Category Archives: History
Antifa
Whenever someone wants to “ban Antifa”, I have to think of this photo. It shows the liberation of the concentration camp in Mauthausen by the US Army in May 1945. Looking at the banner with which the Spanish prisoners welcomed … Continue reading
Historical Ignorance
Zur deutschen Fassung. I am always a bit disappointed when my clients show little enthusiasm, as I explain to them that the finely balanced inter- and sometimes counterplay between federal laws, the state judiciary and municipal executive power in Germany … Continue reading
Mauthausen
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Berichts. My hosts in Linz are exceptionally gracious hosts. On the morning of the farewell, they cook, bake, puree, flambé and prepare food as if I weren’t a humble little fellow, but a horde of a … Continue reading
Bolivia misses the Sea
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. In every country in South America, there is one specific topic with which you can interrupt the logorrhea of even the most verbose person. In Brazil, mentioning the numbers 7-1 is enough to make people … Continue reading
If Donald Trump had been President in 1941
“Winston, you have to stop with this warmongering, do you hear me? The Nazis just want your little island. And all of Europe. And to enslave millions. And to murder, rape and loot. And you come here, make a fuss … Continue reading
Easily Confused (67) Peace Conference
Munich, 1938: A so-called peace conference at which the aggressor receives all the concessions he demands, the victim of the aggression is not represented, and the participants and observers act on the unbelievably naive assumption that world peace can be … Continue reading
Wannsee
Zur deutschen Fassung. Once again, I am on the train from the capital of culture to the capital of politics, from Chemnitz to Berlin. As I make this journey rather frequently, and because the Deutschlandticket limits me to local and … Continue reading
For the mass graves, turn right in 300 meters
Just a regular marker in Central and Eastern Europe: I stumbled across this one as I was walking to Europos Parkas from Vilnius, while looking for the geographical center of Europe. But more about that in a separate report, hopefully … Continue reading
Deportation
Rather somber moment, opening the e-mail from a citizenship client, and it says: I have also attached the transportation records for my great-great-grandfather’s 1941 deportation from Hamburg to Lodz and his 1942 death record. That really puts into perspective some … Continue reading
Visiting the Stasi Archive
Zur deutschen Fassung. 2.3 million index cards, and that’s only for the district of Karl-Marx-Stadt. This is one of the many pieces of information I took away from my visit to the Stasi Archive in Chemnitz, as Karl-Marx-Stadt is called … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 