Sturm der Liebe (, "Storm of Love") is a German television soap opera created by Bea Schmidt for Das Erste. It premiered on 26 September 2005.
It follows in several interwoven plot threads stories about relationships taking place in the fictional five-star hotel Fürstenhof, located in Feldkirchen-Westerham near Rosenheim. The plot revolves around members of the family room area, the hotel owners, and employees.
The series began production on 1 August 2005 and was originally broadcast beginning 26 September 2005 on weekdays at 15:10.
In France, the series was broadcast from episode 1392 (season 7) since 2 April 2013 on France 2 with the name of "Le Tourbillon de l'Amour" and in Austria, the series was broadcast from episode 166 onwards since mid-July 2006 on ORF 2. A summary of episodes 1 to 165 was broadcast as a pilot.
Storm of Love has been licensed to 20 stations worldwide, and rights to all episodes were given to RTVS (Slovakia), LTV1 (Latvia), TV 3 (Lithuania), TV3 (Estonia) and Rete 4 (Italy). Rete 4 broadcasts the series under the name Tempesta d'amore. Nova TV in Bulgaria has broadcast the series since the end of July 2009 under a title translating as "Winds of Love." VTM3 in Belgium broadcasts under the title Sturm der liebe. Polish channel TV Puls broadcasts it under the title Burza uczuć, Finnish channel Sub under the title Lemmen viemää, and Icelandic channel RÚV under the title Ástareldur (Fire of Love).
Main characters
Werner once married Charlotte Saalfeld, heir to Fürstenhof. For many years he was director of the 5-star hotel. After almost 40 years, he finally reconciled with his brother André, and hired him as a cook at the Fürstenhof. His habit of dating beautiful women has not changed. He cheated on his wife Charlotte over and over again, which eventually led to divorce after 36 years of marriage.
Charlotte Saalfeld is once again at the Fürstenhof to attend a charity event and receive the Bavarian Order of Merit. In the end, she remains at Fürstenhof longer than expected. As a former practitioner of Saalfeld, Korbinian Niederbühl, along with his housekeeper Cosima Zastrow appear at Fürstenhof and it is revealed, that not Charlotte, but Cosima is the "real" Saalfeld. Charlotte fights with Werner, because she turns over their 30% of Fürstenhof shares to Cosima. Charlotte was engaged for some time with Korbinian Niederbühl's son Michael, but when she realizes that Michael has feelings for Tanja, the mother of his child, she separates from him.
Werner and Charlotte are now back as Fürstenhof's shareholders with 20 and 30%. Recently, they suffered a defeat by the acquittal of their common and Werner's archrival ex-wife Barbara of Heidenberg, especially when Barbara returns to the Fürstehof as a woman on the side of Götz Zastrow. Since their daughter Miriam died giving birth to her daughter Valentina, they take care of their granddaughter. They now become closer to their very busy, now widowed, son Robert. The harmony between Charlotte and Werner is getting better and Charlotte to one side as it is complicated by a cabal Barbara in a drug scandal.
The flagship couple Alfons and Hildegard Sonnbichler have been employees of the Fürstenhof for decades; she in the kitchen, and he a very capable concierge. Alfons enjoys a special relationship of mutual trust with the Saalfelds, partly because he had a relationship as a teenager with Charlotte Saalfeld, and they had a child together, Alexander. Hildegard is involved in the local city council and was a candidate for mayor. Their daughter is Marie Sonnbichler, who since has left the Fürstenhof.
André Konopka is the younger brother of Werner Saalfeld and has at last after many years reconciled with him. He works as a chef for him and Werner in turn has a confidant. Furthermore, André is, with Alfons, a board member of the newly formed council at the court. His nephew, Robert has returned after the death of his wife, Miriam, to the hotel, and acts as a second chef to André. André's son Simon has now gone with his wife, Maike, to South Africa and works with winemaker Jasper Steenkamp at his father's estate.
Nils Heinemann arrives at the Fürstenhof, to win back Marie Sonnbichler, with whom he had fallen in love in Thalheim. Since he has mistreated her, it will take some time before Marie will let him back into her life. The two argue incessantly. When Marie finally learns that Nils is married, they finally break up.