Konstanz

 

This is Imperia. She was created by sculptor Peter Lenk and installed in the Konstanz harbor in 1993. Almost 30 feet high, she rotates once every three minutes, keeping guard on the boats and the water and the people of this ancient city.

I’m sharing her photo here because she’s a wonderful entry-point into the story of Konstanz. With its origins in the Roman Empire, Konstanz real claim to fame is that it was the site of the Council of Konstanz (or Constance) between 1414 and 1418. This was a gathering of thousands of men from all of Europe who descended on the city to debate the future of the Catholic Church and resolve what was called the Great Schism caused by the papacy’s move from Rome to Avignon.

I can’t recount all the details of all the debates, but in the end, the church elected Martin V as its true and only pope. That’s Martin V in Imperia’s left hand, and in her right is King Sigismund, the holy emperor at the time. Imperia, who is inspired by a Roman-era courtesan, is strong and sexy and beautiful, and the men she’s playing with in her palms are portrayed as fools. I’d say it’s feminism at its best.

Despite Lenk’s sense of humor, there was a lot at stake during the Council. Take a look at some of the wealth displayed in the churches here.

And the arguments weren’t just about wealth and power. Jan Hus, a pre-Lutheran church reformer, came to the Council to protest against church indulgences, or monies paid to the church in return for forgiveness. He claimed the church leaders were corrupt, so Sigismund had Hus burned at the stake. Prior to his death, Hus supposedly was imprisoned in the very building that is now our hotel.

As usual, things were horrible for the Jews, too. Above is an ancient pulverturm or powder tower that was part of the original city walls. After the Council, King Sigismund imprisoned a bunch of Jews in the tower, in the hopes that the money he collected to permit their release would pay his debts.

As in Freiberg, the SS burned the synagogue here and sent the Jews to Gurs, and then to death. Below is the only monument to their fate.

Violent history aside, Konstanz is a beautiful city, the buildings in which are well preserved. Because the city is partly in Germany and partly in Switzerland, it was not bombed during the war.

We are thrilled to be here to enjoy Konstanz and the Bodensee at sunset and sunrise.

Hoping all is well at home, and that Martin V and King Sigismund help remind you that many men in positions of power are little more than fools. Turn off the TV and keep your eyes on the horizon.

Beautiful Bodensee

For those of you who know Steffi, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve arrived at the Hotel Steigenberger in Konstanz, on the Swiss-German border, and it will definitely pass the Steffi test for beauty and luxury. 

When you first arrive, you have to cross this swan-filled waterway to the tiny island where the hotel is located.

This is the view from our private balcony, overlooking the Bodensee.

The hotel is built in an ancient monastery. You can still see its architecture in the central courtyard.

After checking in, we had lunch on the terrace, where we watched the ferries come and go.

The linens are first-class…

And the food spectacular. This lake trout with fennel and potatoes was delicious.

Finally, lest you think I forgot, today’s Pastry of the Day is for Hannah:

So much more to share about Bodensee tomorrow. Stay tuned!

German Unity Day

Today, Germany celebrates Unity Day, when East and West were re-united after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Everyone was off work, and many people were picnicking in the parks and walking around town with their children and families. For us, it was our final day in Freiberg, so we put in 10,000+ steps of our own wandering around and taking photos to remember the city by.

Street musicians

A modern sculpture in honor of lives lost in WWII.

Freiberg local band entertains park visitors.

A old door in the grand Archibishop’s residence.

Picturesque view in the old city.

City gate.

With many businesses closed for the holiday, I’m still searching for my pastry of the day…

I hope you’ve found yours. :)

Jewish History of Freiberg

Prior to this trip, I’d been to France, Italy, Spain and the UK, but visiting Germany is entirely different because it is the center of the National Socialist movement that is responsible for killing six million Jews. The persecution of Jews in Freiberg is small in numbers compared to six million, but it looms large in the town’s past, as well as in its commitment to never forget.

According to the city, the earliest records of Jews living here date back to 1230, and by 1280, Jews were engaged in mining, grain trading and finance for the Counts of Freiberg. Then the plague hit, and the Jews were blamed. In 1349, all but the wealthiest Jews were burned to death as punishment. The remaining dozen, as well as pregnant women, were allowed to remain, but only if they agreed to be baptized.

Cycles of acceptance, discrimination, tolerance, torture and expulsion continued for several hundred years until the 1860s when the regional government decreed Jews to be equal in the eyes of the law. This decree allowed the Jewish community of Freiberg to flourish, build a synagogue, and become part of the economic life of the city.

Everything changed again in 1933 with the rise of the Nazi Party and in 1935 the passage of the Nuremberg Race Laws. On November 9, 1938, the Freiberg SS set fire to the synagogue, burning it to the ground. The same day, 52 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Dachau. In October 1940, the balance of the city’s Jews — some 450 people — were sent to Gurs, a concentration camp in southern France. Most of those were eventually murdered in Auschwitz.

The events of the 1930s and 40s are remembered today by a monument on the site of the old synagogue. There you can find a bronze replica of the building next to a reflective pool of water within the perimeter of the old synagogue’s floorplan.

Also part of the commemorative site is a sign from Gurs.

I’ve seen a lot of older residents walking around the city, to the market, sipping coffee in cafes and I wonder what they remember, what they learned in school, whether their families speak about what happened here. I see their children and grandchildren, and they live in the moment. The old synagogue site is adjacent to the university and across the street from the theatre. Does anyone pay attention to it anymore?

Some Jewish families still live here. There is a Chabad. There is a congregation, what the city calls its “fourth Israeli community,” some of whom are Russian refugees. They’ve built a sukkah. They’ve built a beautiful new synagogue, funded partly with city money. 

When will it be destroyed again?

                                      

His-Tory and Pas-Tory?

Freiberg has a long history dating back to 1091 when Berthold II of Zähringen built a castle on a hill to control local trade. In the valley below, people came and built the town of Freiberg. Today, we hiked up this castle hill (called Schlossberg in German), where there remain a few ruins of the centuries of people who came, saw and conquered this hill at the southern terminus of the Black Forest.

The city of Freiberg changed hands many times over the years as various groups fought and conquered the land here. Two of the medieval city gates still remain standing.

The lower part of the gate is original; however, the top was added more recently. 

With no one to keep out, the gate welcomes visitors like us.

No matter where you go, however, the Munster dominates your view.

This spiral-step tower is at the top of Schlossberg hill. Naturally, John climbed all 251 steps to the top.

                                                        See him way up there?

The Black Forest to the north.

When we wore ourselves out on foot, we stopped for lunch at the Dattler, part-way up the Schlossberg, where I tried radler and flammekuchen for the first time.

A radler is a low-alcohol blend of fruit juice and beer.

Traditional flammekuchen is a thin flatbread topped with cheese and speck (bacon). Rather like a thin crust pizza, it was invented by bakers who rolled out a very thin piece of dough and threw it in their ovens to test if the temperature was hot enough to bake breads.

Speaking of baking, we have two Pastries of the Day today to make up for yesterday. Both were bought here at Greimer shop.

Apfelrahm Kuchen, an apple and pudding torte.

Himbeertorte, raspberry layered on sponge cake and cream.

Two cakes isn’t too many. After all, it’s the start of birthday month!

One Day, Three Countries

We’re onto our next adventure, once again headed east. Today, that meant packing a picnic of fresh baked brioche, a slab of Emmenthaler, 2 local apples and 3 bananas and heading to the Dijon train station at noon. We rode the high-speed train from Dijon to Basel, Switzerland, and then switched to another train from Basel to Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where we arrived to our hotel mid-afternoon. We took a few pix along the way.

After fueling up, we did a quick walk around the city, most of which was completely rebuilt after being bombed by both sides in WWII and suffering extensive damage.

The Gothic-style Munster Cathedral remained untouched, however, which is fortunate, because it took three centuries to complete its construction and it’s really impressive, inside and out. 

The spire is 116 meters (380 feet) high.

No Pastry of the Day today. :( Just more croissants and brioche. Will keep an eye out for some Black Forest cake in Freiburg.