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Archive for the ‘Walled In Berlin’ Category

Ludwig Roselius – King of Decaffeinated Coffee

Monday, February 25th, 2019

Ludwig Roselius (1874 – 1943) was a prosperous German coffee merchant who founded Kaffee HAG. In 1903, he invented the first successful coffee decaffeination process. His invention required first steaming the coffee beans in salt water to open the pores and then repeatedly rinsing them with benzene to extract the caffeine. This process is no longer used because benzene is now known to be a human carcinogen. Other solvents are used in its place.

Why Ludwig Roselius Invented Decaf Coffee

Ludwig Roselius’ father was a heavy coffee drinker and died at the early age of 59. His physician attributed his early death to his coffee addiction. The loss of his father motivated Roselius to find a way of decaffeinating coffee. In 1906, he founded Kaffee HAG, (Kaffee–Handels-Aktiengesellschaft) with a red lifebuoy ring as its trademark. Later, he replaced the buoy ring with a red heart. In 1979, Roselius’ son sold Kaffee HAG to General Foods, and in 2015, Douwe Egberts and Jacobs Douwe Egberts purchased over half of the coffee division.

Ludwig Roselius – Marketing Genius

Ludwig Roselius recognized the importance of marketing at a time when his collegues scoffed at the practice. Already in 1908, he marketed his decaf with slogans such as “Always harmless, always digestible.” Kaffee HAG was the first coffee advertised in silent film cinemas and also one of the first companies to create a sophisticated promotional look. As result of his tireless efforts, Kaffee HAG became a household word worldwide. The cocoa powder, Kaba, added in 1929, and the coffee brand Onko, added in 1950, supplemented the line.

Ludwig Roselius – Father of Boettcherstrasse

Soon Roselius connected his business acumen and his fascination with art and architecture. In 1906, he purchased a dilapidated building on Bremen’s Boettcherstrasse. It became the “heart” of his coffee empire. Between 1922 and 1931 he purchased additional buildings along the short alleyway between the town’s market square and the harbor. Working with three architects, Eduart Scotland, Alfred Runge and Bernhard Hoetger, he gave several derelict buildings an instant face lift by installing expressionist clinker facades. In addition, he built a bell tower with a unique carillon, a museum for the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker and the Haus Atlantis, now operated as the Radisson Blu Hotel Bremen.

Bust of Ludwig Roselius in the Boettcherstrasse in Bremen – Bernhard Hoetger, 1922. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2017. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Ludwig Roselius Museum

The foundation walls of the oldest house on the street, the Roselius house, presumably date back to the 14^thcentury. Ludwig Roselius redesigned and expanded it in 1907/1908 and 1937/1928. Except for the façade, it was destroyed during World War II, rebuilt by 1954, and completely restored with funds from Sparkasse Bremen in 1991. The Ludwig Roselius Museum is open to the public and houses valuable works of art, furnishings, carpets, paneling, silver and many other treasures.

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: Alfred Runge, Bernhard Hoetger, Boettcherstrasse, Bremen, Eduart Scotland, Kaffee HAG, Ludwig Roselius, Ludwig Roselius Museum
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Boettcherstrasse – Street of the Coopers

Monday, February 18th, 2019

Boettcherstrasse – a 330-foot alleyway leading from the town market square to the River Weser – is a major tourist attraction in Bremen, Germany. Its history dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time, coopers (Boettcher in German) inhabited the short street. They were artisans who crafted wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets and tubs from heated timber. The boettcher business boomed in the 18^thcentury. But in the middle of the 19^thcentury the harbor was relocated, and Boettcherstrasse went into decline. Over the years, its brick and sandstone buildings deteriorated one by one.

Boettcherstrasse is a 330-foot alleyway in Bremen, leading from the town market square to the River Weser. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2017. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The Man who Saved Boettcherstrasse

By 1900, the houses on Boettcherstrasse were so dilapidated that the city of Bremen wanted to tear them down and replace them with new government buildings. But the Bremen coffee merchant and art collector, Ludwig Roselius, had a different idea. An aficionado of archaeology, culture and civilization, he purchased the house on Boettcherstrasse 6 (today the Ludwig Roselius Museum) and turned it into the headquarters of his coffee empire, Kaffee HAG (Kaffee-Handels-Aktiengesellschaft – Publicly Traded Coffee Company). Between 1922 and 1931, Roselius transformed the entire “Street of the Coopers” into a unique piece of art that combines traditional artisanry with modern architecture.

Boettcherstrasse during World War II

In 1944, British aerial bombs destroyed large portions of Boettcherstrasse. Having passed away the year before, Roselius did not have to see his life’s work destroyed. Following the war, his daughter Hildegard took on the task of slowly restoring the buildings with private funds. By 1954 the Kaffee HAG company had restored most of the facades to their original state. In 1979, Ludwig Roselius Jr. sold the company, along with Boettcherstrasse, to General Foods. Two years later, he bought Boettcherstrasse back. When it became apparent in 1989 that significant additional repairs were needed, a Bremen bank purchased the street and its buildings, restored them and transferred ownership to a non-profit foundation in 2004.

Boettcherstrasse Today

Today, the restored Boettcherstrasse remains a major tourist attraction. Along its winding alleyways, it houses arts and crafts shops, workshops, several art museums, bars, restaurants and a hotel. The street and its buildings are rare examples of modified Brick Expressionism. A major attraction is the carillon of Meissen porcelain bells at the Glockenspiel Haus.

Tags: Boettcherstrasse, Brick Expressionism, Glockenspiel Haus, Kaffee HAG, Ludwig Roselius, Ludwig Roselius Museum, Meissen porcelain, Street of the Coopers
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Who are the illiterate of the 21st century?

Thursday, February 14th, 2019

The illiterate of the 21^stcentury will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

— Alvin Toffler

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. 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. Feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Tags: change, education, illiterate, re-education, retraining
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Cultural Norms – American versus German

Monday, February 11th, 2019

Germans typically describe Americans as open, friendly, along with superficial. Americans consider Germans to be honest, straightforward and reliable, along with aloof. Are these perceptions true characteristics of the groups, or are they based on learned cultural norms?

What are Cultural Norms?

Cultural norms are standards we live by. They guide our behavior and expectations like a hidden language. When we encounter unexpected behaviors, we decode them in terms of our cultural norms. This often leads to cross-cultural misunderstandings.

Germans describe Americans as open, friendly, flexible and superficial. Americans consider Germans to be honest, straightforward, reliable and aloof. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Origin of American Cultural Norms

American attitudes and behaviors are rooted in a long history of going west. Americans gave up one set of circumstances for a better situation somewhere else. It created a culture that values optimism, initiative and openness towards strangers. To succeed in American society, one must be able to deal with many different people. The number of business contacts and personal friends tends to be large. The scores of contacts and the readiness to move on short notice has made Americans friendly but also disinclined to discuss things “in depth” with each other.

Origin of German Cultural Norms

Germany didn’t become unified until 1871. Until then, Germany had been a patchwork of more than a hundred small states, each with its own ruler. A person’s status was determined at birth and remained fixed throughout life. The two world wars changed all that. They brought periods of extreme instability to Germany and created an intense longing for security. Discipline, reliability and respect for authority restored that sense of stability and security. The circles of friends and business contacts tend to be small and stable and rarely comingle. Therefore, Germans value deep conversations with their friends while keeping business conversations confined to business matters.

Cultural Norms Can Lead to Cross-Cultural Misunderstandings

Because of these unique backgrounds, Americans and Germans decode attitudes and behaviors differently. Consider the following examples: (1) Germans tend to be direct in their verbal messages while Americans are more likely to temper them with expressions of politeness (some current politicians excepted). (2) Germans want you to know where they stand while Americans want to keep the communication upbeat. (3) To Americans their German business partners often appear aloof because of the line the Germans draw between business and play. To the latter, play is what happens in the company of family and friends and outside of business hours. (4) Germans are puzzled when a casual American acquaintance suggests getting together for a cup of coffee and then doesn’t follow through. Invariably, the German has concluded that the invitation signals an interest in establishing a closer friendship while the American was just interjecting a little pleasantry into the conversation.

Tags: American cultural norms, behavior decoding, cross-cultural misunderstandings, German cultural norms, origin of cultural norms, perceptions
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Don’t say you don’t have enough time

Thursday, February 7th, 2019

Don’t say you haven’t enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. Use it effectively!

— H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: enough time
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Aspirin – Take Two – Call Me in the Morning

Monday, February 4th, 2019

When you reach for an Aspirin to sooth a killer headache following a spirited celebration, have you ever given any thought to who invented this popular cure-all for hangovers? German chemist Felix Hoffmann created this miracle drug in 1897 when he worked for the pharmaceutical giant Bayer. With an estimated 700 to 1,000 clinical trials conducted each year, Aspirin remains one of the most researched drugs in the world. Its basic compound, derived from the willow bark, has been in use since 3000 – 1500 BCE.

Bayer Aspirin - since 1987 one of the world's favorite medications for pain, fever and inflammation. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Bayer Aspirin – since 1897 one of the world’s favorite medications for pain, fever and inflammation. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Bayer Aspirin as sold in Germany. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

History of Aspirin

In 1897, scientists at the German drug and dye firm Bayer began investigating acetylsalicylic acid as a less irritating replacement for common salicylate medicines and discovered a new way of synthesizing it. Felix Hoffman, figured out how to reduce the nausea associated with salicylic acid while retaining its pain killing powers. In 1899, Bayer named the new drug ASPIRIN. The name is derived from the letter “A” for acetyl. SPIR refers to the plant Spiraea ulmaria, a genus of shrubs that includes natural sources of salicylic acid, the drug’s key ingredient. IN was a common suffix used for drugs at the time.

Other uses for Aspirin

Not only is Aspirin one of the world’s favorite medications for pain, fever and inflammation, it is also credited with protecting against heart attacks, strokes and some cancers. Aside from medicinal uses, it removes sweat stains from clothes, eliminates calluses, removes rust, revives dead car batteries and acts as an exfoliant among other things.

Loss of the Aspirin trademark

After World War I, the company’s trademarks – “Bayer” and “Aspirin” – were expropriated by the United States, Russia, France and Great Britain, the allies fighting against Germany. According to the Treaty of Versailles Germany agreed to pay billions of dollars (in today’s terms) in reparations. But because cash payments would have led to hyperinflation of the German currency and thereby devaluated the reparations paid, Germany agreed to pay with coal, steel and intellectual property instead. The Aspirin trademark was one of the intellectual properties that helped pay WWI reparations.

In 1994, the company won back the protection of the “Bayer” trademark in the United States. But because “Aspirin” had become a generic term in most of the world by then, Bayer could not get that trademark back. Nonetheless, Bayer makes 12,000 of the 50,000 tons of Aspirin produced each year.

Tags: acetylsalicylic acid, Aspirin, Aspirin trademark, Bayer, Felix Hoffmann
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Where is the outrage?

Monday, January 28th, 2019

Is there no outrage these days when we are told blatant lies? I grew up in West Berlin during the Cold War. One day, on 15 June 1961, I happened to listen to the transmission of a press conference given by East German head of state, Walter Ulbricht. A reporter asked Ulbricht whether making West Berlin a “free city” would mean creating a state boundary at the Brandenburg Gate. Walter Ulbricht’s concept of a “free city,” was that the three western powers would stop occupying and protecting West Berlin. The reporter further questioned whether a “free city” would imply a permanent division between East and West Berlin.

No one has the intention of building a wall

Walter Ulbricht responded by assuring the reporter that the East German government was not planning to erect a wall. Without blinking, he declared, “Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten – No one has the intention of building a wall.” Then he added that East German construction workers were fully occupied with the construction of housing for East German workers. They had no time to build a wall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjgKKOdVRx4/

Outrage over a blatant Ulbricht lie

Contrary to these statements, only two months later – on 13 August 1961 – Ulbricht gave orders to begin construction of the Berlin Wall.

Where is the outrage these days when the public is told blatant lies? Photo of the Berlin Wall © J. Elke Ertle, www.walled-in-berlin.com

Work began shortly after midnight when immense stockpiles of concertina wire and bollards emerged at the border. It became evident that the East German head of state had already been deep into preparation for this momentous event at the time of the press conference. He had told a blatant lie. While East German citizens shrugged their shoulders in resignation, there was outrage throughout West Berlin and all over the western world. How could a head of state sink so low as to shamelessly lie to his own people and to the rest of the world? Was that the difference between communism and democracy, we wondered? Our heads of state didn’t blatantly lie. They didn’t have to.

No outrage over Trump lies?

Now Donald Trump is the president of the United States. Trump has told countless lies and half-truths since he took office. Where is the outrage now? Many Americans simply shrug their shoulders at these deceptions. “That’s Trump,” they say. Does the current generation of Americans accept Trump’s lies the way East German citizens accepted Ulbricht’s lies in the 1960s?

Tags: accepting lies and deception, Berlin Wall, Donald Trump, East and West Berlin, free city, No one has the intention of building a wall, Walter Ulbricht
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Understanding the Concept of Boundaries

Thursday, January 24th, 2019

Manipulative people do not understand the concept of boundaries. They are relentless in their pursuit of what they want. They have little regard for who gets hurt along the way.

— Anonymous

Manipulative people do not understand the concept of boundaries. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: boundaries, cooperation, manipulative people, selfishness
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“Who is Kilroy,” asked Joseph Stalin

Monday, January 21st, 2019

In 1945, while Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill attended the Potsdam Conference in Berlin, Stalin had to use the outhouse. It had been constructed solely for use by the “Three Greats”. Once inside the privy, Stalin saw a big nose, small eyes and small hands chalked on the wall. The nose seemed to peer over a barricade. Next to the doodle stood three words: “KILROY WAS HERE.” Perplexed Stalin asked his aide, “Who is Kilroy?”

James J. Kilroy wrote “KILROY WAS HERE” next to the blocks of rivets he had inspected. Graphic J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-Berlin.com

Although I can’t vouch for the accuracy of this account, it is a fact that during and after World War II someone by the name of Kilroy seemed to have been just about everywhere. On top of that, he seemed to have been there before anyone else. Who was he and how was this possible?

Who was Kilroy?

James J. Kilroy is not a fictional character. He was an inspector at the Bethlehem Steel Company’s Quincy shipyard in Massachusetts during World War II. His job was to check the number of rivets properly completed on the troop ships the shipyard produced. Riveting was a paid on a piecework basis. The more rivets completed, the bigger the riveters’ paychecks. Kilroy got into the habit of placing a chalk mark next to each block of completed rivets on the bulkheads of the ships to indicate that he had inspected them. When Kilroy was off duty, however, the riveters sometimes erased his marks. The next shift’s inspector, not seeing any marks, would count the rivets for the second time, which meant double pay for the riveters. When Kilroy suspected the ruse, he began adding “KILROY WAS HERE” next to his check mark.

How did Kilroy get to be everywhere?

Because of the war, the ships left the shipyard as soon as construction was completed, which left no time to paint over Kilroy’s inspection marks. Thousands of U.S. sailors boarded the ships. At first, the servicemen wondered what the Kilroy illustration meant. As a joke, they scribbled KILROY WAS HERE wherever they landed. As a result, before war’s end Kilroy supposedly had been here, there and everywhere in Europe and in the South Pacific. Servicemen challenged each other to place the enigma in the most unlikely places, such as on the top of Mt. Everest, the Statue of Liberty, underneath the Arc de Triomphe, on the Berlin Wall and just maybe even inside the outhouse used by the “Three Greats”during the Potsdam Conference. Somewhere along line, and it is still not entirely clear when it started, the words became associated with a nose peeking over a barrier. They came to imply, “Kilroy is watching you.”

Will the Real James J. Kilroy please step forward?

The origin of the graphic remained a riddle until the American Transit Association sponsored a nationwide contest in 1946 to located the real Kilroy. Nearly 40 men came forward claiming to be the man with the long nose peering over the fence. Only James Kilroy from Halifax, Massachusetts, could prove his identity. Although he was the originator of the words, KILROY WAS HERE, he did not add the graphic of the nose peeking over the fence.

Tags: Berlin, Bethlehem Steel Company, James J. Kilroy, Joseph Stalin, Kilroy was here, Potsdam conference, World War II
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Holding a Grudge is like Taking Poison

Thursday, January 17th, 2019

Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.