As I spend a lot of my time in Germany these days, my girlfriend and I hit the road (or, more precisely, rails) to explore other parts of the country now and then. I’ll describe these journeys in this space which, this month, features trips to Göttingen and Bad Zwischenahn.
Göttingen
My girlfriend had a work assignment in Göttingen and (having nothing better to do) I tagged along. Göttingen is a university town situated roughly between Bremen and Hannover. Forty-four Nobel laureates are, in someway, associated with Göttingen, and many of its 120,000 population are students of some sort. As such, culture is a big deal here-especially as it manifests itself in statues and monuments.
Just about everywhere you look, there is a statue or monument. One of the first we see is a statue of Carl Friedrich Gauss and a seated Wilhelm Weber in Park Wall. These gents supposedly invented the telegraph several years before the American Samuel Morse, but they couldn’t get financial backing for their invention. Weber looks thoroughly bored with what Gauss is saying.
A little further on, while entering the old town, we come across a statue of Friedrich Wohler. Wohler was an organic chemist who first synthesized urea. It looks like his statue synthesized some sort of accident too. Or, maybe, that lump is supposed to be some sort of urea.
The surviving tower and short stretch of wall located on Turmstrasse are the only bits of the medieval city left. The old town is nice, but too touristy for my taste. I don’t expect everyone to dress in 15th century costumes; but can Weenderstrasse NOT look like every pedestrian-only old town in Germany?
A puzzling monument lies in the square in front of Göttingen’s main train station. It is a huge pedestal with nothing on it. Supposedly, it is a tribute to the “Göttingen Seven”, critics who were dismissed by King Ernest almost two centuries ago. A similar pedestal in front of Hannover’s train station has an equestrian statue of King Ernest upon it and, thus, the contrast. However, if you are (like me) unfamiliar with German politics two hundred years ago, you are more likely to think that the monument just looks stupid and incomplete.
Making more sense is the nearby Charlotte Muller monument…even if it looks somewhat like a tombstone. Local tradition has it that she was the oldest street vendor in the world. Well, maybe not the whole world; but at least in Göttingen. She sold fruits and sweets to travelers near the Göttingen train station until she was nearly 94.
Oh yes, I should mention that, in the evening, we attended the readings by several poets. It was an event sponsored by the Stiftungniedersachsen, a local cultural group. The evening was just okay. I am no opponent of poetry (even free verse); but it certainly is harder to appreciate it in a different language when you can only understand a few words here and there.
We want to at least visit the University of Göttingen. After all, it’s what puts the city on the map. Unfortunately, time dictates otherwise, and we have to content ourselves with wandering over to the University-affiliated Forum Wissen. This place is a museum of knowledge which specializes in its exhibits at asking the question “how is knowledge created”?
On that subject, I wish I knew how we are shanghaied into a guided tour of a new Heart and Brain exhibit at the Forum. I guess it is interesting, but it is so long that we have to bug out before the tour ends. We have to rush through the rest of the museum to see what else is here.
I like the hut made out of books; but, as for the rest, I guess we’ll never know.
Before our train leaves, we just have time to sneak out of the Forum and explore a bit more of Göttingen’s old town. There are statues here, too. “Der Tanz” is supposed to represent a man and woman dancing with a child trying to get into the act. It was meant to be a symbol of human togetherness. Appropriately enough, locals call the statue “the navel”-a popular meeting place that sits roughly in the middle of Göttingen.
Then there is the pièce de résistance, arguably the monument that Göttingen is most famous for: The Ganseliesel Fountain. Erected at the beginning of the 20th century, this fountain-statue depicts a young girl flanked by geese (one in hand, the other in a basket) on each side. Doctorate students at the University, by tradition, have to buy flowers for the “goose girl” and give her a kiss. City officials have legally banned this tradition; but it still thrives. They know what’s good for the city-and their wallets.
So that is Göttingen in a nutshell. Nothing really exciting beyond its many statues and fountains. But don’t be too quick to dismiss the charms of these things. Many an unknown tale can be hidden within these creations. You just have to be curious enough to look for them.
Bad Zwischenahn
Bad Zwischenahn is a town of about 30,000 a few train stops away from Bremen and about 70 km from the North Sea. As its name implies, Bad Zwischenahn is a spa town; but it appears to be a old folks home judging by all the geriatrics we pass on Bahnhofstrasse.
Eventually, we find ourselves at the lovely Kurpark. Besides the beautiful flowers, there is much of interest here-including strange picture disks, an old farmer’s shed and windmill, and a children’s playground based on the “Bear and Tiger” stories.
Eating smoked eels (along with drinking the local Ammerlander Loffeltrink Schnapps) is a thing here; and a picture sign of an eel-eating contest winner is proudly on display here.
During the Nazi era, Bad Zwischenahn housed the largest airbase in Northern Germany. Understandably, the Allies bombed it to smithereens during World War II. These days, the main attraction in the area is the lake, or the “Zwischenahner Meer”.
Legend has it that the devil picked up a big chunk of land in order to drop it upon a newly-built church in nearby Oldenburg. But he was so disturbed during his flight by crowing cocks, that he dropped the land near Bad Zwischenahn and it created the lake. Actually, it was created about 11 million years ago when a salt dome collapsed. I like the devil story better.
Our main reason for making the day trip to Bad Zwischenahn is to visit “Der Park Garten” on the shores of the lake. To get there, however, we have to board the ferry. We thought that the ferry would merely transport us to that part of the lake that we needed to go to. But it is actually like a guided tour…with someone (or perhaps a tape) offering commentary about the sites along the way.
There is a surprising amount to see, including twin villas, the Seehotelfahrhaus, a nature reserve, St. Johannes Church, marinas, beaches, and private homes. We almost hate to get off of the ferry at our Rostrup stop knowing that we will miss the commentary regarding the remaining circuit of the lake. But get off we do, and head for the park.
The Park Garden offers several dozen theme gardens on its 32-acre layout. Here, one can find about 2,000 species of rhododendrons alone. It’s the biggest such park in Germany, and we’re visiting it to compare it to Bremen’s own Rhodopark. The difference is: Rhodopark is free; but you have to pay to get in here.
First, we observe the carefully and minutely manicured bushes and trees. We’ve noticed this outside of the park too; so this must be a regional specialty.
The map that we are given with our tickets is nearly useless. We don’t know if we are going up or down, and there is a appalling lack of signage. We can gain our bearings only with a reckoning by the park’s landmarks.
Finally finding the rhododendron section, we have to admit it is nice, but no nicer than those in Rhodopark. They are, perhaps, more numerous and spread out here; but the quality is about even-and we had to pay to get in!
Before we leave the park (after getting turned around a few times), we insist upon climbing the observation tower. It is our belief that all will become clear once we do so, and the elevation will provide spectacular views. We are wrong on both counts. The tower didn’t answer our questions nor did it present powerful views. Three strikes, and you’re out!
We take the bus to Oldenburg and catch the train home from there. While the Park Garden was somewhat of a disappointment, the rest of Bad Zwischenahn certainly was not-especially the lake area. The Kurpark is lovely, and we really are curious to know what is happening around the rest of the lake after Rostrup. Sounds like another day trip to me.