and prevent human waste from threatening their water supply.
Find out how officials are dealing with the threat in
LEAVING MORE THAN FOOTPRINTS
The topography of the Alps means the region has largely been spared more intensive industrialized development, but the rapid growth of trade to the east is putting new pressure on old routes across the mountains.
The picturesque foothills town of Rosenheim is in the direct path of an $11.8 billion rail link that would ultimately connect the Mediterranean and North Sea.
We meet the people whose lives will be changed forever in
DEVELOPMENT COSTS
He’s Saint Nicholas in reverse – a demonic figure who appears at winter festivals across the Alps to ward off evil spirits and keep children in check.
We look at this unique tradition with roots that stretch back to medieval times in
MEET THE KRAMPUS
CGTN EUROPE 2020