Trip to Dresden or Auferstanden aus Ruinen...
I'm still not really awake; I have eight hours by train and a very impressive weekend behind me. We went to visit the animal shelter we support, and as we were already in the area, we stayed for two days in Dresden, to visit the Zwinger, the Frauenkirche and the incredible, mind-blowing collection of baroque art that is and is collected in the Grünes Gewölbe. The animal shelter will get its own article (I was covered in cats and dogs!), but for now, let's stay in Dresden.
I have a bucket list, and "seeing Dresden and eating Eierschecke (that's a cake. A delicious dream of a cake. The cake to end all cakes.) at some point in my life" is one of the items on it. The reason is Erich Kästner, my favourite author and one of those writers who have inspired me the most. Kästner was born and grew up in Dresden, and he described his childhood, his sometimes tricky relationship with his parents and growing up in his book "Als ich ein kleiner Junge war / When I Was a Little Boy" (highly recommended!)
In one chapter, he bemoans the loss of culture, especially the edible kind, and that he fears the Eierschecke cake has become extinct. For some reasons - probably because I was a little girl with a big love for cake - that bit left a lasting impression on me. I'm happy to report that a) the Eierschecke is alive and kicking and b) delicious.
He also described with great love and fondness the beauty of his hometown, its art, its culture, its unique architecture. Two years after the devastating bombings of Dresden (which was called a "moral bombing" by the British and US forces. Yeah.) Kästner returned to his hometown, and he wrote about it as follows:
"Yes, Dresden used to be a wonderful city. You can trust me. And you'll have to trust me! None of you, and even if their father was very rich, could go there by train to check whether I am right. Because the city of Dresden is no more. Some ruins aside, it has disappeared from the face of earth. WWII has swept it away with one gesture, in a single night. It took centuries to create its unique beauty. A couple of hours were enought to make it disappear. This happened on 13th February, 1945. Eighthundred planes dropped bombs and incendiaries. And what was left was a desert. With a couple of giant ruins which looked like capsized ocean liners.
Two years later, I stood in the middle of this desert and had no idea where I was. Among broken, dusty bricks there was a road sign. "Prager Strasse" I deciphered. I was standing on the Prager Strasse? On the world-famous Prager Strasse? On the most magnificent street of my childhood? On the street with the most beautiful shop-windows? On the most brilliant street of Christmastime? I stood in an emptiness spreading for kilometres. In the middle of a brick steppe. In the middle of nothing."
It's very tragic that Kästner didn't live to see his beloved Dresden "risen from ruins" - the national anthem of the GDR was "Auferstanden aus Ruinen - Risen from Ruins", and it's difficult to look at pictures of the destroyed Dresden of 1945 and the magnificent restored buildings we can admire today. I can't even begin to imagine how much money, time, care, experience and love has gone into the rebuilding and restoration of buildings and artworks. Unimaginable if all this had been lost for us and the generations to come. This is the Zwinger, after the bombings and after restoration.
For an 18th century enthusiat like me, Dresden and especially the Grünes Gewölbe is a dream come true. King August II (called "The Strong", so you could tell him apart from the estimated 7039464089 other Augusts in his family) was a great collector of art and benefactor of artists. While walking through the Grünes Gewölbe, his treasure vault, I was simply overwhelmed by the amazing pieces of display. Frigates carved from Ivory. Tiny automatons. His Majesty's buttons, shoe buckles and walking stick, all covered in jewels. Animals in gold, silver and diamonds. The complete court of an Indian maharadscha, in miniature, in gold, silver, emaille and jewels. And the various vaults themselves (he had one for silver, one for gold, one for bronze etc.) are things of greatest beauty.
I was particularly fond of the collection of pearlfigures:
Click here to see more. Or google; it's really worth it.
And now I have to drag my tired body out of the house to go shopping. I guess I'll have to look up the recipe for Eierschecke afterwards. It's legal doping for writers.
Molly originally posted this entry at http://joyful-molly.dreamwidth.org/350591.html. You can comment on LJ or DW, using OpenID.
I have a bucket list, and "seeing Dresden and eating Eierschecke (that's a cake. A delicious dream of a cake. The cake to end all cakes.) at some point in my life" is one of the items on it. The reason is Erich Kästner, my favourite author and one of those writers who have inspired me the most. Kästner was born and grew up in Dresden, and he described his childhood, his sometimes tricky relationship with his parents and growing up in his book "Als ich ein kleiner Junge war / When I Was a Little Boy" (highly recommended!)
In one chapter, he bemoans the loss of culture, especially the edible kind, and that he fears the Eierschecke cake has become extinct. For some reasons - probably because I was a little girl with a big love for cake - that bit left a lasting impression on me. I'm happy to report that a) the Eierschecke is alive and kicking and b) delicious.
He also described with great love and fondness the beauty of his hometown, its art, its culture, its unique architecture. Two years after the devastating bombings of Dresden (which was called a "moral bombing" by the British and US forces. Yeah.) Kästner returned to his hometown, and he wrote about it as follows:
"Yes, Dresden used to be a wonderful city. You can trust me. And you'll have to trust me! None of you, and even if their father was very rich, could go there by train to check whether I am right. Because the city of Dresden is no more. Some ruins aside, it has disappeared from the face of earth. WWII has swept it away with one gesture, in a single night. It took centuries to create its unique beauty. A couple of hours were enought to make it disappear. This happened on 13th February, 1945. Eighthundred planes dropped bombs and incendiaries. And what was left was a desert. With a couple of giant ruins which looked like capsized ocean liners.
Two years later, I stood in the middle of this desert and had no idea where I was. Among broken, dusty bricks there was a road sign. "Prager Strasse" I deciphered. I was standing on the Prager Strasse? On the world-famous Prager Strasse? On the most magnificent street of my childhood? On the street with the most beautiful shop-windows? On the most brilliant street of Christmastime? I stood in an emptiness spreading for kilometres. In the middle of a brick steppe. In the middle of nothing."
It's very tragic that Kästner didn't live to see his beloved Dresden "risen from ruins" - the national anthem of the GDR was "Auferstanden aus Ruinen - Risen from Ruins", and it's difficult to look at pictures of the destroyed Dresden of 1945 and the magnificent restored buildings we can admire today. I can't even begin to imagine how much money, time, care, experience and love has gone into the rebuilding and restoration of buildings and artworks. Unimaginable if all this had been lost for us and the generations to come. This is the Zwinger, after the bombings and after restoration.
For an 18th century enthusiat like me, Dresden and especially the Grünes Gewölbe is a dream come true. King August II (called "The Strong", so you could tell him apart from the estimated 7039464089 other Augusts in his family) was a great collector of art and benefactor of artists. While walking through the Grünes Gewölbe, his treasure vault, I was simply overwhelmed by the amazing pieces of display. Frigates carved from Ivory. Tiny automatons. His Majesty's buttons, shoe buckles and walking stick, all covered in jewels. Animals in gold, silver and diamonds. The complete court of an Indian maharadscha, in miniature, in gold, silver, emaille and jewels. And the various vaults themselves (he had one for silver, one for gold, one for bronze etc.) are things of greatest beauty.
I was particularly fond of the collection of pearlfigures:
Click here to see more. Or google; it's really worth it.
And now I have to drag my tired body out of the house to go shopping. I guess I'll have to look up the recipe for Eierschecke afterwards. It's legal doping for writers.
Molly originally posted this entry at http://joyful-molly.dreamwidth.org/350591.html. You can comment on LJ or DW, using OpenID.