Germany travel | Travel Thru History

Germany: Dresden Churches, Survivors of WWII

by Roy A. Barnes

Rising from the Heap of World War II destruction in Dresden, Germany, are three magnificent churches. The World War II bombing by the Allies on February 13 and 14, 1945 is purported to have smashed the city of Dresden with some 650,000 incendiary bombs. Various estimates of those killed range between 25,000 and over 100,000 people. The subject of the Kurt Vonnegut novel Slaughterhouse-Five describes walking among the ruins as if walking on the moon. Recently, I visited three of these Dresden churches, survivors of the World War II destruction.

The Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)

Augustus the Strong, the Prince Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, was jealous of great Catholic cathedrals, so he had this Lutheran house of worship built between 1726-1743 by George Bähr (mostly completed by 1736). Johann Sebastian Bach gave an organ recital there in 1736.

The incendiary firebombing of the city February 13-14, 1945 had created a temperature around the church of 1000 degrees Centigrade (1832 degrees Fahrenheit), which caused the church’s 6,000 tons of stone and die Steinerne Glocke or “Stone Bell” (the iconic skyline feature of the city) to collapse on February 15 after the sandstone pillars gave way. Ironically, this church had survived 100-plus Prussian cannonballs bouncing off of it during the Seven Years War of the middle 1700s.

In 1982, the ruins became an area for protest gatherings against the Communist regime. But in January 1993, original plans from the 1720’s were used to reconstruct the church, using thousands of recovered stones which were put back in their original place (including ones darkened from the firebombing. This is why you see the exterior walls in checkered patterns). Photos and computer technology were used to reconstruct the church in as close of detail as possible, which took until 2005, costing 100 million Euros, 90 percent of that coming from global donations. The church is 92 meters high (about 302 feet) and you can take in a view from 85 meters (about 279 feet), according to the guided tour I took. You must climb some 220 steps to get up there. Near one of the Frauenkirche’s entrances are remains of the World War II destruction (that look like a sculpture) for people to ponder.

I took in a noontime devotions service that featured organ playing, but not before hearing Peal of the Peace Bell, which rang for a few minutes. The opulent Baroque style interior features luxury boxes on the second floor like a sports stadium.

The Hofkirche (Cathedral of the Holy Trinity)

This Catholic church was built between 1739-1754 so August the Strong could become King of Poland, a Catholic country. It has the look of Roman Baroque style and is a stone’s throw from the River Elbe. The crypt contains the heart of August the Strong, too. The only aspect of the church building that was reconstructed from the ruins of World War II is the organ backdrop, containing a restored Sibermann organ that contains 3,000 pipes, in which I heard a beautiful Bach organ concerto playing during the noon hour. There are 78 figurines on the exterior of the church that were created by Lorenzo Mattielli.

The Memorial Chapel at the rear of the church honors those who died in the firebombing and is made of Meissen porcelain. It’s got a look, in my view, of a creepy interpretation of modernist art, but made me ponder the World War II destruction of Dresden, Germany nonetheless. It contains these dates: 30-1-33 (rise of Hitler) and 13-2-45 (the first night of firebombing).

The Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross)

The church has been onsite since 1215, making it the city’s oldest church. It held the first Lutheran service in Dresden, Germany in 1539, and has been destroyed several times: by fire in 1491, 1699; by war in 1760 (Prussians); and much of it was destroyed in the February 13, 1945 bombing raid. I toured the venue that was rebuilt and reconsecrated February 13, 1955. Professor Anton Dietrich’s painting, called Golgotha, survived the World War II bombings and subsequent fires but lost its luster until it was restored in 2001. This church has the second largest peal bells in Germany weighing over 28 tons, according to one of the church’s English brochures. They are still in disrepair, according to the church attendant I spoke to there. But the church can hold 4,000-5,000 people currently, making it the largest house of worship in Dresden.

The church features the Charred Cross and the Coventry Cross of Nails, which came from the German destruction of a church in Coventry, England in November of 1940. This shows the gesture of peace between the two countries.

Author’s Note: I attended the German National Tourist Office’s 2009 “The Making of Christmas” press trip, in which I got to experience the things discussed in this article. I freely wrote my impressions without any editorial scrutiny from the press trip sponsor.

Dresden Walking Tour Of The Historic Old Town

If You Go:

HOW TO LOCATE THE CHURCHES

The Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) is located at An der Frauenkirche 12, 01067 Dresden, Germany. Phone: +49 (0) 351- 6560-6100. Open church visits are free, but some special events and tours have admission prices. Website: www.frauenkirche-dresden.de
The Hofkirche (Church of the Holy Trinity) Located at Theaterplatz 01067 Dresden, Germany +49 (0351) 4844 712. Website: www.bistum-dresden-meissen.de
The Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) Located at An der Kreuzkirche 6, D-01067 Dresden, Germany. Phone: +49 (0351) 439 3912. Website: www.kreuzkirche-dresden.de. There is an admission charge to the tower.

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

After taking in these churches that have risen from the heap of World War II destruction, you may want a really hearty Saxony meal with big portions and friendly service. The Pulverturm and der Frauenkirche is the place to go, and is centrally-located in Dresden across the street from the Frauenkirche. The restaurant resides on land where structures have stood off and on since 1565. This restaurant is located in a cellar of low ceilings and gives off a medieval ambience and festive atmosphere. The servers are dressed in period costumes ranging from the 1500s to 1900s, depending on the season or holiday period. You might hear German folk songs being sung at the tables whenever the accordion player stops by.

The Pulverturm stresses Saxon cuisine, and many entrees feature potatoes and pork. Price ranges for main courses are currently around €8 to €32 (a Euro is about US$1.20 as of July 2010). I enjoyed via candlelight their tender and tasty roasted trout fillets as well as their herb spaghetti with large Parmesan cheese shavings, in which the scent and taste of basil and olive oil dominated my taste buds during the latter course. Ask for some of their yummy homemade Schwarzbrot, their whole grain rye bread that’s chased with herbs. This restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. daily. Prices and menu items quoted subject to change. Contact An der Frauenkirche 12, 01067 Dresden, Germany. Phone: 49 (0) 351-26-26-0-0. Website: www.pulverturm-dresden.de

About the author:
Roy A. Barnes writes from southeastern Wyoming. During his lifetime, he’s worked in the travel agent and airline industries, and has traveled on the North American, Asian, African, and European continents.

Photo credits:
Dresden twilight cityscape by: analogicus from Pixabay
All other photos by Roy Barnes.

Making Christmas Memorable in Saxony, Germany

by Roy A. Barnes

Christmas in Germany is taken really seriously and has much historical significance. Decorated Christmas trees originated in Germany in the 16th century when Christians started bringing decorated fir trees into their homes (a symbol of their faith because of its triangular shape that represents the Holy Trinity). It’s purported that Martin Luther was so impressed with a bright starry night amongst evergreen trees, that he re-created the scene for his family by putting up a tree in his house, substituting lighted candles for stars; and thus, starting the lighted Christmas tree craze. I got into the Christmas spirit by visiting Saxony, a region that’s contributed much to this holiday season.

To Saxony’s Capital for Stollen

The first Christmas market (Striezemarkt) originated in 1434 in the city of Dresden, which is in Eastern Germany, close to the Polish border. And it’s here in the trendy and artsy Neustadt part of the city that I came across some really wonderful-tasting holiday season sweet bread called stollen. Stollen is made with a number of ingredients which include finely ground flour, yeast dough, butter (which makes up 1/3 of the recipe, including some that’s melted and then hardened), bitter and sweet almonds, raisins soaked in rum, salt, candied orange and lemon peel, sugar. There are modifications to this as some 150 recipes exist for the city’s bakeries.

When Stollen first came out in the 14th Century as a result of a contest originated by the Bishop of Nauru’burg, each loaf weighed 30-plus pounds, and became so popular, that Stollen only utensils were made. People would not eat the first or last pieces because they saved them in hopes of good luck.

The Backerei Grundmann, near the Three Kings Church (Dreikonigskirche) emanated a pleasant fruity bread smell. A retired baker by the name of Frank Ludolphy, still active in the bakers association (and baked for a living some 45 years), gave a demonstration on how it’s made by first displaying the above ingredients he used. I got to sample the Zutaten (“very fine ingredients”), and found the rum-soaked raisins irresistible. Ludolphy rolled out the dough and began shaping it. There’s normally a maturing time for the fruit flavor to soak into the bread. He let me sample the dough (which he bakes at 356 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Centigrade for 40-50 minutes). The raw form had an orange-like taste, reminding me of the orange sweet rolls mother used to bake for the family on Saturday nights.

No artificial preservatives are used by this bakery, which sells their stollen at various locations around the city, baking 14,000 loaves for the holiday season. It’s generally available between September and January. The baked loaf is quite dense and the fruit juices can make the stollen appear to have brown spots. If you store it in a cool and dry place, the bread lasts for months. It can also be frozen and microwaved.

I had never tasted stollen before, and I wasn’t let down by the incredible fruity, sweet taste of the semi-soft bread that’ll get even the Scrooge-iest of people into the Christmas spirit!

Saxony’s Small Towns Produce Big Time Christmas Memories!

There are so many aspects of Christmas, including the decorations and the gifts. But do people really take the time to think about where they came from? Well, some of Saxony’s small towns are responsible for making Christmas memorable. The drive through Saxony to the towns of Glasshuette and Seiffen from Dresden is like driving through Appalachia with its winding roads, babbling brooks, old mills, plowed earth, and rolling hills full of trees.

It’s “Time” for Christmas in Glashuette: You Don’t Need Big Bucks To Appreciate Watches

Watches are one of the most popular gifts to give for Christmas. In the town of a few thousand people about an hour away from Dresden to the south and very close to the Czech border lies Glashuette (founded in 1506), where some 10 watch manufacturers are located. You don’t have to be one of the rich and famous to take a free tour of the Germany’s premiere luxury watch maker Glashuette Original, whose roots of watchmaking go back to 1845. Because of the amount of components that are used, the hand assembly, and craftsmanship, these watches are not your ordinary chain store timepiece. Watch collectors and those who like status or who are “lucky” enough to receive a watch with a glass bottom to witness the working parts pay big bucks/have big bucks spent on their behalf for this brand of watch, with prices starting at about $6,700 US and going up well over $150,000 US. They’re sold in over 70 countries and in chic cities like London, New York and Hong Kong. One of their customers has been Bruce Springsteen. This company uses gold screws, Louisiana alligator skin (for the watchbands), and Meissen Porcelain (for the dials) to make some of their watches.

The company produces about 8,000 watches a year via watchmakers who’ve had 3 years of apprenticeship training to install between 150-500 movable parts (some as small as a tiny bread crumb) per watch. They implement concepts like spark erosion technology, bronze plating (superior to gold) and complex measuring and polishing of the plates. It can take more than 40 hours to complete one watch. I got a chance to wear the guide’s Senator Panorama model, dating from 2005. I didn’t ask him how much he paid, but Senator models in the 2009 catalog begin at close to $7,600 US. The one I daydream about is a sleek black Senator sporty model with a perpetual calendar that costs just over $30,000 US.

After the factory tour, I took a short walk to the German Watch Museum where I got the lowdown on watchmaking in this area via pictorial and computer exhibits, many of which are in both German and English. I looked at numerous kinds of pocket watches, table clocks, and pendulum clocks on display. I got see some really nice looking timepieces, including one dating back to 1778 as well as a pocket watch from 1899 that has over 800 components called the La Grandiose Universal Watch, a 12 year project. The lobby contains a large priceless pendulum clock (pictured) that was crafted by Herman Goertz circa 19th century that not only tells the time, but the age phase of the moon and current Northern Sky representation, only taking 32 years to make.

Seiffen is all about Toys, Toys, Toys!

About 90 minutes southwest of Dresden near the Czech Republic is Seiffen. It’s been around for close to 700 years and has a population of roughly 2,500. The town became a major toy maker for the Nuremberg market in the 18th century because of its quality products and low manufacturing costs. As I walked around town, I noticed a quaint toy shop at every turn or glance across the street. They sell Seiffen’s wood-turned animal toys, nutcrackers, and intricately-crafted matchbox miniatures, the latter coming about to help cut down on the weight of toys to save on export taxes. The Seiffener Volkskunst not only sells these goodies, but you can actually watch the toymakers ply their trade making these beautiful and festive objects. The scent of wood dominates the nostrils, especially that of spruce, the principal wood used for ring-turned toys, which have been fashioned on the lathe for around two centuries to cut down on carving time.

The Erzgebrige Toy Museum or Spielzeugmuseum, located on Seiffen’s main drag, is a must see for those who love toys, especially those made of wood. Over 2,000 items are on display via 3 floors at any one time that cover just about every Christmas-themed toy you can think of from trains, soldiers, smoking men, angels, games, and mining (since Saxony has quite a mining history). Their collection of Christmas pyramids really helped me appreciate all the more the artistic talents that humans have. I saw the attention to detail paid to those magical playthings that I noticed dated back to 1699. On the top floor are interactive exhibits that will keep the young and young at heart occupied.

Meissen and Dresden Christmas Market Full Day Private Tour from Prague

More Information:

Backerei Grundmann: An der Dreikonigskirche 5, 01097 Dresden, Germany
+49 (0351) 656-7484. www.krenkelbaecker.de

Glashuette Original Tour: Altenberger Strasse 1, D-01768, Glasheutte, Germany.
+49 (0) 35053-460. www.glashuette-original.com

German Watch Museum: Schillerstrasse 3a, 01768 Glasheutte, Germany.
+49 (0) 35053- 46283. www.uhrenmuseum-glashuette.com

Seiffener Volkskunst: Bahnhofstrasse 12, 09548 Seiffen, Germany.
+49 (0) 37362-7740. www.schauwerkstatt.de

Erzgebrige Toy Museum (Spielzeugmuseum): Hauptstrasse 73, 09548 Seiffen, Germany
+49 (0) 37362-8239 www.spielzeugmuseum-seiffen.de

Germany Tourism: www.cometogermany.com

About the author:

Roy A. Barnes writes from southeastern Wyoming and is a frequent contributor to Travel Thru History. Note: Roy A. Barnes attended the German National Tourist Office’s “The Making of Christmas” press trip, in which he got to experience these venues. But he writes his impressions freely without any editorial scrutiny from the press trip sponsor.

All photos are by Roy Barnes.

Berlin Wall: Wallpeckers Chip Away History

Berlin, Germany

by Diana Ellis

“In Berlin we don’t have woodpeckers; we have wallpeckers,” Eva, a native Berliner, tells me. “People come to the Berlin Wall with picks and hammers trying to take home a piece of history.”

I can understand why. I have thought about doing this myself. Why pay twenty Euro dollars for a small piece of the wall when you can get your own much larger piece free?

I first saw the Berlin Wall, or part of it, in New York City next to a memorial for the World Trade Center. Two pieces of history side by side. A piece of the Berlin Wall and some beams from the World Trade Center. The piece of wall was about six feet tall and three feet wide. It had an eye painted on it. Stalin’s eye watching for defectors during the cold war.

In Berlin, most of the wall was taken down on November 9, 1989. As I watched it on television, part of me was sad because it had come down before I had a chance to see it. Another part cheered the people who were dismantling it, wishing I could be there helping. Sixteen years later I have finally made it to Berlin. A different Berlin than I imaged. I had grown up watching movies about the cold war where the divided city and the infamous wall figured prominently. The Berlin I now see is united. Some of the wall still stands but is a tourist attraction, not a political statement. I am staying in a hotel in East Berlin, but it is not necessary for me to go through border control at Check Point Charlie to get there. It is hard to tell East and West Berlin apart now because they look so much alike and the wall is no longer there to divide them.

The Second World War was a distant memory by the time I was born, but the cold war raged in full force. The news regularly contained stories about people trying to defect to the West. News footage showed people being shot in the “no-man’s land” between East and West Germany. Armed guards patrolled the border. They were always shown walking along the inside of the wall carrying machine guns and leading their vicious looking dogs. Check Point Charlie was the main crossing point in Berlin where all the action happened in the movies and the newsreels. Manned by Americans on the West and communist troops on the East, it represented the superpower standoff that was at the heart of the cold war. Spies from both sides regularly slipped across the border. At least they did in the movies I watched.

Seeing the wall now, I do not find it imposing. It has lost the ability that it had to induce terror in people’s hearts. It is a concrete structure that stands nearly nine feet high. At the top, there is a cylinder shaped border that is covered with barbed wire. It is made of concrete panels that were pre-poured and assembled practically overnight in August 1961. Much of the wall that faces the West was painted with murals that protested the very existence of the wall. They are still there. The art work is surprisingly good.

The Berlin wall stood for twenty-eight years, two months and twenty-seven days. It was 155 kilometers long. It separated not only East and West Berlin but the German State of Brandenburg as well. It was built to stop the migration of people from East to West. These may be the historical facts but not the image of the wall that remains in my mind. To me it represents the cold war, a world divided by ideology. When the Berlin wall came down, the Soviet Union fell soon afterwards and the cold war ended.

I will leave Berlin with my own piece of the wall. I bought it in a souvenir shop next to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. It’s a small piece of concrete painted with rainbow colors and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Now I too am a wallpecker.

More Information:

Berlin Wall Online
The Fall of the Berlin Wall 198
Official Website of Berlin: Tourism & Travel

Berlin Wall Tours Now Available:

Berlin Wall Walking Tour with Historian Guide
Berlin Wall And Cold War Walking Tour in Berlin
Private Half-Day Walking Tour: Berlin Wall, Cold War and Checkpoint Charlie
2-Hour Guided Berlin Wall Private Walking Tour

About the author:
Diana Ellis is a Canadian travel writer who has visited over 30 different countries on seven continents and has written extensively about her adventures. Her travel humor and photographs have appeared on various travel websites. Diana also writes for local historical publications. She currently resides in Edmonton, AB Canada. More info at: diellistravelholic.com.

Photo credits:
Berlin Wall Monument by The Central Intelligence Agency / Public domain
All other photos are by Diana Ellis.

Germany: Ivory is Art in Erbach

by Alf B. Meier

In the time of transition from the pre-industrial to the industrial era, many backwoods areas of Europe were rapidly declining into poorhouses. In some parts of Germany traditional skills were enforced by local dignitaries resulting in non-competitive products, famine and misery.

In the central German town of Erbach, on the other hand, Count Franz I of Erbach brought a new skill to his subjects – the art of ivory carving. In 1783, he founded the Ivory Carvers Guild of Erbach. The town rapidly moved toward prosperity, testimony of which is given by the town itself and the local museums.

The ivory used came from the teeth or tusks of elephants, sea lions, whale and hippos, each having different characteristics of layers and shapes. Until about 1850, the carvers mostly made containers from the ivory. Then they discovered ivory to be a suitable material for artwork and jewelry. In 1873, the Rose of Erbach was awarded the bronze medal at the World Exposition in Vienna. After that, the craftsmen of Erbach busied themselves making statues.

Descendants of Count Franz I founded the town’s School of Ivory Carving in 1892 and local museums are rich with examples of carvings of buttons, tools and implements, statues and even billiard balls.

In 1945, members of the Ivory Carvers Guild moved on to carving amber (which is not actually a stone as many people think, but rather fossilized resins from evergreens extinct for some 40 million years). The influence in this movement was sculptor Jan Holschuh, who’d learned the techniques at the Bernsteinmanufaktur (Amber Factory) in the city of Dresden.

In 1989, the import of elephant ivory into Germany was made illegal. Guild members substituted mammoth ivory, some two tons of which are found every year in Siberia. This allowed the art movement to continue.

If You Go:

The German Ivory Museum in Erbach (located at Otto-Glenz Str. 1) is the only museum of its kind. The museum is open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm every day, but is usually closed Novermber thru February.The most memorable display shows the entire ivory art process – from rough sketches to finished, polished statues.

Tip: If you happen to buy knick-knacks or carvings as souvenirs in any of Erbach’s shops, just ask for a certificate proving the material. You may need it for customs.

How to Get There: It’s easy to reach Erbach by rail from Frankfurt/Main or Heidelberg. Driving by car from Frankfurt over the A9 takes about two hours. Once you’re in Erbach, you’ll find numerous signs for all points of interest.

The town of Erbach offers something for all the senses. If you’re able, get out and walk. Don’t miss the red sandstone palace with the gilded figurines. You can sip cool drinks sitting in the Lustgarten (garden), then visit the market square and explore the sandstone canal. Many tourists just wander the alleyways to take photos of the restored half-timber houses.

Although it’s way out of my price range, you can stay in a castle in Erbach. Schloss Rheinhartshausen-Kempinski offers 54 exquisite rooms and suites. The castle is booked well in advance. A single room goes for 275 – 1100 euro (about U.S. $424 – $1696) per night.

More information visit: Erbach – Odenwald’s Palace Town

About the author:
Alf B. Meier writes from Karpathos, a tiny Greek island in the Aegean. In the past, he has worked as a commercial photographer and a war photographer. Presently he is finishing a book.
Contact: laugh@otenet.gr

Photo credits:
All photos are by Alf B. Meier.