♪ >> from dw's tv studios, very warm welcome to "focus on europe, our weekly look at the people, the places, and the passions of this colorful continent. my name is christopher springer. good to have you with us. here's what we have this week -- the multibillionaire who tells us he's doing just fine despite western sanctions. the maverick mayor who put his town square at the central of controversy. and the swiss ski resort that is secretly using the euro. millions of russians may well be feeling the effect of western sanctions. unemployment rising, public spending cuts spreading, and the

russian ruble in freefall, but their support for president vladimir putin remains steadfast. however much western leaders hoped that sanctions would change that approach to the ukraine conflict, it just has not happened. putin remains hugely popular among russians. his tactics have not changed. to get a better feel for that mentality, we travel to a russian enclave in the baltics to catch up with the man they call the sofa king. >> he prefers to be called max after the initials of his first three names. he is an ethnic booze back among russians and a multimillionaire, counted in euros. at russian president vladimir putin's request, his company restored the decorative elements

of the cathedral possible type organ. max showed his gratitude by donating some 25,000 euros toward the restoration of the cathedral's old library. philosopher immanuel kant worked here for decades. max and's his money from what he calls furniture kitsch -- max ernst -- max earns his money from what he calls furniture kitsch. he's 59 years old, happily married, and the father of teen children. russian magazines depict a man is someone who has made it the -- big. >> island of the contract of a lifetime to it three government planes with my furnishings. president clinton uses those planes to fly across russia.

-- president clinton -- president putin uses those planes to fly across russia. here's how it looks. i'm very proud of that. >> 120 people work in the sofa king's factory. some are guestworkers from italy. the sanctions and the collapse of the ruble do not ruffle max's feathers. >> if the ruble falls, my furniture will cost 15% to 18% more at most. my competitors from italy, germany, and the netherlands raise their prices in russia buys the percent to 80%, so western products are too expensive or russian consumers. russian producers reap great rewards from eu sanctions. >> as long as max can make and sell his furniture, he does not worry about politics. in fact, he would rather not too much democracy in russia. when we asked him about the idea

in eastern ukraine, he complains about german propaganda. we ask him why then he agreed to meet us at his factory. >> our media lie, yours life -- they all live. i would not maintain that our media do not lie. everything is one big lie. russian television learn how to life am yours. you're really professional and good at it. >> like any troop was back, he holds hospitality sacred -- like any true booze back -- like any trooue uzbek. he takes his to the market. the bread seller wishes him all the best and not just him. >> our favorite president. >> max is a regular customer. best cuts of lamb -- two shoulders.

meat of all kinds is harder to find and twice as expensive as it was before the sanctions, but many see that as an opportunity for russian products. >> we have always imported meat from poland and lithuania. that is over with now. the products have vanished. we've been replacing them with russian and belarusian meat, but we cannot get it that fast. now they should be clear that in future we really do not need foreign goods when we can produce them ourselves. >> max has built a dream house for himself and his family in the center of town. he receives us and some friends in his yard. it's minus six degrees celsius here, but the vodka will or must up. he has made an uzbek national dish. among the guests, a renowned russian author. after a few drinks, he admits he is against putin buses european

politicians have made a bigger mess. >> the strongest character in europe is angela merkel. she doesn't look like a woman, more like a blown a person gone mad after so much time in power. who is she going to hurt with these sanctions? they create hardships for the wrong people -- good people. that's stupid and just too bad. europeans have no clue how much we russians can take. >> as a special honor, we are treated to a piano concert. max's daughter started taking lessons at the age of three. she is now 12. max listens proudly to her rendition of a piece by friends list -- franz liszt. the war in ukraine is forgotten for at least an hour. >> we see the chaos spreading everywhere.

if something happens here like what's going on in ukraine, we reach people are the first to go. the wealthy in ukraine were just moving targets. >> max spends the rest of the evening sitting for a portrait, which if end of his is painting. in parting, he asks us to tell our viewers that russians are different. maybe now, he says, we'll realize that he has told us the truth. >> ever since humans began moving from the countryside to towns and cities, squares have

taken center stage in urban life . as places to meet to crossroads of cultural exchange and also as crystallization points for controversy. in our new series "tales from europe's squares" we begin with controversy in the form of a central square and a town in southern france. in charge isn't archconservative one power almost a year ago. ever since, he has made no bones about his opposition to muslim immigrants and to a politically correct culture of tolerance. instead, he crusades in favor of christian values, clean streets, and conservative morals, starting, of course, with his town's main square. >> it's part of the mayor's realm. not only the town hall itself, but all of the facades and the grounds, too. there should be no satellite

dishes on balconies, and no washing lines, either. he is also against spitting. he is town's new moral guardian. >> this is not naples. it's not part of the town's tradition. have you ever seen washing lines on the shum said a say -- the champs-elysees? no. >> one of the founders of reporters without borders, he used to be left-leaning. now he defines himself as a reactionary. he came to power almost a year ago with the support of the far right national front. >> we have judeo-christian traditions here, and we are very proud of them. >> is muslim culture a part of this region or not? >> no, it's not. there is a minority that, unfortunately, will end up not being a minority.

>> he favors being tough on the streets and has equipped the city's police with revolvers. this decision is not popular all over town, and certainly not in district significant arab communities, where many people feel torn between several cultures. >> we're all in the same boat. we're not going to leave. where should we go? there are 8 million of us in france. when i go back to the homeland, people tell me i'm not from there, i'm in immigrant, not an arab. and here, i'm not french, so who are we? we're bastards of civilization. >> himself, he was born in algeria in 1953 into a family known as algerian -- a french of algerian descent. he was nine years old at the

time, and he has not forgotten. >> some people's childhood memories are about having a laugh at school. mine are about having to step over bodies when school ended during the last months of what was a war. my parents never recovered. they always thought that paradise was lost. >> the experience shaped his political and ideological views. he wants to bring order back to the south of france. his ideas resonate with much of the population. half of which elected him. at a flower market, the mayor is greeted by residents who congratulate him and thank him for everything he's done for the city.

he is gracious and thanks them all for supporting him. the people are very proud of their beautiful city, and also of its traditions. winemaking once made him very rich. gabriele square is a symbol of the city's former wealth. there are architectural gems here. one of the reasons behind the heated debate about who the square belonged to. for a german souvenir vendor near the square, it's a typical southern french city. she says perhaps the mayor does not know the region well enough, but she thinks he ought to know it better. >> he spent time in paris. even his former colleagues are wondering what is going on. he used to be someone different.

he created reporters without borders. he traveled. he ought to accept others and be tolerant. >> there are few movements for a multicultural city. the editors of a liberal magazine lament this and hope to be able to rally people to their cause before the mayor further divides the city. >> where are the enlightenment philosophers? it's as if we have forgotten there were people like bull tear or rousseau in france, values of humanity, humanism -- universal values we defend -- it's as if we have forgotten there were people like full tear -- volt aire or russo in france. >> he does pay tribute to the man who gave his name to the square. it was a journalist and political activist who was executed in nazi-occupied france . >> we commemorate members of the resistance in this town, if they

were communist or royals. everyone resisted together against the nazis. that's what matters. i'm not in any particular party for that reason. yesterday, it was the nazis. today, we have a catastrophic situation, and everyone has to be mobilized. >> he hopes it will become a model for the whole of rant -- france, but there will probably be tough resistance to his tough line and in intolerant dance -- stance. >> the mayor issuing a very clear message -- you are not necessarily welcome. what views, what thoughts, what comments do you have on that, emotive issue, of course, immigration, getting the balance right cap we want to hear what you had to say. looking forward to hearing from

you. now, should i stay or should i go? that the question european jews have been asking themselves in recent weeks after the islamist attacks in france, belgium, and denmark. for the israeli prime minister, the solution is simple -- come and live in israel, he says weary of a european leaders strongly disagree. they are doing all they can to reassure their jewish communities. after the attack a few days ago on eighth and agog in copenhagen, performance, the danish government issued a clear message of solidarity -- and attacked on the jews of denmark is an attack on denmark. for danish jews, those were comforting words in uncomfortable times. >> these are unsettling days for denmark's chief rabbi. terrorist attacks have the whole country on edge, not just the jewish community, but the rabbi has been receiving expressions of support. >> these jews were part of

society, when hundred percent part of the society. that was so special about how we feel here. i see people coming to put a flower outside the gate. they did not come to show solidarity to the jews. they come because they lost a dane. >> the synagogue is closely guarded. denmark is home to about 8000 jews, most of them with deep roots here. in 1943, the danes helped thousands of jews flee the nazi occupation to neutral sweden. the islamist terror attacks came as no surprise to many here. danish artists and cartoonists have been getting repeated threats. islamist have been rating against the country known for its liberal, freedom-loving values. a danish security guard was shot

and killed in front of the synagogue. the attacker, a 22-year-old ain't with a palestinian background, was killed at police. a jewish journalist and activist warns his countrymen against letting fear take control. he organized a jewish muslim and counter project that he calls the human library. his aim is to knit violence in the bud or long before. >> romney abigail lives in a district of copenhagen with a large muslim ovulation -- population. the terrorist was tracked to this area. many say the state has dropped the ball here. a series of right-wing populist governments have established some of europe's strictest rules on immigration. immigrants are dealing less and

less welcome. jewish cultural life is very alive and denmark. the organizer of the jewish film festival says she is almost always left with a certain amount of fear. >> i think that people are much more aware that there are jews in society, and they are aware of the year we've been talking about many years, but you would also a that it has a downside because what's nice about getting public attention on something so negative as killing and radicalism? >> most jews in denmark support the liberal values of danish society, and they will continue to stand up for them. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has urged european jews to move to israel. that is not an option says this rabbi. >> the question is not if people

want to harm us and how they want to harm us and where it comes from. the question is how we live our life, how much place to we give to terror, to fear. they want us to live in fear. our answer to that -- that we will not let them. >> the rabbi is looking for dialogue with anyone who is part of danish society. chief rabbi there, a man clearly open to the conciliatory power of ilog. finally this week, we take you to the outlined nation of switzerland where businesses are trying to cope with the central bank decision to stop capping the swiss rank's value against the euro. for years, the frank's exchange rate with the euro was held artificially steady by central bank decree, so to speak. in january, that was stopped, leading to the swiss currency

gaining 30% in value against the euro in a matter of days. that was bad news for tourists keen to travel to switzerland. the family skiing trip you were thinking about in the swiss outs , for instance -- that got much mo expensive. thousands of touris subsequenteccancel their bookings. scrambling for a solutn, the eyes of some hotel owners and switzerland have all in on a small ski resort. >> the hotel manager here in the small swiss resort town, a job that has been in his family for four generations. right now, there's plenty to do. the hotel is booked up with people on ski vacations. >> will be operating about 100% capacity for the next two weeks. after that, in march, we'll be about 65% to 70%. >> many other swiss hotels would thrilled with those occupancy rates, especially now that the swiss national bank has stopped

capping the value of the frank against the euro. suddenly, the teat currencies are trading 121 -- the two currencies are trading one 21. the neighboring resort has been especially hard-hit. tourists from other european countries are staying away. even some of the best known destinations are dealing the if -- feeling the effect. >> we've received calls from guests from other european countries, and we've been able to respond in the short-term, but we'll need to think about how to deal with the situation over the longer term. >> rebate are the short-term response, but in a high wage country like switzerland, that has a serious impact on the bottom line. here, they came up with a

different idea years ago. during low season, his guest can pay for almost everything in euros at an exchange rate that is about numeral ones lash 3 cheaper than normal. they set their own exchange rate. today, they are profiting from that decision. >> it's a success, and we get positive the back. our guests really like it, and it's part of what brings them back here. >> it markets itself as a family-friendly resort. children are welcome guest here. but families are a clientele that tend to have to stick to a budget. that is also why the euro campaign is such a success. ski classes for youngsters are more affordable, and they are happy to get more paying guest. the resort's hold on to this cheaper euros until they are needed, like for the snow groomers, for example.

the resorts now use the stock pile of euros to pay for their spare parts and upkeep. >> about 100 businesses are taking part. it's really fantastic. we would rather have us -- guests by doing this then not have any at all. other destinations are already getting cancellations. >> olivier has also invested his euros in a brand-new spa facility. although the sonnets come from switzerland, much of the interior construction was done by an austrian company. >> we want to spend our euros in the eurozone, not convert them into swiss francs. >> so this swiss village has kept a hold on the euro through the back door.

there are a victim of their own success, but copying this program is not something they can do quickly on the fly, and they are not sure they want to. >> the euro is worth almost 40% less than the swiss rank. i have my doubts about if they will be able to keep it up over the long term. >> they are a bit skeptical, of course, and maybe even a bit envious because we already had our program in place so we could respond and advertise very quickly. >> all skepticism aside, there's one thing everyone here agrees on -- the view over the alps here in southern switzerland is nothing short of spectacular, regardless of the price. >> i can confirm that.

looking down from the roof of europe into our pine valleys, i fabulously beautiful view. i would even call it a rejuvenating, refreshing experience. everything so smooth, clean, covered in white snow, and definitely priceless. as you can see from that report, the swiss are looking for ways to keep it affordable. cannot argue with that. if you have any comments or suggestions on that report or any other report of the show today, do not hesitate -- just get in touch with me. my twitter handle is on the screen for you right now. alternatively, you will always find us at our website. thanks for watching, and see you soon. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ ansan is an industrial city in the