On Traces in the Garden of Poets in the Mark Brandenburg was the title of
a trip organized by the Badische Zeitung.
Well, they meant one poet:
Theodor Fontane
and his book Walks through the March of Brandenburg.
Red Baron always wanted to explore Havelland, so the trip fitted
perfectly into my plans.
The travel group, which included 22
people, was ideal for excursions and guided tours. Our lodging was the
Hotel zur Insel am Markt in Werder, a small town on an island in the
meandering Havel River.
Immediately upon arrival, I noticed two imposing, typically German trees in
the market square: an oak and a linden. Werder's citizens planted the oak in
1871, celebrating German unity under Prussian rule.
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In the background, the Hotel zur Insel
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The Linden tree dates from 1920 and is dedicated to
Queen Luise, the universally beloved wife of
King Frederick William III. During the Napoleonic period, he came along as a weak ruler, but Luise
courageously stood up to the
usurper.
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Queen Luise. Painting at Paretz Castle.
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When, at a meeting in Berlin after the Prussian defeat at Jena and
Auerstedt, the emperor wanted to steer the conversation to the innocuous
topics of fashion and jewelry, "You've got a lovely robe on there! Where
might it have been made?" the queen replied, "Shall we talk of such
insignificant things at such an important moment? And later, "Sire, the fame
of
Frederick the Great
has deceived us about our means." Thus, Luise received the honorary name
Joan of Arc of Germany.
Here are some highlights photographed
while walking through Werder:
We passed the Werder town hall on our way to the highest point on the island
...
.
... that is crowned by a
Bockwindmühle. The dictionary translates this
word into post mill, the earliest type of European windmill.
Werder's Holy Ghost Church was built in 1858 in a neo-Gothic style. It is
nothing spectacular, but inside hangs a treasure. However, the door was
locked.
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©Bautsch/Wikipedia
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I took the picture above from Wikipedia: "Christ as a Pharmacist." According
to Matthew 9: "
The strong don't need a doctor, but the sick do." Jesus mixes faith, hope,
and love, but adds resistance, help, and peace as remedies.
No, this is not Fontane's pear tree but rather a 300-year-old crooked specimen
of
Red Bergamot. The sign reads:
This natural monument reminds us of Werder's tradition of growing fruit.
Here are two other examples of fruits from the Havelland.
The hotel greeted us for dinner with a glass of fruit wine (blackcurrant) on
the right. But what is in the middle? It is a Müller-Thurgau from
Wachtelberg, a wine from the quail hill on the mainland above Werder.
It's climate change, stupid!
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