Tag Archives: German history

History Lessons in Bolivia

Posted on 2020-06-14 by

In a remote jungle school in Bolivia, I am surprised by what the children learn about Germany. Continue reading →

Posted in Bolivia, Books, Education, Germany, History, Travel, Video Blog | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Our Prisoner of War

Posted on 2019-11-29 by

Recently, I stayed with my father in Bavaria, where life is informal and one can put the feet on the table and smoke inside the house. We were both preoccupied with reading, my father with the newspaper and me with … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, History, Military, Russia, Travel, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Does the Federal Republic of Germany even exist? A discussion with a “Reichsbürger”.

Posted on 2019-08-07 by

Many years ago, someone walked into my law office, showed me a notice about some traffic fine and explained, confusing our respective roles in the attorney-client relationship, why he definitely wouldn’t need to pay the fine. According to him, the … Continue reading →

Posted in German Law, Germany, History, Law, Military, Politics, World War II | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

East Germany and West Germany, seen from the outside

Posted on 2019-03-07 by

In the old days, before Erasmus, academic exchanges were still complicated: visa, health insurance, exchanging money. And then there was no internet, so you couldn’t start looking for accommodation before the move. The first week was usually spent at a hotel, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold War, Education, Germany, History, Media, UK | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Eastern Germany, the unknown Germany

Posted on 2018-10-03 by

The headline is not universally true, of course, but merely a reference to my own limited experience. But let me tell you how I came to it. Last winter, when I lived in Montenegro, I met a woman who was either … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold War, Germany, History, Travel | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler

Posted on 2016-07-30 by

After Donald Trumps’s speech at the Republican National Convention, I made this joke, inspired both by the plagiarism in the current Mrs Trumps’ speech and by the speech itself: As with all my other Donald Trump jokes however, it turned out … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Elections, History, Politics, US election 2016, USA | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

What is the SS Marching Band doing in Bolivia?

Posted on 2016-04-09 by

On average, you are awoken by marching bands in Bolivia twice per week and at least once per week you will be prevented from falling asleep at night by a marching band and fireworks. I generally like this, and it’s much better … Continue reading →

Posted in Bolivia, Education, Germany, History, Music, Travel, Video Blog | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

German history follows me all the way to Bolivia

Posted on 2016-02-19 by

Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. A few days ago in Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia: The Orient Express on which I had come from San José de Chiquitos, even further in the east of the country, was delayed by an hour, so I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Bolivia, German Law, Germany, History, Holocaust, Immigration Law, Law, Travel, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Why is German reunification celebrated on 3 October?

Posted on 2015-10-03 by

Today, Germany celebrates the 25th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany on 3 October 1990. The history buffs among you will know that the Berlin Wall fell almost a year earlier, on 9 November 1989. So why … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, History, Holocaust | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Be careful with predictions!

Posted on 2014-11-10 by

Oops.

Posted in Germany, History, Holocaust, Media, World War II | Tagged , | 9 Comments