“Whoever destroys a soul,
it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world.
And whoever saves a life,
it is considered as if he saved an entire world.”
– Jerusalem Talmud, Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9
Entire worlds
Industrialized mass murder
An emotionally stunning and disturbing place that one has to see once in a lifetime. When Nazi Germany occupied Poland they started to use an old army site close to the town of Oświęcim, Poland as a concentration camp and work camp – at first for Polish opposition members. Forced labour especially for the German company I.G. Farben was one of the main goals, even when the first Jews arrived.
Continue reading “Industrialized mass murder”History
“Those who do not remember the past
are condemned to repeat it.”
– George Santayana
Brno by night
I decided to stay overnight at Brno, Czech Republic instead of Praha – because I wanted to get away from the massive tourist streams in this city. And yes, because it was well positioned on my travel route. This was a good decision, because Brno feels like the real Česko. A young and very vivid city with a surprisingly good nightlife.
Hotel Slavia
I didn’t know what to expect when travelling towards the hotel “Slavia” in Brno, Czech Republic. What I found was a wonderful, classic-styled hotel at the city center of Brno, fitting very well to this town. Everything there feels a bit old, from the interior of the rooms to the automatic swing door at the entrance. But this made me immediatly feel comfortable and at home.
Pitstop at Praha
Things went too fast in Praha, Czech Republic when the Iron Curtain fell. Located one and a half hours by car away from the German border this city was immediately flooded by tourists and the city council had to take many fast decisions. Multi-storey car parks arose everywhere in the town, hip-on-hop-off busses appeared and the city lost a bit of its bohemian atmosphere.
Kassels oldest
The bar and restaurant Lohmann’s in the Königstor street in Kassel, Germany claims to be the oldest restaurant in the city – dating back to 1888. It is not far away from the city center in a calm side street and offers a restaurant and a beer garden where you can enjoy some fresh air in addition to your meal and drink.
Continue reading “Kassels oldest”Unusual concert location
I’ve seen a lot of concert locations during the last months – but none of them seemed as odd as the Stadthalle in Göttingen, Germany. A much too high ceiling, a too bright atmosphere, medium quality sound, people sitting on the upper floor and a supporting act playing in front of a plain white banner. Not the best preconditions for a nice evening.
The Batschkapp
The Batschkapp in Frankfurt am Main, Germany is a legend: a left-wing rock music club founded in 1976. It was first located in Eschersheim and moved to a new place in the city district Seckbach in 2013. There it has been enlarged to a modern music club which can also host big concerts – and even the old Batschkapp has already been a stage for R.E.M., Nirvana and Die Toten Hosen.
Ischa Freimaak!
Some cities in Germany have their own events and special times of the year: like Karneval in Cologne, Oktoberfest in Munich or the Canstatter Wasen in Stuttgart. In Bremen it is time for the Freimarkt in the last two weeks of October; always beginning on a Friday. It’s a tradition reaching back to the year 1035 and as the typical limitations and monopolies of markets in the city where revoked within this time frame, the name free market was established.