MFDB

Storyline

Cities by the sea are gateways to the world. Whether Marseille, Tel Aviv, Hamburg, Melbourne or Saint Petersburg – they have all been profoundly shaped by their locations next to the sea and have always been closely connected to the spirit of discovery and adventure. St. Petersburg for example, which Peterthe Great founded as a window to the West, served as springboard from an old world to a new, yet-to-beconquered one. And Tel Aviv or Melbourne arose far away from Europe as bridgeheads to new beginnings.

The geo-strategic location of cities by the sea has always turned them into chess figures of changingpolitical powers and systems; into transit locations of dreamers and migrants; and into melting pots ofpeople from different backgrounds and cultures. And the endlessness of their offshore waters has alwaysbeen a magnet for those with desires, dreams and visions – until today.

Never completely restricted by national borders, cities by the sea have always been places of earlyglobalization. Due to their centuries of cross-border experience, in many aspects they are far ahead ofother cities today: they stand for openness, for the willingness to integrate people of differing cultures, and for a global spirit that is reflected in their economics, culture, politics and architecture. And they areprofoundly shaped by a population that has internalized this open spirit for centuries.

5-Part-Series. Episodes: Marseille, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Melbourne and Tel Aviv.