Categories: germany, postcards
Date: 30 October 2007 22:15:34
By the end of the Second World War, ninety per cent of Nuremberg had been reduced to rubble. All over Germany, the women set about restoring their towns and cities. They came to be called Trummerfrauen (lit: "rubble women"). Many of the men were of course either dead, badly injured or still in prisoner of war camps. Many of the artistic treasures of the country had survived the war better than the buildings or the people as they had been stored in bomb-proof bunkers. One of these treasures from 1518 hangs in the Lorenzkirche in Nuremberg's Hauptmarkt. It is the Engelsgruß, or Annunciation, a wooden carving showing the Angel Gabriel imparting God's baby news to Mary. It's quite amazing to think that Dürer may well have seen this carving when it was new. There are more carved angels in the church, all in slightly different poses, carrying candles, situated above the choir stalls. While I was there, I observed how a woman up a ladder wielding a vacuum cleaner and a man up another ladder wafting a feather duster around ensured that the angels' wings were kept clean. I had always been under the impression that Bavaria was largely Catholic but apparently this is not the case and Nuremberg had become Protestant fairly early on.
After a quick trot round the restored (and slightly touristy but nevertheless attractive) Handwerkerhof (craftsman's yard) where I added to my collection of “Christmas tree decorations from around the world” and seeing some model cars for sale...which was exciting in a sort of weird way...as I do the translations for this company..., I met up with my clients for a serious talk about business matters. Things became even more serious after that with a trip to the Reichsparteitagsgelände (Nazi Party Rally Grounds). This massive area was host in the 1930s to the annual convention attracting up to a million people from all over Germany. Of the original 11 sq. km, just 4 sq. km remains today but that is enough to convey the idea that Hitler wanted people to gain: that they were part of something grand and majestic and yet, they were just a tiny insignificant (expendable) part.
The architects based many of their ideas on classical architecture. The design of the façade of the Kongresshalle is reminiscent of the Ancient Coliseum in Rome but the Congress Hall was never finished; it is the largest remaining monumental Nazi-era building in Germany. Nobody really knew what to do with it after 1945. It has been designated a listed building since 1973 and the Documentation Centre is now located in its north wing. This is where there is an exhibition called “Faszination und Gewalt” (officially translated as Fascination and Terror - but I would argue that Gewalt would be more accurately translated as violence).
After viewing the exhibition which took nearly two hours at a fairly selective pace, I went for a walk around the outside where grass was growing between the slabs and the trees were turning into their autumn colours and tried to imagine columns of marching soldiers. But along the routes where goose-stepping was perfected, young people now jog, cycle, roller-blade and skateboard down the paths alongside the lake which was bathed in September sunshine. Rather than the sound of songs of propaganda, there was the hesitant music of someone learning a new piece in a practice room. All surprisingly normal and civilised - but still a faint echo of horror could be heard, I thought.
Back in my hotel room, there was an emotional evening's “entertainment” on TV. First I watched a retrospective documentary about the East German citizens who took refuge in the West German Embassy grounds in the summer of 1989. There were tense weeks of negotiations and worsening living conditions until the East Germans were granted safe passage to West Germany. Then there was a programme about extremely ill children living in a hospice followed by a long interview on a “chat show” about a new film “Die Frau von Checkpoint Charlie”.
The presenter interviewed the actress and the woman whose real-life story had been filmed. She had been separated by the Wall from her two children for 6 years. The GDR had done its best to lie to the children and tell them that their mother had been killed in an accident but they discovered the truth and were eventually reunited with their mother. In contrast to a British chat show where the actor / real life person might be asked questions for a maximum of 10 minutes, here the plot was discussed in detail, various clips of the film were shown and really, the whole thing was so thoroughly deconstructed and analysed for a good hour so that you felt there was probably not much more to know by watching the film.