This is an Ampelmännchen, the figure for the offical traffic light in Germany telling pedestrians to stop. It was the sign on traffic lights in East Germany, the then German Democratic Republic, When the two Germanies unified in 1990 many East Germans were disgruntled because … Continue reading A complicated history
You want all of these:
(Please ignore the Christmas wrappings.)
or
this big one:
This is the monument built in 1988 to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of Strasbourg.
I had lived in South Africa for a couple of years when I went back home to visit my mother and walking about our old town with its medieval towers and the baroque castle and the 1000-year- old castle ruin on the hill I suddenly realised that in Johannesburg the oldest building I could come across was barely 50 years old. Whereas in my old home history seemed to stare at me from every corner, my new home seemed devoid of it.
Which is of course, the wrong definition of history. I saw the height of the fight against apartheid, I saw the end of this terrible system (even helped in the tiniest amount – I served tea to a few of the protagonists). I lived through history. Today, this is history. So much so that a statue of one of the heroes of the time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, stands surrounded by gravestones and garden ornaments in the lot of a stonemason in a little town in the Odenwald and is instantly recognised.
The Ragtag Daily Prompt: History.
From 16th century until 1885 this square in Frankfurt am Main was known as the “Judenmarkt” (the Jewish market). In 1885 it was named officially as “Börneplatz” to honour Julius Börne, an early 19th century journalist born in the Jewish Ghetto of Frankfurt. In 1935 it was changed to “Dominikanerplatz” as names of Jewish people were eradicated by the Nazi government. In 1978 this injustice was rectified by the Frankfurt town council and the square was once again known as “Börneplatz”. While excavating the ground around the square for planned new buildings, the foundations of several antique Jewish buildings, two mikwehs amongst them, were found. After long discussions, the square was remodelled as the “Neuer Börneplatz” (new Börnesquare) which now includes a memorial with the almost 12,000 names of the known Jewish Frankfurt citizens who were victims of the Nazi annihilation policy.
Linked to One Word Sunday: History.
This mural was created in 2005 on the walls of an underpass by a dedicated arts class of the local Carl-Benz-Gymnasium in Ladenburg. It illustrates figures from the history of the town. Here are the figures in historical sequence:
And in case you missed the cat:
For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: graffiti & murals.
The house itself was built in the middle of the 16th century and this alone makes it a part of history. But it is also the custodian of our towns traditions as it is today the home of the local historical society, and once a year it is the centre of our town festival.
Taking part in Paula’s photo challenge “traces of the past” (in monochrome) I thought it was fitting to showcase a part of my past (no, I’m not THAT old).
This tower – dating back to the second half of the 13th century – has dominated my childhood as it cast its shadow over the garden behind our house. It owes its name “der blaue Hut” (the blue hat) from the former, long gone slate blue roof.
This view shows how it was once part of the town wall of Weinheim an der Bergstraße, Germany, but now stands at the border between the town and the palace grounds.
At night it looks eerie and forbidding – reminiscent of its past as jail.
And from the right angle it complements the ruin of the “Burg Windeck” which is another 150 years older.
https://bopaula.wordpress.com/2017/06/11/black-white-sunday-traces-of-the-past-y2-06-2/
pictures imperfect blog 