Executive Producer (ZDF) Dr. Renate Marel

Executive Producer (ZDF E) Nikolas Hülbusch

Written and directed by Ralf Blasius, Mona Haffner

The old European Continent, from the wild Scottish Coast, to the extraordinary vastness of the Ural. Join the quest of geologist Colin Devey and be part of his fascinating journey through the natural history of a mysterious continent. He explores the secrets of nature and investigates how ancient events built unique natural monuments over millions of years. For us, this is a journey back in time to the genesis of our continent, unlocking the secrets of breathtaking landscapes throughout Europe.

In the first episode (Birth of a continent), Devey travels to monumental places to investigate those geological events forming the continent and giving birth to places full of secrets and surprises. On the rough Scottish Island of Lewis, he finds Europe‘s oldest rocks, the base of the famous Scottish Highlands. On his expedition, he travels from the far off subtropical Azores in the west, over the majestic Alps, to the bitter coldness of the Northern Ural in the east. He unlocks the secrets of the biggest natural monuments on the European Continent.

In the second episode (Transformation of a Continent), Colin Devey sets out on a search for the mystical prehistorical sea of Tethys. Waters shaping European landscapes over more than 100 million years. It is this legendary “primeval sea” that is connected with the birth of European landscapes such as the picturesque and romantic Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the Danube Delta and the bleak Desert of Tabernas in southern Spain. Starting with the bizarre stone formations of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Deveys journey takes him to the iconic Matterhorn with its unique shape, to the foot of the volcano Vesuvius and the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii. This is the place where humans, for the first time, observed the forces of nature analytically, and this is the place where our expedition ends.

  • Authors: Ralf Blasius, Mona Haffner
  • Camera: Ricardo Esteban Garzon Mesa
  • Additional camera: Garrit Pieper, Ciaran Ryan, Boas Schwarz
  • Editing: Lodur Tettenborn, Klaus Kübel
  • Animation: kawom! concept & animation
  • Sound: Peer Hoffmann, Fabian Helpenstein
  • Producer: Wolfram Giese
  • Length: Two parts à 45 min.

A k22film production on behalf of ZDF & arte

First broadcast: 06.01.2019 & 13.01.2019