Beach-based 'bureaucrat' pokes fun at Germany's paperwork obsession

Fersch at his small 'office' on the beach on the island of Spiekeroog. Photos: Sina Schuldt/dpa

Visitors to a beach on the North Sea island of Spiekeroog in Germany may have been surprised at the sight of a formally dressed man sitting on a desk on the sand.Flanked by shelves and a filing cabinet, with a stack of papers flapping in the breeze, Albrecht Fersch set up an office each day that closely resembled that of a German public authority.

After all, it was decked out with a hole puncher, pen holders, a typewriter and dozens of stamps. No wonder his desk also had a subtle sign saying "Employee of the Month".