Peeing Like in the Wild West

was the title of an article in Freiburg's Official Journal. As an illustration, the Amtsblatt printed the following photo:

©Amtsblatt/ A.J. Schmidt

I blogged about the prairie project at the Mundenhof animal park before. Here are some more details. Next year Freiburg's partnership with Madison, Wisconsin, celebrates its 30 years of existence. On this behalf, the two sister city committees intend to import some prairie feeling to the Mundenhof.

At present, there are only 270 square meters (0.07 acres) of European prairie land growing on water-permeable gravel soil. European grasses and shrubs generally bloom in summer, while American prairie species are proud of the Indian summer. Short- and high-grass indigenous American plants will be seeded on an adjacent surface of an additional 700 square meters (0.17 acres).

In some sort of funny remark, the article in the Amtsblatt referred to the bison at the Mundenhof as country-specific fertilizers. First, the calf does not seem to appreciate his/her mother peeing before him/her. Secondly, with the small surface of land involved, overfertilization may already be a problem.

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Marillenknödel

When Red Baron read the above announcements, he was all excited. Marillenknödel are not simply apricot dumplings. I had them once made in Geneva 25 years ago by an Austrian lady as the main course and still remember the taste of this juicy delight (Marcel Proust sends his regards). Already, the name Marillenknödel sounds like the k. and k. Monarchy (Austro-Hungarian Empire) for Marillen harvested in Austria differ from Aprikosen in Germany.

Afraid of being late with my inscription to the event, I immediately chose October 1 as my date but soon felt frustrated being informed that my date had to be advanced due to the lack of participants. When I went to the Augustinermuseum to buy my voucher, I was told that to achieve a quorum of six participants, they had finally moved me back to square one, i.e., October 1.

When the museum closed at 5 p.m., our group of only five started the scheduled guided tour of the exhibition Greiffenegg und Ramberg. Having seen the collection twice, I was the only person not having regrets when, precisely at 5.15 p.m., all the lights went off in the exhibition hall. Following a long wait, the lighting could only be partly re-established. While you can admire the graphic highlights in my earlier blog, our guide used the light of his smartphone to illuminate the most interesting drawings for us.

Later, we walked up to the Greiffenegg-Schlössle and read on a sign that the restaurant was closed. However, when we opened the door, we were well received, being the only guests of the evening.

An improvised Greiffenegg drink instead of Ramberg aperitif.

As an aperitif, the house offered the newly created Ramberg drink with gin, tonic water, and peppermint leaves on the occasion of the exhibition. However, our charming service lady soon returned and announced that the tonic water was off. Instead of Ramberg, the chef had prepared a drink that he baptized Greiffenegg based on Gewürztraminer wine on the rocks plus peppermint leaves. Again, I had no regrets about having tasted the Ramberg drink on another occasion. Both drinks need getting used to.

I wanted to order an Austrian wine for the k. and k. three-course dinner, but in its absence, I finally opted for a white Burgundy from the vineyards on Freiburg's Schlossberg we were looking at while dining.

Salad of chanterelles, walnuts, and pears

The first course was so excellent that we asked ourselves whether there would be further escalation.

Fillet of beef Esterhàzy-style and potato galettes

And there was. Red Baron had the best beef fillet for years and could have used the double quantity of an incredible sauce.

I was overwhelmed and thinking: Why are only so few of my countrymen/women embracing the idea of a combined cultural-gastronomical event? The Greiffenegg-Ramberg exhibition closed today but will be followed by one devoted to Rembrandt's graphics. Will the Augustinermuseum give the concept of a joint event another try?

Enter the Marillenknödel. I was in such a high mood that I forgot to take a photo of the dish. It was a nice dessert, but regrettably, it did not revive my souvenirs. 

Ultimately, the chef and service united at our table, and we were full of praise. What a memorable afternoon and evening!

Applause, applause

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Lenin in Zürich

The Badische Zeitung, in collaboration with the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, organized a day trip by bus to Zürich, where Lenin lived from February 1916 to April 1917.

Leaving Freiburg, we saw Lenin greeting from an election poster
 for the Marxist Leninist Party of Germany.
In the federal election of September 24, the party gained 0.1% of the votes.

Good morning, Zürich. We expected some rain.

Sexist segregation. For ladies only:
What is named Damenbad in Freiburg is called Frauenbad in Zürich

Another revolutionary:
Ulrich Zwingli brought his Protestant religion to Zürich.

Our group visited the site of the house on Spiegelgasse, where Lenin had rented an apartment, and one of the three libraries, the Library of the Swiss Social Archive, where he spent most of his time reading and writing.

Entrance to Spiegelgasse
with the Cabaret Voltaire, the birthplace of Dadaism.

Lenin's apartment at Spiegelgasse 14,
a nondescript new building.

More celebrities worthy of a blog lived in Zürich's Spiegelgasse.

A house built in 1740 and named Zum Waldris at Spiegelgasse 11:
Johann Caspar Lavater lived here from 1741 (in a new building!) to 1778.
Traveling in Switzerland, Goethe visited Lavater in 1775.

At Spiegelgasse 13, Georg Büchner, a revolutionary doctor of medicine,
and master of the German language,
died of typhoid fever at the age of 24 on February 19, 1837.

Table decoration at the Turm restaurant:
Advent wreath with candles and apples on September 19.
Red Baron loves Swiss wine and abhors Swiss beer made by large breweries.
The restaurant only offered Spanish wine. I overcame the dilemma by ordering a Spanish beer.

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (Zurich-style veal stew) with Rösti (fried grated potatoes).
The meat was a turkey instead of veal, the rösti was not crusty, but the melon was an extra.
Overall, it was an excellent three-course meal for a reasonable price.

Satisfied fellow travelers leaving the Turm restaurant

Before lunch, we listened to lectures on Marxism-Leninism and, after lunch, on Lenin's influence on Swiss and European socialism while he stayed in Switzerland.

Professor Koller talked about the Swiss Social Archive and Lenin in Switzerland.

Eventually, Lenin moved from Bern to Zürich because the libraries were better there.

There is no Lenin without Marx, but I describe our trip in this blog and explain what I learned about Marxism-Leninism. In a future blog, I'll write down what may interest my American readers.

Lenin's April Theses

Before he traveled by train through Germany, Sweden, and Finland to Petrograd (later Leningrad, now St. Petersburg) to lead the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin formulated his April Theses while still in Zürich: Peace, Land, and Bread. All power to the Soviets and to the working class.

Lenin's arrival in Petrograd by train from Finland

Lenin was successful with the Bolshevik Revolution, for his Russians, having been slaughtered by thousands in the war, wanted peace, above all.

Goodbye, Zürich, goodbye, Großmünster 

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National Anarchism

Yesterday's general elections saw support for the two big German parties dwindle and the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a right-wing populist party.

©BZ

In the meantime, intelligent commentators have written brilliant articles about the outcome of the election and the consequences. I will not dig into those. One guy wrote that the winner is national cynicism, which I would instead call national anarchism.

Voter turnout was 75.9 percent, up from 71.5 percent in 2013, but a long way from the 90 percent turnout figures of the 1980s. Twelve years of Merkel's rule have created both disenchantment with politics and rage against the establishment in Berlin that is apparently pouring billions of euros into refugees. At the same time, millions of German citizens live at or below the poverty threshold. So far, nobody in the AfD has said "Germany First," but it shows through all their statements.

Savoring their election victory. The right-wing Glorious Four, from the left (?):
Jörg Meuthen, Alexander Gauland, Alice Weidel, and Frauke Petry.
Twenty-four hours later, there were only three (©Der Spiegel).

While the populist wing of the AfD led by Frauke Petry is copying the current political trend in many democracies worldwide, its nationalist fraction, the majority guided by Alexander Gauland, is the dangerous part considering my country's past. 

There is hope that the two wings will fight each other. In fact, in all German state parliaments, the AfD, unconditionally opposed to the established system and parties, has so far not done any practical work but has instead spent its energy on debates on points of order and internal quarrels.

And they were up to no good when yesterday, AfD spokeswoman Frauke Petry declared that she will not join the AfD parliamentary group but rather sit as an independent deputy in the newly elected Bundestag. Today, she even announced her withdrawal from the AfD.

While Merkel's Christian Democrats remain the strongest party and will undoubtedly form a coalition government, Germany's Social Democrats experienced their lowest percentage of votes since 1949. Consequently, they will return to their roots and seek renewal in opposition to the future government. 

In fact, four more years as a junior partner in a grand coalition with Merkel would have meant the end of Germany's grand old party that, in 1933 alone, stood up in the Reichstag (parliament) against the combination of Nazis and bourgeois parties by not voting for the Ermächtigungsgesetz (the infamous Enabling Act).

In the 2017 elections, Germany moved to the right. It is time for the democratic parties to fight back.

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Wading Pool News

On several occasions, Red Baron reported about the new Square of the Old Synagogue. The alleged abuse of the commemorative water basin patterned on the ground plan of the destroyed synagogue still excites the mind of many a citizen. For them, the water surface has degenerated into a Planschbecken (wading pool) for preschool children, dogs, and even adults.

Hand-written information in German and English.
Note the boy standing on the submerged commemorative plate (©BZ/Michael Bamberger)

There is a consensus that the commemorative plate submerged in the water is barely visible and that its text is rather general. Passers-by will need concise information about the site's history and significance.

©SPDFraktion

Freiburg's Social Democrats have already rushed forward, proposing a giant banner partly covering the front of Collegiate Building II that will undergo renovation during the next two years. In the meantime, the municipal council has set up a working group, including the Jewish community, to work out an explanatory text.

Coming back to the abuse of the water basin. Many citizens, including moderate Jews, regard splashing children as a way to fill the square with new life. With the parents' consent, a friend took the following photo.

©ES

Two splashing children, yes, but naked? Is this a new dimension?

The scene reminds me of a song made famous by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder:

Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony,
Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why don't we?

Yes, why don't we?

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Schwarzbrot

For black bread, a German specialty, many of my compatriots and I will walk the additional kilometer to get it. Some Germans living abroad even have it flown in in large quantities.

Sliced Vollkornbrot by Lieken called Kraftklotz (power log)
 without preservatives, juicy, and extra grainy.

While France is the land of cheese, we are the land of bread. Among those many kinds of bread, the black variety is of particular significance but must not be confused with Pumpernickel*. German Schwarzbrot is a bread made from whole grain rye, sometimes called Vollkornbrot, although wholemeal bread may also be made from wheat or spelt.
*I shall come back to Pumpernickel Bread in a future blog.

Elisabeth likes wholemeal toast bread, and so do many others. Of the three kinds of toast bread sold at the local grocery store, the wholemeal variant is frequently sold out.

On the other hand, Red Baron already prefers thinly sliced whole-grain rye bread for breakfast. There are many kinds of Schwarzbrot, some available only regionally, although others, like Lieken, are produced by bakery chains and are offered throughout Germany. 

Support local bakers! So, for a change, I often buy a loaf of whole-grain rye bread at a local bakery, cutting my thin slices by hand.

My favorite packed bread in Freiburg is the Kraftklotz, but whenever I was in Cologne, I bought at least two packages of Rheinisches Vollkornbrot produced by the local bakery Merzenich. Their bread was very dark and tasty due to the addition of sugar beet syrup. Recently, they changed their baking recipe. Now, Merzenich's bread tastes like any everyday Rhenish whole-grain rye bread. 

So when I wept in the presence of my sister-in-law during my recent visit to Cologne, she, being an insider, recommended Zimmermann's Rheinisches Vollkornbrot instead, donating me two packages.

Zimmermann's bakery, founded in 1875, produces Rheinisches Vollkornbrot
 without preservatives and the addition of syrup.

On the left is a thin slice of Kraftklotz,
and on the right is an even thinner slice of Zimmermann's Rhenish whole-grain rye bread.

Recently, Kraftklotz changed its baking recipe, offering 20% more bread per package. I taste the difference. The new kind is tastier than the previous version.

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Hitler in Freiburg

We are in the midst of our federal election campaign, but Red Baron has never experienced a more boring one. Angela Merkel (Christian Democrat with a projected 38% of the vote) is hovering as the mother of Western democracy over the lowlands of German party politics, whereas Martin Schulz (Social Democrat at a meager 24%) is struggling like the famous frog in liquid cream hoping that part of it may eventually transform into butter to give him at least some ground.

In light of such boredom, the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (lpd, State central for political education) scheduled a panel discussion at the university's Audimax (main auditorium).

General elections 1932 and 2017: Hitler in Freiburg 85 years ago

Unbelievable:
People had to pay an entrance fee at campaign rallies in the Weimar Republic.
Visitors came from Switzerland and neighboring Alsace to listen to Hitler.

Red Baron was early at the Audimax and got a seat near the stage, but only in row four. The other seats in front were reserved for dignitaries, including members of the local soccer teams Sportclub Freiburg (SCF) and the Freiburger Fußballclub (FFC). I got a free ticket issued for counting purposes at the entrance since seating more than 800 persons at the Audimax is illegal. Nevertheless, as the starting time approached, the auditorium became overcrowded.

©lpb

During the filling and waiting phase, we were entertained by video material. A documentary about Hitler's arrival and stay at Freiburg on July 29, 1932, was the "top seller." Here are some frames.

Most impressive. In July 1932, Hitler campaigned using an airplane,
allowing him to give four speeches in four distant
cities in one day. At Freiburg, he arrived one hour late.

Removing his earplugs after arrival at Freiburg (Cabins were not pressurized in 1932).

Saluting children and flowers as usual.

Hitler liked powerful and fast cars.
Rumors have it that the autobahn between Prussia and Bavaria was built
with priority so that he could quickly move between Berlin, the German capital,
and the Hauptstadt der Bewegung (Capital of the Movement), Munich.

As Hitler passed, young female voters were screaming
 like today's teenage girls idolizing Justin Bieber.

Looking determined and surrounded by his Brownshirts
he is marching to the FFC's Mösle stadium.

Hitler is giving his third and same speech during the day.

Already in 1932, there was fake news about the number of attendees:
30,000, according to the Freiburger Sport Club,
50,000, as estimated by the Freiburg newspapers,
70,000, as claimed by Nazi propaganda.

Hitler, with a flying cap, ready to head for Radolfzell on Lake Constance
to attend his fourth and last rally of the day.

Können diese Augen lügen? (Would I lie to you?). Yes, you did.

Super election year 1932. Rektor Schiewer during his introduction
in front of a poster of the presidential election of April 10.

The evening was opened by the host, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, Rektor (head) of Freiburg's university. The purport of his introductory talk was: Although there have been dark times in the past, the motto of Freiburg's university is equality and freedom of speech and research.

In front of a historical photo
 showing Nazi Mayor Franz Kerber and Gauleiter (governor) Robert Wagner
here are the panel members from left to right:
Dr. Thomas Schnabel, Leiter Haus der Geschichte Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart
Dr. Dieter Salomon, Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Freiburg
Dr. Michael Wehner, Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg,
Außenstelle Freiburg leading the discussion
Christian Streich, Trainer, Sport-Club Freiburg
Dr. Heinrich Schwendemann, Historisches Seminar
der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

The panel discussion proper started with two noteworthy statements by Freiburg's mayor, Dr. Dieter Salomon: Jeder Mensch hat seinen Wert (Every human being is valuable) and Populismus ist geschichtsvergessen (Populism ignores history).

According to Dr. Thomas Schnabel, director of the House of History in Stuttgart, a comparison between 1932 and 2017 is nearly ridiculous. In 1932 Germany suffered from the world economic depression and a high unemployment rate of 18% (today 5,7%). This meant more welfare recipients and increased social spending compensated by reducing salaries in the public sector. Streets were dominated by politically motivated brawls and murder. This was an excellent climate for populism. Most important, however, was that more than 50% of the voters, be it right or left, rejected the Weimar Republic, while today, more than 85% fully support the democratic system of our Federal Republic.

Hitler and the National Socialists had their breakthrough in 1930 with 18.3% of the votes, reached their maximum with 37.3% in the July 1932 poll, and declined to 33.1% in the November 1932 elections due to a noticeable improvement in Germany's economic situation. Schnabel insisted that Hitler's rise to power on January 31, 1933, was not imperative. The elites helped him and not the working class.

Schnabel is right, for the chancellor-makers and members of Hitler's initial government were industry (Alfred Hugenberg), military (Werner von Blomberg), and aristocracy (Franz von Papen), where the latter commented: In zwei Monaten haben wir Hitler in die Ecke gedrückt, dass er quietscht (Within two month we shall have pushed Hitler into a corner so he will squeak). All underestimated Hitler's will to power. Within only eight months, the Nazi chancellor had brought Germany into line.

Why were two of Freiburg's soccer teams invited and Christian Streich, SCF coach, sitting on the panel? As Dr. Heinrich Schwendemann, Historical Seminar of the university explained: At the beginning of the 20th century, soccer was an integrating factor when Catholics, Protestants, and Jews placed the team spirit above religious and ideological differences. The Mösle Stadium, home of the FFC, was sponsored by Jews. So it is one of history's ironies that Hitler gave his speech in a "Jewish" stadium.

The integrating power of soccer today involves Muslim and native African rather than Jewish players. This multicultural mix sometimes leads to racist outbursts during matches in the Bundesliga (Federal soccer league). Contrary to other coaches, Christian Streich has frequently spoken out against racist remarks and hate speech and, in particular, has recently taken on the populistic AfD (Alternative for Germany). To great applause, he explained that he had agreed to sit on the panel because I am surrounded by educated people who are occupied the whole day with history and politics. In contrast, I constantly reflect on how to prevent goals against my team.

Later in the discussion, Dr. Salomon distinguished between a political movement and a political party. The Greens started in 1980 as a movement, with Joschka Fischer being their charismatic leader. Together with the Free Democrats and the Linke (left socialists), the Greens now belong to the spectrum of the smaller established parties in Germany, each with the prospect of around 10% of the votes. The populistic AfD is still in the movement stage, just missing the one and only charismatic leader. They may get 12% of the votes in the upcoming general election.

Dr. Salomon said: Concerning Germany's past, present generations are not guilty, but we must watch that such an inhuman period will never reoccur. Concerning our uneasy relationship with our nationality, Dr. Schnabel added: Nationalism, yes, but never against others inside or outside Germany.

Except for some interesting historical details and a few bon mots, the panel discussion did not knock my socks off. Contrary to my habit, I - this time being afraid of lengthy comments by people from the auditorium and verbose answers by the panel members - left the Audimax with most of the audience before the general discussion started.

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Donkeys' Corner

Some of my readers will remember Freiburg's Wagenburgler Story. Over the last few years, it has become quiet around the groups who like to live in caravans. They were roaming Freiburg from 2011 to 2014 for a site to park their vehicles in the shadow (Schattenparker is the name of one "tribe"). Another group called itself Sand im Getriebe (sand in the transmission), and the quarrel with the city went "vicious" until most Wagenburgler had found their rest at a site near Freiburg's airport called Eselswinkel.

Wagenburglers behind the bushes in the background (©BZ/Rita Eggstein)

During this summer, the quiet idyll was suddenly disturbed by noise. People were sleepless in Mooswald, a district of Freiburg on the other side of the airport. On August 5, techno music originating from the donkeys' corner continued into the following morning hours so that a lady at Mooswald stated: Ich stand senkrecht im Bett (I stood in my bed vertically).

©BZ

The office for public order told the Wagenburglers to keep a curfew between 10 a.m. to 6 a.m., but they opposed the ruling and announced more techno parties. A spokeswoman said, "There are no longer any sites at Freiburg where one can party somewhat louder beyond midnight. We would like to make such parties possible for young people. Therefore we invite youth groups interested in our culture and way of life." Na dann prost Mahlzeit! (Well, that's just great!)

They are planning their yearly Diesel'n'Dust-Fest for September 15 into September 16. Mind you, #Dieselskandal is not such a dragging name presently.

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Walking the Bundschuh Trail

Bundschuh, a shoe with bootstraps
worn by ordinary people in the Middle Ages

Last Wednesday, Red Baron walked the Bundschuhpfad (Bundschuh trail). The Christian Democrats (CDU) sponsored this treat as all parties are presently offering vote-catching goodies to Freiburgers since the general federal election of the Bundestag (House of Representatives) is scheduled for September 24.

Four years ago, I blogged about the Bundschuh movement, a peasants' revolt in the village of Lehen, now a district of Freiburg. I also participated in the festivities on the 500th anniversary of the aborted uprising. 

Now, I have walked the commemorative Bundschuh trail created since then. My German readers may like to consult this link for a complete story of the farmers' revolt in 1513.

The Bundschuh trail is conceived like a pilgrimage path with 14 stations. It starts at the Bundschuhhalle (1), where the Leheners hold festivities and special events. This place had nothing to do with the peasants' revolt in 1513. Since this historical event and Lehen's Bergle (hill) are the village's only important attributes, they are marketed together. So, you walk on the trail up and down the Bergle (11), which has vineyards and apple orchards.

In September 1513, the conspirers first met at the Hartmatte (2), a meadow outside the village, to take the Bundschuh vow. Today, the famous Hartmatte is buried beneath a motorway and the tracks of Freiburg's streetcar.

Our guide at Jos-Fritz-Straße

Many of Lehen's streets are named after participants in the revolt. Naturally, there is Jos Fritz (3), the leader, his wife Els Schmidin* (6), and Pastor Johannes Schwartz (4), who spiritually supported the movement calling the Bundschuh ein göttlich Ding (a divine thing).
*In the Middle Ages, women kept their family name, just adding the suffix "in" when married

Els-Schmidin-Weg

Information panel (10)

An information panel about the history of the village church, St. Cyriak, is located there. Johannes Schwartz was parish priest at Lehen from 1497 to 1513, when, following the betrayal of the conspiracy, he fled to Alsace.

A 20th-century Longinus- und Armakreuz in the churchyard was worth a detour. These crosses are named after the Roman legionnaire Longinus, who pierced Jesus in his side with a lance. In addition, it shows the arms, the Arma Christi, i.e., the weapons of Christ. The cross was created by Friedbert Andernach in 1987.

The last station of the trail is the Bundschuh oak (14), carved out of an upside-down oak trunk. The work of art by Thomas Rees commemorates the peasants' uprising and presents the signs of the times 500 years ago. The head of the crucified Christ is bent by the weight of two oppressors. To the right sits a clergyman pointing with one hand to heaven and opening the other hand for a euro. To the left sits a drinking nobleman squeezing out a peasant.

It was an afternoon well spent.

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