Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
— Albert Camus
Autumn Leaves, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 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 the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com
The stately Hotel Petersberg is located on a mountaintop by the same name in Germany’s Siebengebirge across the river from the city of Bonn. It was the German equivalent of Camp David prior to Germany’s reunification. The hotel, with a long and colorful history, is open to the public. Since 1990 the 5-Star hotel is operated by the Steigenberger chain under the name “Steigenberger Grand Hotel Petersberg.” Although still owned by the government, nowadays it rarely serves as Germany’s Bundesgaestehaus (Federal Guesthouse).
Aerial view of the Steigenberger Grand Hotel Petersberg complex. www.walled-in-berlin.com
Joseph Ludwig Mertens, a Cologne merchant, purchased the picturesque mountaintop area in 1834 and constructed his summer residence on the Petersberg. In 1892, following Mertens’ death, the brothers Paul and Joseph Nelles aquired the property, upgraded it and turned it into an elegant hotel. Among the first dignitaries to stay at the now stylish hotel were Prussian empress Victoria and Swedish Queen Sophie. But despite the noble clientele, the hotel proved unprofitable. And in 1912, Ferdinand Muelhens, owner of the 4711 Eau de Cologne company, acquired it at a foreclosure sale. Following extensive improvements he reopened it as a spa hotel two years later. Although by then financially successful, the hotel was forced to close its doors when World War I broke out and remained closed for the next six years. Following additional remodelling in the 1920s the hotel reopened once more, only to close again at the beginning of World War II.
In 1945, American Forces confiscated the hotel on the Petersberg and turned it into troop quarters. Shortly thereafter, they handed it to the British Royal Engineers who, in turn, relinquished it to Belgian occupying forces to serve as a recuperation center.
In 1949, following another remodel to accommodate 340 offices, the Allied High Commision (Allierte Hohe Kommission) moved in. It was here that the Petersberg Agreement (Petersberger Abkommen) was signed on 22 November 1949. This was a treaty between the occupying forces of the United States, Great Britain, France and the Federal Republic of Germany, a the first major step toward West German sovereignty. In June 1952, the Allied High Commission moved to another location. The property reverted to its owners, the Muelhens family, who turned the buildings into a hotel once again to be operated by the Breidenbacher Hof, a luxory hotel in Duesseldorf. Since 1954, the hotel bears the name “Hotel Petersberg.”
In 1954 the German Federal government rented the newly remodelled Hotel Petersberg to serve as a guesthouse for visiting dignitaries, which included Etheopian emperor Haile Selassi and British Queen Elizabeth II. Still unprofitable, the hotel closed again in 1969 and slowly deteriorated until 1973 when Soviet Union’s leader, Leonid Brezhnev, requested to stay at the Hotel Petersberg. Despite a partial restoration to host the Soviet head of state, the hotel soon closed again.
The German Federal Government needed a place in which to host visiting dignitaries. The close proximity of Hotel Petersberg to Bonn, the post-war capital, and its idyllic and secure setting helped to make it the top choice. And in 1979, the German Federal government purchased the 270-acre piece of real estate for 18.5 million Deutsche Marks. After spending an additional 137 million Marks on extensive reconstruction, the Hotel Petersberg reopened in 1990. This time, the Steigenberger hotel chain became the operators. Over the next ten years, most heads of state with diplomatic relations to Germany have stayed at the Hotel Petersberg.
Inside the rotunda of the Steigenberger Grand Hotel Petersberg. www.walled-in-berlin.com
In 1999, following German reunification, government offices moved from Bonn to Berlin, and the Hotel Petersberg was now too far away to continue to serve as a Bundesgaestehaus. Although the German government occasionally still rents it for its guests, Schloss Meseberg, 40 miles north of Berlin, has become Germany’s official guesthouse.
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.
I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.
– Harold Kushner
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 the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com
The Berlin Hauptbahnhof rail station was constructed after the fall of the Berlin Wall as a central rail and transportation hub for the newly reunited city. Construction took 11 years. The station opened in 2006 and is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof. By constructing a new north-south rail line, Berlin Hauptbahnhof supplements the east-west S-Bahn (above ground rapid transit rail).
Berlin Hauptbahnhof rail station. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016. www.walled-in-berlin.com
Lehrter Bahnhof (Lehrte Station) was Berlin Hauptbahnhof’s predecessor. Opening in 1871, it linked Berlin with the town of Lehrte near Hanover. Eventually, Lehrter Bahnhof became Germany’s most important east-west main rail line. The station was heavily damaged during the Second World War. Services resumed for a short time but were suspended again in 1951. Between 1957 and 1959, the East German government bulldozed Lehrter Bahnhof.
The modern and transparent structure of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof station is made of glass and steel. A glass roof spans the main station hall. A photovoltaic system (a power system which converts sunlight into electricity) is integrated into the surface of the glass and can provide up to 2% of the station’s electricity needs. To bring in as much light as possible, glass is used throughout the station.
Inside Berlin Hauptbahnhof rail station. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016. www.walled-in-berlin.com
The Berlin Hauptbahnhof station has tracks on two levels, running perpendicular to one another. The upper level of Berlin Hauptbahnhof has six passenger tracks. Two are used by the S-Bahn; the other four serve trains destined to east and west locations. The lower level has eight tracks for trains travelling to north and south locations, including tracks for the U-Bahn (underground rapid transit rail) and the Airport Express. The station entrance is on the middle level for easy street access for rail users arriving by tram, bus, bike or and automobile.
Construction of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof station began with the building of tunnel tubes that would take the trains beneath the Spree River: Four tubes for long distance and regional rail transportation, two tubes for the U-Bahn and one road tunnel. Four of the tubes were created with tunnel boring machines (Schildvortriebsmaschinen). Pre-fabricated tubes were also used. http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/berlin-hauptbahnhof/
Tunnel tubes under construction. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 1998. www.walled-in-berlin.com
To allow for continued sub-surface work, the Spree River had to be temporarily re-channeled.
Since the tunnels are only 3 1/3 feet below the Spree River, tunneling proved extremely problematic due to the combination of the sandy soil and Berlin’s high water table. Tunneling under and building over the Spree River so close to the still-operating S-Bahn and adjacent landmarks, such as the Reichstag http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/the-reichstag-prominent-berlin-landmark/ and the Brandenburg Gate, created additional hurdles to overcome. Unexploded World War II munitions caused construction delays, and finally, the steel and glass construction of the building itself challenged the engineers. It became even more interesting when they were asked to shorten the glass roofs by approximately 423 feet to reduce costs and speed up construction. Now, that this difficult project is completed, the Berlin Hauptbahnhof is well worth a visit.
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.
Credibility, like virginity, can only be lost once and never recovered.
— Charley Reese
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 German National Library in Leipzig (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is a researcher’s dream. It is one of two national library facilities in Germany. The second facility is located in Frankfurt/Main. Together, they form the largest reference library in the world and function as central archive and national bibliographic center for the Federal Republic of Germany. Each publication, published in Germany, must provide the German National Library with two copies. At the end of 2015 the two facilities held a combined total of 30.8 million media units.
German National Library Leipzig main entrance. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com
Each of the two facilities focuses on specific areas of responsibility. The Leipzig facility’s mandate is to collect and permanently archive all German and German-language publications starting in 1913, foreign publications about Germany, translations of German works, and the works of German-speaking emigrants published abroad between 1933 and 1945.
The Frankfurt/Main facility is responsible for post-1945 literature and the development of information and communication technology, including development and management of the central database. It handles the production, marketing and distribution of national bibliographic services and houses the German Exile Archive (Deutsches Exilarchiv) 1933-1945.
A third facility, the German Music Archive (Deutsches Musikarchiv), established in Berlin in 1970, archives all music-related materials (both printed and recorded) and was integrated in the German National Library Leipzig following the construction of a new extension in 2010.
The Germany National Library was preceded by two institutions: the Deutsche Buecherei founded in 1912 in Leipzig and the Deutsche Bibliothek established in 1947 in Frankfurt/Main. As part of the German reunification both institutions were brought together to form Die Deutsche Bibliothek, which was renamed Deutsche Nationalbibliothek in 2006.
The main building of the German National Library Leipzig was built between 1914 and 1916. The King of Saxony, Friedrich August III, provided the funds for its construction. The library’s impressive 525-foot long facade faces the “Deutscher Platz” (German Plaza). The main reading room is a timeless beauty. The enormous Meissen Porcelain vase on display in the first floor lobby is priceless. The painting depicts the Association of Book Traders building (Buchhaendlerboerse) of Leipzig.
Enormous Meissen porcelain vase on exhibit in the first floor lobby of the German National Library Leipzig. The vase was donated by Richard Linnemann. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com
The German National Library is open to the public. Online catalog use and email inquiries are free. Patrons must be at least eighteen years of age and in possession of a current library card in order to use the facility. Library cards may be obtained for a small fee upon submitting a valid identification.
The German National library Leipzig has eight subject-specific reading rooms:
Some 60,000 publications are available for direct use in the reading rooms. In addition, users have access to the bio-bibliographic reference library and to special collections. In the multimedia/periodicals reading room, in addition to current issues of about 1,800 journals from all subject areas, issues of selected titles from the last two years are available for consultation.
This library is well worth a visit. Individual and group tours are available. Reservations may be required.
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.
How old would you be if you did not know how old you were? That number is your real age. Your chronological age is a relatively meaningless number.
— Anonymous
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 the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com
The Berlin Wall Memorial (Berliner-Mauer-Gedenkstaette) opened on 9 November 1999, the 10th anniversary of German reunification. The memorial was created to pass on the history of the city’s 44-year division and the Berlin Wall’s 28-year existence. For years after the border opened in 1989 the German people demanded, “The Wall must go.” They wanted to forget the monstrosity that had separated families, friends and neighbors. Therefore, most of the Berlin Wall was demolished. But a few sections of the Wall escaped the bulldozer, among them a stretch at Bernauer Strasse, including a preserved section of the death strip.
Preserved Berlin Wall section on exhibit at the Berlin Wall Memorial, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014, www.walled-in-berlin.com
After World War II, Berlin was divided into a Western and an Eastern section. American, British and French forces occupied the western section; Soviet forces occupied the eastern section. In 1961 the East German government built a wall around West Berlin to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin. As a result, West Berlin became an island surrounded by East Germany. Bernauer Strasse was right on the border between East and West Berlin. The border along this street ran in such a way that the roadway, both sidewalks and the buildings on the north side ended up in West Berlin, but the buildings on the south side turned out to be in East Berlin. Soon, Bernauer Strasse became a symbol of the inhumanity of the Berlin Wall.
After the construction of the wall, the protestant Versoehnungskirche (Church of Reconciliation), built in 1894, ended up in “no man’s land,” inaccessible to residents of either West or East Berlin. The church tower was even used by border guards as a watchtower. In 1985 the East German government detonated the church. Today, the Chapel of Reconciliation stands at the very site where the Reconciliation Church once stood and serves as a place for contemplation.
Bernauer Strasse is the only place in Berlin where visitors can still see a section of the border fortifications with all its installations and barriers. The Berlin Wall Memorial extends 4,500 feet along the former border between East and West Berlin at Bernauer Strasse. Between Ackerstrasse and Bergstrasse, the visitor can still see the last sections of Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it and the extent of the border fortifications. Of the 96 miles of former Berlin Wall, close to 700 feet have been preserved and are on exhibit.
Berlin Wall Memorial site with the Chapel of Reconciliation to the upper left and the preserved border strip to the right, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014, www.walled-in-berlin.com
The Berlin Wall Memorial runs along both sides of Bernauer Strasse. The Visitor and the Documentation Center are located on the side of the street that formerly belonged to West Berlin. At the Visitor Center two films are shown and information is available about the entire memorial site. The Documentation Center shows an exhibition about the division of the city and has a viewing platform from which visitors can see a 230-foot long section of preserved border area, including the death strip and a watchtower. The surviving border elements reflect the complexity of the border fortifications: the border strip lying between the border wall facing west and “hinterland security wall” facing east, and the additional perimeter defenses installed to prevent any approach to the border strip from its eastern side. The original remains of the Berlin Wall have been preserved as an historical monument, but where sections of the Wall no longer exist, reddish steel poles allude to the Wall. The poles mark where the Berlin Wall used to stand. If observed from a sharp angle, the poles seem to form a solid wall.
Steel poles alluding to the part of the Berlin Wall that no longer exists – Berlin Wall Memorial – photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014, www.walled-in-berlin.com
You may recall photographs that show people trying to escape to West Berlin by jumping from windows. These photos were taken at Bernauer Strasse. One of the most famous is that of border guard Conrad Schumann who fled to the West by leaping over the barbed wire fence at Bernauer Strasse.
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.
Ships don’t sink because they are surrounded by water. They sink when too much water gets inside of them.
Sailboats on a sunny afternoon. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016. www.walled-in-berlin.com
The moral of the story: Don’t let what happens around you get inside of you and weigh you down.
— Anonymous
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 the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com
Fallen Leaves is a powerful symbolic art installation in the Jewish Museum Berlin. One of the largest such museums in Europe, Berlin’s Jewish Museum actually consists of two buildings. The visitor enters through the baroque Kollegienhaus, an old gilded building (originally built as a courthouse http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/berlins-kammergericht-appellate-court/ and later used by the Berlin Museum), and descends into the basement level of a stark, postmodern building. The 161,000 square foot new concrete structure, designed by Daniel Libeskind, has three corridors: the Axis of Exile with the personal effects of Jews who fled Germany during the 1930s on display, the Axis of the Holocaust with displays of letters and photographs of murdered Jews on exhibit and the Axis of Continuity, showing 2,000 years of German Jewish history.
The most power installation for me was Fallen Leaves (Shalekhet), displayed in one of several empty “voided” spaces in the museum. The bare concrete Memory Void runs through the entire building. Its only light emanates from a small slit at the top of the space. Here the ground is covered with 10,000 flat iron disks that visitors are free to walk on. The disks are pressed into the shape of faces with crude cutouts for eyes, nose and mouth. The mouths are contorted and look like they might be screaming silently. The faces symbolize those lost during the Holocaust as well as the victims of war and violence in general. The display was designed by Israeli artist Menashe Kadisman.
Fallen Leaves – Symbolic Art Installation in the Jewish Museum Berlin, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016, www.walled-in-berlin.com
Libeskind created “voids” to symbolize the history and humanity lost as a result of the Holocaust. The architect explains that the voids represent “what can never be exhibited.” Libeskind created five voids – angular openings – in the Jewish Museum Berlin. Three of the voids are inaccessible. The visitor can only look into them through slit-like windows. The two accessible voids are: The Void of Voidness is an unheated tower with the only light emanating from a narrow slit in the roof. The other accessible void is the Void of Memory with the Fallen Leaves installation.
Void of Voidness, Jewish Museum Berlin, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016, 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.
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