Germany's Top Five

Get piano in the Ruhr valley. The world's largest piano festival, the Ruhr Piano Festival, takes place from June 17 through Aug. 19, 2005. Now in its 17th year, piano virtuosos from all over the world will congregate in Germany's Ruhr Valley, presenting some 70 concerts that will please fans of jazz as well as classical music aficionados. Since 1997, Franz Xaver Ohnesorg has been leading the festival. He invites world-renowned performers as well as young talents. The performances take place spread over 14 cities and towns in 28 different concert halls.

Get theater in Stuttgart. Theater der Welt, or the World Theater Festival, was founded by the International Theater Institute as a biannual festival in 1981 and became triannual in 1993. Each festival takes place in a different city and has a different artistic director. This year, the host is Stuttgart, from June 11 through Aug. 22. The festival will feature both traditional and startlingly modern plays by companies from 17 nations. For all their artistic differences, the plays are bound together by something the festival producer calls "the heartbeat of the present."

Get sailing in Kiel. Kieler Woche, or the Kiel Sailing week, is the largest sailing event in the world and the biggest summer festival in northern Europe. From June 18 through June 26, a who's who of world-class sailing will be in Kiel. Some 5,000 class sailors from 50 countries, will compete in various categories of yachting competition on Kiel Fjord. Or, take a break from watching the races and celebrate at the accompanying festival. Kids and grownups alike can eat specialties from around the world, do arts and crafts, or watch open air theater performances. The crowning conclusion is the great Kieler Woche fireworks display on June 26 at 11 p.m.

Get poetry in Berlin. The poetry festival in Berlin offers a a world premiere every day, with poetry for kids, text linked with dance, the scenic production of a long poem, concerts, translators' workshops, workshop discussions, and exhibitions. From June 18 through 26, the poetry festival will show the whole kaleidoscope of contemporary international poetry (with lots of events in English). The festival offers international poets a forum to present the great wealth of poetic forms and media -- "pure" word art as well as combinations of language and music, performances, sound poetry, visual poetry, rap, and hip-hop. Authors and artists from 22 countries will be present, but the focus this year is on the Spanish-speaking world.

Get it all in Munich. Every year, the Tollwood cultural festival welcomes international theater companies and pop, rock and jazz musicians to Munich. For many, though, the heart of the festival lies in the innovative pieces by less well-known artists. Held in a set of tents and open-air stages in the Olympic Park, the atmosphere at the event is low key. In addition to paid evening concerts, certain tents offer free afternoon and evening entertainment. In spite of its huge success, the festival has maintained the charm of its original incarnation as a multicultural celebration of cabaret, circus and dance. Much of this unique atmosphere is due to the mixture of international stars and local notables from Bavaria, Austria and northern Germany.