Germany today (Mon 26 Oct): Merz heads to Singapore, Japan and South Korea, simpler homes could cut building costs by up to 15%, Gen Z protests on Saturday, Bayern back on top

Hello! Here is the news for Monday, 26 October. First commute on winter time: mornings are a bit brighter, but evenings get dark much sooner. This week the chancellor travels to East Asia, and on Saturday young people take to the streets across the country. Let's go through it.

1. [Politics] Merz sets off on his Asia trip today — Seoul on Thursday

• 26–30 Oct: Singapore → Japan → South Korea — Friedrich Merz's longest trip abroad since taking office. A large business delegation is travelling with him
• The schedule — 27 Oct Singapore (talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, a foreign policy speech), from 28 Oct Tokyo (Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a German-Japanese business summit), from 29 Oct Seoul (talks with President Lee Jae Myung)
• In Seoul — On 30 Oct he gives the opening speech at the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK) and visits the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). Agreements on AI, infrastructure and critical raw materials are lined up
• The president heads to China the same day — President Steinmeier leaves today for his second state visit to China, a four-day trip. On Friday he meets President Xi Jinping
• What it means for you — It's a signal that Germany wants to depend less on China and work more closely with South Korea and Japan. Expect more news on jobs and investment between companies in these countries

Source: bundesregierung.de · tagesspiegel.de (dpa)

2. [Economy] Making "no-frills" homes legal — the "Gebäudetyp E" bill aims to cut building costs by 10–15%

• Draft bill published on 26 Oct — Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig and Construction Minister Verena Hubertz (both SPD) presented the "Gebäudetyp E" (building type E) bill. The E stands for einfach, "simple"
• What changes — Today, architects can be held liable if they build below "accepted standards" that aren't actually written into law. In future, standards can be lowered if everyone involved agrees
• What could be left out — Slightly lower ceilings, less soundproofing between floors, fewer sockets, unheated stairwells, no towel radiator in the bathroom, and so on
• Safety stays the same — Fire safety, structural safety, ventilation and daylight must be met without exception. Based on pilot projects, building costs are expected to fall by 10–15%
• What it means for you — The cabinet hasn't approved it yet, and the earliest target is mid-2027. Rents won't drop right away, but the aim is to get more new homes built

Source: wiwo.de (dpa) · nw.de (dpa)

3. [Society] Gen Z protests in 23 cities on Saturday (31 Oct) — "against violence"

• The first nationwide protest by the online group "GenZ regelt" — On Saturday 31 Oct in 23 cities. In Hanover it starts at 14:00 on Opernplatz
• Demands — Climate protection, relief from the cost of living, investment in education and health, opposition to military conscription (Wehrpflicht) and more. The organisers say they reject violence and extremism
• Politicians are split — The CDU/CSU warned that extremist groups could get involved; Greens co-leader Banaszak said people should "first take the content seriously"
• The Federal Student Conference keeps its distance — It says the group's structure is unclear and has distanced itself from the protest
• What it means for you — Expect traffic jams or diverted public transport in city centres on Saturday afternoon. The 31st is also Reformation Day, a public holiday in nine states (earlier post)

Source: tagesspiegel.de (dpa) · hannover-entdecken.de

4. [Culture] Bavarian Book Prize on Thursday — live on the radio

• Thu 29 Oct, Munich Residenz — The ceremony takes place in the Allerheiligen-Hofkirche, and Bayern 2 radio broadcasts it live from 20:00
• Fiction shortlist — Shida Bazyar "Die Lücken", Susan Kreller "Licht nach oben", Leh-Wei Liao "Glaszeit"
• Non-fiction shortlist — Andreas Dorschel, Susanne Heim, and Norbert Sachser with Niklas Kästner ("Tierwelt am Limit")
• Decided live on stage — A three-member jury picks the winners in an open discussion. Each category is worth €10,000. Journalist Stefan Aust receives the Minister-President's honorary prize
• What it means for you — A handy list of books getting attention in Germany right now. Useful if you're looking for something to read in German

Source: bayerischer-buchpreis.de · boersenblatt.net · sonntagsblatt.de (epd)

5. [Arts] DOK Leipzig, the world's oldest documentary festival, opens today

• 26 Oct to 1 Nov, the 69th edition — DOK Leipzig, the festival for documentary and animated film, opens its doors today
• 217 works — Films and XR (virtual reality) pieces are shown; in competition, 76 titles compete for the "Golden Dove"
• Some screenings are free — A number of screenings and talks, for example in the Osthalle at Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, cost nothing
• Watch from home — With "DOK Stream" you can watch online anywhere in Germany from 27 Oct to 1 Nov (€5 per film, 24 hours)
• What it means for you — Even if you can't get to Leipzig, you can stream. A good week to look at Germany and the world through documentaries

Source: dok-leipzig.de · leipzig.de

6. [Entertainment] "Der perfekte Urlaub" has the best opening for a German film in over a year

• Released Thu 22 Oct — "Der perfekte Urlaub" is the sequel to the 2019 hit "Das perfekte Geheimnis". It's directed by Bora Dagtekin of "Fack ju Göhte"
• The cast — Elyas M'Barek, Karoline Herfurth, Florian David Fitz, Frederick Lau and others from the first film are back together
• About 72,000 viewers on day one — The best start for a German film since "Das Kanu des Manitu" in August 2025
• About 530,000 on the opening weekend — Admissions counted from Thursday to Sunday (InsideKino)
• What it means for you — Perfect small talk material with colleagues. It's a fast-talking comedy, so look for a screening with German subtitles (OmU)

Source: filmstarts.de · insidekino.de

7. [Sports] A win without the head coach — Bayern beat Freiburg 3–1 and go top again

• Sunday: Freiburg 1–3 Bayern — Goals from Upamecano (16'), Gnabry (42') and Olise (90+5'). Freiburg's goal was an own goal by Tom Bischof (80')
• Danks steps in for the ill Kompany — Assistant coach Aaron Danks won his first Bundesliga match in charge
• Just as we said yesterday — In yesterday's post we wrote "a win puts them top" — and so it did. Dortmund dropped to second after just one day
• This Saturday (31 Oct): the Klassiker — First-placed Bayern host second-placed Dortmund in Munich

Source: zdfheute.de · fcbayern.com

Weather

City	Tue 27	Wed 28	Thu 29
Berlin	☁️ 15° / 8° cloudy	🌦️ 14° / 8° local showers	🌧️ 12° / 9° showers
Hamburg	🌦️ 17° / 10° cloudy, light rain	🌤️ 13° / 9° partly cloudy	☁️ 14° / 11° cloudy
Munich	🌤️ 16° / 8° partly cloudy	🌦️ 12° / 6° local showers	🌤️ 11° / 3° partly cloudy
Cologne	☁️ 19° / 10° cloudy	🌤️ 14° / 9° partly cloudy	☁️ 15° / 9° cloudy
Frankfurt	☁️ 18° / 10° cloudy	🌦️ 14° / 7° rain at times	☁️ 14° / 5° cloudy

Tip: Tuesday is mild in the west, up to 19°. On Wednesday and Thursday showers come and go, so keep a small umbrella in your bag. Munich drops to 3° on Thursday morning. (Forecast: wetter.net)

German from today's news

Word	Meaning	Example from the news
die Auslandsreise	trip abroad	Merz beginnt seine längste Auslandsreise.
der Gesetzentwurf	draft bill	Der Gesetzentwurf soll Bauen billiger machen.
die Demonstration	protest, demonstration	Am Samstag gibt es Demonstrationen in 23 Städten.
nominiert	nominated, shortlisted	Sechs Bücher sind für den Preis nominiert.
der Kinostart	(film) release	Der Film hatte den besten Kinostart seit über einem Jahr.
der Tabellenführer	league leader	Bayern ist wieder Tabellenführer.

Dark evenings are here — make a cup of tea and have a strong start to the week. Schöne Woche! 🇩🇪