Are You Tuned In? (Satis Shroff)

Cars are mostly mass-produced wares. But how can you make them special, individual? Through tuning. At the fair 4 in Freiburg there was the biggest new car fair in South Baden, and the 2^nd Tuning and Sound Convention, with great cars and entertainment for the visitors, because cars have always had a cult-status in the society. I knew two workers from Romania and Sri Lanka who worked in a microchip factory. No education, no scope in Germany, aside from the factory job, but they were contented and drove big, fat Mercedes Benz cars. It was a sign that they’d arrived in Germany. The car was the symbol of attainment in their lives.

 

Back to the tuning. Caroline Schubert from Gundelfingen, who is the Tuning Convention Girl, was looking for a successor. Katherina Kuhlmann, a TV moderator, racing driver and model and Jo Scholz were also there. Besides the Miss Tuning and Sound Girl competiton there was also body-painting , grid-girls, games amid the smell of petrol and rubber permeating in the air, in addition to sound measurement, chip-tuning and car-styling.

 

At this year’s Tuning and Sound Convention some 50 promoters were present with their products: 22 latest brands from nine countries: Audi, BMW, Citroen, Dacia, Fiat, Ford, Hundai, Iveco,,KIA, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Seat, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo and, of course the exclusive Wiesmann automobiles.

 

There was even a Miss Freiburg competition and the winner could take part in the Miss Baden-Württemberg competition, which in turn could be used as a jumping-pad for the Miss Germany selection. No wonder the current Miss Germany Ann-kathrin Kosch sat in the jury. As a treat for soccer fans you could pose with the UEFA Champions League Cup.

 

As in the year 2011, the passion for cars seems to increase unabated, despite the financial problems of European countries. Although tuning seems to be a domain for men, where there’s a lot of horse-power involved, beautiful girls aren’t very far. Most of the visitors were obviously male but the number of ladies interested in automobiles is rising gradually. Styling is ‘in’ in the case of cars and female models.

BLACK FOREST CLASSIC (Satis Shroff)

 

Who hasn’t dreamt as a child of cars? As boys you read comics and were fascinated by the sleek, streamlined form of the batmobile, a Porsche, a Bugatti or Ferrari. I went to the Black Forest Classic Days at the local fair (Messehalle) at the invitation of Dr. Franziska Pankow, who runs the Freiburg Commerce Tourism and Fair. And there they were: the Oldtimers from different epochs.

 

Why are we fascinated by old cars (as well as new ones)? How much does it cost to gather old cars? Where can you find beautiful cars? And what does the exhibition-cum-fair called ‘Automobil (e) have to show lovers of Oldtimers?

 

Dietrich Grossblotekamp, an author on cars and the PR man of the German Automobile Veteran’s Club in South Baden says: ‘The term ‘old car’ is not precise for an Oldtimer. Such a car is a historical vehicle, at least 30 years old in original condition or restored. Old cars become Oldtimers when they fulfil certain conditions.’

 

Four historical cars that caught my eye were: a pre- World War II one, and from the fifties, sixties and seventies.

 

One of them was the stately rarity called Sunbeam Speed 20 Monte Carlo from the year 1934. The English firm manufactured bicycles first, then motorbikes and since 1899 also cars. The Chrysler Sunbeam was the last model in the year 1977. The Sunbeam in question was a pre-war, black English Sport limousine of the upper class. 30 such wagons were produced, of which only five exist today. It has a three litre six-cylinder motor with 72 horse-power and attains a maximum speed of 135 km per hour.

 

The next attractive car was the Fiat 500 Topolino, which was produced in Turin (Italy) in 1936 in three versions. The Italians dubbed it ‘Topolino’ which means a wee mouse. The exhibition model belongs to the series C, which was built from 1948 till 1955. All in all, 370,000 left the factory. It had a 4-cylinder motor with 16,5 HP.

 

Jaguar began producing cars in 1931 and till then it had manufactured motorbike side wagons. There was  a Jaguar MK II, a sporting limousine built in 1967, with a 6-cylinder motor and a 165 HP. The maximum speed was more than 200 km/h. Good for the autobahn on the left spur (track).

 

There was even a Volkswagen 1303 LS Cabrio. The first carosserie factory in Osbabrueck started rolling in 1949. This one was built in 1978. I love cabrios. The car had a 4-cylinder  motor with 60 HP and used to cost 8840 euros in 1972. In Deutsche Marks that would be quite a lot. Exactly 320281 VW cabrios were produced from 1949 till 1980 by Karosseriefabrik Karmann. It might be mentioned that there’s an Oldtimer Stammtisch, where Oldtimer fans sit around a table and talk about their cars, in Holzhausen (South baden). Holzhausen had also BMW-motorbikes like the one-cylinder R25 and the two cylinder R51, mopeds built by Messerschmidt, BMW-Isettas, BMW 600, an unrestored NSU Prinz 2, and even a Goggomobile. A Mercedes 170 DS from the year 1953 was also on exhibit.

 

The Hippies who drove all the way via Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and sold their VW T1 buses in Katmandu to chillax with hash in Nepal’s capital and Pokhara, before flying home was also on exhibit. We Germany called the bus ‘the bulli’. The closed version of the bus was called ‘Die Ratte’ (rat), perhaps because you could scurry with it everywhere.

 

Whether the cars in the old days were better is a matter of taste. In the old days the automobiles were individual in design and upholstery, unlike the uniform carosseries constructed in the wind canals today.

 

Can only rich people afford such Oldtimers? Not at all, because there are enough historical vehicles that even people with small wallets can afford. And cars that are no longer in demand can be inexpensive and come from people who can’t part from their favourite cars, which they hide in old barns and garages. Or you can buy them cheap in other countries. I know a medical colleague who bought a vintage Mercedes in India, and had it shipped to Germany. There’s an Oldtimer rally with participants from a lot of European countries from 10^th of May till the 13^th of May in Kirchzarten, near Freiburg-Kappel, where I live. Welcome to the Schwarzwald Classic Days. 

 

 

Are You Tuned In? (Satis Shroff)

Cars are mostly mass-produced wares. But how can you make them special, individual? Through tuning. At the fair 4 in Freiburg there was the biggest new car fair in South Baden, and the 2^nd Tuning and Sound Convention, with great cars and entertainment for the visitors, because cars have always had a cult-status in the society. I knew two workers from Romania and Sri Lanka who worked in a microchip factory. No education, no scope in Germany, aside from the factory job, but they were contented and drove big, fat Mercedes Benz cars. It was a sign that they’d arrived in Germany. The car was the symbol of attainment in their lives.

 

Back to the tuning. Caroline Schubert from Gundelfingen, who is the Tuning Convention Girl, was looking for a successor. Katherina Kuhlmann, a TV moderator, racing driver and model and Jo Scholz were also there. Besides the Miss Tuning and Sound Girl competiton there was also body-painting , grid-girls, games amid the smell of petrol and rubber permeating in the air, in addition to sound measurement, chip-tuning and car-styling.

 

At this year’s Tuning and Sound Convention some 50 promoters were present with their products: 22 latest brands from nine countries: Audi, BMW, Citroen, Dacia, Fiat, Ford, Hundai, Iveco,,KIA, Mercedes Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Seat, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo and, of course the exclusive Wiesmann automobiles.

 

There was even a Miss Freiburg competition and the winner could take part in the Miss Baden-Württemberg competition, which in turn could be used as a jumping-pad for the Miss Germany selection. No wonder the current Miss Germany Ann-kathrin Kosch sat in the jury. As a treat for soccer fans you could pose with the UEFA Champions League Cup.

 

As in the year 2011, the passion for cars seems to increase unabated, despite the financial problems of European countries. Although tuning seems to be a domain for men, where there’s a lot of horse-power involved, beautiful girls aren’t very far. Most of the visitors were obviously male but the number of ladies interested in automobiles is rising gradually. Styling is ‘in’ in the case of cars and female models.

Who hasn’t dreamt as a child of cars? As boys you read comics and were fascinated by the sleek, streamlined form of the batmobile, a Porsche, a Bugatti or Ferrari. I went to the Black Forest Classic Days at the local fair (Messehalle) at the invitation of Dr. Franziska Pankow, who runs the Freiburg Commerce Tourism and Fair. And there they were: the Oldtimers from different epochs.

 

Why are we fascinated by old cars (as well as new ones)? How much does it cost to gather old cars? Where can you find beautiful cars? And what does the exhibition-cum-fair called ‘Automobil (e) have to show lovers of Oldtimers?

 

Dietrich Grossblotekamp, an author on cars and the PR man of the German Automobile Veteran’s Club in South Baden says: ‘The term ‘old car’ is not precise for an Oldtimer. Such a car is a historical vehicle, at least 30 years old in original condition or restored. Old cars become Oldtimers when they fulfil certain conditions.’

 

Four historical cars that caught my eye were: a pre- World War II one, and from the fifties, sixties and seventies.

 

One of them was the stately rarity called Sunbeam Speed 20 Monte Carlo from the year 1934. The English firm manufactured bicycles first, then motorbikes and since 1899 also cars. The Chrysler Sunbeam was the last model in the year 1977. The Sunbeam in question was a pre-war, black English Sport limousine of the upper class. 30 such wagons were produced, of which only five exist today. It has a three litre six-cylinder motor with 72 horse-power and attains a maximum speed of 135 km per hour.

 

The next attractive car was the Fiat 500 Topolino, which was produced in Turin (Italy) in 1936 in three versions. The Italians dubbed it ‘Topolino’ which means a wee mouse. The exhibition model belongs to the series C, which was built from 1948 till 1955. All in all, 370,000 left the factory. It had a 4-cylinder motor with 16,5 HP.

 

Jaguar began producing cars in 1931 and till then it had manufactured motorbike side wagons. There was  a Jaguar MK II, a sporting limousine built in 1967, with a 6-cylinder motor and a 165 HP. The maximum speed was more than 200 km/h. Good for the autobahn on the left spur (track).

 

There was even a Volkswagen 1303 LS Cabrio. The first carosserie factory in Osbabrueck started rolling in 1949. This one was built in 1978. I love cabrios. The car had a 4-cylinder  motor with 60 HP and used to cost 8840 euros in 1972. In Deutsche Marks that would be quite a lot. Exactly 320281 VW cabrios were produced from 1949 till 1980 by Karosseriefabrik Karmann. It might be mentioned that there’s an Oldtimer Stammtisch, where Oldtimer fans sit around a table and talk about their cars, in Holzhausen (South baden). Holzhausen had also BMW-motorbikes like the one-cylinder R25 and the two cylinder R51, mopeds built by Messerschmidt, BMW-Isettas, BMW 600, an unrestored NSU Prinz 2, and even a Goggomobile. A Mercedes 170 DS from the year 1953 was also on exhibit.

 

The Hippies who drove all the way via Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and sold their VW T1 buses in Katmandu to chillax with hash in Nepal’s capital and Pokhara, before flying home was also on exhibit. We Germany called the bus ‘the bulli’. The closed version of the bus was called ‘Die Ratte’ (rat), perhaps because you could scurry with it everywhere.

 

Whether the cars in the old days were better is a matter of taste. In the old days the automobiles were individual in design and upholstery, unlike the uniform carosseries constructed in the wind canals today.

 

Can only rich people afford such Oldtimers? Not at all, because there are enough historical vehicles that even people with small wallets can afford. And cars that are no longer in demand can be inexpensive and come from people who can’t part from their favourite cars, which they hide in old barns and garages. Or you can buy them cheap in other countries. I know a medical colleague who bought a vintage Mercedes in India, and had it shipped to Germany. There’s an Oldtimer rally with participants from a lot of European countries from 10^th of May till the 13^th of May in Kirchzarten, near Freiburg-Kappel, where I live. Welcome to the Schwarzwald Classic Days. 

 

 

European Culture: From Adiemus to Blue Spanish Eyes (Satis Shroff)

 

This year’s Christmas Concert in Kappel’s Festhalle began at 8pm with a song from Spain sung by the MGV-Kappel with the title ‘A la nanita nana,’ with Johannes Söllner as its conductor, a serious-looking young man with a bald head, and a goatee, but with an elegant gait. The way he sways his torso and extremities, you’d think a panther is about to pounce you. Johannes is a perfectionist and he has the talent to coax out the best performance from his singers of the men’s choir from Kappel. Every song bears its characteristic lilts, sudden burst of energy in the form of loud men’s voices that peter away. Ah, it’s a delight to watch this dynamic conductor lead his charges to new heights and it’s an honour and a pleasure to sing under his baton.

 

Next came a song from neighbouring France but in the German version with the title: ‘Hört der Engel Jubellieder.’ It  begins slowly but I love the part when you have to sing ‘Gloria’ in excelcis deo..’ You do hear angels sing.

 

We went back to the 16^th century and sang ‘Gaudete’ with much pomp and gusto. Söllner calls it ‘mit schmackes!’ That was our share of spiritual songs for the evening.

 

We went to the Heimat chest and fished out a German folksong ‘Nun Ade, du mein lieb Heimatland’ about a son who remembers his beloved country while travelling to foreign shores. The Heimat laughs benignly with its azure sky and greets the traveller with its meadows and fields. God knows, my heart is always with, sings the wandering son, but he has to go afar to seek his fortune.

 

The fifth song was another volkslied, as a folksong is called in German, penned by Friedrich Silcher: ‘Durch’s Wiesental gang I jetzt na,’ a long song with a sad ending sung in a light  style with a heavy refrain: I have no treasure anymore. The treasure implied is the lover who doesn’t seem to be in his grave because he wasn’t true in his love towards her. The roses and the carnation have to wilt away like my love, she says, for I have my Schätzele no more.

 

Then came a jolly song about plantation workers from Jamaica: the Banana Boat song made popular by Harry Belafonte. Johannes Söllner sang the lead part and the labourers of the banana plantation were the men of the MGV-Kappel. The song was sun with the usual swing and a good piano beat. The song came to an end and suddenly the choir members had Bio-bananas in their hands as a gag. The audience raved and loved it.

 

The ‘Day-O’ song was followed by a love-song about a Mexican beauty and her ‘Blue Spanish Eyes’ sung by Satis Shroff with the Kappeler men’s choir singing the chorus. This brought the house down. The people love schmaltz and quite a lot of elderly Germans could remember the hit from the sixties composed by Bert Kämpfert and made famous by Al Martino.

 

The evening of international songs was ended with Karl Jenkin’s ‘Adiemus.’ An encore ensued with a song from Israel: ‘Hine ma Tov,’ with lovely, manly Hebrew intonation. The moderation of the men’s choir ‘Liederkranz’ was performed by Johannes Söllner, who established himself as an animator and made the audience answer his quiz and pranced and hopped around on the stage. The audience was putty in his hands.

 

Since Karin Peters was busy with her family affairs, a moderator of the South-West 4 did her job and received a lot of appreciation for his im promptu interpretations and announcements. The Musikverein began with ‘A Celtic Christmas’ with music by James L.Hosay and the conductor was Manfred Preiss, a thick-set man with a bald head, who has been conducting the Musicverein Kappel orchestra since over 30 years. Noah Schroeder’s rendering of ‘alla Milanese, Siciliano, Rondo Veneziano on his fagott was a treat for one’s ears with music by Kees Vlak, accompanied by the brass-orchestra. Other notable numbers were: ‘The Bremen Town Musicians (Hayato Hirose), the Images of a City (Francesco Sessini, Op.42) and the New York Overture (Kees Vlak). The last piece was one with feeling: percussions, clarinets, flutes reaching a crescendo only to melt away in recurring waves. Samba rhythm in the first half, followed  German brass in a slow tempo mingled with bells chiming, a trumpet solo reminiscent of  Milies Davis, a foxtrott played on the clarinet and the evening vanished like stardust on a dark Schwarzwald sky. 

 

The history of the MGV-Kappel dates back to 1920 and initially it carried the name ‘Musik und Gesangverein’ under the leadership of Hermann Steiert. However, it was in Mai 1, 1932 that the official MGV_Kappel ‘Liederkranz’ was founded. Whereas in those thrifty days the membership-fee  for the singers was 1 Reichsmark, today it is 15 euros per annum. Politics brought new changes in the vereins of Germany in general and on November 23,1933 the Singers’ Association (Bund) demanded that a meeting be held whereby the key word in those days of the Third Reich was ‘Gleichschaltung’ meaning thereby that all associations in the country had to have a common function: to serve the nation under Adolf Hitler. New terms were introduced: Vereinsführer, vice vereinsführer.

 

The World War II broke out on September 1, 1939 and a lot of MGV singers had to go to the battlefields. It was on may 8, 1945 that the big ethnic murders were brought to an end in Europe. Where ever you looked, you saw piles of rubble, dust and ashes left by the krieg. It was on July 13, 1947 that the MGV-Kappel ‘Liederkranz’ was given permission by the French military government to re-start the men’s choir.

 

Since the Musikverein and the men’s choir in Kappel have a common origin and split up later and hold the annual Weihnachtskonzert together, it would be wonderful if the two vereins would cooperate and coordinate music and songs together in future. Miteinander instead of hintereinander or nebeneinander, for through togetherness we can win the hearts of the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volkstrauertag-Memorial Day (Satis Shroff)

 

Once a year we in Germany think about the victims of past wars, conflicts and rulers who used aggression and brutality to attain and preserve their power. We were gathered in the Black Forest town of Freiburg-Kappel to honour the people who's names were engraved on the stone-slab; sons of Kappel who died in the killing-fields of World War I and II. The dedication ran thus:

 

'...Ihren in den Weltkriegen

1914-1918 und 1939-1943

gefallenen Söhnen.'

 

The people of Kappel were standing between the graves, the navy-blue uniformed men of the Voluntary Fire Brigade standing at attention, the music verein and the men's choir (MGV-Kappel 'Liederkranz' played appropriate music and the choir sang a Russian song 'Tabje Pajem' as well as the German version of 'Nearer My God.'

 

The ones who were honoured were the sons, fathers and young husbands who died in the last two big wars. The memorial service was also for those who weren't mentioned, as well as those who have had to live without the dead and missing members of the family. Even today, young German widows are weeping for their husbands who were killed on duty in the Hindukush. At the same time, the memorial reminds us of the right to protest in countries where people are treated inhumanly and where peaceful living and togetherness are jeopardised.

 

Values and norms are always followed by deeds and our memorial in Kappel is one such act. We have to extend our hands to others in friendship, and the soldier who has his finger on the trigger should have the civil courage not to shoot another human being, thinking of the people of the Volksarmy of the old German Democratic Republic, who didn’t hesitate to shoot their own people, who wanted to flee from the socialist, totalitarian country where barbed-wire, the automatic shooting devices, long and tall walls were normality, and where the people were crushed by army-boots and many tortured and killed. The trauma of those days and the days of the holocaust still haunt us today, and in the future too.

 

As a result of aggression on the weaker by the powerful, wounds were, and still are, being created, which can never be healed and the sufferers swear revenge in the sanguine and fearsome wars. Yet there is no other way than to forgive and live in peace.

 

In Germany we have lived long in peace after the last World War II, and we shouldn’t give war a chance to raise its ugly head, but endeavour to look for peaceful solutions when conflict flairs up. Our children must be told about the misery and loss in wartime and it is our duty to tell them about the experience and deep feelings that we have whenever we’re confronted with the word ‘war.’ It should not be a taboo like death. It’s not about DVD and computer games: it’s the hard reality. We have to bring the symbols of aggression and tyranny to our hamlets, towns and cities and talk about it and endow respect for the deceased and those injured, whether the damage is collateral or not. If we show respect, tolerance, togetherness and peaceful intentions to other people it will be possible to build bridges of consolation, friendship and togetherness.

 

We should never cease to hope and act for peace, because krieg, brutality and aggression are evident very much in our lives, brought to us through the media. The war in Afghanistan, which was for a long time sold by the governments of Germany and Britain as a mere ‘conflict,’ even when we all knew that it was a terrible war where people died on both sides. The Arabian Spring has shown what people can do against tyranny by joining forces and fighting against it.

 

In Freiburg the memorials for the fallen soldiers were commemorated after World War I, among them one for the 5th Badische field artillery at the cannon-place on Schlossberg in the years 1925-26, and also at the big graveyard with the themes: Germania and Heimat. The ‘Alma mater in grief’ can be seen at the university building I, initiated by a psychiatrist named Alfed Hoche later for all the victims of World War II and tyranny.

 

                                                                * * *

 

Grapes and Culture (Satis Shroff)

It was a beautiful autumnal day and we, the members of the men´s choir (MGV-Kappel) headed for ZunZingen, a wine-growing area near Müllheim along the country-road in a Winterhalter bus, based in Kirchzarten. We went past Staufen and the Munster Valley hidden by a thick forest in the colours of autumn.

´Oh, that´s the place where we used to go to gather mushrooms,´ quipped Elke Suetterle, a soft spoken, slim lady with long flowing brunette hair.

Yellow mustard fields appeared and in the distance a glorious sunset. An Eurofighter jet streaked with its white jet stream vertically as though it´d found a hole to Heaven in the orange-blue sky.

The bus went slowly along the country-road past picturesque villages with gentle valleys, spurs and hillocks. We saw a Café im Glashaus in Dottingen. There were horses and some mules grazing in small green enclosures. A pretty church with a steep roof and a cross on the top went by with the colourful sunset in the background. Then came the grapevines. There was a Hofladen, a shop attached to the farm, with the farmer´s wife selling self-produced fruits and vegetables. Soon we went past the grey building of the Winzergenossenschaft Laufen. There were carefully planted grape vines, half a metre high on the slopes of where ever you looked. The wood was already cut and neatly stacked for the winter for in the countryside you still use ovens which are fed on wood, and there were huge hay-bundles in sky-blue plastic bags scattered across the fields because everything´s done with agricultural machines.

After the Winzergenossenschaft Britzingen, along the narrow streets you could suddenly see a local artist´s atelier with modern exhibits, and in the distance cypress trees arranged in a row like in the Tosca. Finally we reached Zunzingen, located on a slope. There was a sign with the words ´Gas weg v: Kinder,´ warning car-drivers that there was a Kindergarden ahead. 

We were greeted with Badische hospitality by our friend Dirk Schneider and his Mongolian wife and were ushered into the Weinetiketten Museum housed in their spacious home, the first of its kind in Germany. There were 1200 exhibits which keep on changing, and the collection had 120,000 specimens from over Europe, the oldest wine label dating back to 1811.

What was fascinating was the fact that a few wine-labels were specially drawn and painted by renowned artists like Picasso and Chagal and even famous cartoonists.

Dir Schneider, who´sDr. Gustav Schneider´s son, said, ´My parents took over the tradition-rich wine estate in Zunzingen in the year 1995. Since then we´ve been carrying on the success of a marriage between experiencing wine and enjoying it.´ Dr. Gustav Schneider and his wife Elizabeth have two sons: Dirk and Jörg. Whereas Dirk runs the historical wine-castle in Freiburg, which is located between the Jazzhouse and the Goethe Institute, his brother Joerg is responsible for the Walfgasthaus St. Barbara. Dr. Gustav Schneider was an ophthalmologist before he took over the wine-business with his sons.

Zunzingen lies in the middle of the Markgräflerland which is a sunny area, like Ihringen and Freiburg, and the people as well as the grapes enjoy the sun here. To turn the sun-kissed grapes into noble wine lies in the hands of the grape-grower, who combines tradition with modern technology. Zunzingen´s soil is suitable for the vineyards because it is fertile loess earth where the Burgunder grapes and the well-known Markgräfler Gutedel grow.

Dirk mentioned, ´Around 55% of our wines are white wine and 44% are red wine. The best among them belong to the international best. The profile of our wine is: fresh and fruity. We have 90% wines of the dry sort.´

We had the fresh, fruity dry sort to go with dinner and none of us had a headache or a hangover. Good wine.

There are as many labels as there are wines. They tell us also about the time in history, and there are people who gather these wine-labels like postage stamps. You could peruse through the 200 years of wine-history on the thousands of labels from Thomas Wangler´s collection, which were on exhibit arranged according to specific themes. Beside the label of 1811, the ones from Baden are also interesting. You have to be a wine-connoisseur and have time at your disposal. 

Wine is the fermented juice of freshly gathered grapes. The character of the wine depends on the species of grapes, the locality of the vineyard and method of cultivation. The main kinds are: sparkling champagne, beverage wines such as the famous red and white wines of Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley and the white wines of the Rhine, Moselle and Loire valleys. A wine can be fortified with the addition of alcohol, as in the case of sherry.

After the sekt-reception at the Weinetikettenmuseum we had an excellent dinner: wine and enjoyment, that´s the enjoyment of culture. When you drink wine you have to sing, as we from the MGV-Kappel did. We sang ´Erhebet gas Glass´ (Raise your glasses), ´Oh, you Maiden From Schwarzwald, How Lovely You Are´ and ´Heaven is a Wonderful Place.´ Zunzingen was an oasis for our senses: wine, cuisine, culture. We boarded the bus and carried out animated conversations till be reached Kappel. A lovely evening, I must say.

 

 

Staufen im Breisgau (Satis Shroff)

 

 

Staufen im Breisgau is a historical town and its streets are paved with cobble-stones. The old houses tell their tales of life in former days.

 

An entire day was devoted to togetherness, in this old town when it celebrated its annual Staufener time-travel festival during which almost 600 people of Staufen rallied together, donned Middle Age costumes and worked with implements of those days.

 

The festival scenario began at the market place, like in the old days, with drums and cannons. In the streets of the Middle Ages you could hear the music played on quaint instruments, buy ripe wine and cuisine of all sorts. Right near the village fountain some people were roasting meat, on a table was a pig’s head. The motley, colourfully clothed people strutted by, even cute little blonde and brunette children were walking, running, dancing and frolicking in costumes. They loved being a part of the spectacle in Staufen.

 

At the Kronenplatz, a historical merry-go-round started going round powered by hefty men, and both young and old were encouraged to take a ride. A Taler for a ride, the currency of the Middle Ages, which was made equivalent to an Euro, and the money went towards rebuilding this historical town because the house-walls had terrible, gaping cracks on them. The cracks were caused by geothermal-borings some 140 metres into the earth in the vicinity of Staufen.

 

At the marketplace in the Hauptstrasse was a Black Forest cherry cake festival whereby Staufen became the navel of the Schwarzwald. The Staufener sang the song ‘Schwarzwälder Kirsch’ and the people rejoiced, swayed with each other and relished the Black Forest cakes. There’s nothing like it and you must try it when you’re in the Black Forest. My NY friends Shanta and Kanak loved during their sojourn here. The cakes were baked by Staufen’s housewives and sold in the marketplace. The Schwarzwäldertorte has a lot of cream and schnaps in it, and one of the best alcohols is produced by Staufen's Schladerer, which is a great way to consume fruit. It certainly was Baden’s biggest Black Forest cake party.

 

The picturesque Faust-town’s inner, romantic aspect has attracted a good many movie-makers such as: Gustaf Gründens, Gerd Fröbe (Goldfinger) and Sonja Ziemann. The film ‘Schwarzwälder Kirsch,’ a Heimat movie starring Marianna Hold was made in 1958.

 

Meanwhile, you could hear the drums of the Stadtwache, who came marching, dressed in white shirts, scarlet half-sleeve tunics with three glasses and four-star on their shields, the men carrying red-yellow flags, trumpets and long, dangerous-looking spears. They wore black trousers, long socks and black shoes. They had received orders from the Stadtvogt (bailiff) to protect the town. The Vogt also proclaimed strict rules and regulations for the common market-vendors and tavern-owners. The Stadtwache went to work, and took charge of Staufen’s tower, the Malefiz-tower and the Bader’s Hole.

 

Since the friendly towns had sent their musicians, there were Spital-drummers from Biberach, and Swedish-music from Überlingen. I remember watching a Schwertletanz (sword-dance) during the Sweden-Procession at Überlingen upon Lake Constance. Even the players from Heidenspass, Arundo Donax were there. ‘Beggars’ from the Middle Ages came by and begged you to contribute a Taler or two.

 

‘Paint a fairy-tale town for me’ ran a story by Hellmut Holthaus, and this story was accompanied by music, fire-play and lights. This highlighted the beginning of eighty-one years of Staufener Heimat-plays, with a theme that Staufen has identified itself with. The text of the Faust-play was written by Hermann Ays in 1930 for the first time. Since then it has become a part of Staufen’s cultural history.

 

Z’Nieni um Elf:

 

‘A place is always free! We invite you to a z’nieni,’ says a young blonde. Strange isn’t it? The Swiss say the same. It means a breakfast together with 600 actors and actresses of Staufen at 11am, right in the middle of the town. What do you need for this open-air breakfast? You need robust, street-furniture, as many hungry-participants as possible, long white table-cloths, cups and plates from Grandma’s kitchen cupboard, cutlery to mix, cut; spoons and ,of course, everything you need for a good breakfast-table. The decoration, the music and fresh air to breathe. A splendid, colourful ambient.

 

After sundown there was a historical procession with torches. The procession began at the Kaplanei Gate, along the town-wall, through the back of the town (Hinterstädtle) and along the main street to the catholic church, accompanied by drummers, flutists and fanfare.

 

Like in the humorous film ‘Dinner For One,’ which runs on almost all television channels in Germany, some things don’t change in Staufen and one such theme is ‘the good olde school days.’ This small play was a reminder of Staufen’s two 400 year old schools. One was the Latin school, and he other was the People’s School. You could enter a classroom with a blackboard, chalk and, of course, an outsized picture of the Great Duke of Germany hanging on the wall. What was interesting was obsolete methods of teaching coupled with discipline and strictness on the part of the teacher. This never fails to make the people laugh and shake their heads. It reminded me of my British School in the foothills of the Himalayas, where ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ was the pedagogic philosophy. They didn’t spare the rod.

400 Bad request

Your browser sent an invalid request.
Automatically translated into Spanish thanks to WorldLingo