Tags
berlin, geschichte, history, hohenzollern, monbijou, preußen, prussia
12 Tuesday May 2020
Posted Books
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berlin, geschichte, history, hohenzollern, monbijou, preußen, prussia
03 Friday Apr 2020
Posted General
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I’m pleased with the small print I received yesterday of Schloß Monbijou, dating to about 1833, the downside is that due to this Corona lunacy the picture framer is closed until further notice.
26 Tuesday Nov 2019
Posted Events
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berlin, carlyle, fritz, geschichte, history, hohenzollern, monbijou, preußen, prussia, wilhelmine
Finally reading more of Carlyle’s History of Frederick the Great I was pleasantly surprised to find that Peter the Great of Russia begged to stay at Schloß Monbijou during his state visit in 1717 as he wanted some peace and quiet (Book IV, Chapter VII). The Queen was apparently none too pleased and attempted to remove anything breakable (or is that poetic licence from Carlyle…). As with Königsberg I feel a strange affinity to the place, such a shame that the lovely palace by the river is now a nondescript park.
The description of parts of the visit Carlyle takes from Wilhelmine of Prussia´s (Fritz´s older sister´s) memoirs so of course I had to buy a copy, in German selbstverständlich, not French, God forbid.
17 Wednesday Jul 2019
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1848, berlin, bookbinding, geschichte, history, preußen, prussia, revolution
After some nerve-wracking sewing, it’s been a while since I last sewed a book, Berliner Bürgerwehr is now repaired and back together.
I’m not 100% happy with it, I never am, but it’s now far more robust than it was and most importantly nothing original has been lost. Another 167 years shouldn’t be a problem.
20 Monday May 2019
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My copy of Die Berliner Bürgerwehr is now dismantled ready for repair and re-binding, the soaking evident in the photo was to remove the glued on pages and remnants of the old cover, a little nerve-wracking but all went well.
I took the opportunity to scan it to a PDF as I can’t seem to find any copies, real or digital, anywhere else. Here it is, 300 dpi was the best I could manage unfortunately.
20 Thursday Sep 2018
Posted Events
inHeute vor 152 Jahren: der feierliche Einzug der Sieger in Berlin.
Den heimkehrenden Siegern. *)
Willkommen Euch! Ihr ruhmgekrönten Krieger!
Willkommen an der Heimath trautem Heerd!
Ihr kehret heim als Helden und als Sieger,
Ihr seid des Lorbeers und der Palme wert.
Das ungemessne Eurer großen Thaten
Ward nicht im Kreis der Voraussicht beraten.
Euch ging ein Held, gar eisenfest und wacker,
Der König Wilhelm ging dem Heer voran,
Des Rosses Hufe stampften Fels und Acker
Nur vorwärts, vorwärts stürmte Mann an Mann
Dem König nach, dem Zollern=Aar, dem starken
Bis an des Feindes Hauptstadt durch die Marken.
Der Siegesflug, der Euch gen Süden führte,
Dem keine Zahl der Feinde widerstand,
Er ist’s, der Preußens Söhne würdig zierte,
An dem wir altes Heldenblut erkannt.
Soll’n wir für solche Thaten ohne Gleichen
Nicht Palm und Lorbeer heut den Siegern reichen?
Der Dank des Vaterlandes Euch zum Lohne,
Im tausendstimm’gen Vivat wird er Euch!
Die Helden zeig’ der Vater seinem Sohne
Und bitte Gott: Er mach’ ihn diesen gleich,
Daß auch einst er auf breiten Ruhmesbahnen
Zum Siege führe unsres Preußens Fahnen.
O jubelt laut an diesem Siegesfeste,
Es ist ein Fest für Preußens Gloria;
Reicht unsren Helden heut das schönste, beste,
Sie bringen Frieden und Viktoria;
Mit ihrem Blut ward Deutschlands Heil erworben,
Drum Ehre denen, die dafür gestorben.
Der wackren Streiter, die in fremder Erde,
Nun schlafen still den langen Todesschlaf,
Sei heut gedacht, daß Trost und Lind’rung werde
All denen, die das Unglück bitter traf;
Sie leben ewig in der Weltgeschichte,
Denn ach, ihr Tod bracht’ uns die Siegesfrüchte.
Deß laßt uns freuen und dem Himmel danken,
Der soviel Segen unsrem Preußen gab;
Laßt uns in Treu’ und Liebe nimmer wanken,
Folgt willig König Wilhelm’s Feldherrnstab.
Erweitert sind des Vaterlandes Grenzen,
Drum seid geschmückt mit deutschen Eichenkränzen.
G.S
*) Aus der Festbeilage zu Nr. 299 des Berliber Fremden= und Anzeigeblatts.
04 Tuesday Sep 2018
Tags
1848, berlin, geschichte, history, preußen, prussia, revolution
03 Saturday Mar 2018
The Hauptmann von Köpenick was a petty crook who in 1906 dressed up as a prussian officer, commandeered some passing troops and used them to imprison the treasurer and the mayor in Köpenick Rathaus while he escaped with the contents of the safe. Somewhat surprisingly many people, including (angeblich) the King, found this amusing and when caught he was sentenced to only four years and pardoned by the King after two. Hardly the harsh militaristic Prussian state one expects.
The small exhibition and statue at Rathaus Köpenick is one of the few things left to see that would drag me back to the post-German horror that is modern Berlin.
Anyway, the story is better explained here, and the Heinz Rühmann film from 1956 is quite amusing.
I’ve always liked the story, and finally last week found a first edition of his memoirs from 1909. 120 Euros or so, but it makes me happy.
17 Sunday Dec 2017
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This little announcement in the Teltower Kreisblatt from 13th December 1856, tucked away amidst all the Christmas adverts, made me laugh:
In essence: “I hereby warn everyone not to lend my wife money, or anything else, as I won’t pay for it”, there’s a heart-warming Christmas story behind that somewhere.
10 Friday Nov 2017
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Johann Kühnau, Lieutenant in the Landwehr, fell in the battle of Hagelsberg, bei Lübnitz, on the 27th August 1813, just one of many civilians who joined up to drive the French (and others) from their homeland. According to v. d. Marwitz (Nachlasse, Band. 2 S. 84):
So wie das rechts neben der Batterie vorrückende Bataillon Bornstedt angetreten war, wurde der Lieutenant Kühnau (Doctor der Philosophie und Lehrer am Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium zu Berlin) durch eine Kanonenkugel getödtet; es fielen auch schon mehrere Landwehrmänner.
I like the little obscure connections. Kühnau was a teacher at the Berlin Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium, where Otto von Bismarck, whose uncle also took part in the battle at Hagelsberg, was later educated. It was a small world. Perhaps both of them handled the book I now possess.