Go East, Young Man

This past weekend, I took my last big trip of the semester.  Through the Lüneburger Auslands-Studium Studierenden Initiativ (Lüneburg Study-Abroad Studying Initiative, abbreviated L.A.S.S.I.), I spent three days traveling to two of the most-important cities in the former East Germany: Dresden and Leipzig.

We boarded the train in Lüneburg at 6:30 Friday morning, a little too early for most of us.  The group of around 25 students was almost entirely ERASMUS (a European exchange student organization) students; I was the only USAC member, and the only American.  Four-and-a-half hours later, we arrived at the Dresden Hauptbahnhof.  After checking into the Hostel Mondpalast (even nicer than the Sunflower in Berlin, and there was hot water for the showers!), we took the S-Bahn (for Straßenbahn, "street train") into the city for lunch at the Sophienkellar cafe, in what used to be the basement (German "Kellar") of the Taschenbergpalais.  L.A.S.S.I covered the food, which for me was Sächsiche Sauerbraten (roast beef), Rotkohl (red cabbage), and a large Kartoffelknödel (potato dumpling).

The Frauenkirche
The dark stones are from the original building.

Having finished our delicious lunch, we walked through the Altstadt (Old City) to the Frauenkirche.  Originally constructed in 1743, the Frauenkirche was among the first large Protestant churches in Germany.  Today, a statue of Martin Luther stands outside one of the entrances.  Like almost 80% of Dresden, the Frauenkirche was destroyed on February 13, 1945, during the Allied bombing attack on the city.  The ruins remained until 1994, when the reconstruction project started, funded by over 20 nations.  The exterior was rebuilt historically correctly, using photographs and sketches as guides, and even incorporating some of the original stones.  There were no such depictions of the historical interior, however, and so that part of the Frauenkirche has been lost.

Measured to the top of the cross atop the cupola (German "Kuppel"), the Frauenkirche stands 91.23 m above the Dresden Altstadt.  At 67.06 m is an observation platform, reached by an elevator and stairs that spiral around the cupola, offering views of the sanctuary.  At the top, the view of the city was gorgeous, especially because we were blessed with sunny blue skies.

We returned to the hostel for a while, so those who hadn't slept on the train could get a little rest.  Later that evening, we visited the Dresdener Striezelmarkt, the oldest Christmas Market in Germany.  Since 1434, people from the Dresden area have met at the Striezelmarkt to eat, drink, and be merry.  Dinner for me was two Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato pancakes) covered in Apfelmus (applesauce).  Drinking the requisite glühwein (spiced wine, served hot), I also sampled lebkuchen (German Christmas gingerbread) and stollen (iced bread made with nuts and raisins).

After the hostel's breakfast, our Saturday program started with a walking tour of the historic Altstadt.  We each received headphones, and our tour guide spoke using microphone over a specific radio channel.  That was really nice for hearing everything, even when I stopped to take a picture there was another group in the area.  Our first stop was the Zwinger, the "party palace" of Frederick Augustus I (Augustus the Strong), elector of Saxony and king of Poland.  Built in the early 18th Century, the palace is now home to muesums.  Renovation is a constant process at the Zwinger (like painting the Golden Gate Bridge).  The stone's natural lead content oxidizes, turning the beige stone black.  One wing or another is always covered in scaffolding, cleaning the oxide away to reveal the Baroque-style beauty beneath.  Much of the Zwinger, too, was reconstructed after World War II in its original style and form.

We then walked along the Fürstenzug (Procession of Princes) towards the city center.  Made of over 24,000 ceramic tiles, the 335-foot-long mosaic depicts all the rulers of Saxony from 1123-1904.  We passed the Frauenkirche, but were unable to go inside.  We stopped briefly at the Albertinum, also home to art museums.  Dresden is know in as the "Florence on the Elbe," because the monarchy there collected nearly as much art of all kinds as the Medici family did in Italy.  A stroll along the Brülscher Terrace (named for its designing architect) offered wonderful views of the reconstructed Baroque city.

The Fürstenzug

View from the Brülscher Terrace

Our tour ended in front of the Semperoper (Semper Opera House).  The only theater in Germany to be called by its architect's name, the house was built in the 1870 according to the plans of Gottfried Semper, and was rebuilt in 1985.  Across the square is the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic Cathedral).  The largest church in all of Saxony, the Hofkirche was built in the mid-18th century as a private basilica for Dresden's nobility.

Semperoper

Given some time to explore on our own, I also visited the Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross).  Built in the early 13th century as the Nikolaikirche, the church was renamed in 1388 upon receipt of a supposed piece of Christ's cross and the discovery of a cross of unknown origin in the Elbe River.  Destroyed or severely damaged five times in its history, the Kreuzkirche was completely rebuilt in 1955, when the interior was purposely left rough and unfinished.

Our next scheduled visit was to the Festung Dresden (Dresden Fortress), under the Brülsche Terrace.  Guiding with a personal auto tour, the museum shows the progression of Dresden's protective fortifications.  Originally constructed in 1180, the city walls continued to grow and expand until 1593.  Preserved under today's Altstadt are one of the city gates (the Ziegeltor, "brick gate," not for its construction material, but for the carts of bricks that regularly passed through it), guards' quarters, parts of a foundry, and even the remains of a drawbridge.

Our last group event of the day was a walk through the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault), where what remains of Augustus the Strong's treasure is on display.  Security at the Green Vault is understandably very high: a limited number of visitors are allowed inside at one time, the entrance is a double-door airlock to reduce dust, and of course no photos are allowed.  The exhibit is divided into nine rooms, each featuring a different medium: amber, ivory, white silver, silver gilt, precious objects (ostrich eggs, nautilus shells, rock crystal), copper coats-of-arms, jewels, bronze, and Renaissance bronze works.  The treasures, many of which are displayed without protective glass (as the vault would have existed in the days of Augustus the Strong), are described by a personal audio tour guide, and represent only a fraction of the Elector's former wealth.  The Green Vault is housed in the Residenzschloss (Royal Palace), along with other historical and art museums.

The Residenzschloss, as seen from the Zwinger.

The Residenzschloss courtyard

I returned to the Striezelmarkt Saturday night, to do a little Christmas shopping and get another helping of Kartoffelpuffer.  There, I met a few German girls, friends from the area who had met at the market.  After noticing and making fun of my American accent, they invited me to spend the evening with them.  Even though they all spoke English well, we conversed in German about music, TV, music, and differences in Christmas traditions between Germany and America.  I even got to learn a little Sächsisch, the regional dialect.

Sunday morning we took the train to Leipzig, about an hour-and-a-half away.  L.A.S.S.I. hadn't planned any activities for the whole group there, so we were free to explore on our own for a few hours.  I followed my Daytrips book to the city's top highlights.  My first stop was the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall), and the Christmas market in the square out front.  Originally built in 1557 in German Renaissance style, it was given a clock tower in 1744, and rebuilt in the same style (with new materials) in 1907 as it prepared to house the Leipzig City History Museum.

Just around the corner is the Mädler Passage, which leads to Auerbachs Kellar.  The 16th-Century tavern figures prominently in Goethe's Faust, probably the most-famous German literary work.  The entrance is flanked by statues of scenes from the work.  Today, Auerbachs Kellar is an attractive, classy, and expensive restaurant.

The main attraction in Leipzig for me was the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas' Church).  Constructed in 1212, the Thomaskirche boasted Johann Sebastian Bach as its cantor from 1723-1750.  The composer is now buried under the altar, and honored with a special exhibit in a side chapel, as well as a stained-glass window.  The church's organs, though not the originals used by Bach, were built to imitate the organs of Bach's 18th Century.

The Nikolaikirche (Church of St. Nicholas) is the oldest in Leipzig, dating from 1165.  Though its exterior is relatively plain, inside the church displays beautiful columns topped with palm branches.  All of the interior, in fact, is exquisitely ornate.  The Nikolaikirche was the starting place of the 1889 Peaceful Revolution, which led to Germany's reunification the following year.

After only a few short hours in Leipzig we were back on the train to Lüneburg.  I finished reading Visitation, Susan Bernofsky's English translation of Jenny Erpenbeck's Heimsuchung, and wrote a couple postcards.  I spent most of the time talking with the other exchange students on the trip.  Checking in with my family on Skype was a great way to end another wonderful weekend in Germany!

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Well, you can take the students out of America, but you can't take America out of the students.  Even though Thanksgiving is only a national holiday in the United States, we found a way to celebrate in Germany.

Tuesday night 21 students gathered in the USAC classroom for a buffet-style feast.  Everyone brought something, so we had a turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes (mashed and baked), corn pudding, corn bread, spaghetti, curry, apple pie, two kinds of cake, and cookies, too.  Most was home-made, though some was store- or bakery-bought by those of us whose cooking skills are lacking.  The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special even made an appearance, courtesy of YouTube.  It wasn't all Americans, though.  Roommates and friends from around the world were invited, and got to experience their first Thanksgiving feast.  We even took a moment for everyone to say something for which we were especially thankful.

Wednesday, after a text-production exam in Composition II, I opened my mail from home (!), and did some homework before checking out the Lüneburg Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market).  The square in front of the Rathaus is filled with food stands (brats, currywurst, and fried mushrooms), drink stands (hot chocolate and glühwein) and stands selling arts and crafts.  I'm looking forward to visiting the markets in different cities!

Because USAC, as a program, is filled with mainly American students, we had no class today.  I slept in, did some homework, did some shopping, and then went over to some friends' apartment for a second Thanksgiving dinner.  Though only seven of us met this time, there was still plenty of food: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, apple pie with ice cream, and even macaroni-and-cheese.  With the Packers-Lions game streaming online in the background, we all sat at the table and passed dishes to each other, American family style.

This Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for the opportunity to study abroad in Lüneburg.  I've already seen and done so much, and learned so many new things, and I still have a few weeks left!  I'm thankful for the friends I've made here in Germany, as my "cultural horizons" continue to expands.  I'm so grateful for my friends and family back home, who I can't wait to tell all about my time abroad in person!

Neuengamme

Everyone knows about it, but no one wants to talk about it.   Echoes of the Second World War still ring through Europe, and especially Germany.  Yes, buildings, even cities were destroyed, but most have been rebuilt.  Those that remain in ruins give silent testimony to the destruction.  But there are scars that run even deeper: those left by the destruction of human life.  The Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial in Hamburg was sobering and eye-opening.

Not a "death camp" or "extermination camp" like notorious Treblinka or Auschwitz, Neuengamme was a Konzentrationslager (concentration camp, abbreviated KZ) for containing and controlling a large forced-labor workforce.  Those held at Neuengamme and its satellite camps worked on public works projects (canals, streets, etc.) as well as in weapons factories supporting the German military.  Very few of the people held in the Neuengamme system were Jewish.  Most were political prisoners and POWs from regions the German army invaded and controlled.

Unlike many camps, Neuengamme was never "liberated."  Arriving troops found newly-painted, empty buildings, no documentation, and very little other evidence of what had happened.  As such, facilities at Neuengamme continued to be used after World War II, first as a British containment facility and then as a prison for the city of Hamburg.  Not until 2003 were associations of survivors and relatives of those held at Neuengamme successful in turning the site into a memorial, following the closing of the prison.  Today, the wooden barracks from the war-time KZ are represented by rectangular piles of rubble taken from the demolished Hamburg prison.  The duplicity of the monuments pays homage to the diverse history of the grounds.  The remaining buildings are filled with museum exhibits and classrooms, intended to increase awareness about this time period.  Among the original architecture still present is the foundation of the camp "bunker " (shown below).  Instead of representing the building with the prison rubble, as other KZ buildings are, the bunker's actual foundations were uncovered, physically showing that places like this should not be buried and ignored, though revealing and acknowledging them can be painful.

It is true that Neuengamme was not a "death camp." Still, over 50,000 died there.  In the early years, a private Hamburg undertaker cremated the bodies.  In early 1945, a crematorium was built on the camp grounds.  Today, Neuengamme is not just a memorial or a collection of museums.  It is also a cemetery.  There are no headstones, no defined plots, but the ground holds the ashes of thousands of men, women, and children.  Camps like Neuengamme will forever be a part of Germany's history, part of the past that shaped the present.  For the future, the memorials exist to reveal and remind.

Follow the Red Thread

Well, this isn't the Land of Oz, but I'm not in Wisconsin anymore, either.  Yesterday, I continued exploring Lower Saxony with a day trip to Hannover, the state's capital.  Though surprisingly not in my Daytrips: Germany book, I would consider Hannover a must-see for anyone traveling in this part of Germany.  The city has a little bit of everything, and is set up very nicely for tourists.  Der Rote Faden (the Red Thread), painted directly onto the streets and sidewalks, guides visitors to Hannover's most-important attractions.  All you have to do is follow along!

I bypassed Hannover's classy modern shopping district to spend more time around the historical architecture.  the first sight was the Opera House (above).  Designed by Georg Ludwig Laves, Hannover's Royal Master of Works from 1814 to 1894, and originally constructed in 1852, the Opera House was burnt out during a World War II air raid in 1943.  Reconstruction lasted five years.  A short stroll down Georgstrasse reveals the grand home (below) of the local Deutsche Bank branch, originally built in 1900.

The Red Thread then leads into the Aegidien New Town, to the ruins of the Aegidienkirche.  Constructed beginning in 1347, the Gothic hall church was almost completely destroyed during World War II.  Today, only the Baroque tower stands above the empty former sanctuary.  Laid into the floor is Dorothee von Windheim's Schattenlinie (Shadow Line), tracing the church walls' shadow and symbolizing the narrow boundary between life and death.

Just a few blocks away is the New Town Hall.  Built from 1901-1913, the impressive building sits on marshy soil thanks to a foundation of 6026 beech piles.  The dome houses an observation platform, that was unfortunately closed at the time of my visit.  Inside, the entrance hall displays four models of Hannover, showing the city in 1689, 1939, 1945 (with extensive WWII destruction), and today.  Tourists weren't the only photographers, though.  A couple was celebrating their wedding in one of the Town Hall's ballroom; what a venue!

Behind the New Town Hall is the Maschpark, filled with winding paths next to water alongside ponds and streams (where I'm standing in the very first picture).  I meandered my way to the Maschsee, Hannover's largest lake.  Artificially created in 1935-1935, the Maschsee is a favorite haven for sailors and joggers alike.  Not too far away is AWD-Arena, home to the city's soccer team, Hannover 96.

On my way further along the Red Thread, I came to the Leine Palace, home to Niedersachsen's State Parliament.  The impressive complex was completed in 1640, originally built at the request of Duke Georg of Calenberg, and replacing a 13th century monastery (vacated after the town embraced Lutheran theology).  Nearby is a bronze statue of the "Göttingen Seven" (above).  In 1837, seven professors from the Lower Saxony town of Göttingen protested the annulment of the Kingdom of Hannover's constitution.  All were dismissed for their resolution, and some were forced to leave the country.  The famous scholars and authors, the Brothers Grimm, were among the group.

A slight detour past the State Archives brought me to the Neutstädter Hof- und Stadtkirche St. Johannis (New City's Farm and City Church of St. John), the final resting place Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.  Leibniz, a brilliant philosopher, mathematician, physicist, lawyer, philologist, and historian from Hannover, is also honored with restored house in the Old City (relocation and reconstruction cost over 22 million Deutsche Marks).  The university in Hannover is also named for the genius, who introduced the calculus dx/dy notation for derivatives.

Hannover gets its name from the "hon overe" (high bank) on the eastern side of the Leine river.  Strong fortifications (above) from the 14th-Century Hanseatic city keep watch over the weekly flea market along the river's shores.  Surrounded by bargain-hunters are three curious statues by Niki de Saint Phalle (shown below).  Nicknamed the "buxom girls," the artworks initially sparked an intense discussion over art in public places, but eventually were embraced by the city, which made the artist an honorary citizen in 2000.

Next I strolled through the Old City, along cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered houses.  Originally found all over the city, the beautiful buildings were gathered together after World War II.  The oldest house in the district dates from 1566.  Nestled in the Old City is the Kreuzkirche (Cross Church).  Consecrated in 1333, the sanctuary features a 16th-Century altar painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder, and today is an important concert venue.

The third main church in Hannover is the Marktkirche (Market Church, below).  The Brick Gothic church was built in the 14th Century for a Catholic congregation, then refitted with a new altar, pulpit, and seating after the Protestant Reformation transformed religion in the city.  The Marktkirche's spire was designed to be twice as tall, but the builders ran out of money before completing it.  Their creative solution, a shorter, smaller spire, actually started a new trend in church architecture.

Right next door is the Old Town Hall.  The southern-most example of North German Brick Gothic Architecture, the building was constructed in stages, beginning as long ago as 1410.  The most-recent renovation was in 1999.  The Old Town Hall now contains the city's Registry Office and restaurants.

All paths back to the train station lead through the Kröpcke, Hannover's main square.  Named for a cafe owner from the late 19th Century, the Kröpcke is the center of the Hannover shopping, and a favorite meeting place for visitors.  The other popular answer to "Where should we meet?" is "Beneath the tail!"  Outside the Hannover train station stands a statue of King Ernst August I, the first King of Hannover to live in the city after its union with the United Kingdom ended.

Hannover, like Bremen, combines the rich history of a centuries-old settlement with the modern amenities a 21st-Century capital city should have.  The Red Thread (and the accompanying guide book, to which I owe most of this post's information) makes Hannover an especially attractive destination.  There's no place like Niedersachsen!