ECLECTIC TRAVELS - FAIRY TALES, A NAZI PRISON, MARTIN LUTHER AND MORE - SEPTEMBER 6th - 13th

BREMEN – SEPTEMBER 6

Our morning drive from Bremerhaven to Bremen was a short half-hour and our stay in Bremen brief. Bremen is officially the last of the Fairy Tale towns, certainly a reason to visit. But the town has a more personal meaning to me; my grandfather ten generations back lived here before moving to Hamburg.

A navigation adventure lay in wait as we approached our Bremen turnoff. Our car navigator was providing directions to central Bremen, plus we had printed Google Maps directions to our hotel, also in the central area. And, we had a road map. We were prepared, so it should be simple, right? Not this time!

Unexpected highway construction on our turnoff route was our first challenge. Add poor or non-existing signage and within minutes, we were off in the wrong direction. We had no idea where we were or how to get where we needed to be. We found ourselves in an industrial area with few streets and no directional signs.

After gathering our senses we resorted to human intuition, and within about ten minutes found our way to our destination. We were greatly relieved to find our hotel and to realize this unnerving driving experience was over.

We had reserved a hotel in Bremen for one night, not typical for us as our norm is to establish a base and stay a minimum of three nights. For longer stays, we typically try to rent a local apartment or condo. This is generally less costly than a hotel, far more comfortable and allows us to eat at ‘home’, another significant savings, and do laundry…sometimes long overdue.

Our Bremen hotel was an immediate disappointment. We have had great success locating and booking on-line, but this was a miss. The room was certainly adequate, but not even up to our modest standards; no chairs, no desk, no table…just a room with a bed and bath. On the plus side, it was large…and clean…and located a short walk to all the key attractions in the central area. Oh well, one miss out of so many we’ve done over the years; not bad. (Photo below)

Yup! It's our Bremen hotel...and our car. GREAT car!!

Our walking tour of Bremen central brought an immediate surprise; its market square is surrounded by so many well preserved and monumental structures. The quality and condition of these centuries-old buildings was totally unexpected; many beautiful examples including the Rathaus (city hall), the Bremen Cathedral (Saint Petri Dom) and several others. (Photos below) In retrospect this should not have been so surprising, as Bremen’s old town is another UNESCO World Heritage site.

Saint Petri's Church - Bremen

Bremen's Rathaus - City Hall

Bremen's market square - old Guild Houses to left.

Another surprising find came while walking a tiny street behind the Saint Petri Dom. we spotted a small, nicely restored old building. Jeannie’s curious nature led her to a small plaque telling about the building. Turns out it was once the home of an 18^th century Bremen mayor, Christian Abraham Heineken (Photo below right)! Any relation? Ancestor of the beer empire? Anybody's guess! The 'bones' of the home date back to the mid-1500’s.

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In our walk we also discovered a small neighborhood that it is said best recalls the Bremen of the medieval times. It’s few VERY narrow streets are lined with building after building dating back to medieval times. Most of these have their original ornamental door headers that are dated. (Photos below). I could not help imagining my distant grandfather walking these same streets as a young man some five centuries earlier!

Bremen's medieval neighborhood.

Buildings in this neighborhood...

...date back to the early 1600's

 If you remember your Fairy Tales, you may recall the tale of the comical Bremen Town Musician characters, a donkey, dog, cat and rooster. As the story goes, their musical renditions were so bad they scared off robbers plundering the town, thus they became celebrated heroes of thankful town folk. The musicians are now memorialized with a popular sculpture located adjacent to the Rathaus. (Photo below left) They are also memorialized with a more fanciful contemporary ‘sculpture’ near the local Starbucks. And, it looks like they’ve recruited a new member! (Photo below right)

The musicians new member!

The Bremen Town Musicians

BERGEN-BELSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP – SEPTEMBER 7

We departed Bremen, diverting from the Fairy Tale route for a somber look at a former Nazi SS Concentration Camp, Bergen-Belsen. It was a first for us an an extremely moving experience.

Designation of the former prison as a memorial site was ordered by the British Military Government at the end of WWII in 1945. A central memorial was constructed in 1952. (Photo below left) To appropriately represent the site’s national and international significance, a new Documentation Center was built in 2007 by the Lower Saxton Memorial Foundation with support by the State of Lower Saxony and the German Government (Photo below right).

Subdued entrance to Documentation Center.

Bergen-Belsen Obelisk Memorial.

The atrocities that occurred at this and hundreds of other such Nazi prisons during WWII should never be forgotten, regardless of their cruel and gruesome nature. At Begen-Belsen over 52,000 Jewish men, women and children died, most during the last few months of the war. Thousands of unburied bodies and emaciated prisoners were discovered here by British troops as they liberated the camp on 15 April 1945. Among those that died at Begen-Belsen were 16–year-old Ann Frank (Diary of Ann Frank) and her older sister Margot; sadly, both died just weeks before the camp was liberated. (Photo below)

Memorial to Anne and Margot Frank.

The Documentation Center exhibitions stand as a grim reminder of the horrors excessive power, greed and public complacency can lead to. The solemnly displayed exhibitions rely on the effects of historical evidence to convey that message; texts, photographs, documents, artifacts and biographical interviews with survivors inform visitors of life and death in this place.

The architecture of the documentation center is appropriately subdued so as not to overpower the exhibits and their message. At the same time it evokes a sense of one’s being walled in with no view of the outside world. At the far end of the long exhibition space, a glass wall opens to forest views, evoking a sense of liberation (Photos below).

A glass wall at the end...conveys a sense of liberation.

The architecture evokes a sense of enclosure...of being shut off from the outside world.

The grounds surrounding the Documentation Center are designed as a huge interpretive center. While most of the former camp structures are now gone, elevated plateaus demark the footprints of these buildings and stone markers tell the huge number of prisoners held in each (Photos below right).

Randomly placed plaques and gravestones memorialize some individuals that died here, and many of these have small stones placed around and on them rather than flowers. This practice we were told is a Jewish custom that means “remembering you with strength”. One such plaque memorialized some 15,000 Polish men, women and children that perished at this place. (Photo below left)

Stone marker, one of many, denotes that 2,500 prisoners
lived in a single building at this location in the prison camp.

Plaque memorializing some 15,000 Polish men, women and
children that died here. Stone placements are a Jewish custom.

We departed Bergen-Belsen, our minds and hearts overflowing with vivid images of the horrors that occurred throughout Europe under the Hitler’s Nazi regime.

OUR HOME BASE TOWNS – EINBECK AND FRITZLAR

When we plan to visit several towns within a single region, we like to find accommodations in a ‘home base’ town. From there we can take short day-trips to the surrounding outlying areas. The Fairy Tale Road towns cover some 360 km (225 miles), so this necessitated our establishing a home base in two different towns.

We chose the small village of Einbeck as home base for our first four-nights on this trip leg. We knew nothing about the Einbeck other than it was well located for our planned day-trips, and that it was off the beaten track on a 2-lane secondary road. It also had a small, reasonably priced family-run hotel.

However, we never would have expected this; Einbeck is the corporate headquarters of what, we were told, is the world’s largest biofuel energy company! Corn fields have been plentiful throughout our travels so far. We suspected the corn was being grown for biofuel, but were not certain. Alexander, owner of our hotel, confirmed our suspicions and told us of the KWS Saat AG (corporation) location there.

We had driven by the KWS facility on the edge of town and wondered what it might be. It’s a beautiful, modern brick and glass complex of multiple, mostly two-story buildings. Who would have guessed we’d find this in little Einbeck!

Our other surprise was Einbeck’s charming pedestrian street of half-timbered buildings. (Photos below) Our hotel was a one block walk to the start of this street, an even more picturesque sight under evening lights.

Dinner hour on Einbeck's pedestrian street.

Einbeck's stately Rathaus (City Hall).

For the final three nights of this leg we chose another off-the-beaten-track town, Fritzlar. Again, we chose it only for ease of access to our day-trip destinations. And, again, we found a charming family run hotel in its central area. And, yet again, we were completely surprised at what we found; a town whose medieval old town is still mostly surrounded by the original stone walls! Even more surprising…the towers!!

The old wall still has fifteen well-preserved stone towers, one of which is the oldest and tallest preserved defense tower in all of Germany (Photos below)! How lucky can one get…we pick a town almost at random, and look what we find upon arrival. This is one of the many joys of travelling…encountering happy surprises, big and small, along the way. We were planning to climb the tallest tower, but there was some kind of event going on there…appeared to be a beer-tasting. After all, this is beer country! And, I was SO looking forward to the climb!!

Fifteen defense towers surround Fritzlar.

Sunset view from our hotel room.

THE FAIRY TALE TOWNS – SEPTEMBER 7 - 11

Travelling along the Fairy Tale Town route is to drive through a landscape of gnarly forests, gently flowing rivers and some of Germany’s prettiest medieval villages of half-timbered houses. These are the places where the Grimm brothers conjured up tales of witches, fairies, wizards, dwarfs, goblins and more. The brother’s stories were based on local folklore that were, up until publication of their ‘Grimm Brother’s Fairy Tales’ , passed down through the ages only by story tellers.

The Grimm brothers were University educated in Marburg, an experience enjoyed by a privileged few in medieval times. They went on to become librarians, evidence of their love of books and the written word. Amazingly the ‘Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales’ is, in fact, the world’s second-most frequently translated book after the Bible!

Although Bremen is officially considered a Fairy Tale town, the towns that in our opinion express the true Fairy Tale town characteristics lie further south. The entire Fairy Tale route covers some 370 miles and consists of some 50 towns & cities. And no, we did NOT visit every town!

Of the few towns we did visit, most had a specific fairy tale association. In the village of Polle was a castle that inspired the Cinderella story (Photo below left); in Trundelburg a stone castle tower inspired the story of Rapunzel. (Photo below right)  The town of Bodenwerder is the home of the famous “Liar Baron” character based on an actual person, Baron von Munchhausen, who relished in “embellishing” his many stories (Photo below center).

Polle castle...inspired the Cinderella story.

Repunzel's castle in Trundelburg

 

 

 

 

The Liar Baron of Bodenwerder.

Not all our discoveries were fairly tales. An ancient Jewish ritual bath was a surprising and interesting find in Trendelburg. We stopped into the small tourist information office and, in talking to the gentleman in charge, discovered that below the TI building was this 300 year old bath surprisingly uncovered during a building renovation. 

The main attraction in the town of Hoxter is the Covey Schloss (Castle) (Photos below). Furstenburg is home of famous porcelain, handmade in a historical castle. Hann Munden is a charming town with over 700 half-timbered houses. It is located “where the Werra & Fulda rivers meet & kiss” close to an old werrabrucke-stone bridge dated to 1250.

Entrance gateway to Corvey Schloss (Castle).

Garden entrance staircase.

KASSEL, ALSFELD AND MARBURG – SEPTEMBER 11th AND 12th

The tale of Little Red Riding Hood was inspired by the regions around the towns of Kassel, Alsfeld and Marburg. Aside from their fairy tale connection, each of these towns offers much more in both history and visitor attractions.

KASSEL - WATER SHOW

High upon a hill in Kassel stands a monumental statue of Hercules.  This sculpture caps an enormous stone water feature that cascades down the hillside, terminating at Lowenburg Castle.  This outstanding water fall display, some 300 years old, is presented twice weekly, and is one of the most popular attractions in the region judging by the turnout of thousands of viewers.

From the base of the Hercules monument we had great views of the chain of ponds and of the gardens and palace far below. Water is released from the Hercules monument level. It then flows downward through rock-lined streams, into multiple ponds situated at different elevations. As each pond overflows, the water cascades downward into the next lower pond (Photos below).

The Hercules monument.

Our view of the waterfall show from the Hercules monument.

We had our own “personal” water falls as a huge thunder-lightning storm occurred just as we were leaving the monument.  We made a mad dash for the car just in time however by then it was raining too hard to drive.  Luckily we had a ‘survival kit’ in the car, a stash of popcorn and drinks, to see us through the storm.

ALSFELD

The honor of European Model Town was bestowed upon Alsfeld by the European Council in recognition of the town’s exemplary efforts to maintain the city’s original medieval form and preserve its architectural heritage. That was sufficient reason for us to plan a half-day tour through its old town.

The town retains many fine examples of half-timbered structures. Notable among these are the Apothecary (Drug Store), in the same use since 1665, and the Fachwerkhaus, an early 1700’s 4-story gabled house, distinguished by its narrow, one-room width (Photos below).

This building...an Apothecary since 1665!

This building...only one room wide.

MARBURG

With its hilltop old town dating back 800 years overlooking the later town below, Marburg expresses a distinct topographic character (Photo below left). On the highest, most prominent hilltop town sits the massive Landgrave Castle, a beautifully restored example of a medieval castle (Photo below right). 

Marburg’s University, the first Protestant University in the world was founded by Landgrave Philipp in 1527. It is situated in the ‘upper’ town and endows Marburg’s old town with a characteristically young population.

The 'Upper Town" square in Marburg.

Landgrave Castle...the crown jewel of "Upper Town" Marburg

We drove into the lower town, aimed toward the prominently visible old town castle, and followed ‘P’ signs to public parking. We took the first available parking garage, parked the car, oriented ourselves between the car location and stairs, and climbed stairs to street level.

Turns out we were exactly where we’d hoped to be; just opposite the TI (Tourist Information Center) at the foot of the bluff dividing the old and new towns. The TI’s are invaluable as so many towns have winding roads characteristic of medieval times and easy to lose your way.

GOSLAR MINES – SEPTEMBER 8

Who travels to Europe and visits an old coal mine. It’s certainly nothing we might have done until Jeannie learned the Goslar mines were a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Knowing that, our curious minds yearned to know more. 

The mines of the Rammelsberg Mountain were worked, extracting copper, lead & zinc ore, without interruption for over 1,000 years.  There is evidence that ore was extracted as early as 3,000 years ago. The Goslar mines constitute one of the most impressive historical mining operations to be found anywhere, with viewing of all equipment and phases of operation above and underground. It was amazing and easy to see why it was deemed a heritage site (Photos below).

Historic Rammelsberg mine buildings step up the hillside.

A mining car track...
perpendicular to the hillside

Old mining train equipment in the mine's museum.

HILDESHEIM CHURCHES – SEPTEMBER 8

UNESCO once again was the draw to the City of Hildesheim; it is home to two churches designated as World Heritage Sites. The first, Michaeliskirche (St. Michael’s Church) was selected because of its outstanding example of Romanesque-Ottoman architecture dating from 1010 (Photos below).  The Dom St. Maria (St. Mary’s Cathedral) goes back to year 852 and is famous for its bronze casting but mostly the legendary 1,000 year-old rosebush which blooms in the cathedral’s garden (Photos below).  Now there is a gardening challenge!

Saint Michael's Church interior.

Tomb of Bishop Bernward -
Bishop of Hildesheim 993 - 1022

The 1000 year-old rose bush
at Saint Mary's Cathedral.

Courtyard view of
Saint Mary's Cathedral.

WARTBURG CASTLE: A MARTIN LUTHER REFUGE - SEPTEMBER 11

Wartburg castle was a bit out of the way for us, but an irresistible draw due to its historic Martin Luther connection.  Wartburg castle construction began in 1155 and was the first of its kind. Today it is considered to be the best preserved Romanesque secular building north of the Alps (Photos below).

Wartburg Castle...high atop a mountain in Eisenach.

A castle hotel courtyard.

The castle's main courtyard,
viewed from a castle tower.

Another, more intimate part of the castle's main courtyard.

In 1521, Martin Luther made his ‘home’ in a small room in the castle. As a Catholic priest he had rebelled against what he felt was the Church’s misplaced worship of God. In those times, the Catholic Church was using religion for power and control to mass fortunes through money making schemes such as selling penances to forgive sins. 

 As a result, the church excommunicated Luther and he went into exile. Frederick III of Saxony, one of his most powerful early defenders, provided him refuge at Wartburg Castle. As a result, the church excommunicated Luther and he went into exile. Frederick III of Saxony, one of his most powerful early defenders, provided him refuge at Wartburg Castle.

We were able to visit Luther’s sparsely furnished room where, during his ten months of protective custody, he lived and worked (Photo below). Standing in this room once occupied by Martin Luther, we could not help but reflect on the significance of this man in religious history, the Reformation period and the development and evolution of Protestantism. 

Martin Luther's room and desk.

In this room over just a ten-week period he translated the New Testament from Greek into German. This was such an amazing accomplishment, given that it had to be written in ink with a quill-type pen. No Microsoft Word!