Europa Passage in Hamburg

23 January 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg, Shopping Reading Time:  6 minutes

© qwesy qwesy/cc-by-3.0

© qwesy qwesy/cc-by-3.0

Europa Passage is a large shopping mall in the Altstadt quarter of Hamburg, Germany, located between the streets of Ballindamm/Jungfernstieg and Mönckebergstraße near the lake of Binnenalster. It was opened on 5 October 2006. Within the 5-level mall 120 shops and 27 catering outlets can be found on an overall length of around 160 metres and a space of 30,000 square metres. Another 30,000 square metres of office space are located within the building.   read more…

New Synagogue in Dessau

17 January 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© M H.DE/cc-by-sa-4.0

© M H.DE/cc-by-sa-4.0

The New Synagogue, also known as the Weill Synagogue, is a Jewish place of worship in the city center of Dessau. It is the first newly built synagogue in the state of Saxony-Anhalt since German reunification.   read more…

Germany’s integration into the West

30 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, EU blog post series, European Union Reading Time:  7 minutes

Federal Republic of Germany map -  January 1957 - October 1990 © TUBS/cc-by-sa-3.0

Federal Republic of Germany map – January 1957 – October 1990 © TUBS/cc-by-sa-3.0

Western integration, also known as western ties, is understood to mean the inclusion of the Federal Republic, founded in 1949 as a western German state, in treaties with western states. These were used to make foreign, security and economic policy decisions. The Western powers combined two goals with Germany’s integration into the West. On the one hand, the integration of Germany was intended to serve the security of the Western European states from Germany, which had posed a threat to its neighboring states in the past. On the other hand, West Germany should make a contribution to the security of the Western European states from the Soviet Union, whose troops were stationed on the Elbe due to the Warsaw Pact. With the Paris Agreements in 1955, the Federal Republic was finally integrated into the Western community of states and the Atlantic security community. This marked the first conclusion, which on the German side was influenced by the policies of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Because of Adenauer’s policy of ties to the West, the Federal Republic integrated itself into the political, economic and military alliances of the West after 1949.   read more…

House of One in Berlin

24 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin Reading Time:  8 minutes

House of One model © Thaler Tamas/cc-by-sa-4.0

House of One model © Thaler Tamas/cc-by-sa-4.0

The House of One is a religious structure being built in Berlin. It will be the world’s first house of prayer for three religions, containing a church, a mosque, and a synagogue. The construction costs, which are estimated at 43.5 million euros, come roughly equally from the federal government, the city of Berlin as well as donations and a crowdfunding campaign.   read more…

Neuer Wall in Hamburg

23 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg, Shopping Reading Time:  7 minutes

© flickr.com - sezaun/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – sezaun/cc-by-sa-2.0

Neuer Wall is an upmarket shopping street in Hamburg, Germany. The 1,200 m of shop-fronts are almost entirely lined with luxury brands. According to international real estate and retail reports, Neuer Wall is among the most exclusive shopping streets in Europe.   read more…

Banz Abbey in Bavaria

10 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Reinhold Möller/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Reinhold Möller/cc-by-sa-4.0

Banz Abbey (German: Kloster Banz), now known as Banz Castle (German: Schloss Banz), is a former Benedictine monastery, since 1978 a part of the town of Bad Staffelstein north of Bamberg, Bavaria, southern Germany.   read more…

Treppenviertel, Hamburg’s Riviera

9 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Kroppe/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Kroppe/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Treppenviertel (“Stairs Quarter”) is a neighborhood within the Hamburg district of Blankenese, located about 10 kilometers west of the city center. It is bordered by Süllberg, Baurs Park and the Hesse Park and, to the south, by the banks of the Elbe. There are few motorable roads in it. The majority of the houses can only be reached on foot via more than 5000 steps, which are spread over various staircases. The location on the Elbe slope is described in travel guides as “Mediterranean” and is therefore referred to, slightly ironically, as “Riviera“. When the weather is good, the view from the upper properties extends as far as the Altes Land.   read more…

Hamburg City Hall

21 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Daniel Schwen/cc-by-sa-2.5

© Daniel Schwen/cc-by-sa-2.5

Hamburg City Hall (German: Hamburger Rathaus) is the seat of local government of Hamburg, Germany. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg and as such, the seat of one of Germany’s 16 state parliaments. The Rathaus is located in the Altstadt quarter in the city center, at the Rathausmarkt square, and near the lake Binnenalster and the central station. Constructed from 1886 to 1897, the city hall still houses its original governmental functions with the office of the First Mayor of Hamburg and the meeting rooms for the Parliament and the Senate (the city’s executive branch).   read more…

Fraenkelufer Synagogue in Berlin

9 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Jörg Zägel/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Jörg Zägel/cc-by-sa-3.0

The synagogue on Fraenkelufer (German: Fraenkelufer Synagoge) in Berlin‘s Kreuzberg district was built as an Orthodox Synagogue between 1913 and 1916 according to plans and under the direction of the master builder of the Jewish Community of Berlin, Alexander Beer. The structure was located on Kottbusser Ufer 48–50, today’s Fraenkelufer 10-16. On Kristallnacht, the evening of November 9-10th, 1938, the main building of the synagogue was badly damaged. Further destruction in the following years led to the structures ultimate demolition in 1958/1959 after the end of World War II. Today the surviving outbuilding, previously used for the youth service, has been renovated and is home to a Conservative Synagogue. A complete reconstruction of the main synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis is being planned for its original location.   read more…

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