Germany with Mike Stuchbery

09/11/2020

November 9th has often been a turbulent day in modern German history - indeed, it's known as the 'Schicksaltag', or the 'Day of Fate'.

On this day:

* 1918 - The Weimar Republic is declared.

* 1923 - Adolf Hi**er led the unsuccessful 'Beer Hall Putsch' in Munich.

* 1938 - N**i SA troopers carried out the 'Reichspogromnacht'. leading to the destruction of synagogues, Jewish business and the injury or death of hundreds of Jews.

* 1989 - The Berlin Wall fell, commencing the reunification process of the two post-war Germanys.

03/11/2020

Sailors revolted at Kiel on this day in 1918, beginning the revolution that would overthrow Emperor Wilhelm II and usher in the Weimar Republic, after a period of bloody fighting.

31/10/2020

Happy Halloween! 🎃💀👻🦇 It's also the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his '95 Theses' to the church door in Wittenberg, kick-starting the Protestant Reformation and sending it into overdrive. One of the defining events of the Early Modern Period, it would dictate European politics and statecraft for the next three hundred years.

29/10/2020

Heard of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty? They have been described as one of the inspirations for House Lannister from 'Game of Thrones'.

Local boy, Konradin, last heir of the House of Hohenstaufen, met the executioner's blade on this day in 1268. Having been captured during his attempt to recapture Sicily for his family, he was dragged to the Castell Dell'Ovo in Naples and beheaded.

The Hohenstaufen played a significant role in European history, featuring Frederick Barbarossa among their number.

The Hohenstaufen were a major presence in the Stuttgart region, and wider Baden-Württemberg. Many of their castle ruins, and other traces, are easily accessible from Stuttgart via public transport.

20/10/2020

Klaus Störtebeker, notorious pirate of both the Baltic and North Sea, was executed along with his crew in Hamburg on this day in 1401.

According to popular legend, he begged the executioner to spare anybody his headless co**se could stagger past - most legends say he got past eleven men before the executioner tripped him. Regardless, the entire 73 men with him were killed, and their heads impaled on spikes.

Other legends state that gold, silver and copper from his ships were used to make various Hamburg landmarks.

#1401

19/10/2020

Happy birthday Universität Heidelberg! The first lecture there took place on this day in 1386, making it Germany's oldest university. It is still a leading centre of research excellence.

17/10/2020

Who knows the story of Johannes Kepler? His story is an amazing journey across the German-speaking Holy Roman Empire of the 16th and 17th centuries, and into the stars beyond. On this day in 1604, he observed what he thought was a new star - it was a supernova. He wrote about it in his book, 'De Stella nova in pede Serpentarii'.

15/10/2020

Famed (and controversial) German philosopher and author, Friedrich Nietzsche, was born on this day in 1844 in Röcken, modern-day Sachsen-Anhalt. Known for his ideas regarding the 'will to power', his works are widely debated and discussed to this day.

Learn more about him here: https://iep.utm.edu/nietzsch/

12/10/2020

One of the great joys of driving around Germany in the Autumn/Fall are the thousands of roadside 'kurbisstände' or pumpkin stands by the roadside. Most work on an honesty system, and sell all sorts of root vegetables in addition to pumpkins.

12/10/2020

The very first Oktoberfest began on this day in 1810, as part of the wedding celebrations for Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The festival was so popular that it has been a fixture of Munich (and German) life ever since, with only a few cancellations and is the largest drinking festival in the world - although the Canstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart is close behind!

09/10/2020

Charlemagne, who would eventually become Emperor of the Romans and unify the lands of what would one day become Germany, was crowned King of the Franks in 768. His brother was crowned to rule by his side at a later time.

What Charlemagne would later do through military skill, civic planning, and his support of church institutions, would later pave the way for the Holy Roman Empire, and establish the framework that would allow the rise of a German nation state, centuries later.



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