Bridging the digital divide: A tiny village smarter than Hong Kong

A visit to the village of Etteln shows what Germany and many other nations can learn from this place and its inhabitants. — Photos: DAVID INDERLIED/dpa

DORTMUND, Germany: At first glance, Etteln seems like a German village like any other. Single-family homes huddled around the local church, a shooting club, tractors chugging along deserted country roads.

But the community in western Germany, home to some 1,750, proudly considers itself the country's "most digital village".