I wanted to do something a little different to highlight my favorite things on the trip, which by default had to be cathedrals, since that's what we saw. I will, however, concede that beer in Germany has earned its own blog entry, giving architecture a run for its money.
So, I wanted to highlight just what these poor cities have been through during the turmoil of many wars. Bombing, revolution, bombing, more revolution. Let's focus on the cathedrals since they have been the central point of these ancient cities since their inception and that hasn't seemed to change over time; people take pictures, weep, and write about the tearing down of their culture. These are the types of cities where the cathedral was the tallest structure and in most cases, still is. They serve as reminders of a time long-past where the world was simpler and revolved around the work that so many suffered for. Time once crowded in on them but the destruction of their environment in various wars has opened them up to shine once more as the pride of their city.
Assume any picture not on my Picasa site is borrowed. I've not copied the pictures, preferring to link to them to preserve their original ownership, or at least to not further infringe on the copyright owner.
In Aachen stands Charlemagne's chapel, a cathedral of varying styles (Gothic, Romanesque with Byzantine touches. I'm so glad it's not Baroquen). The octagonal chapel (beneath the dome in the pictures below) was begun in 800 AD and the cathedral has expanded out from there, including a 16-sided second external layer and a gothic choir (to the left, below). The cathedral houses the throne of Charlemagne, where over 30 German kings have been crowned, the tomb of Otto III and the shrine of Charlemagne where his bones supposedly are held.
Compare Aachen 2007 and 1944:
Next up we have the cathedral at Mainz, finished in 1037. It is a Romanesque beauty (with Baroque and other influences), notable for being a bishopric seat to this very day. The present day cathedral reflects work sponsored by Napoleon after the seige of Mainz in 1793. Compare between 1840, 2007, 1944:
The cathedral at Worms was consecrated around 1181 but a chapel has stood there since the 7th century or earlier. Worms is notable for the Diet of Worms where Luther was condemned for his reformation ideas. Compare 2007 and 1944:
The images of Köln (Cologne) after allied bombing are evocative. I have a hard time looking at them sometimes, wondering just what it would have been like during the explosions and panic. In the picture below you can see where the Germans destroyed the bridge as they retreated. I've included a current picture of the recent bridge, as viewed from the right tower of the Dom (right in the picture I took of the facade). The Köln cathedral is exceptionally important in the history of Germany and the architecture of Europe. Building began in 1248 and was completed in 1880. The towers were the last things finished and services were held despite construction. When it was finished it was the tallest structure in the world. It still lays claim to the largest church facade in the world. It holds several important Christian relics including those of the 3 Kings (the Magi). Compare 2007 and 1945:
Two things strike me the most about the above. First we must note that most of these cities had built up around their cathedrals over time, starting from the Middle Ages as the economy expanded and then contracted. There would have been markets, houses and shops surrounding them. Pilgrims would spill in from outside and at the end of a day there might be filth everywhere (I read somewhere once that some cathedrals had slanted floors so they could easily sweep the daily filth out easily). Sometimes these outside entities shared the walls of the sanctuary.
Cathedrals were built well, built to stand until the end times, built to be shrines and places of pilgrimage. They were the cornerstone of life in the city. During the bombings of WWII many of those homes, shops and markets were destroyed (as you can see above). Many of the cathedrals were heavily damaged (glass broken, roofs burnt, columns fallen), but the city rebuilt them. People loved the heritage and architecture so much that they restored it, even despite the heavily secular outlook of German society, and the poverty of post-war Germany. In fact the first German UNESCO World Heritage site was the cathedral at Aachen (it was also one of the first 12 in the world, the 3rd in Europe!).
The second thing that strikes me is the sheer carnage we see from the allied bombings. After recently reading a description of the Roman's taking Jerusalem after the first Jewish revolt and re-reading the taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders I am reminded just how awful war is, but how far we've ironically come in fighting them. The Roman and Crusader destructions of Jerusalem resulted in "pools of blood to the ankle" and "bodies piled high". A city like Köln was probably deserted at the time that picture was taken. After 107 air raids the citizens had probably found refuge elsewhere. They weren't enclosed in walls like their ancestors would have been. Or at least we can hope. But I find my contemporaries making statements like: "at least we don't carpet bomb anymore" or "look at the carnage in Iraq". It poses an interesting question: is war still considered brutal if you're targeting? Is it still considered immoral and insensitive? Is technology the reason we're not squeamish about sending strike fighters in somewhere? Has our pride overwhelmed our sense of restraint? Sometimes I feel we're less squeamish, sometimes I feel we are more.
The above is by no means the extensive coverage of the issue of destruction during WW II. Most of the images are from Noa Turel ’s presentation: On Unveiling a Cathedral. If you're truly interested in this there also seems to be a book on the topic: War Damage in Western Europe by Nicola Lambourne (Edinburgh Press, 2001). It's now on my Amazon wishlist.
I posted previously on the Chains of Peter, so here are all the pictures I have together, along with an external link to those in Burlington Vermont (Order: Köln, Trier, Aachen, Rome, Burlington):
I note with some humor that this blog is now the #1 Google result for "Burlington peter's relic". Nevermind the infamous Burlington connoisseurs magazine. Who would link to me on this topic?
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