Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Stories of Women in the Postwar Era

 

                                                                Dressed up to dance again...

BERLIN’s WOMEN : 

THE MOTHER (in 1945, before occupation)

The Family Manager – ON LEAVING BERLIN

Packing the family’s possessions to flee on foot:

With Home sewn Rucksacks and one suitcase each

Warm Clothing, winter shoes, fur coats, gloves and hats

Medicines, hygiene products, chemicals to make soap,

Make-up and one evening gown for each daughter (dress # 10 – black taffeta)

An item of personal importance (books,records, dolls)

 

Packing in crates for possible car/truck transport:

Household essentials: Pots, Pans, Linens,

A radio, a gramophone,

Mattresses ( 2 x 3-part made 3 x 2 extra beds)

BERLIN’s WOMEN : 

THE GRANDMOTHER(1945)

The holiday visitor who had to stay

The widow of a Pharmacist came to Berlin for the 1944 Christmas holidays.

Two of her three suitcases were stolen on the trip. Her only possession, the content of one suitcase.

She could not return in 1945 – Russians occupied her house in the East.

She left Berlin with her daughter and grand-daughters.

She shared a room with her niece at the Estate’s Farm building

She cooked for the family and cared for her invalid daughter.

She harvested her niece’s garden while the 15 year old was sent to stand in line for milk or bread.

She moved to the city with her daughter’s family.

There, she was happily reunited with her brother, accidentally meeting in the street. He had moved to the same city. They had lost touch in in 1945.

 

THE DAUGHTER: “SHE” LEAVING HOME, BERLIN  

COUNTRY LIFE: TWO YEARS FARM WORK IN EXCHANGE FOR LIVING QUARTERS FOR GRANDMOTHER, MOTHER AND SISTER

CARING FOR INJURED MOTHER ONE YEAR (1945)

TENDING EXTRA GARDEN PROVIDING FAMILY FOOD

VISITING MOTHER IN 10-MONTH HOSPITAL STAY (30 km BY BIKE)

 

RETURNING TO THE CITY:

BEGINNING HOME-EC SCHOOL TRAINING

RETURNING HOME TO CARE FOR INVALID MOTHER

BEGINNING SECOND TRAINING AS PHARMACITICAL TECHNICIAN

 

MARRIAGE:

STARTING DOLL CLOTHING BUSINESS

ASSISTANT TO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER

DESIGNING DRESSES – SEWING AND SELLING TO PATTERN MAG.

GIVING UP BUSINESS TO DEDICATE HERSELF AS DIPLOMAT-WIFE

BERLIN’s WOMEN : 

THE AUNT (LOSS OF HUSBAND AND SON )

War Widow  – REMAINING IN EAST GERMANY

-        Left behind with daughter in East German City

-        Some of her six sisters also remained in East Germany,

-        As did her unmarried niece

-        Cut off from her brother, and nieces in the west

 

-        Worked making wooden toys with her daughter

-        One of seven daughters of a minister under socialism she experienced discrimination

-        As did her daughter and niece.

-        Niece moved to West Germany– (allowed to do so)

when she reached age 65 (seniors were given exit visa to leave the GDR)

-        She lived her final years in East Germany, cared for at home by her daughter.

BERLIN’s WOMEN : 

THE GRANDDAUGHTER ( GROWING UP ABROAD )

GLOBAL CITIZEN  – THIRD CULTURE KID

-        Spent the first two years in Germany 

-        With parents, grandfathers and aunts in Germany,

-         A year in France

-        Three years in San Francisco

-        Three years in Reykjavik

-        18 years in Germany  growing up with global cultures in the West German Capital Bonn

-        Reunion with her Great aunt when she settled in the West at age 65 ( visa from East Germany)

-        Chinese Art History – study tour to China

-         Marriage that would take her abroad

-         After 1990 first visits to Eastern Germany, Berlin and meeting of her Aunt in the German East

-        Artist recording family history in paintings, words and writings.


Monday, May 17, 2021

The Berlin Airlift - Die Berliner Luftbruecke 1949-

 

Artikel von Susanne Nielsen in Das Fenster 2008

Kulturspiegel April 14, 2019 - vor 70 Jahren endete die Berliner Luftbruecke, ein Blick zurueck mit Jutta Wonneberger

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2019/04/kulturspiegel-april-14-2019-vor-70.html


Diese Woche möchten wir an die Zeit der Berliner Luftbrücke, die vor 70 Jahren am 12.Mai 1949 zuendeging, erinnern. Susanne hatte die Ehre den beruehmten Oberst aD Gail Halvorsen, den bekanntesten und originalen "Candy Bomber", Rosinenbomberpiloten in Tampa kennenzulernen.
(Halverson lebt noch, reist aber nun nicht mehr viel). Er hat ein Buch zu diesem Thema geschrieben.   Halverson war es, der auf die Idee kam, den Kindern in Berlin etwas ganz besonderes zu schenken, Freude!  Wie? Indem er unzählige Tafeln Schokolade, Kaugummi und Rosinen an Taschentuechern (die eigenen und von Kollegen gestifteten) festband, die  zu kleinen Fallschirmen wurden und sie dann im Tiefflug abwarf. Bald taten es ihm viele der Piloten nach, die zusaetzlich zu den Versorgungslebensmitteln und Briketts als Ueberlebensgueter an den Berliner Flughäfen abluden. Gail signalisierte mit dem Wackeln der Fluegel seines Flugzeuges, dass es ihr geliebter Onkel Wackelfluegel, "Mr. Wigglewings"war, der da anflog und Suesses abwarf.

Kind der Luftbruecke und Rosinenbomber in Berlin Jutta Wonneberger
Jutta war gerade 12 als die Luftbruecke DAS Ereignis in Berlin war.

Susanne sprach mit einem der "Kinder der Luftbruecke", mit Jutta Wonneberger, die damals in Berlin lebte. Juttas Vater vermachte seiner Tochter zwei Erinnerungsstücke an die Luftbrücke, eine Dose gemahlenen Kaffee und eine Schachtel mit Makkaroni,  Erinnerung an diese interessante Geschichtsperiode in Deutschland.


Gail Halvorsen, "Mr. Candy bomber" zu Besuch/visits MacDill AFB 
on the anniversary of the Berlin Aurlift - Host German Brigadier General Schmidt 


Visit by Nadja Prokasi, Jutta Wonneberger's daughter at "Women of the Berlin Wall" exhibition by Susanne Nielsen, at Freedom Pavilion , Citrus Mall, Tampa, Florida May 15, 2021



Post-War History - Articles about Germany in the 1940s/50s

The Americans in Germany: 1945 to the 1950s 

German/English Newspaper Articles with English Translations :

“The German American Dream”, by Rolf Toyka, Wiesbadener Kurier,July 21, 2011

This year, the series of “sightseeing” walks carried out by the Advisory Board for Urban Development, Architecture and Construction of the state capital Wiesbaden/Hessen in cooperation with the Wiesbadener Kurier ( city newspaper)  is dedicated to the subject “Americans in Wiesbaden”. It is very important to us not only to focus on the historical development and the current conditions, but especially to cast a view to the city’s future (development).

 

(American) Soldiers in the City

A look back: In the 1950s many German cities had been destroyed to a great extent, poverty and depression were prevalent and widespread. In Wiesbaden, chosen in 1945 by the Americans to be the state (Hessen)’s capital, many American soldiers live and work. Thus, many Wiesbadeners experience a the “American Dream” close-up.  For example, Advisory board member Benita von Perbandt, then still a high school student then, took care of the children of an American officer’s family and worked her way up to waitress at the American-occupied Hotel Nassauer Hof Hotel. Even The Chairperson of the Advisory Board, Hans-Peter Gresserand his band played music at the American Eagle Club (the Kurhaus Casino).

The Americans demonstrate a contrast in living to the German population’s situation in the city: the Americans  enjoyed exotic seeming food, unusual cigarettes, chewing gum, and beverages, and had (grill) parties. The (American) occupiers by and by, change roles, from antagonists to role models ( for the Germans), not only in respect to their consumer habits, but especially in respect to their life-style. This becomes especially clear in the mid 1950s when the first American housing areas were built among others by the Wiesbaden architect Herbert Rimpl. There were no fences surrounding the backyards; a generous (park like) “green carpet” was created, on which clusters of buildings were arranged. There were apartments that didn’t have narrow entrance ways, but instead offered an open floor plan (generous combined living- dining-areas like today already existed here). Generosity prevailed. Quite a (new and) different world!

(photo)The occupied “Kurhaus” 1950

Additionally Stars like Bill Ramsey and Elvis Presley performed in Wiesbaden.

 A New Model Needed!

And today? The Americans, of course, remain a normal part of the Wiesbaden population, but they are not really an integrated part of the city’s society. The relocation of the European Headquarters (of the US-Military from Frankfurt) to the city of Wiesbaden offers manynew opportunities. A large number of US officers and civilians as new citizens (with noticeably extended postings) will be stationed in Wiesbaden. A new model (for living together) is urgently needed.

There are two important issues here. First, when we speak of integration, we often (only0 focus on people with migration backgrounds. Our efforts, however, need to be also expanded to include these American limited-time dwellers. For safety reasons, access to the military base/housing has to remain restricted. That is why, it is of utmost importance to convince the American military members and their families to connect with the Wiesbaden population. Should there not be a House of  German American Friendship? With an “Eagle-Club”?

On a second note: a city development model seems to be in order. And not just because of the American inhabitants. Housing in differing price levels is scarce  and becoming even more so. The question is: Where can we - and preferably not just in the suburbs, where a new infrastructure has yet to be developed – create new housing construction projects? There is no missive for this in the coalition agreement.It is imperative to act quickly on this matter.

In Frankfurt, there is a decision by the city parliament to relocate the small-gardening community in the Niederrad neighborhood  ( of course with compensation and new gardening land to the owners), to create more apartment complexes near downtown.  The new Wiesbaden coalition partners have positioned themselves on this issue, “they are determined to continue protect the existing small-garden community.” There will be no more diminishing of these existing areas. That does mean receiving an allotted area, but not necessarily in the preferred location. So, why i.e. not utilize the small-garden community “An den Nussbaeumen” between Konrad-Adenauer Ring and Brentano Street for the construction of affordable housing for Americans and Germans to avoid an escalation in the cost of rent? That would be a contribution to socially responsible city planning!  Maybe this would also allow some small-gardening plots to remain within the housing development areas.

In short, it is important to set the path in a beneficial direction, so we can continue to speak of the “German-American Dream”  and more than ever, that the dream turns into a close German-American friendship grows in the city of Wiesbaden.

( translation by Trey Horwitz)

“When the “Amis” (Americans) came to town…”, by Jutta Schwiddessen,  Wiesbadener Kurier, August 10, 2011

Wiesbaden. For a second time, after the (American) occupation in 1945, when they designated Wiesbaden as the seat of the (US)Military Government and as the capital of the German state of Hessen, the Americans gave another vote to Wiesbaden: As of the Fall 2012, the city will become Headquarters of the US Armed Forces in Europe and by this the administrative and Command and Control Center for all US-Army units in Europe. By the Fall of 2013 at the latest, all soldiers and civilian workers of the headquarters will be working, and many will also be living in Wiesbaden.

New Challenges

As in 1945 this development will present city building challenges. The “series of “sightseeing” walks 2011 in cooperation with Advisory Board for Urban Development, Architecture and Construction is focused on the “Americans in Wiesbaden It is very important to us not only to focus on the historical development and the current conditions, but especially to cast a view to the city’s future (development).

But in order to best understand this development, one needs to see it in context with historical references, Rolf Toyka, the manager of the Department of Architecture and City planning for the state of Hessen emphasizes. He, Professor Benita von Perbandt, Hans-Peter Gresser, Hildebert de la Chevallerie, and Thomas Schwendler from the Council for City Planning comprise the “sightseeing” walks 2011 team. .

The friendship that has grown between the Germans and Americans over the past many years did not begin “friendly”. The 1945 beginnings were marked by the confiscation (by the Americans) of villas, apartments, hotels, administrative buildings, but also many  of the city’s Cultural and recreational institutions – creating an extreme housing shortage for Wiesbaden’s population. The last confiscated apartments were finally returned to the owners in  1956.

In 1946, 3,331 Apartments in over 700 buildings had been confiscated by the Occupying forces, by 1948 almost 6,000 had been confiscated. And the method of the confiscators was – as Professor von Perbandt of the “sightseeing” walks team researched, had been initially quite brutal:   Within 24 hours the city was ordered to present a list of houses that then needed to be immediately vacated (by its German inhabitants). “Immediately vacated” meant:  Within one hour the owners had to leave their homes, were  only allowed to take with them “clothing, bedsheets, valuables, 1 plate, 1 knife, 1 fork, and 1 spoon per person, and food items”. And often, the victims reported “the Americans waited, clock in hand,  at their doorstep.” The terrible war memories of the war were too close, for the victors be able  to show any compassion or consideration.

By 1951, the American community (because as of 1946 the soldiers stationed in Wiesbaden were given permission to bring their families to join them) had grown to 16,000. At the time  the Americans troops occupied the city, the population of Wiesbaden was 123,000. A year later it was 198,000. This was an increase of almost 40 percent. It was no use that in Wiesbaden much less living space had been destroyed than in other cities. There was not enough new construction to cover the housing needs. Especially since in addition to the Americans refugees (from the Eastern territories) ,  and foreign workers determined to stay, and as of the 1950’s also the representatives of the new state government positioned in Wiesbaden, and the employees of two federal agencies located here, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (BKA) and the Federal Bureau of Statistics had to be accommodated. Gated American housing areas were located on Gustav-Freytag street and Lahn street where also the American school was located. In the are of the Biebricher Hoehe Perbandt found in her research in the city archive, 1,000 Americans lived in about 130 houses, that were secured with barbed wire fences and Polish security guards. Another American housing area of the city was on Nassau street. Villas on Bierstaedter street, Park street, Richard Wagner, and Rossel street had been confiscated by the Americans, one had been reserved for Eisenhower. Finally, Starting in the 50s and 60s, the American housing areas in Bierstadter Hoehe and the housing community Hainerberg were built (to which an extra article is dedicated).

A Golf course, founded at the beginning of the 20th century, was in US-hand, just like the Kurhaus Casino and all the luxury hotels, from the undistroyed Neroberghotel (Officer’s Club) with its public swimming-pool(Opelbad), to  the Palast-Hotel (Military Command Headquarters), Rose (Hotel), and Schwarzer Bock (Hotel) to the (Hotel) zum Goldenen Brunnen. As Perbandt observed: “Tourism and Spa revenues ( the city’s main income source for many years) hadf thus also been blocked ( by the American occupation) .”

Enemies became Friends

Located in the Kurhaus Casino the legendary “Eagle Club”, was run by the Red Cross, where internationally known Stars like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Bill Ramsey, and even Wiesbadener Jazz musician Rudi Breuker with his Sextet performed on stage. Finally, in 1954, when the Wiesbaden Kurhaus Casino had been fully returned to the Wiesbadeners, the (American)”Eagle Club” moved to the so-called “White House” ( a historic villa) on Paulinen street. The American troops parked their cars in the entrance hall of the main Railway station, and (across from it) until the 1950s, the Reisinger Anlagen Park had been used by the American occupying troops as a parking lot.

Not always Conflict-Free (Relations)

For (the first) one year the American-German relationship in Wiesbaden was one of  “victor-to-loser”, in which friendly contact was discouraged (see booklets distributed in the US military). Then relations became opportune and  - finally, not least thanks to the goal of a democratic (re)education of the Germans – American doors opened, and also the “American way of life”, including Ice cream cakes and Jazz, all eventually found its way into (the lifestyle) of Wiesbaden. Numerous charity and  cultural events  brought each side closer to the other. Many personal friendships formed, and some US families, who lived in confiscated apartments, “illegally” returned some of their property to the German owners. The Berlin Airlift that had been initiated from Wiesbaden-Erbenheim to Berlin strengthened the positive feelings especially towards one another.

However, living together in the city was not totally free from conflicts. One of the main problems that lasted until the 1980s was the lack of maintained discipline of US-troops tired of Europe, which led to repeated altercations.

The theme of the next “sightseeing” walks 2011 article will discuss how the presence of the Americans affected the architecture and the development of Wiesbaden and how it will continue to do so in the future.  This will include the now closed “American Arms” Hotel on Frankfurter street, but also newly built housing.

 (translation by Trey Horwitz)

"Culture and News; 1945: Paper for Newspapers Rationed", by Manfred Gerber,  Wiesbadener Kurier, (date missing, 2009?)

“Animal markets, but no meat,” the Wiesbadener Kurier newspaper titled its article on October 16, 1946. A year after the end of the war people, mostly woman caretakers, still stood in hour-long lines for food essentials. Some began their wait at 5:00 am to receive a fresh beef ration from the butcher. Additionally, the winter of 1946-47 was bitterly cold. As things were hoarded, the black market blossomed. In May 1947, the supply crisis reached its peak: only 800 calories a day per person (were allotted). In October 1949, a year after the currency reform, the ration for bread, meat, and milk was raised.

People also stood in line at the museum. Here, the Americans had established their famous “Central Collecting Point” and exhibited cultural treasures that came from Berlin museums and had been hidden during the war. The bust of Nefertiti, the (Egyptian) Queen  of Pharaoh Echnaton was the (collection’s) internationally acclaimed gem. Discovered  in Egypt in 1912 the 3,300 year old bust is now the attraction at the Neues Museum in Berlin. After 12 years of suppression by the Nazi regime, many Wiesbadeners were culturally starved. They could again read books formerly burned and listen to Jazz music that threatened them to be arrested for listening to “Negro music” before. When Kurhaus Music director Otto Schmidtgen conducted “Rhapsody in Blue,” listeners had tears in their eyes.

And hungry for “clean” unbiased media after 12 years of being showered with Nazi propaganda, Wiesbadeners received this reporting as of October 2nd, 1945 by the Wiesbadener Kurier. In the years following the war, the Kurier and the press house played a vital roll in the “reeducation” of the city’s population, the education to Democratic thinking. The most prominent Nazi criminals and their atrocities were presented in a series (of articles), and the Nuremberg trials were reported on in great detail.

The cooperation with the Americans was conducted almost harmoniously. The Wiesbadener Kurier  editors knew what was requested and what was forbidden. The biggest problem was the printing paper shortage. The US-military government rationed it and punished any overstepping. In 1947, the Kurier had to pay a “voluntary fine” of 9,000 Reichsmark ($3,600) for overstepping of the printed page contingent; the money went equally to the Red Cross and to the Organization for the Victims of the Nazi Regime.

The Americans also had an influence on the post-war  “look” of the city’s streets. Chevrolets and Buicks rolled along Wilhelm street and parked in front of the Kurhaus Casino (Eagle Club), which the Americans had confiscated.

 (translation by Trey Horwitz)


When Children Had to Share Their Shoes, Wiesbadener Kurier,  26.November , 2005

Lecture  by Brigitte Streich at the Main State Archive of Hessen on the Topic of the Post-War Era

WIESBADEN- The 60th anniversary of Wiesbaden’s having been named the State Capital of Hessen is not yet over. “On the Way to the State Capital-Wiesbaden 1945-52,” as the lecture is titled, given by the Director of the City Archives, Brigitte Streich.

 By Manfred Gerber 

The war was over, as well as the fear in the air raid shelters. But the misery and deprivation of the people initially increased. As the year  1946 ended, there was, as Brigitte Streich puts it, a downright hunger crisis, which led to growing discontent. Even an Allied commission had to admit, as it traveled around Germany that signs of starvation (in the German population) were obvious. “Meat  ration cards but no (available) meat” was the headline of an article in “Der Kurier” on October 19, 1946, which pointed out that at the city’s slaughterhouse only 72 cuts animals compared to the earlier 250 were being slaughtered. Only when the Hoover-plan was implemented  5,000 of Wiesbaden’s school children could be fed satisfactorily. Only in 1948, after the currency reform, the  crisis could be overcome.

Brigitte Streich described the misery of those years in an excellent example: of the18,000 elementary school age children, only 10,000 owned a single pair of shoes, 1,100 did not own any, had to share with another child or had to walk barefoot, School superintendent Drebert reported in the City Council meeting in December of 1946. Because, at the same time, there was a shortage of heating materials  many residents of Wiesbaden suffered frostbite of fingers and toes. Only as of the first of March 1950  food ration cards were finally abolished.

Some 8,000 apartments had been destroyed in the air raids in February (of 1945). And now the Americans had confiscated 46 hotels and 3000 private apartments. By the end of 1948, 10,000 apartments had been restored but that did not change anything in the dramatic situation because the steady influx of refugees continued. In July 1947, 12,000 refugees were recorded, in 1950 there were about 25,000. To encourage new housing construction, the new mayor general, Hans H. Redlhammer (of the CSU, Christian German Union) founded the Wiesbaden’s settlement cooperative. The same year the contruction of the new housing development Kohlheck was begun. By 1948, the minimum ration of rose to 1990 calories. In order to describe the situation on the black market, Brigitte Streich quotes (the author and historian) Walter Kempowski, who worked for the Americans at the time. Kempowski traded Nescafe, which he  stole “…the result was that my standard of living increased. I could afford warm underwear; and soon was able to afford an elegant beige pair of pants made of worsted wool  .”

“How can Wiesbaden sustain itself now?” the” Kurier” newspaper asked in February 1946. Still from its hot springs? Difficult. But then came (many) publishing companies whose relocation from Leipzig to Wiesbaden had been demanded by the Americans: Bechthold & Co, Limes, Brockhaus, Dietrich, Insel Publishing, Breitkopf & Haertel, and Harassowitz. Some are still in Wiesbaden. With 16 publishing houses, Wiesbaden became Germany’s third largest publishing center, after Munich, and Stuttgart.

The Pariser Hof in Spiegelgasse was frequented by (famous) writers like Gottfried Benn und Alfred Doeblin. The Arts and literary section of the newspaper predicted: “the destitute city would advance to become the new intellectual center of greater Hessen.” But the city showed no regard to book dealers who wanted to settle here  and refused to issue business licenses. So, the “Kurier” again went into action and warned: “State capital or Pensionopolis? Prospering or Impoverishment and Demise? We Are at the Crossroads, Wiesbaden, a Decision is Called for!”

The Jewish Community was refounded. Two Holocaust survivors, Klara Guthmann, the widow of the attorney Berthold Guthmann, and the businessman Jack Martner, led the revival of the Jewish community. Their president was Leon Frimm of Lemberg. On December 22, 1946, on Hanukka,  the Festival of Lights, the synagogue, which had been destroyed in 1938, was re-consecrated on Friedrich street in a celebration. The “Kurier” wrote: “the almost 300 members of the congregation are proud to have renovated the first house of worship by their our initiative.”

As of 1946, the Russian-Orthodox head of church for Berlin and Germany, Archbishop Philotheus’ was stationed in Wiesbaden and presided over  3,000 members in this new state capital. Here, still, many “displaced persons,” former prisoners of war, and forced laborers still resided.

Finally, the film Industry. Brigitte Streich vividly described  Wiesbaden’s then important role as “Hollywood on the Kochbrunnen (the city’s main hot spring).” In 1952, (well-known German actress) Lieselotte Pulver gave the start signal at a soap-box race on Stresemann Ring.

 (translation by Trey Horwitz)


The Kurhaus Casino was only open to Americans, Wiesbadener Kurier, August 15, 2005

In the summer of 1945 a number of the city’s Recreation facilities had been confiscated by US troops 

WIESBADEN - Wiesbaden had become famous as a Health Recreation Destination in the era of the German Kaiser. After World War II, very little of its former glory remained. Slowly the Health Recreation operations were revived.

By Holger Mueller 

“The city’s receational district was in a terrible state,” Wiesbaden resident Gretl-Baumgart-Buttersack , 26 year old at that time, recalls. The Spa facilities had been greatly damaged by allied bombardments. Along with the Kurhaus Casino, the fountain colonnades (on either side), the convention center, the Kaiser-Friedrich public Indoor swimming-pool, and the Rheumatism clinic had been hit by  bombs. A number of hotels had been destroyed, only 55  had survived the war.

In 1936, there had been 153 (resort hotels), “Very often the only the outer walls remained. It looked like  (antique) ruins. Especially the loss of the Hotel Four Seasons was devastating ,” Gretl explains. The buildings of this hotel along Burg street which led through the “spa district” were only rubble. “You stood gazing at this and asked yourself, how had this once looked?” There was little health tourism in the summer of 1945. But there were already quite a few inquiries sent to the city’s Health tourism agency..

What had remained undestroyed, had been confiscated by the Americans: In addition to the many houses and 33 hotels, also the city’s Kurhaus Casino. The small Casino hall (kleiner Saal) served dining hall and entertainment venue. The Schuetzenhof and the Opel outdoor swimming pool admitted only Americans. “That , of course, was awful (for us Germans). Our Kurhaus Casino ,  our Neroberg (recreation facilities) – we were no longer welcome.”

The damage (to the city) and way the US troops treated the recreational facilities shocked the native residents of Wiesbaden. But there was no time for regrets for the young woman. She and her mother took care of  up to 20 refugees who had lost their homes in bombings, giving them shelter in her parents’ home.  “We did no time to think of recreation. We were all glad to have a roof over our heads.”

But the Spa and Recreation administration tried to revive the city’s main source of income quickly again. The city administration arranged a lottery with a wood house as main prize, in order to support the restoration of the recreation industry .

Beginning in August, small lecture evenings were offered, chamber music was performed and the orchestra revived. On August 21st, the city’s orchestra and the Theater Orchestra performed a symphony concert together at the Catholic community center: The program was a violin concerto by Beethoven. In addition,  the Apollo theater, the Rheumatism clinic, the Market church, and the Luther church were used as locations for cultural events. On August 1st the Kaiser-Friedrich reopened despite some damage. The thermal pools, the Inhalation baths and under-water massage facilities were could be used.

But health tourism in the city still did not pick up. Too much had impacted the population all at once. “We had no time for recreational activities, we were happy to have a roof over our heads.” One specific lecture evening Gretl Baumgart-Buttersack’s vividly recalls even today, “there were at the most 25 people present, but it was the start to something new, of which we thought :  thank God, we will attend this event”.

The now 86-year-old, a long-time member of the Spa and recreation Association, fondly recalls the city’s prewar recreational life that completely disappeared with the onset of war. “What I experienced  as a young girl: strolling along Wilhelmstrasse, the many Recreation tourists were there, a peaceful life with society activities. That was all gone. The recreational district was no longer what it used to be.”

 (translation by Trey Horwitz)


What Is Important is that Something Is on Stage Again

-The Theater in 1945 consisted of Improv, especially in the Sets/Alternative Venue at the Kolping House , By Christina Deicke, Wiesbadener Kurier  , (date) 

Wiesbaden- Already in the August after the (end of WWII) war, the Wiesbaden theater once again started up. For the audiences, it allowed for an escape from stressful daily life. The actors in the plays did not just study their roles, but also worked with improvisation.

“The first time a show was put on, it only consisted of what had still been in the repertoire (of the former season), what was most important was that something was (being played at all) on stage.” Wiesbadener Heinrich Blum remembers that even during the war, he had had visions for the future. After the war, the 16-Year-old found his passion for attending the theater. Shows were performed again as of August 1945. The Wiesbadener population strived to quickly get a theater program on its feet. The new Theater Director Carl Hagemann participated in it with relentless energy. Hagemann would have been theater  Director in the 20s if it had not been for the (interruption of his career through the)war and had easily received a license from the Americans (in 1945).

For the new theater season, a new dedicated building needed to be found. The Residence Theater in Luise street had been burned down and “the big house” had been  damaged heavily from in a bomb attack. Additionally, the Americans had confiscated it and had started their own cultural programs solely admitting their own troops.

An alternative venue was found in the Kolping House, the Catholic social club in Dotzheimer street. In the auditorium, there was room for an audience of about 600. The acting ensemble-most of whom had been actors and musicians in the theater previously, performed in plays and operas, beginning again in August. “Ballet was still not possible there,” the experienced theatergoer, Blum, explains, “after 2 jumps the dancers would have fallen off the narrow stage.”

Not only was this theater venue lacking  in size compared to others, but there were notable limits in the costumes and requisites (props), as the Americans used these in the “big house.” Blum remembers that on Mainzer street there was a venue that was often ravished. “As the crowd cleared out, every nail and wooden board would somehow be out-of-place. The actors also improvised their costumes, “if it was not already historical enough, now the actors needed to wear their own clothes.” The passionate theatergoer recalls.

Despite the provisional circumstances, the public still clapped enthusiastically for the first performances of “robbing the Sabine woman” and “Madame Butterfly.” The plays were mostly sold out, even if it was arguably because of the affordable admission fee. “If I remember correctly, the most expensive seats costed around 5-6 Reich marks ($2) Blum says. But it was not low enough for some, so they stayed home: “On Monday morning the pre-sale began. One needed to be early to the sale, or they would not get a ticket,” Blum portrays. In a time that everyone would pay with Marks or reference slips, you only needed to have the small amount of money required to get a theater card. This coupled with the close living arrangements to the theater made it an immensely popular place. Of course, the people would be starved from culture, until the Wiesbaden theater in 1947 was returned. In the meantime, the Ensemble played on the small stage in the Kolping house. In 1946, the artists gasped at the opening of another theater house on Maueritius street.

Today the Kolping house is again the headquarters of the Kolping community. The intendant Carl Hagemann kept the Theater open only until October 1945, after that, it was closed for undisclosed reasons and remains that way today. He died soon after in December.

The unique phase when the theater prices were low, in the summer of 1945, 0is today characterized by the historian Holger Stunz as: “quite different to the elite theaters before the war. This was a place where people from different social classes found themselves coming together for something they could all enjoy.

The series, “summer ‘45” is partially contributed to by student-journalists of Mainz university.

(translation by Trey Horwitz) 



An Institution Moves Wiesbadener Kurier,  12 January 2021

 

VIEWS OF THE CITY - Dance School is now in Dotzheim/New Owner Promises stabil  Prices. By Karsten Gerber

 WIESBADEN. In 1897 one of the most renowned dance schools in Wiesbaden was opened. And right on time on the 115th anniversary of the school announces another major Milestone. The Bier Dance School is leaving its old location on Paulinen Street. An Institution is moving on. An institution where once successful couples like the 8-time “German Dance Masters” Otto and Inge Teipel practiced their first steps, where the first dance instruction films in Germany were filmed in 1937, where countless residents of Wiesbaden danced their first Walz.

The new owner, Angelika Nadj, is moving the school to Summer street 7/7A in the suburb Dotzheim. There they will partner with the Honey4Dance Academy.

“The rent in the old Wiesbaden building was simply becoming exorbitant,” the owner explains the merge. A move for financial reasons that could cost the established dance school customers. Customers who did not want to trade the dance school with its 1970s flair of muted lighting and dark parquet floors for a school focused on a very young clientele over a car repair shop near a youth correctional facility. Customers who appreciated the location in the traditional Villa neighborhood, where they felt many important events had been held in the past.

Those responsible for the move are aware of it: “of course, many questions will be asked as to why we moved. We are also expecting that not all of our customers will come with us,” says Torsten Fischer, the previous owner, who now works in the arrangement continues to work as one of the dance teachers. “Kirchgasse and plenty of parking - such a situation no longer exists.”

There is plenty of parking on Summer street. Fischer is sure this is one point for the move, “many customers were late because of their long search for parking spot downtown.” At the new location, spacious changing rooms, lockers, and showers are all immediately available.

From when Fischer took over the dance school in 2010, “we are looking to be more attractive, we are giving the dance school a youthful makeover and getting rid of all of the old dust .” The merger with a dance school that promotes its image as “most popular Hip Hop dance school of Wiesbaden “

is another step in the right direction for Fischer: “the closure is the perfect story.”

The founding family, though, is less than pleased. Barbara Seidel-Bier, the youngest daughter of Egon Bier Barbara Seidel-Bier,  and the school’s owner from 1983 until 2010, felt terrible when she heard the news of the move from Paulinen Street,  “it hurts me very much”. The entire Bier family is very shaken by this. “My father would be rolling in his grave is he heard about this.”

 Angelika Nadj sees no problem in ballroom dance paired with Hip Hop: “This mix will provide for an exciting challenge. The young and the older clients will be united here.” From children’s dances to youth courses, from Hip Hop to community dance  to Zumba and Club Agilando, there is something for everyone. “The prices for lessons will also remain stable,” Nadj promises.

All customers of the Bier Dance School and Honey4Dance Academy, including newcomers are invited to the reopening on January 15, at 11:00, along with a champagne reception. Guests are encouraged to visit the school’s new location. “It is worth it to have a debut for our show dance group and our Hip Hoppers,” Nadj says.

Teaching worldwide.

The Bier dance school has a successful past to look back at. The founder’s (Julius Bier’s) son, Egon, was one of its most popular teachers, and imported dances like the Boogie Woogie, the Cha Cha Cha, and the Tap dance to Germany. He personally studied all these dances with Fred Astaire. Egon and his son Udo presented these dances to crowds at the World convention in Washington DC and Atlantic City between 1950 and 1967. Already in 1962 Egon Bier spoke of the school teaching 25,000 students. Five years later that number had risen to 30,000.

Additionally: The name of the dance school is not hard to guess. The new dance school Bier&Honey4Dance Academy is well on its way. And we wonder: would Julius and Egon Bier have dreamed of this?

(translated by Trey Horwitz)


Thursday, May 13, 2021

BOOKS AND INTERVIEWS on the TOPIC of Berlin - In conjunction with Women of the Berlin Wall

 

Germanradioshow.com, BERLIN SHOWS

Kulturspiegel: August 11, 2013: Berlin ist immer eine Reise wert, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2013/08/kulturspiegel-august-42013-hornussen.html

Kulturspiegel, September 1, 2013:Ein Interview mit Pfarrer Kuppke zum Hochwasser 2002, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2013/09/kulturspiegel-september-1-2013ein.html

Kulturspiegel, December 22,2013: Wuensdorfer Weihnacht!, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2013/12/kulturspiegel-december-222013.html

Kulturspiegel December 29:Hinterm Horizont, eine Berliner Story, Deutsch-Deutsches im Musical, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2013/

Kulturspiegel April 27, 2014: Und wenn Sie mich fragen??, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2014/04/

Kulturspiegel July 6, 2014: Hinterm Horizont Berliner Musical um Udo Lindenberg, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2014/07/kulturspiegel-july-6-2014-hinterm.html

Kultuspiegel August 3, 2014: Ein Sommer in Berlin ... und ein bisschen Winter noch dazu Sommer in Berlin (und Sommertheater ueberall),                http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2014/08/kultuspiegel-august-3-2014-ein-sommer.html

Kulturspiegel September 21,2014 : Berlins Wintergarten Variete: Lokalkollorit in Vielen Farben!, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2014/09/kulturspiegel-september-212014-berlins.html

Kulturspiegel Oktober 5, 2014, Deutscher Nationalfeiertag/German-American Day, 65 Jahre Berliner Luftbruecke !,                                                   http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2014/10/kulturspiegel-oktober-5-2014-deutscher.html

Kulturspiegel November 23, 2014: 65 Jahre Berliner Luftbruecke:Ein Gespraech mit Jutta Wonneberger, 65 Jahre Berliner Luftbruecke: Ein Gespraech mit Jutta Wonneberger, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2014/10/kulturspiegel-november-23-2014-65-jahre.html ,

Kulturspiegel ,February 1, 2015: Bar Jeder Vernunft, die 1960s , Berlin und Marion Kroymann erinnern sich,       http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2015/01/

Kulturspiegel August 2, 2015: Sommertheater in Berlin!      http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2015/08/kulturspiegel-august-2-2015.html

Kulturspiegel October 4, 2015: Tag der Deutschen Einheit Oktober 3, 2015, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2015/10/kulturspiegel-october-4-2015-tba.html ,

Kulturspiegel December 6, 2015 Weihnachtserinnerungen an Neukoeln und Wuensdorfer Weihnacht http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2015/12/kulturspiegel-december-6-2015.html ,

Kulturspiegel Mai 1, 2016: Kommen'se Doch mal nach Berlin! http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2016/05/kulturspiegel-mai-1-2016-kommense-doch.html ,

Kulturspiegel August 7, (2014?) Typisch Berlin: Theater im grossen und kleinen Zelt! http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2016/08/kulturspiegel-august-7-2014-typisch.html ,

Kulturspiegel Oktober 2, 2016: Viel zu Feiern: Tag der Deutschen Einheit und Oktoberfest weiterhin http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2016/10/kulturspiegel-oktober-2-2016-viel-zu.html ,

Kulturspiegel September 24, 2017, Berlin im Sommer 2017: Kunst und Kabarett in Deutschlands Hauptstadt mit Herz und Schnauze, Interview mit Heger-Maurischat-GbR in Bar Jeder Vernunft: Eine      Geht Noch, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2017/09/

Kulturspiegel Oktober 29, 2017, Three Penny Opera in Tampa, Florida, Interview (in English) Dr. David Jenkins, Direktor Jobsite Theater                              http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2017/10/kulturspiegel-oktober-29-2017_29.html ,

Kulturspiegel Dezember 24, 2017, Weihnachtszeit in den USA - Theresia, Dagmar, Christine erzählen... http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2017/12/kulturspiegel-dezember-24-2017.html ,

Kulturspiegel, July 15, 2018, Mal wieder mal ein Sommer in Berlin, incl Bar Jeder Vernunft, Desire Nick - add new show ,                                                   http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2018/07/kulturspiegel-july-15-2018-mal-wieder.html

Kulturspiegel November 4, 2018: "Ursli und Toni Pfister Laden zum Heurigen" in Bar jeder Vernunft : Begegnung mit einem Fan von Toni und Ursli Pfister in Berlin, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2018/11/kulturspiegel-november-4-2018-ursli-und.html

Kulturspiegel, November 11, 2018, Ganz Berlin: Cora Frost und Georgette Dee und auf der Bühne im Tipi am Kanzleramt,                                               http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2018/11/kulturspiegel-november-11-2018-ganz.html

 Kulturspiegel November 18,2018, Alpana - Kuenstlerin zwischen Kontinenten:Spagat zwischen Berlin und Dhaka,                                                        http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2018/11/kulturspiegel-november-182018-apana.html

Kulturspiegel April 14, 2019 - vor 70 Jahren endete die Berliner Luftbruecke, ein Blick zurueck mit Jutta Wonneberger,                                                            http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2019/04/kulturspiegel-april-14-2019-vor-70.html

Kulturspiegel 21. Juli 2019, Berlin, Boetchenfahren und Vieles mehr, Besuch von Susanne Nielsen, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2019/07/kulturspiegel-21-juli-2019-berlin.html

Kulturspiegel, 11. August 2019, Berlins Wintergarten Variete, Interview mit Leiter Georg Strecker, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2019/08/kulturspiegel-11-august-2019-berlins.html

Kulturspiegel Oktober 6, 2019: Celebrating the German National Holiday, and German-American Day -, http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2019/10/kulturspiegel-oktober-6-2019.html

Kulturspiegel Oktober 27, 2019: Nachlese: Reden zum 3.Oktober der Vertreter Deutschlands in Florida zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2019/10/kulturspiegel-oktober-27-2019-nachlese.html

Kulturspiegel 2. August 2020: Berliner Historiker Michael S. Cullen, Berlin, sein Reichstagsgebaeude und der Kuenstler Christo

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2020/08/kulturspiegel-2-august-2020-berliner.html

Kulturspiegel Oktober 4, 2020, Zum deutschen National-Feiertag: 30.Tag der Deutschen Wiedervereinigung

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2020/09/kulturspiegel-oktober-11-2020-tba.html

Kulturspiegel 8.November , 2020: Zwei Musical Stars in Berlin: Heike Kloss und Jens Jahnke - Treffen beim "Gloeckner von Notre Dame"

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2020/11/kulturspiegel-8november-2020-zwei.html

Kulturspiegel Dezember 6, 2020: Zum Nikolaus ein vorweihnachtliches Allerlei : "Weihnachten  im Geteilten Deutschland", eine Weihnachtsgeschichte von Margitta Krafczyk (erster Teil).

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2020/12/kulturspiegel-dezember-6-2020-zum.html

"Weihnachten  im Geteilten Deutschland", eine Weihnachtsgeschichte von Margitta Krafczyk (zweiter Teil) und Interview.

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2020/12/kulturspiegel-dezember-13-2020.html

Kulturspiegel January 3, 2021: Die Deutsche (-Amerikanische) Hausfrau - In Berichten und Radio – Kommentaren ( Ein Berliner Radio-Mann in Detroit stellt die erste Frau ein)

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/01/kulturspiegel-january-3-2021-die.html

Kulturspiegel 4. April, 2021: Von Kaninchen ,Zwerg-Huehnchen und anderen Tieren: Berliner Kindheitserinnerungen von Anneliese Schmidt

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/04/kulturspiegel-4.html

11.4.2021: The BerlinWall project, The Lost Art of the Berlin Wall;  The BerlinWall Project , das Berliner Mauer Projekt –Die Freiheit und ueber 40 Jahre deutsche Geschichte, Interview mit Dr. Jack Jawitz

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/04/kulturspiegel-11april-2021-das-berlin.html

25.4.2021: Florian Heckel von Donnersmarck, Ost-Berliner Geschichte: Das Leben der Anderen und Werk ohne Autor:

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/04/kulturspiegel-25-april-2021-film-und.html

25.4.2021: Florian Heckel von Donnersmarck, Ost-Berliner Geschichte: Das Leben der Anderen und Werk ohne Autor:

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/04/kulturspiegel-25-april-2021-film-und.html

16. Mai, 2021 Kulturspiegel 16. Mai, 2021: Die Berliner Mauer Serie: Gabriel Can, Leben mit der Mauer

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/05/kulturspiegel-16-mai-2021-die-berliner.html

Gabriel Can , Berliner Mauerkind, part 2, 23. Mai, 2021,

http://germanradioshow.blogspot.com/2021/05/kulturspiegel-22mai-2021-berliner-mauer.html

Nadja Prokasi – Goodarsi, Berliner Kind von Luftbruecken-Kind Jutta Wonneberger

 ________________________________________________________

GERMAN  BOOKS ON BERLIN, 

EAST-WEST STORIES:

Hera Lind: Die Hoelle war der Preis, 2020,

Anonymous: A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in a Conquered City: A Diary, 2017,

Michael Goering: Dresden. Roman einer Familie. 2021. 


( updates to follow)