Category Archives: History

10 Days In Croatia

Dubrovnik – Unesco World Heritage site

In 1979 Dubrovnik was named a Unesco World Heritage site in recognition of its medieval architecture and fortified old town. The fact that the city still exists is amazing in itself. The entire city was almost destroyed in 1667 by a huge earthquake. In 1991 the Yugoslav People’s Army shelled the city for seven months during the Croatian War of Independence. Over the centuries, because of its strategic location on the Adriatic Sea, it has changed hands more often than an old dollar bill. It has been overrun by emperors, sultans, Ottomans, Byzantines, Italians, Greeks, Romans, Serbians, Venetians, Hungarians, Germans, Croatians, Macedonians, and Crusaders.

Thanks to the Game of Thrones, mega-cruise ships and social media, it becomes difficult to talk about this beautiful city without obsessing on over-tourism. In 2019, before the pandemic, 1.5 million people roamed the narrow streets. To put it in perspective, that’s 36 tourist for every citizen. Things of cultural and historic significance are easy to overlook under the crush of overpriced tours, Game of Thrones t-shirts and Chinese made souvenirs. On a more positive note, the city is lovely and the gelato is fabulous.

The House of Marin Držić

Considered to be one of the finest Renaissance playwrights and prose writers of Croatian literature. Marin has even been called Croatia’s Shakespeare. His comedies, in particular, are lauded.

If it’s life that makes the writer then Marin can speak from experience. After a time in Sienna, Marin returned to Dubrovnik in 1543 and quickly became an acquaintance of the Austrian adventurer Christoph Rogendorf and began a series of vagabond exploits. He was connected with a group of Dubrovnik outlaws, and journeyed to Vienna, Constantinople and Venice, working as an interpreter, scrivener and church musician.

At one point he became convinced that Dubrovnik was being governed by a small group of elite aristocrats bent on tyranny. He wrote five letters desperately trying to convince the Medici family of Florence to help him overthrow the government in his home town. They never responded.

Split

Croatia’s Second Largest City

Split is a pretty interesting place. Much bigger than Dubrovnik, approximately four times bigger, it still has a much smaller and more relaxed feel. Now that may just be because we have confined our visit to the interior of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s large walled palace that sits at the harbor and haven’t ventured into the large bustling city that hovers just east of here.

Founded as a Greek trading colony in the 3rd century BC, Split really took off when the fortified Palace of Diocletian was built in 305 CE. It became a prominent settlement around 650 CE when Roman refugees fled here after Salona, the ancient capital of Dalmatia, was sacked by Slavs.

Although caught in the middle of the struggle between Venice and Croatia, Split managed to remain a free state for centuries until Venice finally won control of the Adriatic Sea and it became a heavily fortified Venetian city. That lasted until Napoleon beat the living daylights out of everyone in the late 18th century and the territory became part of the Habsburg monarchy. Then, in turn, became part of Italy, France, Austria, Yugoslavia, Germany and finally, after the fall of Yugoslavia, an independent Croatia.

Bishop Gregory of Nin

Bishop Gregory was always at odds with the power in Rome. He was the head of the rival Bishopric of Nin and attempted to institute the Slavic language into religious services. The Pope was having none of it and decreed that “no one should presume to celebrate the divine mysteries in the Slavonic language, but only in Latin and Greek, and that no one of that tongue should be advanced to the holy orders”. Bishop Greg’s pleas were rejected and his entire Nin bishopric was abolished in 928, but the Slavs still love him. Rubbing his toe has brought people good luck since 1929 when the statue was erected.

Marko Marulić

Marko is considered the father of Croatian literature and a major figure in the European renaissance. A lawyer, judge, author, poet and illustrator Marulić was the first to use the term psychology in his work “ Psychology concerning the nature of the human soul” published in 1524. His second most important work was Evangelistarium, an essay on ethical principles. A copy in the British Library belonged to Henry VIII and the margin notes indicate that the King was particularly interested in the authors religious views on choosing a spouse.

Apparently the great writer shared a mistress with his good friend Papalić. According to local stories they were very aware of their common affection, but like most threesomes, the whole affair ended in tragedy. The men would take turns climbing through the bedroom window of the young lady, the city commander’s daughter no less. Although it wasn’t his turn, Papalić asked Marulić to let him visit the girl’s bedroom. The local nobleman was caught and killed. The girl’s father, unable to live with the disgrace, buried his daughter alive behind a wall in the family home. It wasn’t until years later that her body was discovered. The whole debacle caused Marulić to move to a monastery on the island of Šolta.

Zagreb – The Capital

Zagreb Is the capital and largest city in Croatia. With 1,250,000 people, greater Zagreb has about a third of Croatia’s population. The earliest settlements in the region date from between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. The history of Zagreb itself dates from 1094 A.D. when Hungarian King Ladislaus founded a diocese and began the restoration of public safety. He was a severe legislator and punished thieves with death or mutilation.

The Legend King Saint Ladislaus

Legend has it that King Lad made his bones at The Battle of Kerlés when a Cuman warrior tried to flee the battlefield with a kidnaped Christian maiden. The severely wounded Ladislaus took chase. He shouted to the girl to catch hold of the pagan’s belt and jump to the ground. As the King and the pagan began wrestling the girl cut the pagan’s Achilles tendon allowing Ladislaus to subdue and behead the villain.

Ban Jelačić Square

The name “Zagreb” dates from 1094, but the city actually had two different city centers, Gradec and Kaptol. The city was finally united in 1851 by Ban Josip Jela Jelačića for whom the central square of the city was named in 1848. Austrian authorities had the large statue of Josip on horseback erected in the square in 1866. It caused much unease amongst Hungarians who viewed Jelačić as a traitor. Apparently he would set out on his military campaigns ill prepared and would take provisions from the towns and villages he passed through leaving the peasants destitute. It was removed under Communist rule in 1947, but then reinstalled in 1990 after the fall of Communism.

The 2020 earthquake that rattled Zagreb damaged the Zagreb Catheral’s 13th century Gothic spires. Since then the world’s most impressive scaffolding has shouded the church’s two towers.

Podravka is an international food processing company particularly renowned for their line of soups. The company chose red believing that the warm tone has a positive influence on peoples lives. Heart is at the core of their company philosophy. Besides being in the company’s logo, heart has been in all their slogans “From heart to heart” and “Company with the heart” and “When you cook with the heart, you cook Podravka soup”.

Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla is a national hero in Croatia. Born in the ethnic Serb village of Smiljan, about half way between Split and Zagreb, Tesla is considered by many the inventor of the electricity we use in our homes everyday, Tesla became famous during his lifetime. Noted for his showmanship at public lectures, he also demonstrated his achievements to celebrities and wealthy patrons at his lab. He made considerable money from early patents he had licensed to Westinghouse.

In 1893, he announced the possibility of wireless communications for practical use and plowed all his money into the Wardenclyffe Tower project, an intercontinental wireless communication and power transmitter, but the money ran out. He never completed it and he never completely recovered from it.

A bit of an eccentric, Tesla claimed never to sleep more than two hours per night, he curled his toes one hundred times for each foot every night, saying that it stimulated his brain cells, he had a photographic memory and said he used his ability to visualize in three dimensions to control the vividly terrifying nightmares he experienced as a child.

At his annual birthday parties he would announce his new inventions. In 1933 there was a motor that could run on cosmic rays and a way to photograph the retina to record thoughts. Tesla told reporters in 1934 that he had designed the “teleforce” death ray, a super weapon that would end all wars. On questions concerning the death ray, in 1937, Tesla said, “But it is not an experiment … I have built, demonstrated and used it. Only a little time will pass before I can give it to the world.”

By the 40s he had spent most of his money and moved from one New York hotel to the next, leaving behind unpaid bills. He died alone in Room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel on January 7, 1943, at the age of 86. The body went undiscovered for two days until the maid finally ignored the “do not disturb” sign.

Tin Ujević

Augustin Josip “Tin” Ujević is considered by many to be the greatest poet in 20th century Croatian literature and is compared to Thomas Hardy and early Yeats.

The Sisters Baković

Rajka and Zdenka Baković were Croatian students and a members of the anti-fascist resistance movement in the Nazi controlled puppet state of the Independent State of Croatia. The sisters used their family newsstand at Nikolićeva Street No. 7 to pass messages to other members of the resistance at the beginning of World War II.

The Croatian Fascist and ultranationalistic Ustasha Surveillance Service arrested Rajka and Zdenka in December 1941. Both sisters were subjected to five days of severe torture but refused to betray their fellow resistance fighters. When Rajka could no longer stand she was taken to the hospital where she soon died. Zdenka became so distraught by her sister’s death that she broke free from her captors and threw herself out of a fourth story window. The Sisters Baković have been honored as People’s Heroes of Yugoslavia.

See you next time. Stay curious.

A Nation of Shopkeepers

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This is a much quoted and often misunderstood remark. Supposedly Napoleon, in 1794, described England as “a nation of shopkeepers”, referring to Adam Smith’s remarks in “The Wealth of Nations” from 1776. At the time Britain was the envy of the world and the phrase would have been a positive one. Britain being a nation filled with hard-working, local, small-scale productive enterprises providing jobs and serving the community.

Some have considered it a damning remark and that Napoleon was alluding to a nation of little ambition that was far too concerned with commerce to be a match for his army. However, the English newspaper, the Morning Post, in 1832 referred to the comment as complimentary as it applied to a nation which has derived its principal prosperity from its commercial greatness.

I am only sure of two things, the English did not like Napoleon at all and there are indeed a lot of small shops.

The White Cliffs of Dover

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These magnificent chalk cliffs hovering over the Port of Dover are much more than a geological oddity or a world renowned international tourist attraction. Like the State of Liberty is to Americans, these white ledges are an enduring symbol of British identity and pride. They represent home and hearth, warm and safety, shelter and tranquillity, all the best emotions that returning home from time away can fill you with. The sight of them rising from the mist has filled seamen, airmen and world travelers with confidence, hope and relief for ages. During World War II their significance was elevated even further. Like the iron gate of a castle, they came to represent strength, courage and an undying sense of perseverance and steadfastness.

Vera Lynn – The Forces Sweetheart

“There’ll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow just you wait and see
There’ll be love and laughter and peace ever after
Tomorrow when the world is free”

Perhaps no one did more to solidify the White Cliffs of Dover’s reputation as a symbol of hope during WW II than Vera Lynn. Known as the “Forces Sweetheart”, she sang hits like “We’ll Meet Again” and “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover” to troops from air fields and munitions plants in England, across the Middle East to India and Burma.

Vera Lynn 1943

Pink Floyd Remembers

In 1978, Roger Waters thoughts turned to Vera Lynn when he wrote “Vera”, for the Wall album. Pink, a disillusioned rock star, watches the WW II film ” The Battle of Britain” and sings, “Remember how she said that/We would meet again/Some sunny day?/Vera, Vera/What has become of you?” Well, apparently quite a few people did remember Vera. She had a career that spanned over 65 years. In 2000 she was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century. She lived to be 103.

Keep Off My Vegetables

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Beningbrough is one of the most remarkable houses in all of England. The grand interiors, amazing woodwork and exquisite gardens are second to none and yet very little is known about Beningbrough’s past.

Ralph Bourchier inherited the estate in 1556, but the mansion we see today was built by John Bourchier (1685 – 1736) and his wife, the wealthy heiress, Mary Bellwood (1683–1746).

Sir John Bourchier spent two years in Italy during his Grand Tour of Europe. He was so impressed by his time there that several years after his return John built the current Beningbrough Hall in an Italianate baroque architectural style. It was his marriage to Mary Bellwood that provided funds to do so. The Hall was completed in 1716 and would become the family home for 150 years.

The Great Staircase

Completed in 1716, this truly remarkable staircase is an exquisite example of early 18th century craftsmanship. Hand built by York wood craver William Thornton, all three floors of inlaid wood treads are suspended on cantilevered iron rods giving the whole staircase the appearance of floating in air with no visible means of support. All the balustrades are hand craved oak designed to look like wrought iron.

During the second world war RAF servicemen damaged some of the balustrades. Lady Chesterfield hired York based master craftsman Derek Wall to do the repairs which are remarkably indistinguishable from the originals.

The gardens that surround the estate are being reworked by award winning landscape designer Andy Sturgeon.

*Florence Jane Helen Wilson – Lady Chesterfield’s Mother*

Sir John Bourchier – The Threat of Confiscation

Sir John Bourchier’s father suffered from mental illness and was declared legally incompetent in 1598. His upbringing became the responsibility of his strictly Puritan uncle. This greatly influenced his young nephew’s political and religious beliefs. He never believed that God spoke directly through the Monarch. When King Charles I dissolved Parliament and sought to raise money through Forced Loans in 1627, Sir John refused to go along with the scheme. The English Civil War broke out in 1642 and John was arrested and imprisoned in York. After his release he was elected to Parliament and sat as a judge at King Charles’ trial. Sir John was one of 59 men to put his signature and seal on the King’s death warrant.

*The Execution of Charles I – January, 30 1649* “Men cried, women fainted and the crowd groaned”.

After the Monarchy was restored in 1660 all the signers were ruthlessly pursued. The elderly Bourchier was captured but was too ill to be tried for regicide. In the end he remained unrepentant saying, ‘I tell you, it was a just act; God and all good men will own it.’ Through political ties, his son, Barrington, somehow rescued the property from confiscation by King Charles II and managed to keep Beningbrough in the family.

The Honorable Enid Edith Wilson, Countess of Chesterfield

In 1900, at the age of 21, Enid married Edwin Scudamore-Stanhope, a man twice her age, and became the Countess of Chesterfield. Her father bought Beningbrough Hall as a wedding gift for the couple. In the early 1920s Lady Chesterfield started to raise thoroughbred racehorses. Her husband died in 1933 and she stayed on at the hall until her death in 1957. The couple had no children and Beningbrough was then acquired by the National Trust in lieu of death duties.

The Second World War

When WWII broke out and the house was requisitioned by the RAF. Clifford Hill, one of the soldiers living on the estate, recalls an encounter with Lady Chesterfield. She was very irate that he and his companions were mistreating her gardens. She is reported to have said to them, “Good luck boys, and keep off my vegetables”.

The Race To The Bar

The airmen risked their lives every night on bombing raids in enemy territory. All sorts of capers were dreamed up to relieve their stress. If you could run from the bar, the full length of the house, up the stairs, along the top floor and then back down to the bar in one minute, you won a free pint. It was a mad rush. Running, push bikes, and on at least one occasion, a motorbike was used to try and win the pint.

Tredegar House – a ‘faire place of stone’

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The Tredegar House dates back to the medieval age. The red brick house, described as a ‘faire place of stone’, was built in the 1670s by Sir William Morgan and his wife, Blanche. The wealthy couple turned the old stone manor house into an extravagant and fashionable country mansion. But it was really Sir Charles Gould Morgan, a brilliant businessman, who in the late 1700s expanded the estate to over 40,000 acres and with mining and shrewd investments solidified the family wealth for almost 200 years.

The Edney Gates were made and erected, between 1714 and 1718, at a cost of over £1,000. That would be over $250,000 today.

I found this a somewhat troubling courtyard. It is very large and completely enclosed in the center of the house with nothing in it except a lamp post and hand pump. You enter it through one of only two small doors. It has no access to outside the building. I asked the docent what was it used for. He said, “Ya know, stuff.”

Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar

The Crimean War broke out in 1854 when a 22 year old Godfrey was a captain in the 17th Lancers. He was anxious to make a name for himself and led his section of the Light Brigade into the ‘Valley of Death’ at the Battle of Balaclava. Both the Viscount and his famous horse, ‘Sir Briggs’, returned to Tredegar heroes. ‘Sir Briggs’ was well cared for and lived to be 28. He was buried in the Cedar Garden at Tredegar House with full military honors.

*Sir Godfrey Morgan & Sir Briggs at The Battle of Balaclava*

How The Mighty Have Fallen

Godfrey’s great-nephew Evan marks the end of the Morgan family at Tredegar House. Evan was a multi-millionaire that never even thought about working. He was considered one of the most outrageous and toxic eccentrics to ever stain the aristocracy. He threw wild parties, befriended occultists and practiced black magic. One of his favorite party tricks was to hide a parrot in his clothes only to have it emerge from the zipper of his trousers to the amusement of his drunken party guests. Although a notoriously promiscuous and flamboyant homosexual, he somehow managed to marry twice. First to an English actress and then to the Russian princess Olga Sergeivna Dolgorouky, which was annulled less than four years later. Evan died in 1949, disgraced, broke and without an heir. His relatives were forced to sell Tredegar House to pay debts and estate taxes.

Yo Ho Ho!

The Morgans certainly come from hearty stock. Sir Henry Morgan, a great grandson of the original Morgans, made his fame and fortune on the high seas. He is considered one of the greatest scoundels in history. He roamed the Caribbean as a Privateer plundering Spanish ships and settlements with the approval of the Crown. The ever-shifting political climate between England and Spain made staying in the good graces of the King a difficult task. Henry was responsible for so many atrocities and brutal rampages that eventually the King could no longer tolerate his lawless behavior and Sir Henry found himself arrested and imprisoned. In the end he bribed his way out of trouble and became a wealthy plantation owner and Governor of Jamaica.

His exploits have become the stuff of legend. He was immortalized by John Steinbeck in his 1940 novel ‘Cup of Gold’, Rafael Sabatini’s novels ‘the Black Swan’ and ‘Captain Blood’ were adapted for films that made Errol Flynn and Tyrone Powers stars and launched an entire swashbuckler genre. Even Sci-Fi writer Isaac Asimov took a swing at the buccaneer in ‘Robots In Time’ when time travelers meet up with the Captain while searching for a fugitive robot. He is probably most well known today as the Captain Morgan that stands proudly on bottles of rum around the world.

Butte, Montana

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Violence, Vice and Pork Chop Sandwiches

Butte, Mt. was formally established in 1864, it began as a mining camp that lured would-be prospectors from around the globe. It was one of the largest copper boomtowns in the West. The city is still home to the largest number of Irish Americans per capita of any city in the United States.

This influx of miners gave Butte a reputation as a wide-open town where any vice was obtainable. Beer halls and brothels all thrived. The city’s red-light district, called the “Line” was filled with elegant bordellos and the notorious “Venus Alley”, where women plied their trade in small “cribs”.

The red-light district remained open until 1982 and was one of the last such urban districts in the United States.

German immigrants first opened breweries in the 1890s and were a large part of the city’s early economy. Everyone, including children, enjoyed all types of locally brewed beers.
Butte was also the site of various historical events involving its mining industry, labor unions, socialist politics, labor riots, civil unrest and lynchings. Between 1910 and 1920 hundreds of lives were lost in mining accidents, each followed by strikes, protests and walkouts. Between 1914 and 1920, the U.S. National Guard had to occupy the city six times to restore law and order.

Frank Little

Frank was an Industrial Workers of the World organizer in july of 1917 when he arrived in Butte to build strike support, picket lines and spread the strike to other trades in the city.
In the early hours of August 1st six masked men believed to be renegade police working for the despised Anaconda Copper Company broke into Nora Byrne’s steel block boardinghouse where Frank was staying. He was beaten mercilessly, tied to the bumper of a car, dragged through the streets to the Milwaukee Bridge and hanged from a railroad trestle.
A note with the words “First and last warning” and the Montana vigilante numbers 3-7-77 was pinned to his thigh.

An estimated 10,000 workers and 3,500 citizens lined the route of Frank Little’s funeral procession. The funeral is still the largest in Butte history. He was buried in Butte’s Mountain View Cemetery.

His epitaph reads “Slain by capitalist interests for organizing and inspiring his fellow men.” Days after his lynching, martial law was declared. Labor radicals were then arrested and charged with espionage. The miners strike and union were crushed. Nobody was ever arrested for the murder of Frank Little.

Pork Chop Sandwiches

Despite all the murder and mayhem Butte’s real claim to fame is the Pork Chop Sandwich, invented nearly 100 years ago. According to the Butte-Silverbow Archives, John Burklund created the first pork chop sandwich in 1924. He sold his popular sandwiches to hungry miners out of the back of a wagon at the corner of Mercury and Main streets.

Before long, demand for Burklund’s tasty treats grew and he opened his first shop with only a countertop, 10 stools and a window where customers could walk up and place their orders. The orginal location is still opened today

Uptown Historic District

Over the years the city’s Uptown Historic District has remained relatively intact and is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the US, with almost 6,000 properties.

The Sheep Shearer’s Union

The Sheep Shearer’s Union of North American #1 was incorporated in 1903. The Sheep Shearers Merchandise and Commission Company, Inc. was opened in 1908. Still operating today, The Union and the Merchandising Company are one of only four in the world.

Smithers & Son

C. Owen Smithers came to Butte in 1921 and worked as a staff photographer for the Anaconda Standard. Over the years he became an avid collector of photographs from Montana’s frontier era and displayed them in his studio at 41 West Granite Street.

The Smithers Collection of Historical Photographs was listed among the city’s must see tourist attractions in the 1940 WPA Federal Writers Project’s Guide to Montana. After his death over 15,000 historical photographs were donated to the Butte – Silver Bow Archives.

The Metal Bank & Trust Company

The Metals Bank and Trust Co. was founded in 1882. One of Butte’s most well known citizens, Patrick Largey, was president of the bank. He also managed a company that had suffered a powder house explosion in 1895.

The accident cost one Thomas J. Riley a leg. As you can well imagine, Riley held a grudge and on January 11, 1898 Riley entered the bank, called the bank manager to the cashier window and an argument ensued. After five minutes Riley pulled a gun and shot Largey in the forehead, killing him instantly.

The Wah Chong Tai Co.

The Wah Chong Tai Company constructed its building in 1891 in the heart of what was Butte’s Chinatown. It housed a mercantile stocked with a general line of Chinese goods, including porcelain, teas and silk. In 1909 the company added the Mai Was Noodle Company. The “beautiful, luxurious” noodle parlor occupied the second floor of the building.

In the 1890’s, nearly 400 Chinese lived in this area. Chinese physicians, druggists, tailors, laundries and restaurants like this served the population.

The Leggat Hotel

The Leggat Hotel officially opened its doors on January 22, 1914 and was advertised as being nearly fireproof. The new hotel had the most modern conveniences including a buffet, Turkish baths, a barber shop and shower-baths located between the suites.

Gus’s Lunch

This building sits at an intersection that was the dividing line between Butte’s Chinatown and red-light district. The attached building was a Chinese boarding house and brothel called The Lucky Seven. Gus’s Lunch occupied the building from the 1930’s to the 50s. It is now the Silver Dollar Saloon.

Push Saloon/Silver Dollar Saloon

The Push Saloon opened at this location in 1894. At the time it was one of 165 saloons in Butte catering to Swedes, Frenchmen, Scots, Irish, Blacks and rich and poor alike. Just a four block walk up Main Street offered over 35 similar establishments. The Silver Dollar took over after prohibition in 1934 and is still a link to Butte’s colorful and distinctive past. Advertisements for Chili & Sandwiches and Blatz’s Old Heidelberg Beer still grace the sides of the building.

The Hotel Finlen

In 1924, the Hotel Finlen opened the doors to a grand, 9-story hotel with 250 rooms. It was designed in the second French empire style after the Hotel Astor in New York City and has been a center of commerce and culture since. It has been regarded as one of the grandest hotels in the region and hosted notable figures and dignitaries including John F Kennedy, Thomas Edison, Richard Nixon, and Charles Lindbergh.

The Exer-Dance Building

In 1892 John F. Kelly commissioned the Butte architectural firm of Freys, Bartlett and McMillan to design this Queen Anne style structure, known as the Exer-Dance Building. The ground-floor commercial space housed Kelly’s wholesale fruit and produce firm with apartments and lodgings available on the upper floors. Butte’s first radio station, KGIR, began broadcasting from a studio located on the third floor of this building on January 31, 1929.

The Scandia Hall

The Scandinavian Brotherhood endeavored to unify Scandinavians through fellowship, high standards of citizenship, and “to fulfill a vacancy in the social world.” This ornately embellished three-story meeting hall, Butte No. 1, was built in 1898. This was the “Mother Lodge” being the first lodge hall built by this national organization.

Club 13

This historic, once handsome brick building was built around 1884, and opened as the Milwaukee Beer Hall. Originally designed as an upper class place for drinks in the downtown area, aimed at the gentry class, but eventually the profits from prostitution were impossible to ignore.
The women had their “cribs” on the second floor of the clothing store next door. After a woman was chosen, the client would go next door, enter the clothing shop, and go upstairs. The woman would walk across the wooden catwalk to the second floor to meet him. The law was none the wiser or simply chose to ignore it.

Citizens Of Note

Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel

Over the years a vast array of successful and notable people have been tied to Butte including artists, sports figures, politicians and businessmen, but her most famous son is undoubtedly Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel. At the tender age of 8, Evel attended a Joie Chitwood auto daredevil show and from that moment on his career choice as a motorcycle daredevil was a forgone conclusion. He would make history over the course of his career by attempting more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps and, in the process, making himself a household name.

Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. He is also in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most broken bones in a lifetime, 433.

Dashiell Hammett

In 1917, the author, Dashiell Hammett was working as a strikebreaker in Butte for the Pinkerton’s, and was offered $5,000 to assassinate Frank Little. He was filled with guilt and troubled deeply that a person would think him capable of committing murder. He would later depict Butte as the city, Poisonville, in his novel Red Harvest.

Some reviewers regarded his book as a remarkable achievement, on a parallel with Hemingway. It is considered the last word in atrocity, cynicism and horror in which every character is trying to deceive all the others and in which the truth slowly becomes visible through a fog of deception.

Wim Wender

In 2004, acclaimed German film director, Wim Wenders, made the film Don’t Come Knocking about a Western movie star fleeing Hollywood to seek his long lost love in Butte, Montana. Wenders worked with photographic images of desolate landscapes and themes of memory, time, loss, nostalgia and movement.

He began a long-running photographic project in the early 1980s that he pursued for over 20 years. The initial photographic series was titled “Written in the West” and was produced while Wenders criss-crossed the American West in preparation for his films Paris, Texas and Don’t Come Knocking.

A Magic Carpet Ride

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With the exception of a couple trips to Mexico, Wendi and I had never ventured out of the USA together until, in April 1989, some friends asked us to go to Istanbul with them. They planned to stay with an uncle for 3 weeks and assured us that we were all welcomed. The uncle worked for an accounting firm that sent him to Istanbul to help modernize the Turkish banking system. He was given the top floor of a really nice building, a car and two driver/bodyguards. The two bodyguards worked alternating 12 hour shifts and both lived in the ground floor of the building. The uncle told one of the men was Greek Orthodox and the other a Muslim and that they never spoke or even acknowledged the other’s presence as they would pass in the hallway twice a day, every day. He suggested this was a sign of religious intolerance. We discovered this just added a little more tension to an already anxiety filled household. The uncle was hugely fearful of kidnapping and was very careful about taking a different route to work each day. The aunt was so nervous she would never leave the apartment without a bodyguard. Assuming in our usual naive fashion that they were over-reacting, we headed out to gleefully explore every inch of this mysterious city.

The Gate of the Sultan – Dolmabahçe Palace

TV Shop – The Turkish Football team is playing the Romanians in the European Cup Semi-finals.

Egyptian Obelisk

They say the obelisks were originally covered with brass plaques figuring Egyptian symbols. When the Crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1203 their looting frenzy was such that they stripped the columns mistaking the brass for gold.

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Hagia Sophia, built in 537, was the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople until the fall of the city in 1453. It was then converted to a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror who had all the Christian symbols painted over or chiseled off the walls. In 1935 the new secular Republic of Turkey changed the mosque into a museum. For years it has been the most visited tourist attraction in Turkey until July 2020 when, in the face of condemnation from Turkish opposition, UNESCO, the World Council of Churches and many international leaders, President Erdoğan reclassified it back into a mosque.

The Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Blue Mosque, was built in the early 1600s. After a crushing defeat to the Persians the Sultan built the mosque to assert Ottoman power.

Prince’s Islands

We just had to get out of the apartment so we took a ferry out to the Prince’s Islands, an archipelago off the coast in the Sea of Marmara. During the Byzantine and Ottoman periods princes, princesses and Sultan’s families were exiled here, giving the islands their name. We got a room at the Splendid Palace Hotel on Büyükada, the largest of the nine islands. The island was like a trip back in time. It was small enough to cover on foot and, other than a few service vehicles, there was no motorized transport on the island.

Check Cashing

There were no ATMs, so we brought American Express Traveller’s checks. Cashing them was an adventure in itself. Merchants wouldn’t take them so we were left with two options, the bank or the AmX office at the Sheridan Hotel. I called the AmX office and asked when they were open. They told me occasionally. We opted for the bank.

The old bank building stood out on the corner like a grime grey ghost ship streaked with diesel exhaust. The 15’ high entrance was flanked by two uniformed police with machine guns. We entered a huge room with a giant portrait of Atatürk on the far wall and benches lining the other three. A tall podium sat in the exact center of the room with an older man perched on a high chair behind it. On the podium in front of him was a gigantic old leather-bound ledger with notes and odd pieces of paper sticking out in all directions. He motioned us forward and asked our business. We held up the AmX checks. He grunted, licked his thumb and, with practiced dexterity, located the exact correct page in the ledger and flopped the tremendous tome open with a loud thud. He signaled for the checks and our passports and began writing furiously in the ledger. He motioned for us to wait on one of the benches, then he leapt up and left the room with all our money and identification and disappeared through a small door at the back of the room. Being in a place where everyone looks at us like we just flew in from Saturn, we’re a tad apprehensive at this point. We sat very still and very straight with our eyes transfixed on the door that our entire security had just walked out of. After a long 10 minutes he pushed back through the door, briskly charged to the podium, hopped up on his high stool and completely ignored us. After an agonizing 20 more minutes a very tall stern looking woman in heels that clacked when she walked across the marble floor came through the door and headed straight for us. I was certain this is it, the gig’s up, we’re either going to the principle’s office or that prison in Midnight Express. She gestured for us to follow her. We scrambled to our feet and were led like ducklings to a small teller window at the far end of the room. She then handed a note to a small timid lady inside the cubicle who immediately began counting out Turkish lira. At about 2,000 lira to the dollar this made for a hell of a pile of bank notes. She pushed the mound of bills through the window to the stern woman who recounted it until she was satisfied then handed us the cash and a receipt. Finally, with a flourish, she produced our passports from some hidden pocket, smiled broadly and told us in perfect English to come again soon and have a lovely day.

Mohammed’s Hair

During our tour of Tokopki Palace we had to see the Jewel Room. We strolled by cases filled with jewel-encrusted scimitars and daggers, amazing diamond bracelets and rings and necklaces with emeralds so large that the Sultan had to sit to wear them. Out of nowhere a huge commotion erupted from across the room. A group of about 30 or so women dressed in burka were standing in front of a large showcase, chanting, crying and rocking frantically. I pushed through the crowd to see what all the hubbub was about. When I peeked into the showcase I saw a gold satin pillow with a single long hair stretched across the top. This single hair is worshipped by the faithful as being from the head of their most revered prophet, Mohammed.

The Angels Wrote My Name

The old walled city sits on top of the Basilica Cistern, built in the 6th century by Justinian I to hold the city’s water supply. For over a millennium it provided water to everyone inside the city walls as well as security when under siege. As the city grew each sultan would construct new fountains and wells so people would have easier access to water and there by increase the revered one’s status in the afterlife. The idea being that every time you fill a jug or take a drink you ask Allah to bless the Sultan and with each blessing the Angels write the Sultan’s name. Each new entry in the Book of Life improves the Sultan’s ultimate position in Heaven.

Statues of Roman Gods were dismantled and used to support columns. Tradition suggests the heads were inverted to negate the power of the Gorgon’s gaze.

This cup hangs above a fountain and is for public use.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Atatürk is the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized Turkey into a secular, industrial nation. He is regarded as one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century. His picture is everywhere.

Occasionally when traveling things will happen that make you realize just how much we take our freedoms for granted. We were sitting in the Sultan’s Pub talking to a couple Turkish basketball players about how much they admired Michael Jordon. One of the guys bragged that he had 20 points and 10 assists in his last game. I jokingly exclaimed, “Atta Turk!” Both men quickly leaned across the table and whispered “Shhh, you can’t say that. Joking about or disparaging Atatürk is illegal. Be careful what you say. If anyone overhears you, life could get very complicated very quickly.”

Chinese Whispers

We found an old Hammam, Turkish Bath, that had been converted to a carpet market and sold new reproductions of classic Turkish carpets for export. We were curious how much they cost and how it all works, but the salesman couldn’t speak English. He began circling through the rooms and returned with two couples, one Dutch and the other German. He pointed to the Dutch couple who could speak English and German. We explained what we wanted to know and they conveyed our message to the Germans who could also speak Turkish. They, in turn, spoke to the salesman and round and round we went for a half hour. It all worked amazingly well and was clearly a method the salesman had used before. They didn’t ship the carpets, but instead rolled them, attached a cloth handle and had you hand carry them to the airport. At least I think that’s what he said. We never bought a carpet.

My Ottoman Princess

In the lobby of the Splendid Palace Hotel, Büyükada, Turkey

Wendi tells a joke at the Splendid Palace Hotel, Büyükada, Turkey

The Time Machine

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During this semi-isolation we live in now I’ve managed to get to some long forgotten projects. A quarter of a century ago, in 1995, we went to Sherborne, England for our first Home Exchange. We were still in an analog universe without digital cameras, cellular phones, social media and the high speed Internet we know today. So our negatives and journals, after a cursory perusal, went the way of all vacation memories at the time, deep in a drawer. We have decided to rediscover what we did and how we felt about it. Come along.

1995

Wendi has been organizing our very first European Home Exchange for over a year at this point. We fly out on March 23rd for a 5 1/2 week trip to England. We’ll be spending our first 3 1/2 weeks in Sherborne, Dorset at the home of the Rouses, two teachers at the Sherborne Boys School, one of a few exclusive institutions that molds entitled little rich kids into the leaders of tomorrow. Then we’ll be off to London for two weeks in a small studio flat in Covent Gardens.

This is a real act of faith for us. Leaving our home and business for almost a month and a half feels very risky. Our clients are a bit shocked and not particularly happy, as most are corporate types that get two weeks off at the very most. We’re not sure if there will be business when we return. Time will tell.

At this point I should tell you a little about the exchange. We have discovered that our exchangers, Tony and Jan Rouse, share the same last name but are, in fact, not married or even together. They are just good friends. When we were picked up at Heathrow it was explained to us that we could stay at either Jan or Tony’s house, but that Tony’s house, the Firs, was larger and directly across the road from Sir Walter Raleigh’s Castle. Wow, a house with a name, next to a castle, that’s the one for us. It was only after we were dropped off that the fatal flaws in our decision became apparent. Tony lives all alone, he’s a bachelor and all that entails, beginning with a very unfortunate kitchen and two bathrooms in crisis. As for the view of the castle, actually it’s about as charming as a huge crumbling pile of rubble can be.

I’ll feel better after a quick shower, but wait I can’t open my luggage. The name tag says Capt. Thompson. Who the hell is Capt. Thompson? I call British Airways, “Hello Mr. Peterson, we’ve been expecting your call. You apparently have Capt. Thompson’s bag. He’s on his way to Nairobi now, so we’re going to send a driver by your place to pick up the Captain’s bag and bring it here. We’ll try and get your bag out to you in a couple days. OK?” I pause as my jet lagged brain tries to think this through. “Mr. Peterson, you still there?” “Yes, but I’m afraid your plan won’t work for me. What I will do is exchange bags with you. Bring me my bag and you get the Captain’s bag.” After three solid minutes of dead air time she finally agreed. The driver arrives just after midnight, topping off the longest day of my life.

Sherborne Abbey

Christians have worshipped where the Abbey stands for over 1300 years. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539 his good buddy, Sir John Horsey, acquired Sherborne Abbey with plans to demolish it. The townspeople, only about 2000 strong, rallied together and heroically managed to raise what would be over $445,000 today to save the church.

Our new friends have organized a little tour of the Abbey. Their friend is the cathedral organist and has promised to show us around.The organist was so kind and hospitable. To the surprise and delight of people visiting the cathedral, he even belted out a little ditty for everyone’s enjoyment. He then took us up the secret stairway to the roof for a view of the town.

After the tour we headed over to the Digby Tab for a few Imperial pints of Strong Bitter. The organist arrived after a couple rounds. I stood up and announced to the assembled crowd that he has the largest and most beautiful organ I have ever seen. I’m certain that they are still teasing him and laughing about the dumb American.

Don, Edith, Cyril and the Organist at Sherborne Abbey

Stonehenge

When you could still walk up and touch these magical stones.

Beer

A quaint little Cornish village perched on hillside overlooking the English Channel. We decided to stay here simply because it’s named Beer. Seemed like a no-brainer.

We stayed at the Colebrooke House. At breakfast we tried to chat with the owner and asked if he had grown up in Beer and what he did for a living before starting a B&B. He immediately dressed us down for being far too farmilar and explained that the English would never take such liberties with a stranger. As soon as he left the room the ladies at the next table came over, introduced themselves and told us the landlord was full of bullocks and just being an old grump.

Tintagel Castle

A medieval fortification located on the island of Tintagel, the castle was built by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century.

It has been a tourist destination since the 1930s when visitors began coming to see the ruins of Richard’s castle. Tintagel Castle has long been associated with the legends of King Arthur.

Geoffrey of Monmouth created the Arthurian myths that are still popular today. In the 12th century he described Tintagel as the place of Arthur’s conception in his mythological account of British history. Geoffrey wrote that Arthur’s father, King Uther, was disguised by Merlin’s sorcery to look like the Duke of Cornwall, so he could sneak into the Duke’s bedroom and have his way with Igraine, Arthur’s mother. A sort of 12th century date rape.

Trevigue, Crackington Haven, Cornwall

We drove to Trevigue down a very narrow country lane after dark. The fog was so thick that we didn’t realize that just 15′ to our left was a 100′ cliff above the Irish Sea. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Trevigue has been a farm since before the Norman Conquest.

Further North

Warwick castle

London

It’s Easter Sunday and we’re on the train to London for our last two weeks. We’ve rented a very small apartment in Covent Gardens from Mr. Almaz. Apparently it’s his son’s place and the old man puts him out whenever he can get a renter. It’s teeny but clean and the son has tons of movies. We haven’t turned on a TV in over a month.

The Imperial War Museum

Much to my surprise, this place is great. World War II is clearly England’s defining moment and this extraordinary museum gives you a real feel for the devastation and aftermath of the conflict. We even took a simulated bombing run over Berlin.

The Tower of London

It’s not really a tower, it’s a walled fortification that encloses a jail, an armory, a jewel house, chapel, royal houses and apartments. The Beefeater that served as our tour guide told us that in centuries past it was a very unpleasant place that the Royals would only come to when there was a threat of attack. The sewer system in particular was suspect. It was designed with the thought that the tidal river would wash the waste out to sea twice a day. Apparently it never worked and left the whole place smelling like an open septic tank. A lot is made of the famous beheadings that took place on the Tower Green, but apparently most executions took place outside the complex on Tower Hill so the bloodthirsty public could attend. Executions inside the complex were more solemn affairs not meant for immediate public consumption.

The Queen’s Apartments, The Tower of London

The condemned entered the Tower through this passage.

Anne Boleyn and countless others spent their final days in this very room.

Touring With Her Majesty

An Imperial Pint at the King’s Arms, London

The Road to Tonopah

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We left Bryce in the euphoria of early morning sunshine and set out on the long and uneventful journey from Utah across the center of Nevada. But, before we had crossed into the Silver State, ominous clouds began to form in the west. With the road stretching out across the desert before us, Wendi at the helm, we plunged head long into the maelstrom. For half the day she fought bravely through snow, sleet, hail, fog, rain, thunder, lightening and cattle.

“The storm is threatening my very life today. If I don’t get some shelter I’m going to fade away.” – RS’s

Tonopah, Nevada

By late afternoon the clouds parted revealing a welcomed oasis ahead. Tonopah, Nevada may not be paradise but it has everything people in our predicament could want; beer, buffalo wings, a bed and a 3,275 lb meteorite.

Rags to Riches

Legend has it that sometime around 1900 prospector Jim Butler went looking for his perpetually wandering burro. Having finally discovered the disobedient creature hiding under a ledge he picked up a rock in frustration but before hurling it at the beast noticed it was unusually heavy. He had stumbled upon the second-richest silver strike in Nevada history. Jim Butler, named the settlement, from what is thought to be Shoshone for “hidden spring”.

In 1902, a some time buckaroo and cattle drover, 24-year-old George Wingfield arrived in Tonopah. He dealt faro-cards at the Tonopah Club. Once he had a small bankroll, he talked Jack Carey, owner of the club, into taking him in as a partner. Wingfield began investing his profits in mines and by 1906 was worth more than $30 million.

The Mizpah Hotel

We’re staying at the historic Mizpah Hotel which sprung up in 1907 during the great Nevada silver boom. When it was completed the following year, the five story building was the tallest in Nevada. This high class hotel’s bar and restaurant was the center of social and economic activity in Tonopah all during those heady boom days. Many political and mining notables of the day frequented the bar that boasted boxing promoter Tex Rickard and future heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey as bouncers.

The Lady In Red

“Lady in Red” – Charles Webster Hawthorne

It was in the 1920s when Rose, the lady in Red, was murdered in room 501 of the Mizpah Hotel. Stories vary but the most excepted version of the gruesome event suggests that Rose’s husband returned to their room after having missed his train only to discover his wife had been in bed with another man. The husband flew into a jealous rage and savagely stabbed and strangled Rose.

She still haunts the hotel, whispering in men’s ears and leaving pearls from her broken necklace on guest’s pillows.

The Kingdom of Saxony

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Saxony

Saxony is the 10th largest of Germany’s 16 states. It has history that spans over a millennium. Slavs and Germanic people settled here in the first century BC.

We’re here to visit Saxony’s two largest cities.

Leipzig – The Better Berlin

Leipzig is the most populous city in the state of Saxony, Germany, with a population of 1.1 million in the metropolitan area. It sits at the intersection of the ancient Via Regia (the Royal Road) and the Via Imperii (the Imperial Road), the two most important medieval trade routes of the Holy Roman Empire. Literally, the epicenter of the commercial world.

The Leipzig Trade Fair, Leipziger Messe, was started in the Middle Ages and remains the oldest surviving trade fair in the world.

DDR Leipziger Messe Office

Leipzig was one of Europe’s largest centers of learning and culture prior to WWII and, although a major urban center within the GDR, its cultural and economic importance declined under the Soviets.

Star atop the Soviet Era Trade Fair Center

Since the Wall came down in 1989, Leipzig has been informally dubbed “Hero City” (Heldenstadt) in recognition of the role it played in ending the East German regime. Recently, the city has been nicknamed the “Boomtown of East Germany”, “Hypezig” or “The Better Berlin” and is being celebrated by the media as a hip urban centre. Leipzig is now considered the most livable city in Germany and is currently listed as a Gamma World City.

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is the world’s largest railway station measured by floor area.

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof

Opera House

Downtown Statue

There are over 20 covered passages or shopping arcades in Leipzig’s city center and Wendi dragged me through all of them.

Museums

The GDR Museum

Museum der bildenden Künste

Museum der bildenden Künste

The giant dinosaur is a fountain of sorts. Blood drips into the bucket from his mouth and is pumped back through his body in a continuous loop.

Museum der bildenden Künste

Arno Rink

Arno Rink

The much admired German artist passed away last year at the age of 77. Museum der bildenden Künste is celebrating his life and work with a huge career spanning retrospective.

Museum der bildenden Künste

Aeneas, 1986-87 – Arno Rink

Stürzender Aggressor, 1973 – Falling Aggressor – Arno Rink

Canto Libre – Free Singing – Arno Rink

Terror II – 1978-79 – Arno Rink

The Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

The Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

The Grassi Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig is primarily a ceramics museum which covers a huge range of ceramic work from antiquity to the present day. The museum is laid out as a sort of passage through time. You begin in ancient Greece and finish in 20th century Europe, but it’s the contemporary work that rocked me to the core.

18th Century Tea Cup

Lots of Tea Cups

“Amour fou” – Carolein Smit

“Violet and Daisy” – Carolein Smit

The 30 piece exhibition, “Amour for”, by Dutchwoman Carolein Smit is one of the singularly most fascinating, disturbing, captivating and sadistically funny shows I’ve ever witnessed. And I say witnessed as opposed to viewed because it is a little like seeing a strange crime scene. The work is so precise and polished that it’s easy to dismiss the painstaking effort and enormous talent that has gone into creating these fantastic creatures. Every pearl is hand rolled from clay, every strand of hair is individually fashioned and precisely placed with tweezers. And, my God, just think about all those strange dreams!

The museum wrote, “Carolein Smit combines opposites in her ceramic sculptures, reminiscent of an Amour fou, an apparently unreasonable and yet most passionate and addictive love. Where does innocence turn into guilt, life into death? Where is the transfer, the turning point? Those are the questions that the Dutchwoman tries to answer. Her mysterious figurations appear as precious and tantalizing as they seem dangerous, fragile and painful. At the same time, they are filled with cryptic humor. They are works of modern times, but their alter egos are rooted in the world of curiosity cabinets, collections of devotional objects and mythically-fantastic little branches of art history.”

“Death and the Maiden” – Carolein Smit

“The Cat” – Carolein Smit

“Girl with Dog” – Front – Carolein Smit

“Girl with Dog” – Back – Carolein Smit

“Pearls” – Carolein Smit

“Lamb with Three Headed Monster in Flames” – Carolein Smit

Check her out – http://www.caroleinsmit.com – She doesn’t look weird at all.

Leipzig and the Nazis

I’m of an age where World War II shaped my thinking. Mine and all of my friend’s parents were directly effected by the war. About half my neighborhood was Jewish and every single family was rocked to the core in the aftermath of the horror in Europe.

In 1933 there were 11,000 Jews living in Leipzig. By 1942 only 2,000 remained. On June 18, 1943 the last 18 were shipped to concentration camps. Of all the Jews deported from Leipzig only 53 survived.

As hard as it is to imagine, it’s estimated that one in ten Germans still harbors anti-Semitic views. We have been to five flea markets and all of them had vendors with Nazi memorabilia, which is illegal to sell in Germany, but apparently, not enforced. With the addition of over a million Syrian refugees the problem has just gotten worse. It has been suggested in the Bundestag that middle eastern immigrants seeking residency should be compelled to view a concentration camp and attend lectures on the holocaust to help them recover from their ingrained bias and disbelief of these factual events.

Karl Friedrich Goerdeler – A Man of Contradictions

Oberbürgermeister Karl Friedrich Goerdeler

Karl Friedrich Goerdeler was clearly a conflicted man. Elected mayor of Leipzig on May 22, 1930, he was well known as an opponent of the Nazi regime, for their evil thuggish tactics, not their anti-Semitism.

He resigned in 1937 after his Nazi deputy ordered the destruction of the city’s famed statue of Felix Mendelssohn. On Kristallnacht in 1938, the 1855 Moorish Revival Leipzig synagogue, one of the city’s most architecturally significant buildings, was deliberately destroyed. Following this Karl Goerdeler was overwhelmed with despair over what he considered to be the triumph of evil and hatched an ill fated plan to help save Jews deported to Polish Concentration Camps. He was captured and imprisoned by the Nazis, and yet, while on death row he was still anti-Semitic. In 1944, in his “Thoughts of a Man condemned to Death”, he wrote, “We should not attempt to minimize what has been happening, but we should also emphasize the great guilt of the Jews, who had invaded our public life in ways that lacked customary restraint^”.

He was finally hanged on February 2, 1945. In a farewell letter Goerdeler wrote of himself and his co-conspirators, “I ask the world to accept our martyrdom as penance for the German people.”

Dresden

Photo by Bgabel

Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendor. During the 19th century, the city became a major centre of economy, including motor car production, food processing, banking and the manufacture of medical equipment. By the early 20th century, Dresden was particularly well known for its camera works and its cigarette factories. Between 1918 and 1934, Dresden was capital of the first Free State of Saxony. Dresden was a centre of European modern art until 1933, when the Nazis came to town.

Zwinger

Dresden Castle

Summer Fest – Opening Mass

We are here for two exceptional museums,

Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, houses old masters, mostly Italian and German. It’s located in the Semper Gallery and is part of the much larger Zwinger Courtyard. This is an amazing site, but I’ll try to keep it short with just a few things I thought were fun.

Canaletto

With the aid of a Camera Obscura, Canaletto created precise urban views known as vedute. His paintings are almost photographically realistic images of 18th century Venice.

He sold his diffuse atmospheric paintings of the lagoon city to aristocrats who traveled through Europe on their educational Grand Tour.

This is the courtyard we are in today.

The Zwinger Courtyard in Dresden – 1751-52 – Canaletto

The Canal Grande in Venice with the Rialto Bridge – 1724 – Canaletto

Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura

As a drawing aid, the camera obscura allowed tracing the projected image to produce a highly accurate representation and an easy way to achieve a proper graphical perpspective. The camera obscura box was developed further into the photographic camera when camera obscura boxes were used to expose light-sensitive materials to the projected image.

The Tower of Babel

According to the tale, humanity was united in the generations following the Great Flood and spoke a single language. While migrating eastward they came to the land of Shiner and agreed to build a city and a tower tall enough to reach heaven. God observed this and was so upset that he confounded their speech, so that they could no longer understand each other, and scattered them around the world.

The Tower of Babel – 1595 – Marten Van Valckenborch d.Ä.

I love the whole notion of the Tower of Babel. As a parable is addresses a few issues, why we speak multiple languages, why we have many different cultures and are not united by either a common goal or belief system. It sort of puts the blame on God’s shoulders by suggesting that he has punished us for trying to physically reach him and the kingdom of heaven before our time is due. I think, at least in Western cultures, most people no longer think of Heaven as an actual physical place you could climb to but more as a spiritual or ethereal plane. But perhaps I’m wrong. The great American singer and songwriter David Bryne, wrote in his song Heaven that it’s a place where nothing ever happens and “they play my favorite song over and over”, presumably for eternity. A dire prediction, indeed.

The Chocolate Girl – 1744 – Jean-Étienne Liotard

Jean-Étienne Liotard

This pastel painting by the Swiss artist, Jean-Étienne Leotard, was already famous in the 18th century. Leotard has completely eliminated all traces of brushwork and produced immaculately modulated tones, creating the impression of utmost perfection. After a lengthy trip to Constantinople, the much-travelled portraitist began wearing Middle Eastern costumes and referred ti himself as” le painter turn” – the Turkish painter.

Anton Graff

Graff was a court painter in Desden and was much esteemed as a portraitist by the aristocracy and bourgeoisie. His numerous self-portraits reflect the self-confidence and pride of an artist that has won fame. He devotes particular attention to the intense, concentrated gaze, through which he conveys his character and individuality.

Self Portrait at The Age of 58 – 1794-95 – Anton Graff

Self Portrait as An Old Man – 1805-06 – Anton Graff

Young Lady with Drawing Utensils

Young Lady with Drawing Utensils – 1816 – Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein

Looted in April 1938 from the Jewish sisters Jenny and Bertha Rosier. Both died in Treblinka Concentration Camp in 1942 and the painting passed through the hands of German art dealers until it was finally restituted to the heirs of the original owners in 2010.

The Albertinum

Albertinum

The Albertinum was built between 1884 and 1887 by extending a former arsenal. Damaged in the February 13, 1945 bombing of Dresden in World War II, the Albertinum was restored by 1953. It now hosts the New Masters Gallery and the Sculpture Collection. The museum presents paintings and sculptures from Romanticism to the present, covering a period of some 200 years.

The Albertinum

Otto Dix – 1924 – August Sander

When the First World War erupted, Otto Dix volunteered for the German Army. He was assigned to a field artillery regiment in Dresden. In the autumn of 1915 he was a non-commissioned officer of a machine-gun unit on the Western front and took part in the Battle of the Somme. In November 1917, his unit was transferred to the Eastern front until the end of hostilities with Russia. By February 1918 he was stationed in Flanders. Back on the western front, he fought in the German Spring Offensive. He earned the Iron Cross and reached the rank of vizefeldwebel. In August of that year he was wounded in the neck. He was discharged from service in 22 December 1918 and was home for Christmas.

Dix was profoundly affected by the sights of the war and later described a recurring nightmare in which he crawled through destroyed houses. He represented his traumatic experiences in many subsequent works. The “War” triptych is one of Otto Dix’s most famous.

War – 1929-32 – Otto Dix

The Survivors – 1963 – Willi Sitte

Self-Portrait with Cap – 1930 -Curt Querner

Self-Portrait – 1984 – Paul Michaelis

With a self-mocking gesture, the 70 year old Michaelis playfully explores the question as to whether and how a person’s character and frame of mind can be captured on canvas. With his head slightly twisted and his lips pressed together, he examines his subject in this self-portrait.

“Socialist Contemporary Art” 1961 – 1967

In 1961 an indépendant department of “Socialist Contemporary Art” was established to implement the “Bitterfeld Way” whose purpose was to introduce workers to art and to eliminate the division between art and daily life.

Depictions of Workers

In the officially sanctioned artistic style of Socialist Realism, man is the focal point. The SED propagated an idealized socialist image of man, which was developed programmatically in the 1950s under the utopian concepts of the “New Man” and from the 1960s onwards as the “socialist personality”. The New Man was characterized as somebody who possessed a wide range of knowledge and skills, was hard-working, had a pronounced socialist consciousness, always behaved is a disciplined and moral way in accordance with socialist principles, was interested and active in the areas of culture and sports, and generally demonstrated a positive, optimistic attitude to life. Sounds like advertising to me.

Group Portrait – Schirmer’s Carpentry Brigade – 1972 – Werner Tübke

“Schirmer’s Carpentry Brigade” – This portrait of a brigade of carpenters in Leipzig, was exhibited at the 7th Art Exhibition of the GDR in 1972 and sparked a controversial debate. The contrast between a modern theme and an old masterly-Renaissance style of painting was disconcerting.

Seamstresses – 1982 – Harald Metzkes

“Seamstresses” – The bustling but concentrated activity of a working day in a nationalized company in the GDR is the subject of this painting. Metzkes developed a reputation as the “Cézannist of Berlin”, a soubriquet derived from his realistic, restrained portraits and his affinity to the French artist.

Brigade Leader – 1952 – Heinz Lohmar

Chess Player – 1964 – Willi Neubert

“Chess Player” – The man in the painting is recognizable by his clothing as a worker while playing chess represented the ideal of the “all-round developed socialist personality”.

House Peace Committee – 1952 – Rudolf Bergander

“House Peace Committee” – This painting was not purchased until 1960 because of it’s controversial loose style. So-called “discussion pictures’ were intended to demonstrate the value of the democracy established in the GDR.

Foreman – 1960 – Walter Howard

Woman In Uniform – 1983 – Annette Schröter

“Woman In Uniform” – The concept of the uniform dress runs counter to the female role in the traditionally male field of the military. With this picture, Schröter was campaigning against the nightmare of a law requiring women to perform military service in the GDR.

The New Owner – 1951 – Hermann Bruse

“The New Owner” – The catalogue for the 1979 “Weggefährten-Zeitgenossen” exhibition in Berlin stated, “The aim was to impress on the public consciousness the image of the new social status of the worker. An early example, in which the composition and posture of the subject merged to form an intrinsic unity, is Hermann Bruse’s “The New Owner”. The prestigious picture format in which the subject is depicted from the hips up, or as a full-length, seems now to have become standard for portraits of workers in the GDR.”

After Deployment – 1973 – Christoph Wetzel

“After Deployment” – Christoph Wetzel’s graduation project at the Hochschule for Bildende Künste Dresden is the only painting in the collection showing a member of the GDR army, the Nationale Volksarmee. Rather than depicting a combat-ready defender of his country, Wetzel presents him as a vulnerable man with his back bared.

Nazi Footnotes

Looted Art

Hildebrand Gurlitt

The destruction of Dresden allowed Hildebrand Gurlitt, a major Nazi museum director and art dealer, to hide a large collection of artwork that had been stolen during the Nazi era. During interrogation after capture, Gurlitt told US Army authorities that his art collection and documentation of transactions had been mostly destroyed at his home in Kaitzer Strasse. The authorities seized 115 pieces of art but returned them after he had convinced them that he had acquired them lawfully. He claimed he was a victim of Nazi persecution due to his Jewish heritage. Gurlitt was released and continued trading in art works until his death in a car crash in 1956.

On 22 September 2010, German customs officials at the German–Switzerland border found €9,000 in cash on his son Cornelius Gurlitt, which led to a search warrant of his apartment in Schwabing, Munich. On 28 February 2012 they found 1,406 artworks, with a present estimated worth of one billion Euros. Priceless art treasures hung on every wall. Authorities initially banned reporting on the raid, which only came to light in 2013.

The Bombing of Dresden

Dresden Bombing

The bombing of Dresden by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces between February 13 and 15, 1945. The sheer scale of the attack remains controversial. Over 5 tons of incendiary and high explosive bombs on the city. The combination of bombs damaged and incinerated buildings, denying their use by retreating German troops and refugees. Widely quoted Nazi propaganda reports at the time, claimed 200,000 deaths, but in 2010, after five years of research, the German Dresden Historians’ Commission concluded that casualties numbered between 18,000 and 25,000. The Allies described the operation as the legitimate bombing of a military and industrial targets, but several researchers have argued that mostly women and children died. Allied military authorities have stood by the decision to carry out the bombings, reaffirming that it reduced the German military’s ability to wage war.

The End

I hate to end on such a somber note, but it is, what it is. We love to share what we are lucky enough to see and do. We hope you enjoyed some of it. See you next time.

Tot Ziens En Veel Succes – Good Bye and Good Luck

Good bye from the Hilton Amsterdam

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Category Archives: History

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Zagreb – The Capital

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The Mizpah Hotel

The Kingdom of Saxony

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Dresden

Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

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