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BER – Berlin’s Stillborn Baby?

Monday, December 17th, 2018

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

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

Opening of BER delayed eight times

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

2011 – Opening postponed to 2012.

2012 – Opening postponed to March 2013, then October 2013

2013 – Opening postponed to 2014.

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

2016 – Opening postponed to 2017 or 2018.

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

2018 – Opening postponed to 2020.

Ongoing Maintenance of unfinished BER

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

BER is not big enough

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

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

Ditch BER and start over?

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

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

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

Tags: BER, Berlin, Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport, Dieter Faulenbach da Costa, Engelbert Luetke-Daldrup, Germany, Schoenefeld Airport, Tegel Airport
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Meissen Porcelain – first true European porcelain

Monday, December 10th, 2018

Meissen Porcelain, manufactured by the Staatliche Porzellan-Manufactur Meissen GmbH, has been produced in Germany for more than 300 years. It was the first true porcelain made outside the Orient. While Meissen Porcelain is expensive, its high quality and unique designs make it desirable collector items.

Meissen Porcelain vase on exhibit in the lobby of the Leipzig Nationalbibliothek. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Chinese Porcelain

The first pottery was created in China during the Paleolithic era some 2.6 million years to about 12,000 years ago. The term “pottery” includes earthenware, which is porous and fired at low temperatures, and stoneware, which is non-porous and fired at higher temperatures. Porcelain, according to Western definition, is stoneware that is white, strong and translucent. It can be shaped, glazed and easily painted. The process of making porcelain was originally perfected in China about 2,000 to 1,200 years ago and slowly spread to Europe and the rest of the world. By the seventeenth century porcelain had become a valuable export commodity for China. But because it was expensive, only the elite could afford it.

Early Meissen Porcelain

Starting in 1708, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, a mathematician and scientist, experimented with the manufacture of glass and porcelain. Johann Friedrich Boettger, an alchemist, perfected the process and began producing porcelain in Meissen, Germany, near the city of Dresden. Following his initial reddish-brown stoneware, called Boettgersteinzeug, he came up with a hard-paste white porcelain that could be glazed and painted. In 1720, the Meissen Porcelain logo was created. It consists of two crossed swords based on the arms of the Elector of Saxony. Three years later, Johann Gregorius Hoeroldt introduced multicolor enameled paints, and in 1733 the sculptor Johann Joachim Kaendler added a series of painted figurines, which became synonymous with the Meissen Manufactory.

Meissen Porcelain – after World War II and the reunification

Following World War II, when Germany was partitioned into four sectors, the town of Meissen fell under Communist rule. In 1950, the manufactory, once owned by the King of Saxony and later by the State of Saxony, became a people-owned company. Meissen Porcelain, which had always sold to the elite, struggled in vain to find its way into mass consumption. Then, in 1969, the East German VEB Meissen Porzellan decided to once again focus on its traditions and became one of the few profitable companies in the economically troubled East German system. After German reunification in 1990, ownership of the Meissen manufactory reverted to the State of Saxony.

Tags: Boettgersteinzeug, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, Johann Friedrich Boettger, Johann Joachim Kaendler, Johannn Gregorius Hoeroldt, Meissen porcelain, Staatliche Porzellan-Manufactur Meissen GmbH, VEB Meissen Porzellan
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The Garden of Eden is a feeling

Thursday, December 6th, 2018

The Garden of Eden isn’t a place – It’s a feeling.

— L. Boyer

The Garden of Eden isn’t a place – it’s a feeling. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: bliss, contentment, Garden of Eden, Paradise, peace of mind
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Froebel stars – Handmade German Ornaments

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Froebel stars are three-dimensional paper ornaments that German children used to make in school for the family’s Christmas tree or wreath. Today, in Germany as in many other countries, handmade decorations have declined in favor of store-bought items. Froebel stars are made by folding and interweaving paper strips without the use of glue. It is a form of origami. Four paper strips of identical length are folded and woven until a star with eight flat and eight cone-shaped points emerges.

How to make Froebel stars

The paper strips for the stars can be ordered online from a variety of vendors and are available in just about every imaginable color, pattern and width. Wider strips make larger stars. Narrow strips make tiny stars. I made my Froebel stars from ¾ inch gold paper strips and ended up with stars that are approximately 3 ½ inches in diameter. Many online videos take you through the process step by step. I followed the instructions at https://youtu.be/7rr34gOba5Q. It took a bit of patience on my part, and I had to consult the video a number of times, but eventually I was rewarded with a beautiful star.

Handmade German Froebel stars, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

How Froebel stars got their name

Froebel stars are named after the German educator Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) who advocated paper folding for young children to introduce them to basic mathematical concepts. Recognizing that children have unique needs and capabilities, Froebel designed educational play materials known as Froebel Gifts. The “gifts” included circles, spheres and geometric building blocks. Most likely, Friedrich Froebel did not invent Froebel stars, however, because descriptions of how to fold them date back to the 19th century or even further. But he used the folding and weaving concept in his educational activities.

Friedrich Froebel coined the word “Kindergarten”

As an interesting aside, it was also Friedrich Froebel who coined the word kindergarten in 1840, which soon entered the English language. The idea of an educational institution for young children between the ages of four and six got the immediate attention of other educators. But spread of the concept was initially thwarted in Germany by the Prussian government. In 1851, the Ministry of Education banned kindergartens because it feared that they might conflict with religious and political practices. Nonetheless, a Froebel fan exported the kindergarten idea to England, France and the Netherlands. And in 1856, Froebel’s student Margarethe Schurz founded the first kindergarten in the United States. Soon, kindergartens were established throughout Europe and North America.

Tags: Christmas ornaments, Friedrich Froebel, Froebel gifts, Froebel stars, German Christmas, kindergarten, origami
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World’s First Hydrogen Trains Debut in Germany

Monday, November 26th, 2018

On 16 October 2018, the world’s first two environmentally friendly hydrogen trains began providing passenger service in Germany. A prototype of the new train model, called Coradia iLint, was first introduced at InnoTrans 2016 in Berlin, an International Trade Fair for Transport Technology. Now, just two years later, the first two trains operate commercially.

On 16 October 2018, the world’s first two environmentally friendly hydrogen trains, began providing passenger service in Germany. Photo courtesy of Alstom.com. www.walled-in-berlin.com

For now, the Coradia iLint trains operate on a 62-mile rail stretch between the northern German towns of Cuxhaven and Buxtehude and can travel up to 87 miles/hour. They have a range of up to 600 miles without refueling, which is similar to that of diesel trains according to Shawn Litster, professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/17/germany-launches-worlds-first-hydrogen-powered-train

How Hydrogen trains work

Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity via chemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen. The process leaves steam and water as the only emissions. Ion lithium batteries store the excess electricity on board until it is needed. The Coradia trains are considered zero-emissions vehicles because they release only water and steam. Diesel-powered train, on the other hand, emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that can lead to a variety of health problems.

Who builds hydrogen trains?

The Coradia iLint was designed and built by the French railroad company Alstrom. Teams in Salzgitter, Germany, and in Tarbes, France, cooperated on the project. The undertaking received support from the German government as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.

Hydrogen trains and the environment

Hydrogen technology ushers in a long-awaited era of moving away from polluting diesel trains and closer to clean energy. Although hydrogen trains cost more to build than diesel trains, they are less expensive to operate, partly because hydrogen fuel is relatively easy to produce. Anything that can generate electricity can also generate hydrogen. That means that wind farms, solar farms, dams and natural gas –renewable energy sources – can be used to produce hydrogen.

Alstom plans to deliver an additional 14 hydrogen trains to Germany by 2021. France expects its first hydrogen train to be up and running by 2022. Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway have also expressed an interest in developing hydrogen train systems.

Tags: Alstrom, Buxtehude, carbon dioxide, Coradia iLint, Cuxhaven, diesel trains, greenhouse gases, hydrogen trains, InnoTrans 2016, Shawn Litster, zero-emissions
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Piefke – Synanomous with Schmock

Monday, November 19th, 2018

Piefke is a rude and derogatory term for anyone from north Germany, a so-called Prussian. The idiom originated in 1864 in Vienna, Austria, and is still part of the German language. I grew up in Berlin, Germany, and used the term to describe a pompous a… or a schmock. At the time, I had no idea that Piefke applied, and still applies, to all north Germans, me included. At the root of the expression is Johann Gottfried Piefke (1871 to 1884), a Prussian bandmaster in the 8^thInfantry Regiment in Berlin.

Johann Gottfried Piefke (1871 to 1884) was a bandmaster in the 8th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Berlin, Germany. “Piefke” became a derogatory term for north Germans. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The hilarious story of Piefke

In 1864, Austria and Prussia were allies and went to war with the Danes to snatch the German-speaking provinces of Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark. The Austrian Army performed impressively, but the Prussian troops were hopelessly stalled at the Danish fortifications by Dueppel. In disgust, Prussia’s KingWilhelm I sacked his army commander, replaced him with his nephew Prince Friedrich Karl, and tasked the prince with finally conquering Dueppel. To boost his chances of victory, the king also sent along Johann Gottfried Piefke, his favorite composer. At the critical moment, Piefke’s military band stormed Dueppel along with 10,000 Prussian soldiers. According to an Austrian observer, Piefke stood on a wooden platform directing the band when Danish sharpshooters fired at him and knocked the baton right out of his hand. Still, Piefke never missed a beat. He drew his dagger and continued to direct as the band played Piefke’s latest composition, the Dueppeler Schanzen-Sturmmarsch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE3Ak1av6_o

Why the term “Piefke” became so popular

Austrians considered Prussian military culture to be way too stern and humorless. While the Austrian officers read novels, their Prussian counterparts read military manuals. Austrian officers liked to play cards. The Prussians played war games. Austria allowed commoners in the cavalry. Prussians commissioned only aristocrats. At first, only the Austrian military used the term to refer to Prussian militarymen. But eventually, Viennese society began to call all north Germans Piefkes.

However, when German tourism in Austria soared in the 1980s, Johann Gottfried Piefke’s music became very popular in Vienna. He is known for his famous marches: Preussens Gloria (Prussia’s Glory), the Koeniggraetzer Marsch and the Dueppeler Schanzen-Sturmmarsch. But his name remains best-known as a put-down for north Germans.

Tags: ., Dueppel, Dueppeler Schanzen-Sturmmarsch, Johann Gottfried Piefke, King Wilhelm I, Piefke, Prince Friedrich Karl, schmock
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Feeling Gratitude without Expressing it

Thursday, November 15th, 2018

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

— William Arthur Ward

Feeling gratitude without expressing it is like wrapping a present without giving it. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Feeling gratitude without expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: gratitude
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Elevate your pretzel experience

Monday, November 12th, 2018

A pretzel is a long strip of baked dough, ends intertwined and then twisted back into itself. Why is it twisted like that? Should it be soft or hard-baked? Did the pretzel originate in Germany? There are many questions surrounding this popular bakery item and just as many answers because pretzels have a very long and convoluted history. Although they are often regarded as an integral part of German Oktoberfest and Christmas Market traditions, pretzels are found in many forms and in many parts of the world. Every region has its own way of making them.

Pretzel wreath in Munich, Germany. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Where did the name “Pretzel” come from?

The name “pretzel” is derived from the German word Bretzel” which in turn evolved from the Latin word Brachium. Brachium means “arm” and most likely refers to the crossed strip of dough that looks like arms crossing the chest.

When and where did the Pretzel originate?

The origin of the pretzel is attributed to the ancient Greeks or Romans more than 2,000 years ago, to Italian or French monks during the 7^thcentury or to German bakers during the 8^thcentury. It depends entirely on who you ask. Neither of the claims can be substantiated. Most assume though that pretzels are rooted in Christianity because the ingredients and the shape of the pretzel probably point to potential religious significance within the Christian Church. Pretzels that are made with nothing more than flour and water could be eaten during Lent when Christians were forbidden to eat eggs, lard or dairy products. Their knot shape reminds of hands in prayer, and the three holes within the pretzel may have been seen as representing the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Some scholars suspect the origin of pretzels to be the result of a ban on heathen baking traditions, and the pretzel may have emerged as a substitute.

In the late 18th century, southern German and Swiss German immigrants introduced the pretzel to North America. The immigrants became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. In the 20th century, soft pretzels became popular in other regions of the United States.

Varieties of Pretzels

If there are many theories surrounding the origin of pretzels, there are even more varieties of pretzels. To start with, there are soft pretzels, which must be eaten shortly after baking, and hard-baked pretzels, which have a long shelf life. In Germany, soft pretzels are usually sprinkled with salt, sesame seeds, sugar, chocolate, cheese or nuts. Lye pretzels are popular in southern Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland. Lye gives pretzels their traditional skin and flavor. In the Rhineland region, on the other hand, soft pretzels are made with pudding-filled loops.

Now, that you know all there is to know about the origin of pretzels, elevate your pretzel experience and enjoy a glass of Gluehwein and a hot pretzel at the next Oktoberfest or Christmas Market.

Tags: brachium, Bretzel, Christmas Market, Gluehwein, hard-baked pretzels, Oktoberfest, pretzel, soft pretzels
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True mark of maturity

Thursday, November 8th, 2018

The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back.

— Anonymous

The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back. 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 and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Tags: awareness, empathy, insight, judgment, maturity, sensitivity, understanding
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“The Day the Wall Came Down” Sculpture

Monday, November 5th, 2018

Berlin’s THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture is located near the Allied Museum on Clayallee, a wide boulevard named in honor of U.S. General Lucius D. Clay. A gift of friendship from the American people to the people of Germany, the spirited 1-1/4 life size bronze symbolizes victory of the human spirit. The bronze was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.

Berlin’s THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture symbolizes victory of the human spirit. It was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2015. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Creator of THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture

American artist Veryl Goodnight created the sculpture, which consists of five horses leaping to freedom over the rubble of the collapsed Berlin Wall. Although Ms. Goodnight is widely known for her realistic depiction of horses, THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture is not about horses. It is about Freedom, inspired by the Fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989.

For 28 years, the Berlin Wall was a visual reminder of oppression. Goodnight’s horses symbolize the deep-seated human desire for freedom, a yearning that is shared by all people. In addition to sculpting the animals – one stallion and four mares – the artist replicated four-foot-wide and 14-foot high concrete panels, just like the ones that extended for 105 miles around West Berlin prior to the fall of the wall. She then broke the reconstructed panels beneath the horses, showing graffiti on the western side of the wall. To further symbolize the East-West separation, Ms. Goodnight then placed the stallion inside what would have been East Berlin while the mares gallop to the free West.

Inspiration for THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture

Veryl Goodnight conceived the idea of horses leaping to freedom on the evening of 9 November 1989. After having worked on a small horse sculpture earlier in the month, she watched on television thousands of East Berliners push through the openings of the Berlin Wall. That night she dreamt that her sculpted horses represented people galloping through the rubble of the fallen Berlin Wall. THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN was born.

Two identical castings of Ms. Goodnight’s THE DAY THE WALL CAME DOWN sculpture exist. One of her artworks is located in Berlin, the other is on display in the central courtyard of the George Bush Presidential Library, adjacent to the campus of Texas A&M University. Each sculpture is 30 feet long, 18 feet wide, 12 feet high and weighs approximately 7 tons. In 2016, Ms. Goodnight was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.

Tags: "The Day the Wall Came Down" sculpture, 9 November 1989, Berlin Airlift, fall of the Berlin Wall, General Lucius. D. Clay, Veryl Goodnight
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