This was once a border

Germany was, as most readers will know, at one time split in two halves by the Iron Curtain.

At some points along the “Inner-German Border” there are still some watchtowers, preserved to show the World what the border looked like. But in many parts the border has just disappeared and is part of the landscape.

To make sure that people do not forget just where that border was, many of the roads that cross that point in Germany have had signs erected, commemorating the fact that Germany was divided at those points.

A commemorative sign near Salzwedel at the location of the Inner-German border

This one can be seen between Brome (West) and Mellin (East). It is also about 25km from Salzwedel, the town in Germany that apparently is the furthest from any motorway exit and happens to be on one of the routes that I use each year to travel to the island of Rügen.

Another can be seen on the A20 motorway which follows the coast of the Baltic sea running eastwards from Hamburg.

The border itself was around 1,400km (860 miles) long.

35 Years of World Vision in Germany

The German branch of World Vision was founded on 15th November, 1979 in Oberursel by Dr. Manfred Kohl.  35 years later the organisation – now based in Friedrichsdorf – opened their doors to celebrate.

For the 35th anniversary they had invited long-serving patrons and a number from the local area, many of whom accepted the invitation to bring along their own children.

Miriam Schuller (left) and Gabriele Rohde (right) with guests roll-playing a micro-credit meeting under the village tree

Miriam Schuller (left) and Gabriele Rohde (right) with guests roll-playing a micro-credit meeting under the village tree

They were welcomed by the event’s host Oliver Müller, who reminded everyone that the organisation’s work would not be possible without the the donors, as well as by the chairman of the executive committee Wilfried Bohlen.  They were followed by the chairman of the board Christoph Waffenschmidt and his deputy Christoph Hilligen, who talked about the work that had taken place during the past 35 years. [Read more…]

The night the Wall came down… 5 years on

Five years ago I wrote an article for this website called “The night the Wall came down”, at a time when Germany was commemorating 20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall.

In front of the Berlin Wall in November 1996

In front of the Berlin Wall in November 1996

Now that another five years have passed all the talk this weekend is of the 25th anniversary, and that article is as valid as ever.  Except that one thing has changed: I have now spent more time in the Eastern part of the country.

I have been to the island of Rügen located in Baltic Sea five times now, and taken different routes and seen different parts of the landscape each year.

On Rügen itself I have come face to face with some of that East German history, and visited areas that were off-limits to normal East German citizens until 1990 – some of which will appear in future articles.

I still haven’t been back to Berlin.

Click here to read the original article

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