Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
There is no typical zoological garden at Kassel. If you want one of these, you need to go to Hannover, Leipzig or Frankfurt. What exists is a privately operated zoo for small animals: the Zoo am Rammelsberg. The entrance is free of charge and the costs are covered by donations. Many people use the opportunity to see and feed some animals, but the conditions under which they’re held are often disputed.
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War and remembering the victims of war is still today a controversial topic at Kassel. The city was in the past and is still today a center of weaponry production. In World War II it was therefore a target of massive attacks. Even today you can find the traces in vast air-raid shelters and in the face of the city: the historic city center never returned to its former beauty after it was completely burned down in the last world war. In different areas memorials can be found for the victims of war and especially the victims of fascism. The memorial for soldiers which died in both world wars was closed for renovations for many years and vandalized directly after reopening: the Ehrenmal at the Karlsaue.
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It is one of the most representative buildings of Göttingen, Germany: The Deutsches Theater (DT). After the old theatre building at the Wilhelmsplatz burned down in 1887 this new house was built in Italian Renaissance style and opened in 1890. On the roof a winged Thalia (as the goddess of poetry and comedy) takes care of the theatre.
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When the Nazis took over power at Germany in 1933 they immediately prepared for war. Ammunition production was restricted by the treaty of Versailles and therefor they requested the German industry to create factories in rural areas that should be ready to be activated in case of war. One of these was the Sprengstofffabrik Hirschhagen (explosives factory) or Munitionsfabrik Hirschhagen (ammunition factory) of Hessisch Lichtenau.
Continue reading “Endless ferroconcrete”
A steep ascent from Retterode (Hessisch Lichtenau), a lengthy line of steps in the forest, a gap in a circular rampart and then you see it: the castle keep of the Burgruine Reichenbach. It was built in the middle of the 11th century CE and was important in the past as it is close to the border between the states of Hesse and Thuringia.
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The Odenberg is a 381 meters high mountain close to Gudensberg, Germany. It is fully covered with trees, and you can find some wild garlic in the northern part. Getting up there might be interesting for archeologists, as there are the remains of two circular ramparts. But for everyone it is worth hiking up because of the wooden tower standing there, the Odenbergturm.
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When Germany was divided, a seven-hundred-kilometer-long border from the Baltic Sea to the Czech Republic existed. Without human life, but with a chance for nature to recover undisturbed. After the German reunification nature protection organizations worked on keeping this area as a nature protection zone and as in important migration path for animals. They called it Grünes Band (green stripe).
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If you grow up in nowadays Germany you can’t imagine anymore that this country was once divided. That there was a well-protected and visible border through the country, visible as an illuminated stripe at night. That people were dying between BRD and DDR, along the iron curtain. There are some places throughout Germany where you can learn about this. The best I’ve seen so far is located south of Duderstadt: The Grenzlandmuseum Eichsfeld at Teistungen.
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If someone at Kassel tells you that he wants to meet at the Affenfelsen (ape rock) you should move towards the city quarter Vorderer Westen. The Rudolphsplatz there has been redesigned as an urban living room. People meet outside, sit down in this public area to talk, bring their own drinks and later move on to bars and clubs. And this all with a nice view towards the Herkules monument.
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Ebbelwoi is a big thing at Frankfurt am Main. Wine made from apples is produced in consumed in this area at least since the year 1600. By that time, it was a cheap replacement for wine made from grapes and produced in the cellars of the simple people. Today it is a traditional drink from everyone and in the city, you’ll find numerous Apfelweinlokale, special bars serving this booze.
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