Tag Archives: German history

Why is German reunification celebrated on 3 October?

Today, Germany celebrates the 30th 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 Cold War, Germany, History, Holocaust | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

History Lessons in Bolivia

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

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

Our Prisoner of War

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”.

They are the people who deny the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany. But what about their legal and historical arguments? I took the time to delve into them. 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

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, Germany, History, UK | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Eastern Germany, the unknown Germany

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 , | 16 Comments

Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler

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, History, Politics, USA | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

What is the SS Marching Band doing in Bolivia?

Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. 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 … Continue reading

Posted in Bolivia, Germany, History, Music, Travel, Video Blog | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

German history follows me all the way to Bolivia

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

Be careful with predictions!

Oops.

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