Why is a car’s windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. Look ahead and move on.
— 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 Stasi, the feared secret police agency of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany), was formally disbanded in February 1990. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/the-stasi-and-how-it-worked/ But before disbanding and until East German citizens could put a stop to it, Stasi personnel destroyed a vast number of sensitive files. They shredded and hand ripped photos, documents, tapes and index cards. When citizens stormed the Stasi headquarters in Berlin, they saved many bags and boxes of shredded Stasi files from complete destruction.
File shredder used by the Stasi – on exhibit in the Haus in der Runden Ecke, Leipzig, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015
Aside from containing personal information, Stasi files often contained critical evidence against individuals who had committed atrocities in the name of the agency. Therefore, Stasi officials wanted to get rid of the documents. When their shredders burned out, they ripped the files by hand. When the public became aware of the destruction on 15 January 1990, protesters overcame the police and stormed into Stasi headquarters. It should be noted, however, that not all protesters were victims. Some were actually former Stasi collaborators who hoped to destroy incriminating evidence.
Along with the German Reunification on 3 October 1990, a Stasi record agency was founded. It is called “Der Bundesbeauftragte fuer die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik” and officially abbreviated “BStU” (Stasi Records Authority). The fate of the salvaged Stasi files was decided under the Unification Treaty between East and West Germany. In 1992, the files were opened and people could have a look at their own files. Between 1991 and 2011, around 2.75 million individuals – mostly citizens of the former East Germany – requested to see their files. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/stasi-files-online-now/
The shredded strips sat there for five years. Then in 1995, the BstU assigned the monumental task of trying to reassemble the shredded documents to a small group of 31-36 workers. In the past fifteen years 1.5 million shredded documents (the equivalent of 500 bags of shredded Stasi files) have been reconstructed. Although an incredible achievement, it remains a mere drop in a bucket because the total number of salvaged bags of shredded Stasi files is close to 16,000.
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.
The biggest regret people have on their deathbed is that they lived the life expected of them instead of a life true to themselves.
— 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 STASI was the secret police agency of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The name stands for Ministerium fuer STAatsSIcherheit (Ministry for State Security). In keeping with their motto “Schild und Schwert der Partei” (Shield and Sword of the Party) the Stasi became one of the most repressive and feared institutions that ever existed.
The Stasi grew out of the internal security and police agency that was launched by the Soviets in their occupation zone of Germany in the aftermath of World War II. On 8 February 1950, four months after the East German state was established, the state’s new legislature established the Ministry for State Security. The agency’s initial responsibility was limited to domestic political surveillance and foreign espionage. Soon its power grew exponentially.
Under Erich Mielke http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/erich-mielke-master-of-fear/, director of the agency from 1957 to 1989, the Stasi gained access to every aspect of the daily lives of East German citizens: Aside from foreign espionage, it suppressed internal political opposition; it imprisoned hundreds of thousands of citizens; it infiltrated every major East German institution; it even went so far as to analyze the garbage for suspect western food and/or materials. In addition, the Stasi maintained detailed files on family and personal relationships.
It accomplished these tasks with approximately 100,000 full-time Stasi officers, 15,000 soldiers, army officers and police in addition to a vast network of full-time and part-time citizen informants and unofficial collaborators. The number of these citizen-helpers has been estimated at somewhere between 500,000 and 2,000,000. These unpaid collaborators were often recruited from people whose jobs entailed frequent contact with the public. They included doctors, nurses, clergy, lawyers, teachers, trolley conductors, waiters, janitors and actors. In return for small incentives designed to make them feel important, they were asked to spy on and denounced colleagues, friends, neighbors and family members. By 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell the Stasi employed one full-time agent for every 166 East Germans. Adding full-time and part-time informers and collaborators, the Stasi relied on one informer per 6.5 people. https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/k/koehler-stasi.html The agency maintained files on more than one-third of the East German population.
By the 1970s, the Stasi decreased its number of overt persecutions, such as arrests and torture, and increasingly focused on the use of psychological tactics, called Zersetzung (undermining). Favored methods included gaslighting, which is a form of mental manipulation with the intent to make the victims doubt their sanity. Gaslighting tactics included breaking into homes and moving furniture, changing the time on the clock, removing pictures from walls or simply replacing one variety of tea with another.
Soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the East German legislature tried to rebrand the Stasi as the Amt fuer Nationale Sicherheit (Office for National Security). But because of a public outcry this agency was never established. Instead, the Stasi was formally disbanded in February 1990. But before the agency was dissolved, Stasi officials destroyed a vast amount of the organization’s files. East German citizens occupied the Stasi’s main headquarters in Berlin on 15 January 1990, stopped the destruction and saved the remaining files.
Attempted destruction of files by the Stasi and bags of files recovered – photos on exhibit in “Haus in der Runden Ecke”, Leipzig.
Since 2015, East German Stasi files are open to the public online for the first time. Please visit http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/stasi-files-online-now/
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.
A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after a success.
— 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 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.
Usedom is an island in the Baltic Sea. Shared by Germany and neighboring Poland, its Polish name is Uznam. Prior to 1945, the entire island was part of Germany. However, following World War II and in keeping with the Potsdam Agreement, the eastern part of the island was relinguished to Poland. At the same time, the native German inhabitants were expelled westward and replaced by Poles. Many of the Poles who repopulated the vacated area had been expelled themselves by the Soviets from what had been eastern Poland.
Today, Usedom’s 172 square miles are split between the two countries. About 80% of the island belongs to Germany. However, almost 60% of the isle’s total population of 76,500 inhabits the Polish part of the island. Following World War II and before German Reunification in 1990, Usedom’s German part of the island was part of East Germany.
The major German cities on Usedom include the city of Usedom in the west, the Dreikaiserbaeder (Three Emperor Spas) Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck and Bansin in the southeast Zinnowitz and the Amber Spas (Koserow, Loddin, Ueckeritz and Zempin) in the northeast, and the small port of Peenemuende in the north of the island. A tiny fishing village in the 1930s, Peenemuende has a darker history. Hitler launched the V-2 rocket here. Today, very little of the weapons factory remains because most of it was destroyed during Allied raids.
The largest city on the Polish side of the island is Swinoujscie. Its German name is Swinemuende.
Usedom is often called the “Sun Island” because it receives more sunshine than any other region in Germany or Poland. And since Germans are famous for their insatiable appetite for sunshine, the island’s average 2,000 hours of sun per year http://www.ostsee.de/insel-usedom/ makes it a choice coastal resort. But sunshine is not the only reason Germans like to vacation on Usedom. Its wide variety of attractions include the island’s 25 miles of white sand beaches, its string of elegant 19th century villas, its renowned medical and wellness spas and its unspoiled nature. In 1990, the entire island was designated a nature preserve. Its interior features castles, lakes and historic villages. A five-mile promenade connects Usedom’s Dreikaiserbaeder. On one side, elegant Wilhelminian villas line the boardwalk. On the other side, sun worshippers relax in wicker beach baskets, known as Strandkoerbe (for more information on the history of the Strandkorb, visit http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/distinctly-german-the-strandkorb/) Small pine forests separate the villages.
Strandkoerbe (wicker beach baskets) line the beaches of Usedom, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014
Usedom has been settled since the Stone Age. Since the late 19th century the island has been a popular summer resort. Two German emperors — Friedrich III (1831 to 1888) and Wilhelm II (1859 to 1941) — were frequent visitors. Wealthy Berliners built their palatial villas on the island. Even during the Cold War Usedom retained its exclusivity because top Communist party functionaries enjoyed the grand island villas. Many of the officials came to savor the Freikoerperkultur (FKK) on the beaches. (for more on FKK in Germany, visit http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/the-skinny-on-nude-bathers-in-germany) Although FKK beaches still exist on Usedom, nudity-seekers are greatly outnumbered by spa-goers.
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.
When we think of the Brothers Grimm (Gebrueder Grimm), their fairy tales pop to mind. We recall the familiar stories read to us in childhood: Hansel and Gretel (Haensel und Gretel), Snow White (Schneewittchen), Sleeping Beauty (Dornroeschen), Cinderella (Aschenputtel), Little Red Riding Hood (Rotkaeppchen) and Rapunzel (Rumpelstilzchen). Grimm’s fairy tales became to popular worldwide that they may have been outsold only by Shakespeare and the Bible.
But aside from collecting and publishing fairy tales, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm – both University-trained linguists and librarians – also wrote many books on mythology, linguistics and medieval studies. They even started compiling a German dictionary on the scale of the Oxford English Dictionary. Unfortunately, both brothers died before they could finish the project.
Grimms ausgewaehlte Maerchen, printed in 1946, my favorite childhood book, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015
Jacob Grimm (born in 1785) and Wilhelm Grimm (born in 1786) were the second- and third-eldest surviving siblings in a family of nine children. Three of the Grimm children died in infancy. The Brothers Grimm were born to prosperous parents and grew up in the German town of Hanau, 25 km east of Frankfurt/Main. Their father was a lawyer; their mother was the daughter of a city councilman.
But when Wilhelm was ten years old, the boys’ father passed away, and the family plunged into poverty. Only with great difficulty did the Brothers Grimm manage to attend a university preparatory school. Although they went on to law school, their interest soon shifted to the collection of folklore. Their book, “Die Kinder- und Hausmaerchen” (Nursery and Household Tales), first published in 1812, contains stories that had been passed down from generation to generation. The book eventually became known as “Grimms’ Fairy Tales – Grimm’s Maerchen.”
Many readers assume that the Brothers Grimm actually invented these fairy tales. But they did not. Instead, they only collected and published the stories. Until the early 1900s, fairy tales were part of an oral tradition. While doing household chores, women often retold stories to reduce the monotony of their chores. But all this changed with industrialization. The stories faced extinction until the Brothers Grimm began collecting them by talking to relatives and friends in many parts of the country.
It is also interesting that Grimm’s Fairy Tales were never meant for children because the stories routinely included sex, violence and incest. http://www.biography.com/news/brothers-grimm-facts But once the stories became popular, the Brothers Grimm continued to revise them until they deemed them appropriate for the young minds of children.
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.
Making time to see and appreciate,
Making time to hear and feel,
Making time to laugh and cry,
Making time to love attentively,
Making time to forget time,
Making time to be happy.
–Richard Erlewein, freely translated into English by J. Elke Ertle
Making time to see and feel, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015
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. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.
Do you know the difference between German “Schnaps” and American “schnapps?” It isn’t just an additional “p.” German Schnaps (or “eau de vie” in French) is generally an 80-100 proof clear, unsweetened fruit brandy distilled from fermented fruits. No sugar is added, and the fruit flavor is extremely light. Schnaps is usually made from apples, pears, plums, apricots or cherries.
American schnapps, on the other hand, is generally a 30-100 proof liqueur, produced by mixing fruit with already fermented and distilled alcohol. Sugar and glycerin are then added, and the resulting syrupy product is also known as liqueur.
To tell you the truth, I have never cared for the taste of Schnaps. Whether served before dinner as an apéritif or after dinner is a digestif, it is not sweet enough for me. I prefer a liqueur. But I love what Schnaps does for my Black Forest Cherry Cake (Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte). The cake is named after the Schnaps that was first distilled in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in southwestern Germany, not the other way around. http://tastings.com/spirits/brandy.html This particular Schnaps is aptly called Kirschwasser (cherry water), or simply Kirsch. The clear, colorless fruit brandy is made from tart cherries, including pits. The cherry pits give the Black Forest Cherry Cake its unique flavor. I understand that it takes about 22 pounds of cherries to make just one 750 ml bottle (about 25 ounces) of Kirschwasser.
Kirschwasser – a Schnaps that defines my Black Forest Cherry Cake, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015
First documented in 1934 in Berlin, Germany, Black Forest Cherry Cake consists of layers of chocolate cake, whipped cream and tart cherries. But it would not taste the same without the secret ingredient – you guessed it – an infusion of Kirschwasser. I either soak the cherries overnight in the Schnaps or sprinkle the Kirschwasser directly onto each cake layer. I always end with cherries atop the cake, dotted with shaved dark chocolate. Give it a try!
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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