The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.
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.
Black-Red-Gold are the colors of the German national flag. Why? The choice may date back to the Middle Ages. The coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation contained a black eagle with red claws and beak set against a golden background. King Friedrich I walked on a black, red and golden carpet at his coronation in 1152. And Friedrich II wore a black, red and yellow cape when he was crowned King of the Germans in 1212.
Black-Red-Gold, the National Flag of the Federal Republic of Germany
Although these seem logical explanations for choosing Black-Red-Gold as the colors of the German flag, the choice most likely has its true origin in the 1813 liberation wars against Napoleon. German soldiers–the Luetzow Free Corps–wore black uniforms with golden buttons and red emblems on their shoulders. http://www.fahnen-flaggen-wappen.de/nationalflagge-deutschland_fid41.html/
The colors signified the progression from servitude (black) through bloody battles (red) to the light of freedom (gold).
In 1850 the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, abolished Black-Red-Gold and introduced black, white and red as the national colors. Following WWI In 1919, Black-Red-Gold was reintroduced, but in 1933, the Nazis abolished it once more and introduced a black and white flag with the red swastika.
On 23 May 1949, Black-Red-Gold was adopted as Germany’s official flag by the Federal Republic of Germany and a few days later by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
Ten years later, however, East Germany added their National Emblem to the flag. It consisted of a hammer (workers) and a compass (academia), surrounded by ears of corn (farmers). With this modification East Germany was able to differentiate itself from the Federal Republic of Germany and avoid having to swear on the flag of the West.
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.
Winston Churchill described a fanatic as someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
The destruction of Dresden occurred toward the end of WWII. The city, with a population of 350,000, was a cultural landmark in Northern Germany with many world famous museums and historic buildings. Its town center was of little to no military significance. Sixty-nine years ago today, most of the people living in the city center perished.
During the night of February 13 to February 14,1945, British Lancaster bombers dropped a barrage of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the city center. They did so in two waves. The attacks occurred three hours apart. Then, during the middle of the second day, American B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed Dresden again. Together, the Allies dropped 3,300 tons of bombs on the city within a 24-hr period. The resulting firestorm reached temperatures of 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. The incendiary bombs burned for two days. The heat caused the surface of the roads to melt, and peoples’ feet burned as they tried to run away.
The death toll is difficult to estimate. It ranges between 25,000 and 135,000. The reason for the variation is that 25,000 bodies were located. But Dresden also served as a temporary refuge for the people running from the advancing Russian Army, making it impossible to accurately estimate the number of people who perished. In addition, many could not be buried that quickly and were burned instead. Those numbers are also difficult to assess. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/the-bombing-campaign-of-world-war-two/the-bombing-of-dresden/
Opinions differ sharply on the reason for the destruction of Dresden. Although the city center was of little to no military significance, some scholars maintain that Dresden was located in Nazi Germany. The Allies were at war with Nazi Germany. That alone represents sufficient justification.
Others believe that Britain and the United States feared Russia might wish to turn its back on Allied postwar agreements regarding Germany. They believe that the western Allies hoped that a demonstration of power would act as a deterrent.
Still others maintain that Dresden was a legitimate target because of its rail base which could be used to transport troops to the front lines and fight against Russia.
When Germany was divided following WWII, Dresden ended up in the Russian sector. Their Communist occupiers rebuilt the city in the 1950s and spared no effort in restoring the cultural landmark to its pre-WWII charm. You may also wish to read about Dresden’s Zwinger , Dresden’s Frauenkirche , Dresden’s Semper Opera House , and Green Vault .
A commemorative plaque reminds visitors today who it was that destroyed the city and who it was that restored the city to its old splendor.
A Commemorative plaque, installed during the Communist era, reminds visitors that Anglo-American bombers destroyed Dresden in 1945
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.
If you think that serving on a committee is a time consuming and thankless task, consider Harry Chapman’s advice. It may put a whole new spin on the situation. Here is what he recommends:
“Having served on various committees, I have drawn up a list of rules: Never arrive on time; this stamps you as a beginner. Don’t say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as being wise. Be as vague as possible; this avoids irritating the others. When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed. Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular; it’s what everybody is waiting for.”
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.
Stolpersteine, often translated as “stumbling blocks”, are small, cobble-sized memorial stones that protrude from the pavement. The last time I visited my hometown of Berlin, I noticed that two such stones were embedded in the pavement in front of the building in which I once lived. The upper surface of each Stolperstein was fitted with a brass plate. The plate was engraved with an individual’s name, year of birth and death, and a few words about the person. I had never seen stones like these before and inquired about their meaning. To my surprise, there are thousands of them, and they are the work of one man.
Stolpersteine for the Danziger Familie – Berlin Charlottenburg, Suarezstrasse and Kuno-Fischer-Strasse, photo J. Elke Ertle © 2014
The Berlin-born sculptor, Gunter Demnig, is said to have first conceived of the idea of creating Stolpersteine when he met a women near his Cologne studio. He said she was unaware that gypsies had once lived in the neighborhood. Demnig conjectured that concentration camp victims, who are frequently identified by numbers only, tend to lose their individuality as a result. To restore that identify he considered creating memorial stones with the victims’ names and identifying information. That was in the early 1990s. Since then, he has created many Stolpersteine to commemorate victims of the Holocaust. The vast majority of his stones commemorate Jewish Holocaust victims. But many are also dedicated to gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Blacks, military deserters, physically and mentally disabled individuals, and to those who opposed the Nazi party.
By May 1996, Demnig had laid the first 50 Stolpersteine in Berlin. Since then he has put down over 5,000 memorial stones in the city and more than 38,000 in over 800 cities and municipalities in Germany. In addition, he has installed memorial stones in twelve other European countries www.stolpersteine-berlin.de.
Not everyone approves of Demnig’s concept. Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has objected to Stolpersteine because of their installation in the pavement where people walk. It feels like people are walking on the names of the dead, she says. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/opfer-des-ns-terrors-neue-diskussion-ueber-die-stolpersteine-1.677117
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.
“Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece.”
–Dale West
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.
One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is whether to walk away or to try harder.
–Anonymous
That’s my thought of the day for you. What do you usually do?
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.
To read about the history of Berlin’s Hotel Adlon from the time of the German Empire through World War II, visit http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/hotel-adlon-part-1/. Today’s post will bring the reader to the present-day.
In the division of Berlin, the surviving wing of the Hotel Adlon ended up on the east side of the city. In 1952, the East German government demolished the damaged parts of the building along with all the other structures surrounding Pariser Platz. The one remaining Adlon wing was renovated in 1964 but closed to hotel guests in the 1970s. It remained in use until 1984 by providing housing to East German apprentices who were learning the hotel business. Then it was demolished as well.
The new Adlon reopened on 23 August 1997, seven years after German reunification. This new building occupied the original site plus some adjacent land. However, the new Hotel Adlon is not a replica of the old pre-WWII building. The new Hotel Adlon was constructed with lower ceilings and more floors to allow for additional rooms. Operated as Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, two new wings have been added since reopening. One new wing opened in 2003 and is known as the Adlon Palais; the other opened in 2004 and is known as the Adlon Residenz. Presently, the Hotel Adlon offers 382 rooms including 78 suites. Its 5-room presidential suite includes top security, a personal butler, and limousine service.
The current Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin
Hedda Adlon, widow of the last owner of the hotel, wrote her memoir in 1955. It is entitled, “Hotel Adlon” and was published in the German language. It has been republished many times, including in several English language versions. Hedda closed by saying “I want to rebuild the Hotel Adlon, but only when East and West are reunited again and only on the spot where it originally stood und where I spent the happiest time of my life: in the heart of Berlin at Unter den Linden 1.” At that time, no one dreamed that reunification would become a reality soon.
Hedda passed away more than 20 years before the Wall tumbled in 1989. Her wish came true with the exception that the address is now Unter den Linden 77, not Unter den Linden 1. That is because the grand boulevard was originally numbered starting at the Brandenburg Gate. In the East German era, it was renumbered, starting from the other end.
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.
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