Wartburg Castle

THE WARTBURG CASTLE (OF EISENACH)

           

The Wartburg Castle is an important piece of German history that traces its legend all the back to the 11^th century. Situated beautifully atop a 1,200-foot steep climbing over looking the small town of Eisenach in central Germany. I’ve seen tons of pictures of this castle and it is amazing to see how it has developed through the history of Germany and how the country itself has developed throughout the life of this beautiful castle.

           

-Foundation laid in 1068 by Thuringian count, Louis the Springer, of Schauenburg.

            -When he first saw the mountain, he exclaimed “Wait, mountain—you shall bear a castle for me!”

            -Brought clay from his original home for the Castle to be built upon, so he could say he truly built it on his own land

            -The castle went through multiple transitions of power and possession.

            -The Weimar eventually took possession of Wartburg at the beginning of the 15^th century, setting the castle up for it’s decline

            -From the 1500’s until after the Napoleonic wars, the castle was set as a repair site and abandoned from power

            -During Martin Luther’s exile from the Church, he sought shelter at the Castle

            -Here, he lived as The Knight George and lived quietly and peacefully within the castle after his excommunication

            -The Wartburg is the site that Luther translated the New Testament into German

            -Because of its old age and rich history, the castle has been restored and renovated numerous times

            -Each renovation and different efforts of construction bring about a new era of building, slightly new modeling touches, and often even new drafts of old parts of the castle

            -Its constant refuge of outsiders has grown the Wartburg into a well-known pilgrimage within the German culture

            From my research, it is my understanding that the Wartburg is that type of monument and historic site that you cannot pass up when visiting Germany. The amazing pictures and setting that the castle rest upon makes this one of the most intriguing sites I believe we’re going to visit. The forest and high mountain scenery makes the setting around the castle look even more beautiful. Finally I believe it will be a pretty breathtaking and awestruck feeling when we realize that this was the site of Martin Luther’s Bible translation during his exile. You just don’t get to be at or understand many parts of history that iconic, you guys. 

Brandenburg Gate

BRANDENBURG GATE

            The Brandenburg Gate is a monumental and geographical center of the great city of Berlin, Germany. It is one of the most well-known and recognizable landmarks of not just Berlin, but all of Germany. The gate has been a sign of peace, a sign of access, a sign of division, a most recently a site to remember and reminisce.

            -Originally commissioned by King Freidrich Wilhelm II of Prussia as a sign of peace

            -Built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791

            -Consist of 12 columns that create 5 passageways through the gate

            -Based on the Propylaea, which was the gate to the Acropolis in Athens

            -After his defeat of the Prussians in 1806, Napoleon was the first to utilize the gate as a sign of his newfound access to Berlin in a winning ceremony

            -Napoleon also took the gate’s Quadriga back to Paris as a symbol of victory

            -After his defeat in 1814, the Quadriga was replaced and added an Iron Cross, the new symbol of Prussian Power

            -The Nazis utilized the gate as a symbol of their party and their power

            -WWII caused bullet hole and nearby explosive damages

            -After German surrender, both East and West Germany restored the gate, in a joint effort

            -The Gate and its pedestrian and vehicle access closed with the rise of the Berlin Wall in 1961

            -During JFK’s 1963 visit of the Gate, Soviets hung large red banners across the openings to hide East Berlin from the President

            -In 1987, Reagan gave a famous speech at the gate and told “Mr. Gorbachev, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

            -The Gate was reopened shortly after the fall on Dec. 22, 1989, with a handshake and meeting of West German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, and East German Prime Minister, Hans Modrow.

            -The Gate was refurbished in the early 2000s with a $6 million effort

            -On November 9, 2009 Chancellor Angela Merkel with Russian and Polish leaders walked through the Gate together as part of a celebration of the 20 years without the Berlin Wall

           

            Overall, this gate has been a prominent and constant sign of history for Germany throughout the years. The Germans see this gate as a symbol of pride, but also as a symbol of history and where they come from. The German culture and country as a whole has always had troubles with unification and with division. An open Brandenburg gate is a symbol as strong as the bald eagle and freedom in America. The freedom and pride Germans must feel walking through the Gate freely must be overwhelming, and I personally cannot WAIT to visit such a monumental and historical site.

            Germany’s history is both vast and broad in the differences of events and uprisings that have brought it to what it is today. One of the most published and known uprisings is that of the Nazi Party in Germany, beginning in 1919, eventually rising to power and holding reign from 1933-1945. This has always been a fascinating rise to power to me, and I have researched and studied Hitler and the Nazi Party rise extensively. Hitler’s rise was fast, unprecedented, and absolutely astonishing.

(Hitler seems to have been a man who was always scheming and ready and able to adjust to anything)

            What I find most interesting about the Hitler and Nazi regime’s rise is where it all began. What I mean by this statement is that the rise to this party and the ideals Hitler was able to spread across an entire nation did not necessarily begin with the 1933 fall of the Weimer Republic. In my eyes, Hitler was able to bring the Nazi party to power because of his incredible and extensive knowledge of Germany’s most recent history. He understood and had an extremely unique analysis of the First World War and how Germany’s political system had worked to repair Germany and bring the great country back after a devastating defeat. With all of this knowledge and understanding Hitler was the first and most prominent person in Germany to do what no one else had done successfully, find others to blame.

            As we all know, Hitler was an incredible speaker and could truly reach out and have massive affects on anyone that was able to hear him speak. Even early on in an election year that Hitler was somewhat of an outcast with a new party and very new ideals, he was able to gain headway early on. In the German election system of rounds “Hitler received 37 percent (of the vote), showing that the poisonous anti-Semitic mudslinging his campaign indulged had been effective (241)”.

(Hitler was well-known for extremely thought out and effective propaganda, like this Anti-Jewish poster)

      Hitler was able to find ways to blame Germany’s current state of devastation on not only the Jews, but on current government and political strategies. With Hitler’s impressive speech skills, paired with an also impressive set of leadership skills he was really able to reach out to millions. These abilities fuming Hitler through his speeches tied with someone to blame, and an immediate group for the German people to point a finger at for their current horrific standard of living made Hitler and the rising Nazi party a force to be reckoned with.

(German Hyperinflation leaves kids to literally "play" with bills)

            Overall, I have found the German history that we have read about so far as pretty fascinating. I was at first amazed at how unique Germany was from a historic aspect. Not only is Germany one of the world’s youngest unified countries, it’s actual unification process set it apart from almost any other nation I have ever learned about. As we learned more, I became impressed with Germany and its uniqueness. Not only did it rise and unify in different ways, it did so with powerful and impressive confidence. The simple proof of this is that Germany is merely almost 150 years unified is an impressive economic world power. In our most recent readings, I am again impressed with Germany. While I fully understand that reign of Hitler and the unspeakable atrocities of his actions, one cannot help but be amazed at his motives, his rise, his reign, and his overall leadership. With the German history he had access to, the failed attempts at governments with the Weimar Republic, and the extreme devastation of living standards Germany was currently dealing with, Hitler was fueled with ammunition. He was one of the most prominent world leaders EVER in being able to utilize what he had in his power to raise and rule. As far as my opinion and “deep” thought on the matter, I truly wonder what if Hitler had sided with the Republic and how different Germany and the world would’ve been with such a powerful and incredible leader of a man having sane ideals and not being the sick tyrant that he was. 

The Birth of the German Nation

     First off, I have to say I think I am at a lucky advantage over the rest of the group. I met with Professor Wolf this morning to make up for not being able to attend our past meeting, and we dove into a little discussion of the German history and unique unification process we read about in Chapters 3-5. However, I still have a long ways to go before I feel I can call myself ready to travel to Germany and not just be your typical American tourist.
     I have always found it hard to be interested in European history prior to the 19th century, as I have always felt it is all somewhat similar and plays off of itself. What I mean, is that most of Europe operated in similar fashion with the other countries, and kingdoms, and Lords dominated the lands of all major nations for quite sometime. However, being the typical American I am, I was wrong again. One of the things Professor Wolf and I discussed was how unique and unlike typical reasons for unification Germany used to come together.
     German unification came less out of a need based drive towards one common goal, and more was brought about from an opening of minds and abundance of intelligence. Germany was a divided nation politically and religiously, the second of the two being a problem that other European nations did not have to deal with. The following map shows purely religious divisions of Germany in the year 1610, with the northern half practicing forms of Christianity and the southern half being Catholic.

    Despite the religious divisions and multiple kingdoms of power in Germany not wanting to budge and conform with one another, the Germans had more to unite around than they believe. For instance, Germany has long since been a culture of artistic and liberal intelligence in almost all aspects of the maths, the sciences, music, and other arts of all times. German love of arts led to the love and feelings of expression and outward public opinion. Differing opinions and liberal representations of opinions can often lead to repression from church or state, however, Germany truly gained a voice in central Europe with its liberal opinions and knowledge. This liberal uprising in central Europe brought about the Enlightenment, which gave us many philosophical thinkings. One of my favorite being the ideals of Immanuel Kant when he stressed that we as humans truly live in "two worlds simultaneously, the realm of appearances..."where we are just one of billions, and "the realm of practical morality, in which we are free" (95). Kant and other liberal ideas gave way to a freedom of thought and expression, the liberal and artistic Germans were able to see amongst themselves as their first real common identity. Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, gave an eye opening view of human morality, and individual human freedom. 

     From the late 18th century during the Enlightenment and an opening of liberal and outward thought, Germans never looked back. "In the period of Wars of Liberation and the Revolution of 1848, the reading public grew as many more people attained literacy" (117). I believe that with literacy comes a yearning to learn, and an expanding mind learning through text and ideals of others is an amazing thing. The German culture could now relate to one another through teachings other than religion that was conflicting for them. A Northern Lutheran and Southern Catholic in Germany now had readings like Kant, and music from Beethoven and Wolfgang to relate with one another and see past religious differences. 

     The mid-1800's finally saw Germany truly become a part of the European markets and grow and unite in a big way as a nation. The Germans were slowly developing a military presence as more than just a bunch of divided kingdoms that would team up when threatened. Germany experienced an industrial BOOM that brought about great and phenomenally unifying railway systems that created jobs and benefited greatly from cheap labor. 

     With transportation options, trade and market activity becomes easier and finds ways to take off with "amounts of money in circulation, bank deposits, and capital investment with the German Customs Union increasing three-fold" from 1850-1857 (130-131). 

    While Germany progression toward unification and the true birth of a nation was slow, long, and different than many other nations of history and of the time, it gave Germans a lot to be proud of and come together on. Germans were able to come together through artistic and intelligent ideals, Enlightenment thoughts and literary growth, as well as booming industry and economic expansion. 

Word Count- 768

      I'm not really sure what I think about Martin Luther. To be honest, I am amazed, impressed, and extremely respectful of anyone who stands up against overbearing powers for what they believe in. However, Martin Luther's ideals, movement, and teachings brought about controversy, unrest, and a division of the German country.
     Like most revolutionaries, Martin Luther had many people who did not only disagree with his ideals, but they adamantly opposed and refused them. However, the man had strong believes and stuck strong to these feelings and ideals. He translated the Bible to German so that others around him could learn, understand, and appreciate the beliefs that he himself found to be true. Luther held strong to what he wanted and did all he could to spread his word throughout the German culture. Martin Luther did not see what the Roman Empire and Catholic Church were preaching and enforcing as right, just, or understandable. He interpreted and saw the Bible and the teachings of Christ in a different light and wanted to at least give people around him an opportunity to follow in his footsteps and see his point of view. He did not believe in many of the ways of the Church, including Indulgences where people could pay for the sins that they committed and many other injustices he saw in the ways of the Church. I am grateful and honored by the word and honesty that Martin Luther laid down to stand against the Church he disagreed with and the beliefs he did not feel.
    On the other hand, Martin Luther paved the path for some controversy and an eventual division of the German people and way of life. His ideals and teachings were the first real questioning of the Catholic Church and the processes that the Roman Empire built itself upon. For the first time, people of Luther's day had another outlet and another realm of religion and belief that they could learn from and search for than what they had been used to. This caused much unrest, hostility, and general questioning from the people. This is where I question and lower my brow to Martin Luther questioning his reasoning to cause an uprising and revolution of sorts at the time.
     Overall, Martin Luther stood up for what he believed in a fought a powerful Empire and Church that had never before been questioned. However, his teachings and beliefs caused and uprise and an unrest that I do not see as just or fit at the time of his delinquency.

My photos are a statue of Martin Luther and the admiration of the historic figure in German culture, the Bible, as translated by Luther, and of what his ideals and the Protestant Reformation did to Europe of the day.

Word count: 432 plus captions

2nd Germany Blo

Germany A New History looks to be a really good reading to prepare our group for the Germany trip. My interest in the first couple of chapters came from the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther as these are two things that I have studied and know a little bit about previously. Martin Luther is a fascinating person to me, as is any historic figure that has stood up to power and authority. People who disagree with something and want to fight for what they believe, no matter who the fight is against, are real heroes in my eyes and definitely peak my interest.

That being said, the Protestant Reformation has always interested me because I believe it was an historical event that probably inspired America’s stand against Great Britain from the beginning, when the Pilgrims arrived. Quaker Pilgrims did not agree with the King’s rule or the English religion, and instead of reforming in the way Martin Luther did, they moved and started an entire new country in the 13 colonies. The American to German comparisons are a big interest of mine in going abroad.

Furthermore, I mentioned in my first blog that Italy was an eye-opening experience for me when I was fortunate enough to go in June. A big regret of mine is that I did not know enough about Italian history or culture before I went. I believe this text and all the readings and meetings we will have before our journey overseas will much better prepare me for the German experience. For my own interest and research knowledge, I am going to try and push myself this fall to learn some Italian history and culture beyond what I learned so that I can have the 3^rd country of interest to include in my studies along with Germany and the United States.

            Overall, I was thrilled to be able to go over to Italy this summer and had an amazing experience while there. However, I did not feel I was rightfully prepared or learned in the history and culture of the Italians and I do not want to make that same mistake with our experience in Germany. I believe our readings will help to keep me from that mistake and I’m excited to learn.

                                                                                   

                                    

                      Martin Luther

Martin Luther Preaching Ideals to the Emperor

Pilgrims Arrival in America