Posts Tagged ‘Germany’

The Strandburg (Beach Castle) – A Thing of the Past

Monday, June 20th, 2022

 

A Strandburg, which is German for “beach castle,” used to be an integral part of every German beach holiday. It is distinctly different from a sand castle. While the latter is intricately designed, the Strandburg is only a low, circular wall of sand that surrounds another German invention, the Strandkorb, or beach basket. The beach basket serves as the vacationer’s home away from home, and since it swivels, it also provides an excellent windbreak. The Strandburg demarcates the territory. Whenever you happen upon a Strandburg, you can be sure to find a German inside.

 

Typical Strandburg (Beach Castle) at the Baltic Sea around 1950. Photo © J. Elke Ertle. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Typical Strandburg (Beach Castle) at the Baltic Sea around 1950. Photo © J. Elke Ertle. www.walled-in-berlin.com

History of the Strandburg

Until the end of the 19th century, only the elite could afford to vacation at the beach. However, these upper-class lords and ladies did not stretch out in the sun or frolic in the waves. Instead, they stepped into a bathing cart, a contraption akin to a cabin on rollers, which was pulled into the water by a horse. Once knee-deep in the ocean, a servant opened the cabin door, and the beach goer jumped into the water. After a few strokes, he or she got back into the cart and was wheeled back onto the strand.

Once the general public could afford a beach holiday, the beach culture changed, and the entire family vacationed together. Now mother, father, and child spent all day at the beach. Upon arrival, the family rented a beach basket for the duration of their vacation. It didn’t take long before, the patriarch got bored with sitting in the Strandkorb with nothing to do. That’s when he reached for a spade and built a wall around his family’s beach basket. A new trend was born.

The decline of the Beach Castle

Until the 1960s, the building of a Strandburg remained a cherished pursuit. Children gathered sea shells, tiny rocks, and seaweed and decorated their beach castle. Sometimes, they adorned it’s rim with small paper flags. Spa towns sponsored contests, and the prettiest Strandburg won a prize. The beaches along the Baltic and North Sea soon looked like a moonscape due to the countless castles dotting the beach. While the building of a Strandburg was prevalent throughout the 1960’s, its popularity diminished in the 70’ and 80’s. By the 1990s, it had become a rarity. These days, no more than 5% of beach goers in Germany build a beach castle. Even fewer decorate it. Beach castles have become a rare gem on German beaches.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

The Rutabaga Winter During World War I

Monday, January 18th, 2021

The Rutabaga Winter (Kohlruebenwinter in German) of 1916/1917 was something that German WWI survivors never forgot for the rest of their lives. I was born after WWII and still remember my father vehemently refusing to eat carrots because they reminded him of rutabagas. I have never attempted to prepare this cousin of broccoli for dinner, but reading about the Rutabaga Winter is making me curious. I just might give this humble root vegetable a try after all.

What is a Rutabaga?

Known as Swede or rutabaga in North America, its scientific name is Brassica napus napobrassica. https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/106302/#b. It is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables and supposedly a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. With its purple top and beige bottom, the rutabaga does not look particularly tempting, although it is not without some health benefits. Just one cup meetsalf our daily vitamin C requirement.

 

The rutabaga winter (Kohlruebenwinter) of 1916/1917 was one of the most difficult periods for the German civilian population during WWI. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The rutabaga winter (Kohlruebenwinter) of 1916/1917 was one of the most difficult periods for the German civilian population during WWI. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

Why the Rutabaga Winter of 1916-1917?

Since the summer of 1914, Germany had waged a two-front war with France and Britain in the West and Russia in the East. Then, in Fall of 1916, fierce autumn storms and ceaseless rains led to a dismal potato and wheat harvest. Much of the produce rotted in the ground. Germany desperately tried to import these foods. But the British navy thwarted all efforts by blockading the North Sea approaches. For Germany’s civilian population, the continuous Sea blockade meant a constant threat of starvation. Malnourishment and illness claimed thousands of lives. Eighty thousand children died of starvation. The winter of 1916–1917, which became known as the “Rutabaga Winter” (Kohlruebenwinter), was one of the most difficult periods for the German civilian population during WWI.

What Made the Germans Turn to Rutabagas?

By February 1917, the potato and wheat supplies had run dry. Luckily, 80 million tons of rutabagas had survived the winter in storerooms. Now, the humble vegetable had to jump to the rescue. To overcome the population’s image of the rutabaga as animal fodder, the war ministry’ propaganda machine touted it as  “Prussian Pineapple.” Suddenly, recipes for rutabaga jam, cake, bread, casseroles, soups, beer and coffee appeared. People had rutabaga soup for breakfast, rutabaga “steak” for lunch and rutabaga cake for dinner. To make it easier to digest, the war ministry advocated chewing 30 bites for 30 minutes (about 2,500 times). Decades later, most Germans still could not stand the sight of rutabagas because of their association with hardship and misery.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

Elphie – Hamburg’s Sydney Opera House Alternative

Monday, March 11th, 2019

Officially inaugurated on 11 January 2017, the Elphie (abbreviation of the German word Elb Philharmonie) is one of the largest and acoustically most advanced concert halls in the world. It is an architectural, cultural and civic masterpiece and dominates Hamburg’s harbor. Set on a small finger of land that protrudes into the River Elbe, this cultural and residential complex incorporates three superb concert venues. A 280-foot curved escalator transports visitors up six flights to a public observation deck with sweeping views of the city of Hamburg and its harbor. The ride takes two and a half minutes. While a parking garage occupies some of the lower levels, the upper floors accommodate 44 luxury condominiums, a conference center, restaurants, bars and a spa. In addition, the four-star Westin Hotel Hamburg with 250 rooms is located between the 9th and 20th floors.

Elphie (Elb Philharmonie) in Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Elphie (Elb Philharmonie) in Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The smallest of the condominiums has 1,300 square feet; the largest 4,300 square feet. Sales prices begin at $1,580 per square foot. A stay at the Westin Hotel will run about $220.00 per night for its least desirable room to $3,000 per night for its top suite.

History of the Elphie

The Elphie crests the skeleton of a 1963 warehouse that replaced an earlier one built in the same spot in 1875. The new structure is topped with a 1000-panel undulating glass roof. Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron retained the original 1966 brick façade of the base building. They then designed a footprint-matching glassy superstructure with its own foundation on top of this base. The first eight floors of the building are within the brick façade, the remaining 18 floors extend above it. The curved glass windows give the Elphie the appearance of a hoisted sail.

Elphie concert halls

The Elphie has three concert venues.The Great Concert Hall accommodates 2,100 visitors. The audience surrounds the performers in a vineyard-style seating arrangement. Even the back seats are no more than 100 feet from the conductor. Acoustician, Yasuhisa Toyota, designed the Elphie’s acoustics. He installed about 10,000 acoustic panels that disperse the sound into every corner of the hall. The Great Concert Hall also is home to a pipe organ with 69 registers and 4,765 organ pipes, built by the German company, Klais Orgelbau.

 

Great Concert Hall, Elphie, Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Great Concert Hall, Elphie, Hamburg, Germany. Photo © Klaus Malonnek, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

The smaller Recital Hall holds 550 patrons and is used for the performance of recitals, chamber music and jazz concerts. The third venue, the Kaistudio, seats 170 visitors and is mainly used for educational events.

The Elphie’s Construction Woes

The foundation for the Elphie was laid in April 2007 with a projected completion date in 2010. Cost was estimated at €241 million. Like many other major projects worldwide, completion of the complex ran over schedule. Construction work finally ended in October 2016 at a cost of €789 million. Although the project was severely criticized for its cost and schedule overruns, it was successfully completed unlike Berlin’s new airport. The opening of BER has been delayed eight times already, with no end in sight.

Elphie’s Successes

Two years into the Elphie’s existence, the complex is still extremely popular with locals and visitors alike. Since its opening in 2017, each of the almost 800 concerts in the Great Concert Hall was almost always fully booked. The smaller Recital Hall was sold out over 90% of the time, and it still is difficult to obtain a ticket to a performance at the Elphi.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

BER – Berlin’s Stillborn Baby?

Monday, December 17th, 2018

“I am convinced that BER will be put into operation in October 2020,” Engelbert Luetke-Daldrup recently said of the troubled Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport. Daldrup became chief executive of the beleaguered airport in March 2017.

So far, the grand opening was postponed eight times. Originally slated to open in 2011, poor planning and subcontracting, recurring changes in design, flawed construction plans, shoddy workmanship, major technical problems, corruption and numerous management changes are only part of the problem. BER is a joint project of the city-state of Berlin, the regional government of the State of Brandenburg and the Federal government of Germany. Too many inexperienced cooks stoking the fire are the other part of the trouble.

Opening of BER delayed eight times

Planning for BER began after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The newly-reunified capital of Germany clearly needed an airport with greater capacity than its existing Tegel Airport (in former West Berlin) and Schoenefeld Airport (in former East Berlin) combined. Authorities decided to replace the two existing airports with the new International Airport BER. Groundbreaking took place in 2006. Completion was slated for 2011. What happened then is almost comical. The opening of BER was postponed eight times for a myriad of reasons: Faulty fire and smoke alarm systems, escalator issues, too few check-in counters and baggage reclaim carousels, lights that could not be switched off, and many other issues.

2011 – Opening postponed to 2012.

2012 – Opening postponed to March 2013, then October 2013

2013 – Opening postponed to 2014.

2014 – Opening postponed to 2016, maybe 2017 or 2018.

2016 – Opening postponed to 2017 or 2018.

2017 – Opening postponed to 2018, 2019 or possibly 2020.

2018 – Opening postponed to 2020.

Ongoing Maintenance of unfinished BER

Every month the airport just sits there unused, it racks up millions of euros in maintenance and upkeep costs. The unfinished BER has to be heated, lit and maintained. Construction workers have to be paid. Empty trains have to run into the airport station every day to keep it ventilated. In early 2018, all 750 arrival and departure monitors had to be replaced. They had reached the end of their service life, having been switched on for six years, even though the airport was closed.

BER is not big enough

Sceptics believe that even if the airport opens on time, it will immediately face a problem: it’s not big enough. The German capital is now the second most heavily populated city in Europe after London, which is served by six international airports. BER’s engineering advisor Dieter Faulenbach da Costa cautions that more people than previously expected will be moving through the main terminal. More passengers will arrive through the railway station in the basement. Smoke and fire emergency systems will have to be adjusted once again to accommodate the increase. The adjustments will take additional time, making a 2020 opening unlikely.

BER - Berlin-Brandenburg Airport still unfinished in 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

BER – Berlin-Brandenburg Airport still unfinished in 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Ditch BER and start over?

Faulenbach da Costa believes that BER was too small from the beginning, but the agencies wanted to save money. Even airport CEO Luetke-Daldrup admits that BER will not be able to handle more than 33 million passengers in 2020. And that number is equal to the capacity of Berlin’s two existing airports, Tegel and Schoenefeld, both of which are already bursting at the seams. As it stands, the expected cost to build BER will be 3.5 times the initial budget. A Lufthansa executive predicts that BER will never open. It may just turn out to be Berlin’s stillborn baby.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

Ratsherrenbrunnen – Powerful Metaphor

Monday, October 1st, 2018

The first time I laid eyes on the Ratsherrenbrunnen (Councilmember Fountain) remains etched into my memory. In our current political climate, I have often contemplated the relevancy of this one-of-a-kind fountain. The Ratsherrenbrunnen stands in the town square of Linz am Rhein (Linz on the Rhine River), a small town with less than 6,000 inhabitants in the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate. Located on the right bank of the Rhine River – the sunny side of the river – as Linzers will tell y0u, the community is nestled roughly between Bonn, the former German capital, and Koblenz. Colorful half-timbered houses, spanning five centuries, surround the town’s market square. But the most unusual and striking feature is the fountain in the center of town.

Ratsherrenbrunnen (Councilmember fountain)

The Ratsherrenbrunnen stands in front of the town’s city hall. The attraction is not the water feature itself, but the artwork that adorns it. Seated on the rim of the fountain are bronze replicas of the city’s mayor and its councilmembers. Their heads, legs and arms are movable and can be manipulated at will by passersby. From the top of the fountain the citizens of Linz watch their council members at work. With this 1993 creation, the sculptor Bonifatius Stirnberg reminds the town’s politicians that they serve at the pleasure of the people and that they are accountable to the citizens who keep a watchful eye on their elected politicians.

 

Ratsherrenbrunnen (Councilmember fountain) in Linz, Germany, reminding politicians that they serve at the pleasure of and are accountable to the people. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2012. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Ratsherrenbrunnen (Councilmember fountain) in Linz, Germany, reminding politicians that they serve at the pleasure of and are accountable to the people. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2012. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

It seems to me that it might not be a bad time for us to remind our own politicians that they, too, are accountable to the electorate. Do we need similar fountains in front of the White House and the State Capitols to drive that message home?

Brief History of Linz

Linz, originally called “Lincesce,” was first mentioned in 874, although the town is undoubtedly much older. The Archbishop of Cologne, Heinrich II of Vimeburg, one of the electors of the Holy Roman Empire, awarded Linz the city status in the early 1300s. In 1365, the town started to build Burg Linz (Castle Linz), and the town hall was constructed in 1517. In 1815, Linz became part of Prussia, and one year later, Linz became a Kreisstadt (district town). But it lost that status again only six years later when it became part of Neuwied county. In 1946, following World War II, Linz was incorporated into the Rhineland-Palatinate.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

Pickle barrel – pint-sized hotel room

Monday, July 30th, 2018

“A Pickle Barrel for Two” is the latest in adventures awaiting outdoor enthusiasts. How would you like to spend a vacation in a cozy pickle barrel? The only place I have ever seen these pickle barrel pint-sized hotel rooms is in Luebbenau, a town about 60 miles southeast of Berlin, Germany. Lodging runs in the neighborhood of 35 Euros per night plus a small fee for cleaning and the obligatory city tax.

Luebbenau – pickle barrel hotel hub

Where in the heck is Luebbenau you ask? Luebbenau has less than 18,000 residents and is located in the heart of the Spreewald (literally “the woods of the River Spree”) in the German State of Brandenburg. The settlement was first mentioned in 1315, but excavations indicate that it may already have existed in the 8thor 9thcentury. Its landscape was shaped during the ice age. The first settlers were Slavic tribes. Also known as “Little Venice” because of its dense network of small waterways, the Spreewald was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991.

Pickle barrel mini hotels

The Spreewald is known for its production of natural organic produce. Cucumbers have been grown here since the 17thand 18thcenturies, and the pickles from the region are renowned throughout Germany. Aside from agriculture and fishing, tourism is one of the main sources of income in Luebbenau. That prompted an enterprising soul to come up with the idea of pickle barrel hotel rooms. They are a cross between camping and a night in a hotel, but oodles more unique and romantic. During the day, you might want to boat, hike, fish or explore to your heart’s content, and at night …

pickle barrel pint-sized hotel rooms in Luebbenau, Spreewald, in Germany. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015. www.walled-in-berlin.com

pickle barrel pint-sized hotel rooms in Luebbenau, Spreewald, in Germany. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

With a length of just under 11 feet and a diameter of 7 feet, pickle barrel mini hotel rooms are obviously larger than the vats used for pickling cucumbers. In fact, these pickle barrel pint-sized hotels are large enough to sleep two adults. They are furnished with a double bed and room for some storage beneath the bed. Some barrels are divided into a small vestibule and a sleeping or sitting area. But that’s all! There isn’t room for a toilet or a shower, but that doesn’t mean you have to do without. Those amenities are usually provided just steps outside your barrel. Neither do you have to make due with nutrition bars for breakfast or dinner. Hearty meals await you in nearby restaurants. Ready to try a pickle barrel hotel on your next vacation? Let me know how you liked it.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

Gutenberg revolutionized book reading

Monday, May 28th, 2018

In 1439, Johannes Gutenberg, born Johannes Gensfleisch, introduced movable metal type printing to Europe. His printing press became key to moving the world out of the Medieval era and into the Early Modern period. In 1450, Gutenberg tested his invention by printing a Latin book on speech-making. When satisfied with the results, he embarked on printing the now famous Gutenberg Bibles.

Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press set off a printing revolution that boosted literacy by breaking the elite’s monopoly on education. Prior to his invention, the majority of books were written and copied by hand or were printed using carved wooden blocks that were pressed onto paper. Because these processes were labor-intensive, books were very expensive, and only the rich could afford them. Other print machine inventors, mainly from China and Korea, had previously worked on similar apparatuses, but Gutenberg’s printing press had a worldwide impact.

Johannes Gutenberg’s life

The year and place of Johannes Gutenberg’s birth are not precisely known. He is believed to have been born between the years of 1394 and 1404 in Mainz, Germany. Trained as a goldsmith, gem gutter and metallurgist, he started experimenting with printing by 1438. Between 1450 and 1455, he completed his best-known work, the Forty-Two-Line Bibles. Although Gutenberg was unable to financially capitalize on his invention, his printing technology spread quickly across Europe and revolutionized the creation of affordable books.He died in Mainz in 1468.

Martin Luther benefits from Gutenberg’s invention

The Protestant Reformation would not have been possible without the availability of Johann Gutenberg’s printing press. Martin Luther produced over 300,000 pamphlets during his lifetime. His 95 Theses were printed and circulated widely. Certificates of indulgences were among the first items Gutenberg printed.

The Gutenberg Forty-Two-Line Bibles

The Gutenberg Bibles were printed in Latin and considered the first substantial books printed in Europe.The printing process was done entirely by hand. Approximately 175 to 180 copies were printed, and it took between three to five years to complete the entire print run. 175-180 books seem like a small number today, but at the time there were probably no more than 30,000 books in existence in all of Europe.

Gutenberg Bible on exhibit at the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, California. This is one of the 48 surviving Bibles. It is complete and printed on vellum. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Gutenberg Bible on exhibit at the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, California. This is one of the 48 surviving Bibles. It is complete and printed on vellum. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Each Gutenberg Bible weighs about 14 lbs. Most of them contain 1,286 pages and were bound in two volumes. Almost no two are exactly alike. The Gutenberg Bible is also known as the Forty-Two Line Bible because the pages are printed with two columns of 42 lines each.

Only 48 copies of the original 175 to 180 have survived, and only twelve Gutenberg Bibles were printed on prepared animal skin, called vellum. It took about 170 calfskins to produce just one Bible from vellum. The remainder were printed on rag cotton paper. The average price for one Bible is believed to have been 30 Florins, which represented three years wages for a clerk at the time.

Gutenberg Bibles still in existence today

Of the original run of 175-180 Bibles, only 48 still exist today in libraries, museum and university collections. Only 6 complete Gutenberg Bibles printed on the more expensive vellum still exist. They are located in Paris, Leipzig, Goettingen, London, Washington, DC, and in the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, California. I was privileged to set eyes on one of them at the Huntington Library.

As an interesting aside, two of the remaining 48 Gutenberg Bibles were taken from Germany by the Red Army at the end of World War II as war booty. They were discovered in the 1980s in Moscow libraries and have not been returned to Germany to this day.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

Zimmermann Telegram – WWI Saga of Intrigue

Monday, April 9th, 2018

The Zimmermann Telegram was a coded cable sent by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckhardt, in the midst of World War I. In the dispatch, Germany promised to help Mexico regain its lost territories of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico in exchange for support of Germany against that country’s enemies: Britain, France, Russia and Italy. The Zimmermann Telegram helped push the United States into entering into World War I.

German diplomat in the United States. Photo courtesy of The Daily Star. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Arthur Zimmermann, German diplomat in the United States. Photo courtesy of The Daily Star. www.walled-in-berlin.com

What the Zimmermann Telegram proposed

The cable instructed German ambassador to Mexico, Heinrich Von Eckardt, to approach Mexico’s president and propose a military wartime alliance between Germany and Mexico in the case that the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies against Germany. In exchange for a Mexican attack on the United States, Germany would provide military and financial support for the assault, and Mexico would be free to regain its lost territories.

Purpose behind the Zimmermann Telegram

Germany had long toyed with the idea of inciting a war between Mexico and the United States to keep the American forces busy at home and to slow the export of American arms to the Allies against Germany. The United States spent the first two-and-a-half years of the war watching from the sidelines. But the sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania in 1915 had helped to rally some pro-war factions. Still, isolationist sentiment in the United States remained high. In 1917, Germany gave the Zimmermann Telegram in coded form to U.S Ambassador to Germany, James W. Gerard, for transmission to Mexico. On 16 January 1917 the missive was sent via Berlin, Copenhagen, London and Washington, D.C. to Mexico City. http://www.history.com/news/the-secret-history-of-the-zimmermann-telegram Shortly thereafter, Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic.

The Plot surrounding the Zimmermann Telegram thickens

British intelligence had been secretly tapping into the U.S. state department’s transatlantic cables since early in the war. On 17 January 1917 – two days before the Zimmermann Telegram arrived in Washington – a British crypto analyst encrypted the dispatch and passed the information on to Admiral Sir William Reginald Hall, Director of British Intelligence. For several weeks, the admiral kept the telegram under wraps without informing his superiors or the United States. The reason was twofold: (1) Hall did not want Germany to know that the Brits had broken their codes and (2) Hall did not want the United States to know that the Brits were eavesdropping on their communications.

When it became clear that the US would not enter the war despite the sinking of the RMS Lusitania and the declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare, Britain passed on the contents of the telegram to the United States but concealed its source. Instead, England claimed that it had intercepted the Zimmermann Telegram in Mexico and passed the information on to the U.S. Embassy in London. Still unaware of the British espionage involved, the U.S. agreed to pass off the information as something that had been intercepted by its own intelligence service.

Result of the Zimmermann Telegram

By 1 March 1917, the contents of the Zimmermann Telegram were splashed all over the front pages of newspapers throughout the nation. The telegram served as evidence of German aggression, and the American public was outraged. Public opinion turned against Germany and against German-Americans living in the United States. Where have all the German-Americans Gone? On 2 April 1917, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson abandoned his policy of neutrality and asked Congress to declare war against Germany. In the meantime, both Mexico and Japan had already dismissed as infeasible Germany’ offer of a military partnership.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

Weimar Republic – Can Democracy be too Democratic?

Monday, March 12th, 2018

The Weimarer Republik (Weimar Republic) was Germany’s genuine attempt at creating its first-ever democracy. Trying to make it the perfect democracy, its leaders tried to build it on the principal of political and social equality for all. But the Weimar Republic lasted only 14 years before it collapsed. What happened? Was it not democratic enough? Was it too democratic? Let’s take a look.

“Weimar Republic” – an unofficial Designation

Between 1919 and 1933 – after Emperor Wilhelm II had abdicated and before the Nazi regime assumed power – the German state is commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic. That is an unofficial designation, however, because officially, Germany continued to be called Deutsches Reich, (German Empire), Deutscher Volksstaat (German People’s State) or Deutsche Republik (German Republic). The term “Weimar Republic” is based solely on the fact that the German state’s constitution was adopted in the city of Weimar. It was not until the 1930s that the term became mainstream.

Conditions preceding the Weimar Republic

In its fourteen years of existence, the Weimar Republic faced copious problems. They included hyperinflation, political extremism with right- and left-wing paramilitaries, attempted revolutions, public discontent and antagonistic relationships with the victors of World War I. Hyperinflation was such that in 1919, one loaf of bread cost 1 Mark; by 1923, the same loaf of bread cost 100 billion Marks. The value of the paper Mark had declined from 4.2 Marks per U.S. dollar in 1914 to one million Marks per dollar by August 1923. The German people blamed the Weimar Republic rather than their wartime leaders for the country’s defeat and for the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

Banknote from the hyperinflationary period of the Weimar Republic - a 1923 banknote in the amount of 20,000 Mark, worth barely the paper it was printed on. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Banknote from the hyperinflationary period of the Weimar Republic – a 1923 banknote in the amount of 20,000 Mark, worth barely the paper it was printed on. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Why did the Weimar Republic last only 14 years?

The constitution of the Weimar Republic contained many features that were to insure a perfect democracy, such as a Bill of Rights that guaranteed the freedom of speech, freedom of religion and equality under the law. But the constitution also had two great weaknesses. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/weimarstrengthweakrev3.shtml One of those weaknesses was something called “proportional representation.” It meant that each party was allocated the number of seats in the Reichstag (Parliament) that was proportional to the number of people who had voted for the party. But no minimum number of votes was required to get into the Reichstag. As a result, dozens of tiny parties ended up sitting in the Reichstag. When none could garner enough seats to represent a majority, the government could not get any laws passed.

The other serious built-in weakness in the constitution of the Weimar Republic was Article 48. That article stated that in an emergency the president could issue decrees without the agreement of the Reichstag. But the article failed to define what would represent an “emergency.” It was under Article 48, the Enabling Act of 1933, that Adolf Hitler assumed power.

These two major flaws in the constitution, albeit democratic and well-intended, made it impossible for the Weimar Republic to survive.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

Coffee Saxons – Connoisseurs of fine Coffee

Monday, February 26th, 2018

Kaffeesachsen” (Coffee Saxons in English) is a tongue-in-cheek expression that makes light of the Saxons’ love for coffee. Saxony, one of 16 Federal German states, is located in the eastern part of the country. In the early 1700s, coffee became the region’s most treasured drink. Supposedly, the Coffee Saxons still drink more coffee than the rest of the German people.

Coffee Saxons drink more coffee than the rest of the German people. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Coffee Saxons drink more coffee than the rest of the German people. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The Coffe Baum – Leipzig’s famous coffee house

The second oldest continuously operated coffee house in Europe is the Café “Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum” (To the Arab Coffee Tree), located in the Saxon city of Leipzig. In the early days, coffee houses were social hubs where thinkers and creators congregated. The Coffe Baum was once THE place where composers like Johann Sebastian Bach, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, Gustav Mahler and Richard Wagner talked about music and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/Goethe-writes-faust-a-closet-drama/ philosophized. Today, the Coffe Baum is mostly a tourist magnet.

 

Coffee house "Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum" in Leipzig, Germany. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Coffee house “Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum” in Leipzig, Germany. www.walled-in-berlin.com

No Bluemchenkaffee for Coffee Saxons

As early as 1697 the first German “coffeehouse order” was issued. It established the guidelines for the strength and composition of the coffee served. The then fashionable Meissen porcelain, invented in 1710, was typically adorned with floral designs. Soon, the Coffee Saxons referred to particularly weak coffee as “Bluemchenkaffee” (flower coffee) because you could see right through the brew to the floral design at the bottom of the cup.

What the Coffee Saxons call "Bluemchenkaffee" (flower coffee). It's a tad exaggerated, but you get the idea. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

What the Coffee Saxons call “Bluemchenkaffee” (flower coffee). It’s a tad exaggerated, but you get the idea. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Did the Coffee Saxons start the coffee habit?

Despite their love for the delightful brew, the Coffee Saxons did not invent coffee houses or the cup of steaming Java. Both originated in the 14th or 15th century in the Middle East, probably in Yemen or Turkey. There were coffee houses and an entire culture around coffee in much of the Eastern Mediterranean area at that time. It was not until the 18th century, around the time of the invention of Meissen porcelain, that coffee, along with tea and chocolate gained in popularity in Saxony.

Coffee Consumption around the World

Despite their coffee fondness, the Coffee Saxons are by no means the biggest consumers of the brew. Neither can the United States claim that distinction despite the fact that there is a Starbucks on almost every corner. Although statistics vary, it appears that Finland and the Netherlands are the two top coffee consuming countries. Germany ranks fifth or eighth (depending on whose figures you believe) in consumption. The United States falls somewhere between number 16 and number 25.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/countries-that-drink-the-most-coffee/ and https://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-what-the-world-drinks

A survey indicates that almost 30% of Germans believe that a cup of coffee helps in deal-making. www.walled-in-berlin.com

A survey indicates that almost 30% of Germans believe that a cup of coffee helps in deal-making. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.