Erfurt Germany

John King

Erfurt, Germany

The missionary Boniface founded the town of Erfurt in 742 A.D. as a bishopric. It was an important trading center throughout the Middle Ages because of its strategic location. Throughout the middle ages Erfurt and the surrounding towns were known for German woad trade, which is used in blue dye. In 1379 the University of Erfurt was opened and became the third university in Germany. The university was lucky to educate one of the most influential people in all of German history in Martin Luther. While, in Erfurt Martin Luther became a monk and an ordained priest of the Catholic empire. The city became a part of the Electorate of Mainz in the middle of the 1660’s. This was one of the largest states within the Holy Roman Empire. The city later became a part of Prussia but that was shortly lived when it was taken over by Napoleon. It was returned back to Prussia after the Napoleonic wars. From this time up till World War 2 Erfurt continued to grow as and economic center. In World War 2 Erfurt was a prime bomb location for its rail lines especially to slow down the dispersement of oil to the front lines. After the war the city fell into the Soviet Union controlled zone of Germany and was under Communist rule until the break up of the USSR.

Erfurt is a city located in the Thuringia in the heart of the country. It has a population of 205,000 people. It is located on the Gera River in the Thuringian Basin. The Thuringian basin is know for its lush soils and is a popular agriculture center. Erfurt is an important crossroads for the country since it is located in the middle of the country. This also makes it an important hub of industry, which includes metalworking. Erfurt is also a prime location of the production and research of technology. Flowerbeds and baskets riddle the city in the spring in summer because Erfurt also exports seeds and processed foods; the city hosts an annual garden show.

Sights to See

Mariendom and Severikirche:

·      Roman Catholic Domination

·      Severikirche was built sometime in the early 1100’s

·      Mariendom was re-built and added on to in the 15^th century

·      Mariendom has the largest swinging church bell built in the middle ages that is still in service

·      Cathedral is the house of the tomb of Count von Gleichen

Old Synagogue

·      Built sometime in the 11^th century

·      Thought to be the oldest synagogue still standing in Europe

·      Houses the Erfurt Treasure

Town Hall

·      Built in the 1870’s

·      Was influteial town center

·      Houses many paintings that depict the legend of Martin Luther

·      Located around the Fish Market

Augustinerkloster

·      Monastery where Martin Luther became a monk

·      Built between 1270 and 1340

·      The monastery went out of use in the 1550’s and used for various different things over the next few years.

·      During world war 2 was bombed by British

Kramer Bridge

·      Also know as the Kramerbrucker

·      Buildings line the bridges outside

·      Built within the 12^th century

·      Was originally built with wood but repeated fires took it out

·      Constructed with stone in the late 13^th century

·      32 different houses stand today

·      Mostly artisans and antique shops

Petersburg Citadel

·      Built in the 1660’s

·      Been added on to throughout time

·      Many different people have occupied it

·      Was a strong point during World War 2

·      Taken over by the Americans

Old University

·      Founded in 1379

·      Third university of Germany

·      Martin Luther attended the school

·      Closed by the Prussian government

·      Re-opened in 2000

·      Main focuses today are education and religion

·      Liberal arts college

Christmas 1942 Santa forgot about Hitler

When thinking about Germany pre-World War 2 and during World War 2 there is one thing that always comes to my mind and that is late 1942 and early 1943. The Germany Third Reich started after the end of the Weimar Republic and catapulted with Adolf Hitler taking charge of the German government. The war started with Germany invading Poland in on September 1, 1939 and Poland was lost in just 5 weeks (pg263-264). The Germans had their sights set toward taking over Great Britain next but were denied the opportunity and headed toward the Soviet Union. Hitler’s plan was to get Britain to surrender by taking over the Soviet Union. Hitler figured that with the allies largest force out of the war there would be no way for them to win. However, like Hagen said “It was the same fatal mistake that Napoleon had committed in 1812” (pg 266). This would end up being the worst mistake Hitler makes in his conquest for “Fortress Europe.” Hitler was now in a two-sided war with France and the Soviet Union. It didn’t take him long to over run the French but the Russians were providing a bit more of a fight for the Germans.  From 1939 to fall of 1942 the Germans had taken over an enormous amount of land. Their empire stretched from France to the outskirts of Moscow and from Norway to North Africa. However, Hagen specifically says this “By midwinter of 1942-1943 the military commanders of the Third Reich had shifted to purely defensive strategy” (pg 277).

            This defensive strategy was started because of two cities on the eastern front of the war, Stalingrad and Moscow. With the German’s in ability to obtain these two cities their pursuit for taking over the Soviet Union was more or less over. It expended a great part of their army and it was a huge strike to the moral of not only their soldiers but also their people. After the defeat at Stalingrad Joseph Gobbles the head of propaganda under Hitler gave a speech to the German people in hopes of “whip[ing] the public up to a frenzy of fanaticism and determination to hold out”(pg 281). This was a far cry to regroup the public and make them believe that there was still a chance to win the war. The Soviet Union had a way different picture painted for the German public and it only included the Red flag raised over Berlin.

            My personal opinion in the matter is that Germany and Hitler made an absolute terrible decision to invade the Soviet Union so soon. This in my opinion was the ending point of the war in Europe. The thing that intrigues me the most is what if they would have waited till after the winter to invade? Could our world, as we know it today be completely different? In studying World War 2 I have thought about these questions an immense amount. If German 2had taken over Moscow then they would have controlled nearly all of Europe with an open territory to assist Japan in China and wage a naval attack on the west coast of the United States. 1942 and 1943 played as the turning point of the war and ultimately the entire world. Without the stop of the Germans advance in the Soviet Union our world could be completely different today.

The picture above is an arial snap shot of what Stalingrad looked like after the battle. You can see how terrible the destruction was and how hard the Russians had to fight in order to keep the city.

These are German soldiers on the front lines for the Battle of Moscow. It is clear as day that they are a tad bit cold. Most German soldiers at the Battle of Moscow did not even have winter clothing and some froze to death. This was one of the greatest blunders of the entire war for the German army and could have very easily been the deciding point in them losing this battle. 

This picture represents the German advance on Moscow. Its easy to tell that the weather had a huge part to play in the advance. Mainly because after the 16 of December there was very little gain in ground toward Moscow. Once winter settled into getting progressively worse the axis advance stalled. They were now playing on the Russians terms who were ready for the cold and knew how to fight in it. 

German Conquest 1942

German Conquest 1944

The two maps represent the time frame of the German advance. In 1942 right before the losses at Moscow and Stalingrad the Germans were on the verge of taking over the two most important cities in the Soviet Union. By the end of 1944 the Germans were completely out of Soviet land and had lost France and most of Italy.

Industrialization and Literacy Contribute to Independence

Throughout our reading of Germany a New History there are has been a reoccurring theme of German freedom and statehood. In the time period from 1840 to 1871 Germany saw its fair share of ups and downs. There was a general goal throughout the nation that they wanted to become a state. However, it is extremely apparent that there was not enough consensus of where to start that it failed at first. In the years around 1840 France was again trying to expand its borders toward Germany, much like Napoleon had tried earlier (pg 119). This movement started mass protest in Germany, and reignited nationalism throughout the German nation. This is unique because of the correlation it has with American history. Throughout American colonialism Americans wanted independent freedom from Great Britain. Much like the Germanic nation wanted their own state. Germans set up own unique groups or movements like the “Turnbewegung” in order to get the German people ready for statehood. This also compares to American history when we were trying to gain independence by following groups such as the Sons of Liberty that were men that later helped draft the Declaration of Independence. The one thing that these groups had in common was that they were all educated men.

            Germans throughout early history have been known as a very rural group of people and also a very uneducated nation. Hagen gives us a great example on page 119 of another reason why the press for independence was growing. He state in a caption that “Around 1770 about 15 percent of adults in Germany could read and write; by 1840 the number had grown by half—a true revolution.” The fact that their literacy rate had grown by 15 percent in 70 years was a huge advantage for supporters of independence. This meant that activist were able to spread their word and feel comfortable that the German people were able to understand the importance of the issue. Like Hagen said this improvement in German education was a true revolution but there was also another revolution that paid dividends to the cause.            

            Germany also began to advance their industrial systems, this decision along with the improvement in literacy rate were two of the key impacts on German independence. In late 1835 Germany had exactly 3.7 miles worth of railroad tracks. By 1848 there were over 3000 miles worth of rail cover twice as many miles as France had (pg 130). This is a monumental feet for German people it gave them the ability to transport goods and more importantly food across the country. It also made travel much easier for important individuals that were involved in the revolutionary efforts. It also allowed for military units and materials to be transported very quickly. These advances played a huge part in the Austro-Prussian War. Especially at the battle of Koniggratz, were the Prussians halted the Austrian troops in July of 1866. The Prussian General Helmuth von Moltke used rail and telegram to center his attack on one location and devastate the Austrians (pg 141). He would not have been able to claim this battle with out the advancement in technology due to the German industrial revolution. Hagan says this “in light of the Prussian victory, as a step forward to German unity” (pg 141). It was only a matter of 5 years later that the former Prussian king would be named German Emperor.  None of this would have been able to happen if it were not for the German people being able to understand fully what was happening in the situation through the climb in literacy, or the huge boom of industrialization that allowed Germany to connect their country. 

This picture represents the major rail industrial revolution that took place from 1835 to 1848 where Germans added over 3000 miles in track. This was later pivotal in trade and military transportation. 

Otto von Bismarck was a master mind behind military techniques and development of an army. He posed as Minister President for Prussia during the time German independence took place. 

This is a picture of Germany in the early 1800's. This picture shows the multiple kingdoms and principalities that were ruling during the time period. The mass amount of principalities played a huge part in gain independence because of the constant fight for who would get rights to power if there was unification. 

#3

Martin Luther changed German history and religious history in that matter with his bold stand against the Catholic Church.  Luther was one of the first people in history to stand up to the Pope and live to see another day. His writing of the 95 theses that pointed out the corruption in the church was heavily favored all throughout the German lands. Martin Luther gave the people vision to light on the other side, and he gave one man a figure to base his province around. Luther was one of the first people to ever use propaganda as a valid method to spread his word. Through his writings he would point out what he saw was wrong with the church, and he did all this with the help of the printing press. The printing press enabled Luther to spread his word fast and to a mass amount of people. In a sense the writings also made him a huge icon because of the way he wrote. He wrote with a lot of savvy and wit that the people loved. His writings were rude and harsh to the people he was calling out, this made him extremely popular with the public. The thing that fascinates me about Luther is that he never really understood how big he was to the people he influenced. It really showed when he showed up a Worms and people were shouting “Long Live Luther.” This completely contrasted what the Catholic officials thought of themselves and how the presented themselves. To the people Luther was no different then themselves, but in a Catholic officials eyes they were greater than the people they served. One of the most monumental things Luther did in his whole life though, was to translate the bible into German so his people could read it. This was Luther’s stamp on the world because his main point in how a good Christian should live his life was through scripture. Luther now enabled his people to be good Christians by enabling them to read the written text. The one thing Luther did not plan for was the revolts of peasants that sprang up because of the uplifting gesture that his text gave them. This is extremely interesting because Luther later wrote that the nobles should put down the revolts of the peasants and compared them to beasts. The peasants in a way misunderstood his text and took it as a literal reference to rise up from serfdom by force, instead Luther mean through scripture. Martin Luther shaped Germany through the reformation of the church, he stood up for what he believed in and came out on top.

This is a picture of the church in which Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door and began his movement. It started here and spread across Germany through word and text. Luther used printing presses to spread the written word of the theses. 

The Holy Roman Empire at the time of Luther was around this size. He obviously lived in the German Empire which was relatively far from the Papal States. I felt like this was an advantage for Luther because it took longer for word to travel back and forth about his doings, and kept him out of trouble longer

http://youtu.be/dt5AJr0wls0

This is my last picture/video. Its just kind of interesting. Enjoy

#2

One thing that really caught my eye when reading through the first two chapters was how Germany or Germans came to get their name. “Germans” as Caesar called them were Nordic barbarians that settled in the failed sections of the Roman Empire. Caesar borrowed the name from the Gauls, which the term meant “savage people.” He also got the name from the area that they inhabited called Germania, which was the land beyond the Rhine and the Danube rivers. I also thought it was extremely interesting how many different German tribes had traveled to different parts of Europe and set up nations. This also connects a lot with early American history when Americans first colonized they set up their own states that in a sense governed them selves much like the Germans did. Also like the Germans when America was first founded it was founded as a conglomerate of rural farmers. In our readings it stated how Germans were known as farmers and very few lived in urban settings. This is what America was founded on and agriculture still plays a huge part in our economy today. Agriculture was such a huge part of German culture that there was a point in German history were their population was taking off so fast that the supply of food was less than the demand. When this happened the Black Death plague began to run through Europe and therefore knock a large amount of the population down. One of the main things that made a person even more susceptible to the disease was malnourishment. When farmers couldn’t keep up with demand for food; this opened the door for the disease to sweep through. This also stood out to me because of the drought we have endured this summer, and how it is going to affect our economy, food supply, and rural communities. 

I chose this picture because it is an example of how agriculture still plays a big role in Germany. In the picture the farmer is turning the corn he raised and is chopping it into silage. He will then feed this to his livestock. 

This picture is of Martin Luther who was easily one of the most influential persons in German history and religious history. He founded Protestant religion and stood up to a corrupt catholic church that was doing unholy things in his point of view. His morals and beliefs are still followed to this day. 

I used this picture to represent the Black Death plague that swept across Europe. It seemed extremely interesting to me from the reading on how that when farmers couldn't keep up with the demand for food that the Black Death became even more dangerous. 

1st Blog Assignment

Going on this trip to Germany will be my first time ever leaving United States soil so it was very important for me to choose a program I knew I would enjoy.  One of the main reasons I chose to study abroad this year was to simply see what is out there. One of me goals after I graduate college is to hopefully work abroad, but the only way I can truly know that I will be ready for this is if I actually get out of the country. That is also one of the reasons I chose Germany. Germany, as of right now, is a powerhouse for the European economy. Since my major deals with a business background its not entirely crazy to say that if I reach my goal I could one day end up in Germany, which I would defiantly be ok with.  Actually it would be quite scary, to say the least, if Europe didn’t have Germany holding up the weight of the Euro right now. I also decided to go to Germany instead of anywhere else because of my grandfather. My grandpa was in Germany for the aftermath of World War 2 and always told me how beautiful it was and honestly never had anything bad to say about it, other than the reason he was there in the first place.  My dad and I have talked about trying to get him back to Germany before he is to old so he can show us were he was stationed and all the different things he enjoyed while he was there. However, we have yet to achieve this goal and he isn’t getting any younger so this was my opportunity to go and share my experience with him. The last thing that slated my decision was the fact that the course work and overall agenda for the trip revolved around the culture and history of Germany. When I first came to college my plan was to be a history teacher. Since then I have changed my mind but still enjoy learning about history. Especially since we will be in Berlin, which is a city with a plethora of history just within the last century alone. The experience of being among a different culture is something that not everyone gets a chance to do. This opportunity will make me more rounded as a person and give me a chance to see how people from different cultures interact, and I cant wait to get on the plane and check it out!

These pictures that I chose are things that pop into my mind when I think of Germany today. The first picture represents World War 2, the second represents German architecture, and the last is German ingenuity. These are some of the things that have shaped Germany for what it is today. After World War 2 Germany has become a world power economically, for commerce and engineering. 

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If anyone is wondering about my blog background or doesn't know what it is check out these two videos. David Hasselhoff sang this big hit at the bringing down of the Berlin Wall.

http://youtu.be/2ot_katYYiU

http://youtu.be/0zXiClnK8oE

177 days to go!