Courtesy translation. Only the German version is legally binding.
This page explains what data is generated when you visit matera-guide.com, the purposes for which it is processed and what rights you have.
Controller
The controller responsible for data processing on this website is:
Stefan Rudolph
Kreuzstraße 10a
40699 Erkrath
Telephone: +49 176 420 53 569
E-mail:
What is generated when you visit the website
Each time a page is accessed, your browser transmits technical information which the web server records in log files: IP address, date and time of access, the address accessed, the amount of data transferred, the previously visited page, and browser and operating system.
This processing is necessary for the page to be delivered at all and also serves the security of operation. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in the trouble-free and secure operation of the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). The logs are stored with the hosting provider and automatically deleted there; the retention period is determined by the hosting provider's privacy notices. This data is not combined with other data sources.
Hosting
This website is hosted by Hostinger International Ltd., based in Cyprus. The hosting provider processes the data mentioned above on our behalf in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. According to the provider, the data is processed within the European Union and in the United Kingdom; an adequacy decision of the European Commission exists for both.
Cookies
This website sets one single cookie: the session cookie of the Joomla content management system. It contains a random identifier, is transmitted exclusively in encrypted form, cannot be read by scripts and expires as soon as you close your browser. The website does not work without this cookie.
This is a technically necessary cookie within the meaning of § 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG; consent is not required for it. The notice that appears on your first visit informs you of this use – the website functions in full regardless of the choice you make there.
If you log in as a provider, the website recognises you by means of the same session cookie. Only if you select “Remember Me” when logging in is an additional cookie set, which stores the login on this device for up to 60 days; it is deleted when you log out. We set this cookie at your express request (§ 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG).
Search function
The search processes your input solely in order to generate the list of results. Search terms are neither stored nor analysed. While you type, the browser requests suggestions from our own server – here, too, no data is transmitted to third parties.
Visitor counter
The page header shows a counter with the number of visits today, this week, this month and in total. Visits are counted once per session, not for every single page view. For this purpose, no additional cookie is set and no IP address is stored – the session cookie that is present anyway is the sole means of distinction. Ultimately, only one number per calendar day is stored; it cannot be linked to any individual. Access by search engines is not counted.
The counting runs on our own server; no third parties are involved. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in simple reach measurement (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
Map
The maps on this website – the “Map” page, the “Nearby” overview under the sights and the walking tours – are drawn by your browser from map data stored on our own server. No connection to third-party map services is established when a map is displayed. The same information applies as for any other page view (see “What is generated when you visit the website”).
The map data comes from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL licence) and was prepared with Protomaps.
When accessed, this website loads content exclusively from its own server. Data is transmitted to third parties only if you start a video (see “Videos”).
Videos
On the “Videos” page and in the video box on the home page, we show videos about Matera that are published on YouTube. As long as you do not start a video, no connection to YouTube is established. The preview images are stored on our own server.
Only when you click on a video is the player from youtube-nocookie.com loaded. In the process, your IP address is transmitted to Google Ireland Limited, and Google may store information about the retrieval; if you are logged in to Google, the retrieval may be assigned to your account. In this enhanced privacy mode, YouTube only sets cookies or accesses your device once the video is played.
The legal basis is your consent, which you give by clicking on the video (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, § 25(1) TDDDG). You can withdraw it at any time by leaving or reloading the page – the player will then have disappeared again. A transfer to the USA cannot be ruled out; for this, Google relies on standard contractual clauses and is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Further details can be found in Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
What this website does not do
- No third-party analytics tools are integrated – neither Google Analytics nor comparable services. The only counting is the visitor counter described above, which works without any personal reference.
- Fonts are delivered from our own server. There is no connection to Google Fonts.
- No buttons or content from social networks are integrated.
- No advertising with user tracking takes place.
- There is no newsletter. User accounts exist only for providers who place listings (see below).
- No profiles are created and no automated decision-making takes place.
Provider account and listings
Anyone wishing to place a listing creates an account. In doing so, we store the name, username and e-mail address, the password exclusively as a non-reversible hash value, as well as the time of registration and of the last login. You confirm your e-mail address via a link that we send to you. The fact that you have taken note of this privacy policy is stored together with the date.
For each listing, we store the information you provide in the form: category, name and description of the offer, address, telephone, e-mail, website, opening hours, features, the selected package and an uploaded image. Images are re-saved on upload; embedded information such as the location where the image was taken or the camera model is lost in the process. After approval, the details of the listing are publicly visible – so only enter contact details there that are intended to be published. The name and e-mail address of your account do not appear in the listing.
We are notified by e-mail of new and modified listings; you receive an acknowledgement of receipt. Invoicing takes place outside the website.
Registration and login are recorded with the date and user account in an action log; IP addresses are not stored in the process. The log serves the security of the website; we delete the entries as soon as they are no longer required for this purpose.
The legal basis is the performance of the contract for the listing or the steps taken prior to entering into it (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR); statutory retention obligations apply to invoices (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).
You can withdraw a listing at any time under “My Listings”; it is then no longer visible with immediate effect. If you wish to have your account deleted together with your listings, a message to the address given above is sufficient. We retain invoicing records for as long as required by tax and commercial law.
Contacting us
If you write to us by e-mail, we process your details in order to answer your enquiry. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where the enquiry relates to a contract, otherwise our legitimate interest in answering it (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We delete the messages as soon as they are no longer needed and no statutory retention obligations preclude this.
The same applies to the contact form on the “Contact” page: your name, your e-mail address, the subject and the message are sent by e-mail to the recipient you select in the form. We do not store the message on the website itself. To prevent misuse, the session only records, for ten minutes, when a message was last sent; no third-party service (such as a captcha) is integrated.
Your rights
You have the right of access to the data stored about you (Art. 15 GDPR), the right to rectification (Art. 16), to erasure (Art. 17), to restriction of processing (Art. 18) and to data portability (Art. 20), as well as the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21 GDPR). To exercise these rights, please contact the address given above.
Right to lodge a complaint
Irrespective of this, you may lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The competent authority is the Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen (State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of North Rhine-Westphalia), Kavalleriestraße 2–4, 40213 Düsseldorf.
Changes
We amend this policy when the website or the legal situation changes. Last updated: September 2026.
