Michael Runkel

[1] Runkel was born in Neustadt an der Aisch, Bavaria, and earned a master's degree in economics and sports science after studying at Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg.

[3] He and a friend rescued ten other tourists and locals from the rubble of the collapsed building and were awarded the Gold Medal on the red ribbon for services to the Republic of Austria.

Impressed by the devastation and the experiences, Michael Runkel launched a relief project over the next five years that ended with the construction of a school (together with the Rudolf Walther Foundation), the reconstruction of the hotel where he stayed, and a project to educate widows who received no help from the local government (together with Arche Nova).

He has been featured, quoted or written about in dozens of publications, e.g. BBC,[11] Fox News,[12] Der Spiegel,[13] Bild,[14] Süddeutsche Zeitung[15] and Reader's Digest.

His images have appeared in guidebooks, newspapers, magazines, and various multimedia media, including The New York Times,[16] National Geographic,[17] GEO,[18] Condé Nast Traveler[19] and Lonely Planet.