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Archive for the ‘Tête-à-Tête’ Category

Berlin Television Tower

Monday, July 20th, 2015

At 1,207 feet, the Berlin Television Tower (Fernsehturm) is the tallest structure in Germany. With a million visitors a year, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Berlin. The Berlin Television Tower is located at the Alexanderplatz in the city’s center. An exhibition center and restaurant surround its base. The Neptune fountain, which used to stand in front of the Berlin City Palace, adorns the large plaza in front of it. The fountain’s four cascades represent Prussia’s main rivers at the time of the fountain’s construction: the Rhine, Elbe, Oder and Weichsel.

Berlin Television Tower
Photo © J. Elke Ertle

History of the Berlin Television Tower

The Berlin Television Tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969. In 1964, Walter Ulbricht, then leader of East Germany until 1971, decided that East Berlin needed its own television broadcasting system. He decided to build it right in the center of the city. To this day, the Berlin Television Tower remains the only city television tower in Europe. Its dome is modeled after Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite. It is said that Walter Ulbricht wanted the Berlin Television Tower to be exactly 365 meters (1,197 feet) in height so that even a child would remember its height – as many meters as there are days in a year. http://www.berlin.de/en/attractions-and-sights/3560707-3104052-berlin-tv-tower.en.html

Indeed, the original Fernsehturm was 365 meters high. But in 1990, an antenna was added increasing its height to 368 meters.

God’s Revenge

The Berlin Television Tower’s design had an unexpected consequence. When the sun shines on its tiled stainless steel dome, the reflection looks like a cross. Since East Germany’s secular had aimed at removing crucifixes from churches, Berliners quickly nicknamed the cross “Gottes Rache” (God’s Revenge). And they nicknamed the tower “St. Walter”, after East Germany’s former leader, Walter Ulbricht.

Telecafé and observation deck

Similar to the Berlin Radio Tower http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/berlin-radio-tower-the-beanpole/, the Berlin Television Tower includes an observation deck and a restaurant. On a clear day, the view from the deck can extend 26 miles into surrounding Brandenburg. The observation deck is located 666 feet above ground. Just a few feet higher, the restaurant – Telecafé – rotates once every 30 minutes and offers coffee, snacks and full meals.

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.

Tags: "Gottes Rache", "St. Walter", Alexanderplatz, Berlin City Palace, Berlin Television Tower, Berliner Fernsehturm, God's revenge, Neptune Fountain, Telecafe, Walter Ulbricbht
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Berlin Radio Tower – the “Beanpole”

Monday, July 13th, 2015

The Berlin Radio Tower (Funkturm) is a former West Berlin broadcasting tower. It is located on the exhibition grounds (Messegelaende) and lovingly called “Langer Lulatsch” (beanpole) by Berliners. The tower is close to 500 feet high with a restaurant at the 167-foot level and an observation deck at just over 400 feet. Growing up in Berlin, I took the elevator to the observation deck at least once a month during the summer and marveled at the panoramic views of the city and its surrounding woods and lakes.

Berlin Radio Tower
Photo © J. Elke Ertle, www.walled-in-berlin.com

Prior to German reunification, the Berlin Radio Tower counted among West Berlin’s top attractions. Since then, many tourists choose to visit the Berlin Television Tower instead. It is located in the city center, the former East Berlin. Today, the Berlin Radio Tower no longer serves as a transmitting tower but is protected monument due to its special architectural interest.

History of the Berlin Radio Tower

Similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Berlin Radio Tower was constructed as one large steel framework. It was inaugurated in 1926 for the opening of the third Great German Radio Exhibition (Grosse Deutsche Funkausstellung). This exhibition, now known as the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), is one of the oldest industrial trade fairs in Germany. Originally, the exhibition concentrated solely on medium wave radio, but included television two years later. In 1929, the Berlin Radio Tower broadcast Germany’s first televised images and in 1935 the world’s first regular TV program http://www.funkturm-messeberlin.de/en/ During the Battle for Berlin, one of the Funkturm’s main braces was hit by shellfire at 125 feet above ground. It left the beanpole standing on only three feet and nearly caused the entire structure to collapse.

Function of the Berlin Radio Tower

In 1962, the tower stopped being used for West German television transmissions. In 1973, all regular broadcast transmissions from the Berlin Radio Tower came to an end although the last transmitters were not disassembled until 1989. Today, the Berlin Radio Tower is still used as relay station for amateur and police radio and mobile phone services.

The Berlin Radio Tower Restaurant

The interior of Radio Tower Restaurant recreates the atmosphere of the twenties with its inlaid wood panels and art nouveau decor. Up to 116 guests can dine à la carte or enjoy a themed buffet, which changes monthly.

Tags: "Beanpole", "Langer Lulatsch", Berlin Radio Tower, Berlin Television Tower, Funkturm, Great German Radio Exhibition, Grosse Deutsche Funkausstellung, Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), Radio Tower Observation Deck, Radio Tower Restaurant
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Gewandhaus – Garment Hall to Concert Hall

Monday, July 6th, 2015

The renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra performs in a grand structure overlooking the Augustusplatz in Leipzig, Germany. Its name translates into “garment hall” because the city’s first concert hall was located in a textile-trading house. Completed in 1981, today’s hall can accommodate close to 2000 visitors and is known for its excellent acoustics. I had the good fortune of attending a recent concert at the Gewandhaus. It was directed by guest conductor Omer Meir Wellber. The performance of musicians and conductor was truly beyond words. What a treat for ears and eyes!

The current Gewandhaus was an East German cultural project. It is built in the style of an amphitheater. Its organ is the biggest musical instrument ever built in East Germany. The Gewandhaus Orchestra performs in the Gewandhaus, in the Leipzig Opera and, together with the Thomanerchor, in the St. Thomas Church. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/st-thomas-boys-choir-800-years/

According to Claudius Boehm (translated by Tom Greenleaves) the earliest roots of the Gewandhaus Orchestra can be traced to 1479. https://www.gewandhausorchester.de/en/gewandhaus/history/ At that time, Leipzig’s City Council hired three artistic pipers (Kunstpfeifer) to provide musical accompaniment at church services, theater productions and concerts.

First Gewandhaus

Leipzig’s earliest concerts took place in private homes. Then an inn hosted the events. As the concerts increased in popularity, a larger space became essential, and in 1781, the City of Leipzig constructed a concert hall. Because the textile merchants had no use for a substantial part of the upper floor in the Garment Hall between the Gewandgaesschen and the Kupfergasse, the space was converted into a concert hall. It accommodated up to 500 patrons. Mozart played in this hall. So did Carl Maria von Weber and Franz Liszt. Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, and Richard Wagner conducted here. The popularity of Gewandhaus concerts increased beyond all expectation so that the auditorium was modified several times to increase audience capacity. Unfortunately, the acoustics suffered each time, and a new concert hall was discussed.

Second Gewandhaus

In 1884, the Second Gewandhaus opened its doors on the south side of the Augustusplatz. It was designed by Martin Gropius and consisted of a main concert hall and a chamber music hall. While the City of Leipzig owned the First Gewandhaus, the Gewandhaus Concert Board owned the Second Gewandhaus. Anton Bruckner performed here at the organ, Paul Hindemith on the viola, Igor Stravinsky at the piano. Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss all conducted the Gewandhaus Orchestra at one time or another. The Second Gewandhaus was destroyed during bombings in 1944. For a while, the Gewandhaus orchestra performed in various halls throughout the city and moved into the zoo in 1947.

Third Gewandhaus

The conductor Kurt Masur initiated the campaign for the construction of the Third Gewandhaus on Augustusplatz. It opened in 1981, two hundred years after the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra had moved into the First Gewandhaus site.

The amphitheatrical Great Hall accommodates an audience of over 1,900; the Mendelssohn Hall approximately 500. The Great Hall is crowned by its imposing organ, with its four manuals, 92 stops and 6,638 pipes. Today’s Gewandhaus hosts approximately 800 events per year, which include its concert series, organ recitals, various chamber music series, conferences, symposia and lectures.

Inside the Gewandhaus, 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 my home page or feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Tags: Augustusplatz, Garment Hall, Gewandhaus, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Great Hall, Kunstpfeifer, Leipzig, Martin Gropius, Mendelssohn Hall, Omer Meir Wellber, St. Thomas Church
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St. Thomas Boys Choir – 800 years

Monday, June 29th, 2015

The world-famous St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig, Germany, is first mentioned in 1254. But most likely, the choir is as old church itself. The St. Thomas Church came into being in 1212 when Margrave Dietrich of Meissen founded an Augustinian Monastery on this spot. Toward the end of the 15th century, the church’s Romanesque nave was razed and replaced by the late-Gothic “Hall-Church” that we see today. In fact, the architecture of today’s church has not changed much since the end of the 15th century.

St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
Photo © J. Elke Ertle. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Choir Director Johann Sebastian Bach

From 1723 to 1750, the renowned composer and musician of the Baroque period, Johann Sebastian Bach, led the St. Thomas Boys Choir. At that time, the chorus consisted of 54 boys. Today, about 100 boys and young men sing in the choir. Their primary focus is the preservation of Bach’s choral music. For that reason, weekly Friday and Saturday motets have become a permanent musical tradition at St. Thomas. Bach Passion Concerts and the Christmas Oratorio draw thousands of visitors each year. The present leader of the choir is, Daniel Hyde, the church’s 36th cantor. https://www.saintthomaschurch.org/music/choir

During a recent visit, I was able to enjoy a Friday motet with the St. Thomas Boys Choir. The church was packed, and we were not disappointed. Music and setting succeeded in linking us emotionally to a long-forgotten time period.

Statue of Johann Sebastian Bach in front of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig
Photo © J. Elke Ertle

The Bach Organ

The organ from Bach’s days no longer exists. In 2000, for the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death, St. Thomas acquired a new organ. This new instrument, with its 61 registers and 4 manuals with pedal, looks and sounds similar to an organ of the 18th century.

Historic events at St. Thomas

The Lutheran St. Thomas Church has a long and eventful history. Not only has the St. Thomas Boys Choir sung here for the last 800 years. Many other important events took place in this church as well: In 1409, the University of Leipzig was founded in the monastery. In 1539, Martin Luther preached at St. Thomas, introducing the Reformation to Leipzig’s citizens. From 1723 until his death, Johann Sebastian Bach was Cantor of the Thomas school. In 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played the organ here. Mendelssohn performed at St. Thomas, and in 1813 Richard Wagner was baptized here. Since 1950 the St. Thomas Church is the location of Johann Sebastian Bach’s remains. Originally buried in an unmarked grave outside the Johanniskirche in Leipzig, Bach was moved to his final resting place at the foot of the church’s altar.

Tags: Augustinian Monastery, Christmas Oratorio, Georg Christoph Biller, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johanniskirche, Leipzig, Margrave Dietrich of Meissen, Martin Luther, motets, Richard Wagner, St. Thomas Boys Choir, St. Thomas Church, University of Leipzig, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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Goethe writes Faust, a closet drama

Monday, June 22nd, 2015

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 -1832) was a prolific German writer whose extensive work included epic and lyric poetry, memoirs, treatises on botany, anatomy and color, an autobiography, prose and verse dramas, four novels, 10,000 letters and nearly 3,000 drawings. His poems were set to music throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by a number of composers. His best-known work is Faust, a two-part drama, which he wrote over a period of 57 years. It is a hybrid between a play and an extended poem. Performances of the two-part tragedy are still performed today at the Goetheanum in Switzerland.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Goethe’s Youth

By the age of eight, Goethe already spoke some Greek, Latin, French, English, Hebrew and Italian. His passion at that time was drawing, and he soon became interested in literature. By age sixteen he was sent to the University of Leipzig to study law. http://www.imagi-ation.com/moonstruck/clsc20.html Because he hated having to memorize judicial rules by heart, he often attended poetry lectures instead. While in Leipzig, he became a regular patron at Auerbachs Cellar (Auerbachs Keller in German). http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/auerbachs-cellar-5th-in-world-fame/ The folk legend of Faust’s wine barrel ride at Auerbach’s made such an impression on him that he turned it into a closet drama.

Closet Dramas

Closet dramas ares not intended to be performed onstage. They are plays that are read out loud by a reader. Closet dramas written in verse became very popular in Western Europe after 1800. Nonetheless, Faust Part One and Faust Part Two are often performed onstage.

Faust plot

Faust, the main character, is an aging scholar. Frustrated with the limits to his knowledge, power, and enjoyment of life, he agrees to a pact with Mephisto, the devil. Faust agrees to exchange his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures during his lifetime. On earth Faust will be master. In hell, Faust will be the devils’ servant for the rest of eternity.

Faust Part One

Mephisto leads Faust through a number of adventures that culminate in a lustful relationship with an innocent young girl. It ends in tragedy for Faust. The girl is saved but Faust is left to grieve in shame. Faust Part One was published in 1808 and created a sensation.

Faust Part Two

Part two begins with the spirits of the earth forgiving Faust. Mephisto tries to seize Faust’s soul when he dies, but angels intervene due to God’s grace. Faust Part Two was only finished shortly before his death and was published posthumously.

Tags: Auerbach's Cellar, closet drama, Faust Part One, Faust Part Two, Goetheanum, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leipzig, Mephisto
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Auerbachs Cellar in Leipzig since 1525

Thursday, June 11th, 2015

Auerbachs Cellar (Auerbachs Keller in German) is located in the heart of Leipzig, Germany, a city that celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 2015 http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/1000-years-city-of-leipzig/. As the locals like to explain, “Wer nach Leipzig zur Messe gereist ohne auf Auerbachs Hof zu gehen, der schweige still, denn das beweist: Er hat Leipzig nicht gesehen.” (If you have travelled to a Leipzig trade show without visiting Auerbachs, keep it quiet because it proves that you haven’t seen Leipzig.)

Auerbachs could have been Stromer’s

Auerbachs Cellar has been in continuous operation since 1525. It is located in the basement of the Maedler Passage, a shopping arcade in Leipzig’s historic district. Its original owner, Dr. Heinrich Stromer, sat on the Leipzig city council, was a professor of medicine at the University of Leipzig and personal physician to members of the nobility. In appreciation for Stromer’s services, the Prince-Elector of Saxony granted him the privilege of establishing a wine bar. The bar was first mentioned in 1438. Because Stromer was born in the city of Auerbach, Leipzig’s citizens liked to call him Dr. Auerbach. The name stuck. But the wine bar did not last long. In 1528, Dr. Stromer had the original structure razed and replaced with a larger one that included a large vaulted cellar (Grosser Keller), a Cask Cellar (Fasskeller), Old Leipzig (Alt-Leipzig), the Luther Room (Lutherzimmer) and the Goethe Room (Goethezimmer). The Mephisto Bar was constructed on the floor above. All of the rooms are still standing today. However, in the early 20th century – when the Maedler Passage was built – much of Auerbachs was reconstructed and expanded.

Grosser Keller, Auerbachs Cellar, Leipzig
Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014

Auerbachs and the Goethe connection

While Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer, studied in Leipzig in the 1700s, he liked to frequent Auerbachs Cellar. It was here that he got the inspiration for “Faust,” his two-part play in which Faust sells his soul to the devil, Mephisto. Faust and Mephisto carouse here with students before riding off on a barrel. The scene is depicted on a carved tree trunk in the Goethe Room. Two large bronze sculptures at the cellar’s entrance depict Dr. Faust, Mephisto and the students.

Sculpture of Faust and Mephisto at the entrance of Auerbachs Cellar, Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014

Sculpture of Faust and Mephisto at the entrance of Auerbachs Cellar, Leipzig, Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014

Rubbing Faust’s shoe for good luck

After dining in Auerbachs large vaulted cellar recently, we admired the painted ceiling and enjoyed the traditional German food. That day’s special – Sauerbraten with red cabbage and dumplings – tasted as good as it looked. Upon leaving, we made sure we gave Dr. Faust’s shoe a rub. It is supposed to bring good luck. There must be some truth to the legend because we noticed that Dr. Faust’s shoe gleamed golden, the dark bronze patina having been rubbed away by scores of good-luck-seekers before us.

Dr. Faust’s shoe, polished by scores of Auerbachs visitors, Leipzig, Photo © J. Elke Ertle. 2014

Tags: Auerbach's Cellar, Auerbach's Keller, Dr. Faust, Dr. Heinrich Stromer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leipzig, Maedler Passage, Mephisto
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Corner hugging Nante – Eckensteher Nante

Thursday, June 4th, 2015

“Corner hugging Nante (Eckensteher Nante in German),” along with painter Heinrich Zille (http://walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/heinrich-zille-and-his-milieu/) and street singer “Harfenjule”, were Berlin archetypes of the 19th and early 20th century. Each is credited with a good dose of the legendary spirit, so unique to the Berliner character: Big heart and big mouth. These Berlin originals were good-natured, quick-witted, exceedingly self-confident, flippant, and sometimes even a little coarse. They came from all walks of life and commented on life around them with the appropriate joke. The figure of Nante became a timeless classic on account of Adolf Glassbrenner’s folksy theater piece, “Eckensteher Nante im Verhoer (The Interrogation of Corner hugging Nante), which premiered in 1833.

Corner hugging Nante

The real name of the historic Eckensteher Nante was Ferdinand ‘Nante’ Strumpf. He was born in 1803, had little education and performed casual work when he ran out of beer money. Once he had earned enough change, he headed for the nearby distillery Eulner. http://www.in-berlin-brandenburg.com/Berliner/Eckensteher-Nante.html It is said that Corner hugging Nante spent more time in the distillery than at work. To earn beer money, Nante positioned himself on Berlin’s ritzy boulevard, Unter den Linden (then called Koenigstrasse – King Street) and waited for an opportunity to make himself useful. He always stood in the same spot at the corner of Koenigstrasse and Neue Friedrichstrasse. With a strap slung over his shoulder to carry heavy loads, Nante usually stood resting against a post or house wall. For a few pennies, he offered to carry the purchases or luggage of well-to-do passers-by. But don’t think that Corner hugging Nante was loitering. Not at all. He was duly registered as a serviceman with the Berlin police department and wore an official brass armband that identified him as work permit holder number 22. Standing there, waiting, Nante made fun of the world around him. With typical Prussian humor, he commented on the hustle and bustle on the streets of Berlin. His earthy sayings were characterized by sarcasm, a distrust of “those above” and delivered in the grammatical style that is unique to Berlin. Over time, his cheeky proverbs became literary legend.

The archetype of the Berliner

According to “Meyers Konversations-Lexikon des 19. Jahrhunderts” 37 percent of the inhabitants of Berlin during Nante’s time had Germanic origins, 39 percent had Romanesque roots and 24 percent had Slavic blood. This mix and the prevailing circumstances evolved over time into an archetype that pooled the good and the bad qualities of the different nationalities, races and tribes. It resulted in a character that combined the toughness, endurance and obstinacy of their Germanic ancestors; the courage, laissez-faire spirit and hot-bloodedness of the French; and the quick grasp, language skills and moodiness of the Slavs. This mix made the Berliner good-natured and capable of great sacrifices. It also made him short-tempered and opinionated. Above all, it spawned the dry Berlin humor.

Nante Eck

If you wish to catch a bit of the spirit of Eckensteher Nante, drop by the Nante Eck on Unter den Linden at the corner of Friedrichstrasse. This Old-Berlin Restaurant serves traditional German food and offers plenty of ambiance. A statue of Corner hugging Nante greets you outside.

Tags: Adolf Glasbrenner, Berlin, Cornerhugging Nante, Distillery Eulner, Eckensteher Nante, Ferdinand 'Nante' Strumpf, Friedrichstrasse, Heinrich Zille, history, Nante Eck, tart, Unter den Linden
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Leipzig Lark – A Tart With a History

Thursday, May 28th, 2015

During a recent visit of the 1000-year-old city of Leipzig, I stopped by a cafe one afternoon. When travelling, I enjoy giving unfamiliar delicacies a try. This time, I spotted a tray of unusual-looking pastries in the window of Cafe Kandler, located across from the St. Thomas church. Leipziger Lerchen (Leipzig Larks), the sign read. Of course, I had to try one.

Leipziger Lerche, Cafe Kandler © Photo by J. Elke Ertle

What is a Leipzig Lark?

At first glance, a Leipzig Lark vaguely resembles a cupcake, but it really is a marzipan-filled shortcrust tart. The small pastry is then topped with two crossed strips of dough. But it is the story behind this treat that intrigued me.

History of the Leipzig Lark

Larks, the songbirds, are 5-7 inches long and can be found across much of Europe. They are streaked brown above and pale below and have a short, blunt, erectile crest. They live in open habitats and sing in flight. In the 18th century, local Leipzig merchants hunted these little birds and sold them to the wealthy who plugged, roasted and ate them with herbs and eggs. Boxes of bird carcasses were also shipped around the continent, from Spain in the southwest to Moscow in the northeast. The Leipzig Lark quickly became a culinary specialty of the city and business boomed.

The practice of hunting for larks became so prominent that over 400,000 specimens were killed in one month – October 1720 – alone. Nature lovers began to condemn the practice and tried to stop it in order to preserve the species. It took more than 100 years, but aided by a devastating storm that killed thousands of the birds, nature lovers finally prevailed. In 1876, King Albert of Saxony forbade lark hunting. Business in Leipzig suffered. A substitute had to be found.

An astute baker saved the day when he created a sweet treat that was visually vaguely reminiscent of the stuffed bird. He came up with a marzipan-filled shortcrust tart, made from pastry dough and ground almonds. By placing two strips of dough across the top of the tart, he tried to simulate the string that tied the stuffed body of the lark together. At last, the baker placed a cherry inside the confection to represent the heart of the bird. And so, the Leipzig Lark was born. It quickly replaced the traditional meat delicacy in popularity.

Surprise your friends

It only takes about 30 minutes to create a handful of Leipzig Larks, using ordinary muffin cups. If you allow an additional hour to allow the batter to rest, voila, you have your own assortment of Leipzig Larks. For recipe suggestions, visit http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/537781150886330/Leipziger-Lerchen.html.

Tags: Cafe Kandler, King Albert of Saxony, Leipzig Lark, Leipziger Lerche, marzipan-filled pastry, St. Thomas Church, tart
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Heinrich Zille and his milieu

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Heinrich Zille was a German illustrator and photographer and one of the most famous Berliners of the first half of the 20th century. He was best known for his tongue in cheek portrayals of Berlin’s working class. He sketched during the late 1900s and into the roaring 1920s. At that time, a great majority of the city’s population (96%) rented. http://www.focus.de/kultur/buecher/literatur-heinrich-zille-als-fotograf-das-alte-berlin_id_4374447.html

Workers’ lived in Mietskasernen

Berlin grew rapidly during the industrial revolution. In search of prosperity, scores of people moved from the countryside to the cities between 1860 and 1914. Unfortunately, the move often pushed them into even deeper poverty. Although menial work was available in Berlin, housing was extremely difficult to find. Many of these transplants ended up living in deplorable conditions. The most common accommodation was a one-room apartment in a Mietskaserne (tenement barracks). These barracks were five stories high and had front, rear, and cross buildings surrounding several courtyards. The relative posh front building housed the middle class. The working class occupied all of the back buildings. These structures in the rear might consist of three to eight building groups, separated by small rectangular courtyards. The courtyards were only large enough to allow for a fire truck to turn around. Entire families lived in a few square feet and under conditions that seem unimaginable today. Many lived in damp basements, attics and spaces under stairs. The windows of lower-level apartments were often blocked by courtyard businesses. Many shift workers shared a room and the same bed. Some of the buildings housed as many as 3,000 individuals (20% of the apartments did not have running water, 34% did not have a toilet and 72% did not have a bathroom). Stoves burning charcoal briquettes provided the heat. http://www.hufeisensiedlung.info/geschichte/stadtgeschichte/bevoelkerungswachstum-und-mietskasernen.html

Heinrich Zille sketches his milieu

Heinrich Zille sketched the social settings in which the Berlin working class went about their everyday business. Because he sketched the unpleasant and often hopeless conditions of the common worker, German Emperor Wilhelm II referred to Heinrich Zille as a “gutter artist.”

Zille’s milieu could be found in the courtyards of tenement buildings, in the back alleys and in seedy bars. His illustrations showed children, ragged and unwashed, dirty and with bloody noses. He sketched the dark entrances of the tenements, the hanky-panky in courtyards and stairwells and families at weekly markets. He sketched kids playing in mud, basement businesses with signs “Buying rags and bones” and mothers ready to drown themselves to escape their hopeless life.

Heinrich Zille’s “Blumenerde” – potting soil – (reproduction, part of the Axel Springer collection and presented to customers of the Berliner Morgenpost)

Many of Heinrich Zille’s works can be seen at the Zille Museum in Berlin’s Nikolai Quarter of Berlin, Provost Strasse 11.

Tags: Emperor Wilhelm II, Heinrich Zille, industrial revolution, Mietskaserne, milieu, tenement barracks, working class, Zille Museum
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Chemnitz Petrified Forest

Thursday, May 14th, 2015

I discovered the Chemnitz Petrified Forest in the courtyard of the Chemnitz Cultural Center when I visited Chemnitz, Germany, last fall. The city is located in Saxony, a state in the central region of Germany. In its 1,000-plus-year history, Saxony has been a medieval duchy, an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, a kingdom and twice a republic. At the end of World War II, U.S. troops conquered the western part of Saxony, where Chemnitz is located, but later handed it to the Soviets in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement. Chemnitz became part of East Germany and was renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt in 1953. In 1990, when the two Germanys reunited, Chemnitz returned to its original name.

Specimens of the Chemnitz Petrified Forest on exhibit in the Chemnitz Cultural Center - Photo by J. Elke Ertle © 2014

Chemnitz Cultural Center – DAStietz

Specimens from the Chemnitz Petrified Forest are on exhibit in the courtyard of the Chemnitz Cultural Center, named “DAStietz”. In 1913, architect Wilhelm Kreis constructed the building in 1913 for the Tietz family. It served as a large and modern department store and was knows as Kaufhaus Tietz (Department Store Tietz). Because the Tietz family was Jewish, the Nazis closed the store during the pogroms of 1938. In 1945 the building suffered serious damage and was not reconstructed until the 1960s. It reopened as a people-owned department store under the name Zentrum in 1963. In the 1990s, after German reunification, the Kaufhof chain acquired the building and turned it into a shopping center. But when a new department stored opened nearby, the original building was turned into a cultural center. Following extensive renovation, the building reopened in 2004 as “DAStietz”, Along with shops, it now houses the Chemnitz Municipal Library, the Chemnitz Community College, the Museum for Natural History, the New Saxon Gallery and the Chemnitz Petrified Forest.

What is petrified wood

Petrified wood is a fossil wood that is preserved due to a lack of oxygen. Minerals replace the original organic materials. The original structure of the wood remains. The process occurs while the wood is buried under sediment. Over time, water flows through the sediment and deposits minerals in the plant’s cells. As the organic material decays, a stone mold forms in its place.

How the Chemnitz Petrified Forest formed

The Chemnitz Petrified Forest formed as a result of an eruption of a volcano in the Zeisigwald, a large wooded area northeast of the city. The blast uprooted and snapped off the primeval tree ferns and horsetails. Hot tephra (fragments of volcanic rock and lava) covered the tree-like trunks. Fossilization occurred over the millions of years that followed. Although the event occurred about 291 million years ago, the petrified fossils were not discovered until 1737. https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/uk/pressestelle/aktuell/1/5538/en

Tags: Centrum, Chemnitz, Chemnitz Cultural Center, Chemnitz Petrified Forest, DASTietz, Karl-Marx-Stadt, Kaufhaus Tietz, Kaufhof, petrified wood, Wilhelm Kreis
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